Petals Of Madinah

A family shop in Washwood Heath that has quietly solved two problems most Birmingham florists leave open: it delivers on Sundays, and it makes the ceremony flowers an Asian or Muslim wedding actually needs. Everything else — birthdays, apologies, hampers — runs off the same counter.

What to come here for

Weddings are where the shop is most obviously itself. Alongside bridal bouquets, bridesmaids’ pieces and buttonholes it makes stage flowers, garlands and mehndi jewellery flowers — the vocabulary of a South Asian ceremony, and something a general florist will not have the materials or the practice for. Venue dressing with flowers and balloons comes with it, the consultation before booking is free, and customers describe the shop coordinating the day rather than supplying it.

The second strand is gifting, and it is broader than usual: hand-tied bouquets and vase work for birthdays, new babies, congratulations, thank-yous and apologies, plus a hamper range that includes Ramadan hampers with dates and chocolates, get-well Al Shifa hampers and pamper sets. Fresh and silk arrangements are both made here, which matters if you want something that will still be on the shelf next year.

Funeral tributes are the third pillar — the full range of wreaths, sprays, sheaves, posies and personalised designs, made to order. The clientele is genuinely mixed: the shop’s own testimonial wall runs from Muslim customers to families from across the city who came for a wreath and stayed.

Delivery and urgency

Same-day delivery works on orders placed by 2pm, and — the detail worth remembering — the shop runs a Sunday service, which most of the trade does not: a Sunday emergency here is an ordinary order rather than an apology.

The local list is long: Alum Rock, Castle Bromwich, Erdington, Aston, Handsworth, Perry Barr, Moseley, Kings Heath, Sparkbrook, Balsall Heath, Bearwood, Harborne, Edgbaston, Selly Oak and out to Solihull and Sutton Coldfield. Click and collect works on three hours’ notice, which in a real rush usually beats waiting for a van. Anything outside the local ring goes by phone rather than online, and international orders cannot be placed on the website at all — that is deliberate, not a fault. The shop also warns that some hospitals no longer take fresh flowers on the wards, and suggests a fruit or chocolate arrangement instead.

Highlights

• Sunday deliveries. Rare in the British trade and the single most practical thing about the place.
• Mehndi flowers, garlands and stage work. Ceremony pieces made in-house, not ordered in.
• Silk as well as fresh. A real second line for anyone who wants the arrangement to last beyond the week.
• A free wedding consultation. The design conversation happens before anything is booked.
• Collection in three hours. The shortcut when the delivery slots have gone.

Where the flowers come from

Nothing about buying is published — no market, no auction, no grower. Ask at the counter if provenance matters to you.

The shop, the service and what else they do

A walk-in shop that wants to be treated as one: the owners describe a place customers should come into, look around and take their time in — a slightly old-fashioned proposition in a trade that keeps drifting online. The gift side is deep, from chocolate and Ferrero bouquets to fruit baskets, balloons, vases and gift sets, so a whole present can be assembled in one visit.

It is also a small family business, and that shows in how orders are handled: the awkward, late and complicated ones are taken on the phone by someone who can simply say yes or no.

When to come and how to get there

The shop sits in Washwood Heath on the eastern side of the city, close to Ward End Park and minutes from Alum Rock, with Castle Bromwich and Erdington within reach — for east Birmingham it saves a trip into the centre.

The peaks split into two calendars. Valentine’s Day, Mothering Sunday and Christmas are the national ones; Ramadan and the wedding season, which here runs heavily through the warmer months, are the local ones. Ceremony work — stage flowers, garlands, mehndi pieces — is bench work and needs proper notice, so book it weeks out rather than days.

Questions and answers

Do they really deliver on Sundays?

Yes — the shop states it now runs Sunday deliveries, which is unusual enough to be the reason many people find it.

Do they make mehndi and stage flowers?

Yes, along with garlands — this is one of the few shops in the city where those are a standing part of the wedding offer rather than a special request.

How far ahead should wedding flowers be booked?

Weeks rather than days for a full ceremony set, and earlier for summer dates. The consultation beforehand is free, so there is no cost to starting the conversation early.

Can they send flowers to another city or abroad?

Nationally yes, by phone; international orders are taken by phone only and cannot be placed online.

Is there anything that lasts longer than cut flowers?

Yes — silk arrangements are made here as a proper line, which is worth knowing for a memorial piece, an office or a gift going a long way.

How do I know the flowers are fresh?

We repeat no freshness guarantee on the shop’s behalf. It is a walk-in with an open counter, so look at the buckets, and if you are ordering silk instead, that question does not arise.

Opening hours