Send flowers to St John of God Warrnambool Hospital
A florist in Warrnambool makes up the bouquet and takes it to the ward at St John of God on Botanic Road. Ring the ward first: oncology and chemotherapy patients often cannot have fresh flowers.
St John of God Warrnambool Hospital is the private hospital of Victoria's south-west coast, at 136 Botanic Road, Warrnambool VIC 3280, a short walk from the Botanic Gardens. It was established in 1939 by the Sisters of St John of God and today belongs to St John of God Health Care, the Catholic not-for-profit group. Its services run to general and colorectal surgery, bariatric surgery, orthopaedics, gynaecology, oncology and chemotherapy, ENT, eye surgery, urology, palliative care and a rehabilitation unit with a large hydrotherapy pool. A florist in Warrnambool makes up your flowers and carries them to the hospital; we never guarantee a delivery time to a hospital, but a weekday morning order usually arrives that afternoon.
Visiting hours and where the florist leaves the flowers
The hospital lists visiting hours of 10am to 6.30pm. Florists deliver within that window and hand the bouquet to reception, which sends it to the ward, or take it to the ward clerk directly. Give the patient's full name as admitted, the ward and a room number if you have one; a bouquet addressed only to "St John of God" waits at the desk until someone works out who it is for. Many people searching for "flowers to SJOG hospital" mean the Ballarat hospital of the same group, two and a half hours inland, so check the town before you order.
Flowers on the wards at St John of God Warrnambool
No flower policy is published, so ask the ward when you ring to confirm the patient is still there. Generally in Australian hospitals, oncology and chemotherapy units ask for no fresh flowers, intensive and coronary care refuse them, and surgical, orthopaedic and rehabilitation wards usually accept a small arrangement. The rehabilitation unit is where stays are longest and flowers are most appreciated. If the answer is no, the family home in Dennington, Koroit, Port Fairy or Allansford is the address, and after a short private stay that is often the better choice anyway.
A bouquet that copes with a coastal winter
Warrnambool wards are heated against the Southern Ocean wind, and dry indoor air is hard on soft blooms. Gerberas, alstroemeria, chrysanthemums, roses and native bunches with banksia, leucadendron and waxflower last a week; a compact posy in a jar or a hand-tied bouquet with a water reservoir needs no vase and stays upright on a narrow locker. Leave out lilies and hyacinths, whose scent fills a small room, and potted plants with soil, which many wards refuse.
Ordering in time
Same-day delivery is available Monday to Saturday when the order is placed before 2pm on a weekday or 10am on a Saturday, Victorian time, though to a hospital same day is never guaranteed, and there is no Sunday delivery. Warrnambool is a regional town with a handful of florists, so a morning order gives the best chance of an afternoon delivery before the 6.30pm end of visiting. Include your mobile number so the florist can call if the patient has been discharged; a redirected bouquet costs a second delivery fee.
What to put on the card
A line or two in your own words: "Glad the op is done, Grandad. See you at home for the footy. Love from the Melbourne lot." Bouquets start at AUD 75 and the delivery fee is shown at checkout before you confirm.
Did you know? St John of God Warrnambool Hospital was established in 1939 by the Sisters of St John of God and lists visiting hours of 10am to 6.30pm.
Frequently asked questions about flowers to St John of God Hospital Warrnambool
Can I send flowers to St John of God Warrnambool Hospital?
Yes to most wards. The hospital publishes no flower policy, so ring the ward, particularly for oncology and chemotherapy patients, who in most Australian hospitals cannot have fresh flowers. Give the patient's full name, the ward and a room number, and order in the morning so the florist arrives within visiting hours, 10am to 6.30pm.
Is this the same as SJOG Ballarat?
No. Both belong to St John of God Health Care, but Ballarat is about two and a half hours inland. Searches for "flowers to SJOG hospital" often land on the wrong town. Check which hospital the patient is in before ordering; a Warrnambool florist delivers to Botanic Road, a Ballarat florist to Drummond Street North.
What flowers last in a heated hospital room in Warrnambool?
Gerberas, alstroemeria, chrysanthemums, roses and native bunches with banksia and waxflower handle dry warm air for a week. Choose a compact arrangement that holds its own water, skip lilies and hyacinths for scent, and leave potted plants for the home.