Lilacs delivered to Atlanta by Monday?

May 10, 2007 3:05 PM

Emergency funeral flowers for a mom -- where can I get lilacs in Atlanta or delivered to Atlanta for a Monday memorial service? My best friend's mom passed suddenly last night and her favorite flowers were lilacs. Please help me do this for my friend and her family.
posted by mdiskin to Shopping (18 answers total)

I should think any good florist in a city the size of ATL would be able to get lilacs there by Monday.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:09 PM on May 10, 2007

Agreed. Any florist should be able to do this. This might help you get started.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 3:15 PM on May 10, 2007

Response by poster: Sorry -- I should say that I"m calling around, but with the Mother's Day holiday, it's hard to find them. And most shops don't stay open late so I'll need to place any orders by tomorrow at noon if they need to ship anything.
posted by mdiskin at 3:15 PM on May 10, 2007

In that case, you could try an online florist. I've used 1-800-flowers in the past, but only because I saw their ads. I was pleased with what they arranged.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 3:18 PM on May 10, 2007

Here's Citysearch's list of best florists in Atlanta.

If for some reason they can't help you (in addition to mother's day, the spring lilac season is pretty short, and it's coming to a close right now), you could try calling this lilac nursery to see if they could help. Caveat: it sounds like they ship plants, not blooms, and they're in Maine, which may mean that they won't be able to ship in time for the funeral. But perhaps worth a try, anyway.
posted by scody at 3:19 PM on May 10, 2007

I've used 1800flowers for the same situation and they worked out great (friend was in CA though, I am in NY). I called on the phone so I could stress to the person the importance of the timing. They were great.

I've even used them for a friend with a broken leg in Switzerland and the flowers were beautiful.

On Preview: Seconding Pater Altheias.
posted by spec80 at 3:20 PM on May 10, 2007

There's also FTD.
posted by hobbes at 3:27 PM on May 10, 2007

Lilacs are a short seasonal bloom, peaking just about now in many parts of the U.S., but they are not a flower/shrub that can be readily "forced," in commercial operations, so there is not a large commercial trade. In the event you are not successful in locating a delivery vendor in time for her memorial service, perhaps you could consider a donation to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens in her name, to further the enjoyment of lilacs there, in her memory, for many years to come?
posted by paulsc at 3:29 PM on May 10, 2007 [1 favorite]

Just to address the 1-800 Flowers thing: I find that they're great for routine flowers (mother's day, birthdays, get well soon), but not necessarily so at the last minute when a possibly-difficult-to-obtain type of flower is required. (And as paulsc points out, lilacs definitely fall in that category -- they are not hardy, year-round blooms that every florist will have on hand, even when they're in season).

Ultimately, what 1-800-Flowers (or FTD.com) can do will still be dependent on the local availablity of lilacs. (Coincidentally, just yesterday I tried ordering a mother's day arrangement from 1-800 Flowers that included lilacs -- but when I punched in my mom's zip code, it said that the arrangement wasn't available there because of limits on flower availability. So she got a hydrangea instead.) If the OP is calling Atlanta florists directly and they don't have lilacs right now (either due to season or the demands of mother's day), a call to 1-800-Flowers is unlikely to garner a different answer.

Which isn't to say that the OP isn't going to be able to get any flowers in time for the funeral; just that lilacs, under the circumstances, may pose particular problems.
posted by scody at 3:34 PM on May 10, 2007

Try American Floral Distributors. They suggest 3 business days, but maybe you can call them for a rush order.

If that doesn't work, do not call local bouquet florists, they won't take the time to help you till mother's day is over. Perhaps a wedding florist might be able to help you out.
posted by necessitas at 3:40 PM on May 10, 2007

Seriously, I don't think you're going to be able to find a commercial florist who can fill this order (and the lilacs on my countertop would be long dead if I tried to ship them for you). I'd go with paulsc's idea or -- crazy long shot alert -- Craigslist.

Why not post in the gardening forum there and see if there are any helpful gardeners in the area who might be willing to take some from their own garden to the service on your behalf? (Offer payment, of course!)
posted by bitter-girl.com at 5:42 PM on May 10, 2007

Call the Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta (404-659-0400). Ask for the concierge, and ask him what florest he would recommend. Call them.

(This is my tried and true action whenever I need anything in a city that I'm not in, and not familiar with.)
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 5:54 PM on May 10, 2007

My preferred florist in Atlanta is Island Flowers link
posted by WetherMan at 6:03 PM on May 10, 2007

There's also FTD.

No! No! Don't use FTD! I clicked on the link and it still says that it's not too late to order for Mother's Day. I clicked on that same link two days before Valentine's Day, and it said it wasn't too late to order for Valentine's day. I ordered a nice bouquet of orchids for a dear friend in Dallas, and even after many phone calls and emails, they arrived a WEEK later and FTD refused to refund my money. I ended up looking like an ass, and they gave me something like a $10 credit.

I'd go with a local florist, and explaint to them that this is for a funeral.
posted by WaterSprite at 6:35 PM on May 10, 2007

In this kind of situation I always call the funeral parlor and ask for them to recommend a florist. Every funeral parlor I've spoken to has a business associate/friend in the flower business. That florist should be able to get you what you need or they will be able to recommend a florist who can. As a bonus the associated parlor and florist always work well together. So, you can feel more comfortable about the arrangements.

(In other words this is a good opportunity to let the experts in the city use their expertise to your advantage.)
posted by oddman at 7:40 PM on May 10, 2007 [1 favorite]

Call Candler Park Flower Mart. They are pretty accommodating and they have great flowers.
posted by donpardo at 3:30 AM on May 11, 2007

Call the funeral home and ask for a recommendation. They work with and know the best florists to use in town.

800-flowers is the worst option available. They have been late delivering flowers numerous times and the quality is just awful. Plus, when the flowers arrive from this company, either the family will have to arrange them on their own, or the place holding the memorial service will.

It's worth it to pay a few extra bucks for the quality of service.
posted by echolex at 7:38 AM on May 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you, thank you to everyone. Candler Park Florist is ordering some lilacs. I can't tell you how much this meant to the family.
posted by mdiskin at 1:07 PM on May 11, 2007