For most holidays, flowers can arrive a little late and no harm is done. Rosh Hashanah is not one of them. The date is the whole story, and in 2026 the window is tighter than usual.
We have been arranging flowers for Montreal families before the High Holidays since 1993, in Côte-Saint-Luc, Hampstead, Snowdon, Côte-des-Neiges, Outremont and out to Dollard-des-Ormeaux. What follows is the practical side of it.
Rosh Hashanah 5787
Begins at sundown on Friday 11 September 2026 and ends at nightfall on Sunday 13 September.
Because it starts on a Friday evening and runs into the weekend, this year forms one continuous three-day stretch. Plan for flowers that arrive before it begins and look after themselves once it has.
Aim for before Friday sundown
Flowers should be in water and on the table before the holiday begins. Households are full and busy across those three days, and the arrangement should not be asking anything of anyone.
Choose Thursday 10 September as your delivery date if you can. Friday still works, but sundown comes early enough in mid-September that the margin is thin. Picking the day before removes the question entirely, and it lets us prepare the arrangement properly rather than against the clock.
This is why the vase matters more than the bouquet
Three days on a busy table is a real constraint, and it should decide what goes into the arrangement.
A hand-tied bouquet wrapped in paper is the wrong choice here, because someone has to unwrap it, trim it and find a vase, and that is the last thing anyone has time for. Send it already arranged, in a vase, with the water level full. Write “Rosh Hashanah” in the order notes and we will use a wider or deeper vessel so the reserve lasts.
The flower choice matters just as much.
| Choose | Why it suits a long weekend |
|---|---|
| Lisianthus, alstromerias, chrysanthemums | Modest drinkers, and the steadiest flowers we carry. They hold their shape for days at a time. |
| Roses, in bud | Write “in bud” in the order notes and we keep them fairly closed. They open across the holiday rather than peaking on the first evening. |
| Orchid plants | The simplest option of all. No vase water to think about, and they stay in bloom for weeks afterwards. |
| Avoid | Why |
|---|---|
| Hydrangeas | The thirstiest flower we work with. A hydrangea can empty a vase overnight. |
| Tulips | They keep growing after cutting, bend toward the light, and drink heavily. Beautiful in spring, wrong for a September table. |
| Anything fully open | A bouquet at its peak on Friday has nowhere to go but down. Say so in the order notes and we build it a little tight. |
Colour: white, and the colours of the table
White carries real meaning during the High Holidays, and it runs through the themes of the season: purity, and a clean page. A white and green arrangement is never the wrong answer, and it reads as considered rather than generic.
The other natural palette comes from the table itself. Apples and honey, the seeds of the pomegranate, the round challah, all of it points toward warm reds, deep burgundies, golds and soft ambers. An arrangement that echoes those tones sits beautifully beside the symbolic foods without competing with them.
One practical note on shape: keep centrepieces low. The Rosh Hashanah table is long, full and conversational, and guests should be able to see one another across it.
Sending to a host rather than setting your own table
Many Montreal families host twenty or more people over the two days, often cooking for a week beforehand. A bouquet arriving Friday morning is genuinely welcome. A bouquet arriving late on Friday, when the kitchen is at its peak and the evening is close, is a complication.
Send it earlier in the week, or on the Thursday, and send it in a vase. Your host should not have to find one.
If you missed the window entirely, wait. Flowers sent the following week, once the holiday has passed and the house is quiet again, are welcome and uncomplicated.
What to write on the card
Short is right. Shana tova means a good year, and shana tova u'metuka a good and sweet year, which suits the apples and honey. In English, wishing someone a sweet new year carries the same warmth.
Every order from us includes a printed card at no charge. Type your message in the card field at checkout and we print it here.
Frequently asked questions
Are flowers a good gift for Rosh Hashanah?
Yes. Flowers are welcome for Rosh Hashanah and are a common gift for a host. The holiday table is meant to be beautiful, and a low arrangement is part of dressing it.
Can you deliver on the holiday itself?
We can, but we would advise against it. The household may not be able to receive it, and a delivery arriving mid-holiday can sit at the door. Friday morning, or earlier in the week, is the better window.
What if I do not know the household well?
Send it in a vase with the water full, and choose an earlier delivery date. That works for every household and asks nothing of the person receiving it.
I am ordering from outside Canada. Is that a problem?
No. A good share of our High Holiday orders come from family abroad. Order online in English or French, give us the address and the date, and we deliver by hand in Montreal. Just build in the extra day.
Shana tova
It all happens in the order: choose the arrangement, pick a delivery date before Friday sundown, and write “Rosh Hashanah” in the notes. We build it low, in a vase and filled, so it stays beautiful through the long weekend.
Discover our Rosh Hashanah collection, our orchid plants and our low centrepieces, each arranged by hand in our workshop on the day it is delivered, in Montreal, Laval and on the South Shore.
