Send flowers to Frances Perry House in Parkville
A florist near Frances Perry House makes up the bouquet and brings it to the ward on the upper floors of the Royal Women's Hospital. Ring the ward first and keep the arrangement small: postnatal rooms have little bench space.
Frances Perry House is the private hospital that most Melburnians still call Frances Perry Hospital. It sits on the upper floors of the Royal Women's Hospital building at the corner of Flemington Road and Grattan Street in Parkville, VIC 3052, and is run by Ramsay Health Care. With 69 beds it is small, and almost every bouquet that arrives there is for a new mother. A florist in inner Melbourne makes the flowers up and takes them to the hospital; we never guarantee a delivery time to a hospital, but a weekday morning order usually arrives the same afternoon.
A women's hospital inside a women's hospital
Frances Perry House opened on 2 November 1970 as three private floors of the old Royal Women's in Carlton and moved with the public hospital to Parkville. It is named after Frances (Fanny) Perry, one of the hospital's founders, and became fully private in 1997. Its work is obstetrics, gynaecology, neonatology, breast surgery, day surgery and plastic surgery. Write "Frances Perry House" on the order rather than just "Royal Women's", because the public hospital downstairs has its own wards and reception; add the room number if you know it and the patient's full name as admitted.
Are flowers allowed at Frances Perry House?
The hospital does not publish a flower policy, so ring the ward before you order. As a general rule for Australian hospitals, fresh flowers are refused in intensive care, neonatal units and some oncology wards, and a special care nursery will not take them at all. A private maternity ward is usually the easiest place in any hospital to receive flowers, but ask the midwife in charge whether the room has space and whether anyone has a pollen allergy. If flowers are not possible, a bouquet to the home a few days after discharge lands when the first visitors have gone.
What to send to a new mother in Parkville
Think small and scent-free. A compact posy in a jar or a bouquet with a water reservoir fits on a locker and needs no vase. Gerberas, ranunculus, tulips in spring, soft roses and alstroemeria last well indoors; leave out lilies, hyacinths and heavy perfume, which overwhelm a warm room with a newborn. Pink and blue are optional: most parents are just as pleased with white, apricot or a mixed seasonal bunch. Potted plants are best kept for the home.
Timing and the Parkville cut-off
Same-day delivery runs Monday to Saturday for orders placed before 2pm on a weekday or 10am on a Saturday, Melbourne time, though to a hospital same day is never guaranteed. The Royal Women's building has general visiting from 2pm to 8pm, with the other parent allowed on the maternity floors outside those hours; the florist delivers during the day and leaves the flowers with reception or the ward clerk. Private maternity stays are short, so if the baby was born earlier in the week it is safer to send to the home address in Carlton, Brunswick or wherever the family lives.
Getting the order right
Give the mother's full name, "Frances Perry House, Parkville", the ward and room if known, and a mobile number the florist can text on arrival. Add a card message of a line or two; "Welcome to the world, Ella. All our love from the Hobart cousins" is read more often than a long poem. Bouquets start at AUD 75 and the delivery fee is shown at checkout. If the mother has gone home before the flowers arrive, the bouquet can be redirected for a second delivery charge.
Did you know? Frances Perry House opened on 2 November 1970 as three private floors of the Royal Women's Hospital and has 69 beds.
Frequently asked questions about flowers to Frances Perry Private Hospital
Can I send flowers to Frances Perry House in Parkville?
Usually yes, since it is a private maternity and women's hospital, but the hospital publishes no flower policy, so ring the ward first. Write "Frances Perry House" on the order, not just "Royal Women's", with the mother's full name and room number if you know it. The special care nursery will not take flowers.
Which wards at Frances Perry House do not accept flowers?
No ward-by-ward list is published. In Australian hospitals generally, neonatal and special care nurseries, intensive care and some oncology wards refuse fresh flowers, and shared rooms may ask for low-pollen stems. The midwife in charge will tell you in a minute on the phone whether a bouquet is welcome.
What flowers suit a new mother's room at Frances Perry House?
A small, unscented arrangement in a jar or a bouquet with its own water: gerberas, ranunculus, roses in soft colours or tulips in spring. Avoid lilies and hyacinths, and skip potted plants. If the stay is nearly over, send to the home a few days after discharge instead.