In Part 1 we covered who you are sending to. This part is about the practical side: when, where and how. Let us begin with the thing everyone will sing. The 1998 Guinness World Records named “Happy Birthday to You” the most recognized song in the English language. Its melody comes from a song called “Good Morning to All,” traditionally attributed to the sisters Patty and Mildred Hill in 1893, and the combination of melody and birthday lyrics first appeared in print in 1912. For decades a music company claimed the copyright and charged for public performances, at one point $700 for a single use. In 2015 that claim was declared invalid, and in 2016 the company agreed to pay back $14 million in licensing fees. The song is now in the public domain in the United States, which means you can sing it anywhere you like. The flowers, unfortunately, still have to be ordered.
🌸 Birth Month Flowers
If you want a personal touch, a birth flower is a charming idea. The tradition of assigning flowers to birthdays grew out of the Victorian language of flowers, and later authors went as far as making lists that give a flower to every day of the year. For most of us, the monthly version is enough. Our shared birth month flower guide lists the flower for each month and what it traditionally means. A small bunch of the recipient’s birth flower, tucked into a mixed bouquet, is one of the easiest ways to make a gift feel chosen. You can pair it with our guide to what flowers mean if you want to be sure of the message.
📅 When to Send
- On the day. The classic choice, and the one that makes the biggest impression. Flowers arriving on the birthday itself turn an ordinary day into a good one.
- The day before. A good option when the birthday falls on a weekend or you want the flowers in the house for a party.
- Friday for a weekend birthday. If the birthday falls on a Saturday or Sunday and the recipient works in an office, send to work on Friday and let the weekend belong to the family. If you want the surprise at home, we deliver seven days a week, including Sundays.
- The day after. Better than nothing, and sometimes the one that gets noticed most, because everyone else has already moved on.
🎄 Holiday Birthdays
People born near a holiday often feel that their birthday gets swallowed by it. This season there are three big ones: Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26, Christmas on Friday, December 25, and New Year’s Eve on Thursday, December 31. If you know someone with a birthday on or around those days, give them their own moment. Order early, send flowers a day or two before the holiday so they are not lost in the shuffle, or send them the day after when the house has gone quiet. A bouquet that is clearly for the birthday, with a card that says so, is a kindness they will remember.
🏠 Work or Home?
This depends on the person. Work deliveries are public and cheerful, and they work best for people who like attention. Home deliveries are private and better for a surprise, a partner or someone who does not want to be fussed over at the office. If you are not sure, think about how the person would want to be thanked. Our shared guide to the art of the surprise delivery goes through the trade-offs. Whichever you choose, give us the full address, a phone number for the recipient, and, for an office, the suite number and the recipient’s name.
✍️ The Card
The card is where a bouquet becomes a birthday gift. Keep it short, specific and warm. A few lines to borrow or adapt:
- “Happy birthday to the person who makes ordinary days better.”
- “Another year, another reason I am glad you are in my life.”
- “Thinking of you today and hoping it is as good as you are.”
- For a friend: “You do not look a day over fabulous.”
- For a coworker: “Happy birthday from all of us. Enjoy your day.”
If you can add one real memory from the past year, do. That is the line the person will read twice.
💵 How Much to Spend
There is no right number. A good rule is to match the gesture to the relationship and the moment: modest for a coworker or neighbor, more generous for a partner, parent or milestone. If you want something that looks lovely without a big price tag, our flowers and gifts under $50 page has twelve options, all $49.99 or less. If you want us to choose, a designer’s choice order lets our designers build the best arrangement for the budget, and it is often the best value of all. You can also browse every option at bouquets and arrangements.
🐾 Allergies, Pets and Small Children
Before you order, think about the home. If the recipient has pets, check our pet-safe bouquet guide. If anyone is sensitive to fragrance, choose from our shared list of the least fragrant flowers. And with very small children in the house, put the vase high up.
💧 Keeping Them Going
A birthday bouquet should last through the weekend and beyond. Trim the stems on an angle, use a clean vase, change the water every day or two, and keep the flowers out of direct sun and away from the fruit bowl. Our care tips cover the rest, and our guide to why grocery store flowers die fast explains why a florist bouquet lasts longer.
😬 You Forgot
It happens to everyone. The good news is that belated birthday flowers are still welcome, and honesty works better than excuses. Send a bouquet with a card that says so: “Late, but only because I wanted them to be perfect.” Our shared guide to belated flowers was written about Mother’s Day, but the advice is the same for any birthday. Do not wait for the perfect gift. Send something today.
📮 Sending From Far Away
If you are not in the Portland area, you can still send flowers to someone here. Our birthday flowers page lists what we deliver in Tigard, Beaverton and across the metro, and a bouquet is the best way to say you are thinking of someone when you cannot be in the room.
📋 The Short Version
- “Happy Birthday to You” is in the public domain in the United States, so sing it freely.
- A birth-month flower in the bouquet is an easy personal touch.
- For a weekend birthday, send to an office on Friday and to a home any day, Sundays included.
- Holiday birthdays deserve their own moment: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve all fall on weekdays this year.
- A short, specific card is worth more than a bigger bouquet.
- If you forgot, send flowers today with an honest card.