Best of Boston

1998 Best Florist, Exotic

Lotus Designs

This is a florist that elevates blooms to a cultural experience. Breath-stopping bouquets mix long-stemmed red roses amid tall birds of paradise and other flowers selected fresh daily. Owner Jimmie Palakavong is a native of Thailand and his early immersion in Asian blossoms transforms a simple get-well-quick arrangement into a world-straddling work of art. The place to call if you want to send flowers that are remembered long after the last petal has dropped.

482A Columbus Ave., Boston, 617-262-7031,