Camellia & Co
Sending Flowers to Auckland City Hospital
Camellia & Co is an independent Auckland florist. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a preferred supplier to any hospital.
Auckland City Hospital in Grafton is a large site, and flowers sent to a patient there succeed or fail on the details you give us. This page covers what we need and what to check before you order.
Check first: can the patient receive flowers?
This is the single most important step, and it takes one phone call.
Some wards do not accept fresh flowers at all. Intensive care, critical care, and units caring for patients with weakened immune systems commonly restrict them, and policies change. Rather than guess, ring the ward directly and ask two questions: whether flowers are accepted, and whether the patient is still on that ward.
Patients also move between wards, and are sometimes discharged earlier than expected. A short call the morning of delivery avoids a bouquet that cannot be delivered.
What we need on the order
- The patient’s full name as recorded by the hospital
- The ward or unit name and level, if you know it
- A contact phone number — the patient’s, or yours
- Any note about expected discharge
Without a ward name, a large hospital cannot reliably route a delivery. If you do not know it, ask the family before ordering.
What to send to a hospital
Choose modestly sized arrangements. Bedside space is limited, and a large bouquet is awkward for a patient to take home.
Avoid strongly scented flowers. Lilies and heavily perfumed stems can be unpleasant in a small shared room and are restricted in some wards. Tell us it is a hospital delivery and we will keep the arrangement unscented or lightly scented.
A vase arrangement is kinder than a wrapped bouquet — ward staff should not have to find a vase. Our range includes arrangements that arrive ready to sit as they are, and Florist’s Choice lets you set a budget and tell us it is for a hospital so we can design accordingly.
If flowers are not possible
Some wards will not accept them at all. In that case, a gift the patient can keep is more useful — see our gifts and add-ons — or send flowers to the family home instead, which is often where they are most needed anyway.
Delivery and timing
Order before 1:00 p.m. for possible same-day delivery, subject to flower stock and delivery capacity. Grafton is close to central Auckland and our Ponsonby shop at 133 Ponsonby Road. Check the address on our Auckland flower delivery page and confirm the fee in your shopping bag.
Deliveries during visiting hours are most likely to reach the patient directly.
Questions
Can you deliver directly to a patient’s bedside?
We deliver to the ward. Ward staff take them from there. We cannot enter patient areas.
What if the patient has been discharged?
Contact us as soon as you know. If the flowers have not left the shop we can usually redirect them; if they have, we will work out the next step with you.
Can you deliver to Starship?
We would rather you rang the ward first. Paediatric and intensive care areas frequently restrict fresh flowers, and a family with a child in hospital should not be dealing with a failed delivery. Call the ward, and if flowers are welcome, order as above and tell us it is for Starship.
Should I send lilies?
No — not to a hospital. Choose something unscented, and tell us it is a hospital delivery.