Hear from Our Customers
You’re not looking for flowers. You’re looking for flowers that show up on time, look like what you ordered, and don’t wilt by tomorrow.
That’s harder to find in Manhattan than it should be. Most florists either deliver generic arrangements that could be for anyone, or they’re so “boutique” that ordering feels like applying to a private club.
Here’s what changes when you work with us. Your arrangement arrives when you need it—same day if you order before 2 PM on weekdays or 1 PM on weekends. The flowers are hand-selected that morning, not sitting in a cooler for three days. And the design actually reflects the occasion, whether that’s an anniversary, an apology, or just because it’s Tuesday and you want your apartment to feel less like a hotel.
You’re not guessing if it’ll arrive. You’re not wondering if the recipient will open the box and fake a smile. You know it’s handled.
Columbia Midtown Florist has been operating in the heart of Manhattan for years as a family-owned business. That matters more than it sounds like it should.
When you’re in Midtown, you’re 15 minutes from the Upper East Side, not an hour out in Brooklyn trying to coordinate bridge traffic. That’s why same-day delivery actually works here. It’s also why we’ve built a client base that includes corporate accounts, event planners, and people who’ve tried the big-name delivery apps and realized they’d rather call someone who picks up the phone.
Upper East Side clients expect a certain level of quality—not because they’re difficult, but because they’ve been disappointed enough times to know the difference. You want flowers that look curated, not assembled. You want delivery drivers who don’t leave a $200 arrangement with the building’s package room. And when something matters—an anniversary, a hospital visit, a last-minute apology—you want a florist who’s handled tighter deadlines than yours and didn’t blink.
You place an order online or call us directly. If you know what you want, great. If you’re not sure whether roses or peonies make more sense for the occasion, we’ll ask a few questions and steer you toward something that actually fits.
Once the order’s in, our designers pull fresh stems that morning. Not yesterday’s leftovers. We’re building your arrangement specifically for your delivery, which is why it lasts longer than what you’d get from a national chain that ships half-open blooms in a box.
Then we deliver. If it’s same-day, we’re coordinating with your building or recipient to make sure it doesn’t sit in a lobby for four hours. If it’s scheduled, we hit the window you requested. And if something goes wrong—weather, building access, a recipient who’s not home—we call you immediately, not three days later with a “sorry we missed you” email.
After delivery, you’re done. The flowers show up looking like the photos. They last a week, sometimes longer if they’re handled right. And if there’s ever an issue, you’re talking to the same people who made the arrangement, not a call center in another state reading from a script.
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Every arrangement includes hand-selected flowers from growers we’ve worked with for years, not random wholesalers. You’re getting blooms that were cut recently, stored properly, and chosen specifically for how they’ll look together.
Design-wise, we’re not following a corporate template. If you’re ordering for an Upper East Side apartment, we’re thinking about scale, color, and whether this is going on a console table or a dining room centerpiece. If it’s for an office, we’re considering lighting and how long it needs to hold up in air conditioning. If it’s a gift, we’re making sure it doesn’t look like every other bouquet that person’s ever received.
Delivery across the Upper East Side is straightforward. We know the buildings, the doormen, the blocks where parking is impossible and you have to double-park with hazards on. That local knowledge matters when you’re trying to get flowers to East 78th Street before someone leaves for the Hamptons.
We also handle corporate accounts and weekly deliveries if you’re managing an office space or reception area. That means consistent quality, reliable timing, and one less thing you’re coordinating every Monday morning. You’re not chasing down invoices or wondering if the lobby arrangement is dead again. It’s just handled.
You can order until 2 PM on weekdays and 1 PM on weekends for same-day delivery across Manhattan, including the Upper East Side. That’s a real cutoff, not a “we’ll try” situation.
If you’re ordering at 1:58 PM on a Wednesday, yes, it’ll still go out that day. If you’re calling at 2:15 PM in a panic, we’ll tell you honestly whether we can make it work based on where the delivery’s going and what our drivers are handling. Sometimes we can, sometimes we can’t, but you’ll know immediately instead of finding out at 6 PM that it didn’t happen.
The reason the cutoff exists is because we’re not pulling pre-made arrangements from a cooler. Your flowers are designed after you order, which takes time. Then they’re packed, loaded, and delivered by someone who’s navigating Midtown traffic and building access. Rushing that process means your arrangement either looks sloppy or doesn’t arrive in good condition, and neither of those is worth it.
The photos on our site are arrangements we’ve actually designed, not stock images from a corporate catalog. That said, flowers are seasonal, and sometimes a specific bloom isn’t available or doesn’t look good that week.
If we can’t source exactly what’s in the photo, we’ll substitute with something comparable in color, size, and style. We’re not swapping roses for carnations and calling it close. If you ordered something with garden roses and ranunculus, you’re getting garden roses and ranunculus unless we call you first to discuss an alternative.
You can also request specific flowers or colors when you order. If you know the recipient hates pink, or you want only white blooms, or you’re trying to match a specific aesthetic, tell us. We’d rather have that conversation upfront than deliver something you’re not happy with. The goal is that when the arrangement shows up, it looks like what you expected—or better.
Yes, and we’ve been doing it long enough that it’s not a guessing game. Most Upper East Side buildings have specific delivery protocols, and our drivers know how to handle them.
If the building requires ID and a logged entry, we have it. If the doorman won’t accept deliveries and we need to coordinate directly with the recipient, we’ll call ahead. If it’s a walk-up with no intercom and the recipient isn’t home, we’ll contact you to figure out next steps instead of leaving $150 worth of flowers in a hallway.
The advantage of being a Midtown florist is that we’re delivering to these buildings constantly. We’re not showing up confused about how to get past the front desk or where the service entrance is. It’s routine. And if there’s ever an issue—building won’t accept it, recipient isn’t answering, delivery window gets missed—you’ll hear from us right away, not hours later.
Absolutely. The arrangements on our site are there to give you a sense of style and pricing, but they’re not a fixed menu.
If you want something specific—certain flowers, a particular color palette, a size that fits a specific space—call us or add notes to your online order. We’ll talk through what’s available, what works together, and what fits your budget. If you’re trying to recreate something you saw on Instagram or match flowers to an event theme, bring a photo. We’d rather spend five minutes on the phone getting it right than guess and deliver something you’re lukewarm about.
Custom work doesn’t mean a two-week lead time, either. If you’re ordering for same-day or next-day delivery, we can still accommodate requests as long as the flowers are in stock. The only time we’ll push back is if what you’re asking for isn’t available or won’t hold up well in the season—and in that case, we’ll suggest an alternative that gets you close.
If the flowers are cared for properly, you’re looking at seven to ten days for most arrangements, sometimes longer depending on the blooms. Roses, lilies, and orchids tend to last on the longer end. Tulips and peonies are shorter but worth it.
“Cared for properly” means trimming the stems when the arrangement arrives, changing the water every couple of days, and keeping it out of direct sunlight or heat vents. Most people don’t do this, which is why their flowers die in three days and they blame the florist.
We also condition the flowers before they go out, which extends their life. That means they’ve been hydrated, trimmed, and stored at the right temperature before they’re arranged. You’re not getting flowers that were sitting on a truck in August heat or in a cooler that’s too cold. The better the flowers are handled before delivery, the longer they last after. It’s not complicated, but a lot of florists skip it to save time.
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