Flowers for a new baby

Flowers for a new baby go to the house rather than the hospital. Most maternity wards will not take them, and the house is where the flowers will be seen for a fortnight of visitors. Soft colours and gentle scent suit a room with a newborn in it: sweet peas, freesia and ranunculus in the spring, spray roses and astilbe later on, nothing heavy with pollen. A plant arrangement is the lasting choice for a household that is not going to remember to change the water.

Wait a day or two after the birth before sending, so the flowers arrive once everyone is home. The van delivers across Sevenoaks and Tonbridge, and Tunbridge Wells has them the next day. The card carries the name and the date; say if you would like the weight on it too.