How to Place a Floral Order: a Florist's Checklist
A floral order is a request to a florist to make and deliver flowers: you choose a bouquet or arrangement, give the recipient's name, address and phone, pick a delivery time, add a card text and pay. With Pyat Tsvetov you can place a floral order online for delivery across Russia, with city delivery at 500 RUB and payment by card, including foreign bank cards.
In our three Saint Petersburg shops the same questions come up again and again: what exactly to write in the order, how early to order for a specific date, what happens if nobody is home, what to put on the card. This article answers them in the order you will meet them when placing an order, so you can send flowers to Russia from anywhere without surprises.
Step one: choosing the bouquet
Start with the occasion and the person, not with the photo. A birthday bouquet for a close friend can be bright and loose, a bouquet for a colleague or a teacher is better compact and classic, and flowers for an older relative are often chosen in soft tones with familiar flowers such as roses, chrysanthemums or alstroemeria. Customers who think about the recipient's home also get it right more often: a large bouquet needs a large vase.
Look at the composition, not only the size. Roses, spray chrysanthemums, eustoma and alstroemeria last a week or more with basic care, while peonies, tulips and ranunculus are more delicate and open quickly. If the bouquet must stand for a long time, for example while someone is recovering at home, choose the longer-lasting flowers.
Russian flower etiquette matters if the recipient is Russian. Bouquets for celebrations traditionally contain an odd number of stems, because even numbers are associated with funerals; in large mixed bouquets this rule matters less. Yellow flowers are fine in modern bouquets, though some older people still associate them with separation. You can browse styles and sizes in our bouquets catalogue.
Step two: the recipient's details
The order needs the recipient's full name, the full address with building, entrance and flat number, and a mobile phone number. In Russian apartment blocks the entrance number and the intercom code save a lot of time, so add them if you know them. For offices, write the company name and the floor; for hotels, the guest's name as on the booking.
The phone number is not a formality. The courier calls the recipient about 15 minutes before arrival, so a correct number means the person is at the door. If the delivery is a surprise and you do not want the courier to give away the occasion, write that in the comments: delivery is anonymous by default, and the courier does not name the sender.
If the recipient is not there when the courier arrives, we agree a second delivery the same day or, with your consent, hand the flowers to a neighbour or concierge. Decide in advance which you prefer and note it in the order, especially if you are in a different time zone and hard to reach.
Bouquets we can deliver
Step three: choosing the delivery time
There are four ways to set the time. Express delivery in large cities takes 1-2 hours after the order is confirmed. An exact time is kept within plus or minus 30 minutes. A time window lets you choose 09-12, 12-15, 15-18 or 18-21. Finally, you can pre-order 1-30 days ahead, which is the best option for birthdays, anniversaries and holidays.
Choose the window around the recipient's day. Working people are more likely to be home in the evening window, older relatives often prefer the morning, and office deliveries go best between 12 and 15. In Saint Petersburg we deliver around the clock, so a bouquet can also arrive late in the evening or at night if that is the moment you want.
Before big dates such as 8 March, Valentine's Day and the first school day of September, order early: demand peaks and the most popular bouquets go first. For 8 March in particular, see our notes on mimosa and spring bouquets. Remember that delivery times are local time, not the time where you are.
Step four: the card and the comments
A card with your text is free. Three or four lines work best: who it is for, the wish, and how you sign. You can write in English or Russian; check names carefully, because the card carries exactly the text you send. Avoid emojis, which may not come out correctly on the card.
The comment field is for practical instructions: intercom code, 'call before arriving', 'do not mention the occasion on the phone', 'leave with the concierge if nobody is home'. Short, clear sentences in English are fine. If something is unusual, for example a delivery to a hospital, a school or a venue, call us on 8 (812) 507-67-05 and we will agree the details.
For orders from several people, such as a group bouquet for a colleague or relative, agree the card text among yourselves before ordering and list the names in the card. We wrote about group orders in Flowers for a Russian Anniversary Party.
Step five: payment and confirmation
City delivery costs 500 RUB. For remote districts and suburbs the operator confirms the delivery price when confirming the order, so you know the full amount before the bouquet goes out. The bouquet price is shown in the catalogue.
Payment is online on the site by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay. Foreign bank cards are accepted, with payment going through Robokassa, so you can pay from abroad without a Russian account. The full conditions are on the delivery and payment page.
Pyat Tsvetov has been working since 2011 and has three own flower shops in Saint Petersburg, on Ilyushina Street, Obvodny Canal Embankment and Srednerogatskaya Street. We prepare the bouquets and deliver them ourselves, so if anything in the order needs clarifying, the call comes from the same team.
After delivery: helping the flowers last
A good floral order does not end at the door. Add a short care tip to the card if the recipient is not used to fresh flowers: trim the stems, change the water every two days, keep the vase away from radiators and fruit. With this routine most bouquets last a week, roses and chrysanthemums often longer.
If the bouquet comes with a sachet of flower food, dissolve it in the vase water. Bouquets in a box or basket stand on floral foam that needs topping up with water every day or two; pour slowly so the foam absorbs it instead of overflowing.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should I place a floral order?
For an ordinary day, express delivery in large cities takes 1-2 hours after confirmation. For birthdays and holidays you can pre-order 1-30 days ahead, which is the safest choice before 8 March or Valentine's Day.
What details do I need to order flowers to Russia?
The recipient's name, full address with entrance and flat number, a phone number, the delivery time and your card text. Intercom codes and comments help the courier.
Can I pay for a floral order with a foreign card?
Yes. Foreign bank cards are accepted via Robokassa, and you can also pay by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay on the site.
What happens if nobody is home?
We agree a second delivery the same day or, with your consent, leave the flowers with a neighbour or concierge. The courier calls the recipient about 15 minutes before arrival.
How much does delivery cost?
City delivery costs 500 RUB. For remote districts and suburbs, the operator confirms the price when confirming the order.
Ready to send a bouquet?
Pick a city, choose the flowers, and we will hand them over with a photo confirmation.
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