Dr Delphinium Designs & Events

Dr Delphinium is where Dallas goes when the flowers themselves have to carry the message — a designed arrangement rather than a bunch in wrapping paper. It started in 1988 as a neighborhood shop in Preston Hollow, and today the same address also runs a wedding and events team, a corporate department that installs and maintains greenery in offices, and an in-house line of preserved and dried work.

What people come here for

Half of the business is the familiar half: birthdays, anniversaries, a new baby, congratulations on a promotion, an apology that has to arrive before dinner. The other half is what sets this shop apart. The events team takes on ceremonies and receptions across the metroplex, and the corporate side handles weekly office flowers, lobby installations, living walls and interior plantscaping — in a city built around company headquarters, that is steady, unglamorous work most flower shops never touch. Sympathy orders and delivery to funeral homes are part of the service as well.

Two more things are worth knowing before you order. Subscriptions, weekly or monthly, cover the “flowers in the house all year” request without a phone call every time. And Preserved Art, a line of preserved and dried designs the shop developed over the past decade, answers the request nobody spells out in a Texas summer: something that will not give up by Thursday.

Delivery and how fast they can be

Orders placed before 1 p.m. go out the same day; later ones are delivered the next. Arrangements are built in the Dallas studio and hand-delivered rather than shipped in a box, across the city and the suburbs around it — Highland Park, University Park, Addison, Richardson, Plano, Frisco, Irving. Sunday delivery is possible in an afternoon window, but only if the order is placed the day before.

In July and August that cutoff matters more than it looks. A morning order reaches an air-conditioned lobby or a reception desk while the day is still bearable, which is why a workplace address often beats a home address in high summer.

What makes it different

• Preserved and dried designs. A separate line, Preserved Art, developed in-house over roughly the last ten years.
• Green for offices. Living walls, interior plantscaping and maintained installations, run by a dedicated corporate team.
• An orchid house in Richardson. Alongside the Dallas shop, the company keeps a separate orchid operation north of the city.
• Workshops. Arranging classes for the public and for industry professionals; guest instructors have included Interflora World Cup 2022 winner Jenny Thomasson.
• Outside recognition. D Magazine has named it the best florist in Dallas, and the shop reports a national Florist of the Year title in 2012.
• Subscriptions. Weekly or monthly deliveries for homes and offices.

Where the flowers come from

The company does not publish its buying channels. What is documented is that arrangements are designed in its own Dallas studio rather than assembled somewhere else, and that it keeps orchids at its own facility in Richardson.

The shop, the service and what else is sold

The flagship is a walk-in shop with a showroom, so you can look at what is in the cooler and talk an order through instead of choosing a photograph online. Beyond cut flowers there are plants and plant baskets, gift boxes, holiday decor, wreaths, and corsages and boutonnieres for prom and graduation season. Weddings and larger events begin with a consultation rather than a shopping cart, and the same team handles the installation on the day.

When to come and how to get there

The shop sits in Preston Hollow, a short drive from Uptown and the Park Cities, by the Inwood Village retail block, with parking — not a given in this part of town. The heavy dates are the predictable ones: Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, the spring and fall wedding seasons, December for holiday decor. On those the same-day cutoff stops being the useful number, because the studio is building event work weeks ahead.

Questions and answers

Can I get flowers delivered today?

Yes, if the order is in before 1 p.m. Anything after that goes out the following day.

Do they deliver on Sundays?

In an afternoon window, and only if you place the order the day before.

Can I just walk in?

Yes. The Preston Hollow shop is a real storefront with a showroom, and you can pick something up in person.

How far ahead should a wedding be booked?

Weddings and events start with a consultation, and spring and fall dates fill early. If you have a date, call as soon as you have it rather than a month out.

Do they work with offices and companies?

That is one of their main lines: recurring office flowers, lobby pieces, living walls and interior plantscaping with ongoing maintenance.

What holds up in the Dallas summer?

Preserved and dried designs and potted plants are the sturdy answer; for fresh flowers, ask for a morning slot and send them to an office rather than an empty porch.

Do they teach arranging?

Yes — classes for beginners and separate sessions aimed at people who work in the trade.

Opening hours