When someone you know and care about is sick and needs to be cheered up, flowers will often add brightness to the drear of a bedroom or hospital ward. Get well soon flowers have their own particular style which is not so much sentimental and exotic as it is cheerful. Their purpose is also very short term. No one expects get well soon flowers to last a long time because sickness goes away, and who wants a lasting reminder of those days or weeks in hospital?
If your friend is sick, do not bother with potted plants that need watering. No one is going to look after them anyway. Nurses are busy. Visitors might not notice. Soil is discouraged in a sterile environment. You are better off with cut flowers chosen for their brilliance.
Many bouquets created as gifts for sick or injured friends contain vibrant colors such as yellow, orange, pink and lots of green. Violet is also nice, but the focus is on lightness; even white baby’s breath, not deep hues. In autumn or winter, do what you can to inject brightness into a bouquet. This will lift the mood whenever a patient and his or her caregivers see it. There is no reason to eschew darker colors entirely, but when they go into a bouquet they will act as points of contrast and will not dominate the overall effect.
The addition of complementary ribbons and bows adds a fanciful element which many individuals appreciate. While it is nice to have them wrapped around a vase, do not choose a really special vessel for this purpose. Again, this is just another reminder of that time spent supine. If you bring a bouquet in a vase, choose one that is plain so you will not be sad if it is left behind in the hospital room.
Other features that are suitable for flower arrangements in this context include teddy bears, balloons, and small, sweet goodies. If your recipient is particularly young, these are especially pleasant to receive. Kids are not alone in enjoying these sentimental and even amusing gifts when they are suffering and a bit depressed. Even though they seem wasteful since you know the balloon will deflate and the teddy bear might be forgotten, especially by a mature individual, they only need to serve a temporary purpose. The time for conservative behavior is not when your friend has pneumonia or your dad has broken his hip. This is the time to do everything you can to provoke a smile and offer a distraction.
Go as crazy with size as you like if the patient is in a private room with lots of places to put gifts, or at home where tables can be brought to where she is resting. If your mother is in a small hospital room, however, there will be very little counter space for your offering. Keep this in mind or you could find yourself taking back the present, and that is too depressing to contemplate.
