A Flower Shop in Russia: What to Know Before You Order
If you need a flower shop in Russia, the simplest route is to order online from a shop that delivers itself and accepts foreign cards. Pyat Tsvetov (5 Flowers) has run its own flower shops in Saint Petersburg since 2011, and we deliver flowers across Russia: you choose a bouquet on the site, pay online and our courier takes it to the door. City delivery costs 500 RUB.
Customers abroad usually ask us the same handful of things: whether a foreign card will go through, how they will know the flowers arrived, what to write on the card and which flowers are safe to send to a Russian family. This guide answers those questions in the order they tend to come up, with a few points of Russian flower etiquette that are easy to get wrong from a distance.
What a Russian flower shop is like
Flowers in Russia are an everyday gesture rather than a rare luxury. People bring a bouquet when visiting someone at home, on birthdays, on 1 September when children go back to school, on 8 March and on name days, so flower shops are busy all year and especially in the first days of spring and early autumn. Bouquets are usually sold wrapped and ready to give, often with a ribbon and a small card.
Our own shops are in Saint Petersburg, on Ilyushina Street, on the Obvodny Canal Embankment and on Srednerogatskaya Street. The bouquets you see in the online catalogue are made by the same florists who work behind those counters, so the style is consistent: seasonal flowers, generous greenery and wrapping that suits the occasion rather than overwhelming it.
For a customer abroad the shop itself matters less than the service around it: clear prices on the site, a phone number that someone answers and a courier who calls ahead. That is the part of the experience we have spent the most time on, because a sender in Berlin or Toronto cannot pop in to check how the bouquet looks.
Ordering online, by phone or in person
Most people outside Russia order on the website. You pick a bouquet in the bouquets catalogue, enter the recipient's name, phone number and address, choose a delivery time, write the card text and pay. The whole order takes a few minutes, and you do not need a Russian phone number or a Russian bank account to place it.
If you would rather talk to a person, call us on 8 (812) 507-67-05. Customers often phone when they are unsure about the address format, want to check that a delivery to an office or a hospital is possible, or need help choosing between two bouquets. Visiting a shop in person only makes sense if you are in Saint Petersburg yourself.
We have compared the three options in more detail in where to order flowers in Russia: online, by phone or in the shop. For most senders abroad the website plus a phone call for anything unusual is the most reliable combination.
Bouquets we can deliver
Russian flower etiquette that senders abroad often miss
The rule customers ask about most is the number of stems. In Russia an odd number of flowers is given for happy occasions, while an even number is associated with funerals and remembrance. In a large mixed bouquet nobody counts, but in a small bunch of roses or tulips the count is noticeable, so for a gift it is worth keeping an odd number of main flowers.
Colour carries meaning too. Red carnations are strongly linked to Victory Day and commemorations, so they are not the first choice for a birthday. Yellow flowers once had a reputation for signalling separation; younger people mostly ignore this, but if the recipient is an older relative, a warm peach or pink palette is a safer choice. White flowers suit weddings, school occasions and very elegant gifts, and they look best mixed with greenery.
For a mother, grandmother or teacher, peonies in season, garden-style roses and fragrant stems such as matthiola go down well. If you want a bouquet that perfumes the whole flat, our note on matthiola and its fragrant stems explains why it is a favourite in spring and summer. For a man, a compact, structured arrangement in deep colours is usually more welcome than a large pastel bouquet.
Paying with a foreign card
Payment is the question we hear most from customers outside Russia. On 5cv.ru foreign bank cards are accepted, with the payment processed through Robokassa. You pay online on the site at the time of ordering, the same way you would with any online shop, and the bouquet goes into work once the order is confirmed.
Customers with Russian cards can also pay by bank card, through SBP or with Yandex Pay. If a relative in Russia is helping you, they can pay with their own card while you handle the choice of bouquet and the card text. A short explanation of which cards tend to work is in which cards work when paying a Russian flower shop.
If a payment does not go through, do not try again and again with the same card. Call us on 8 (812) 507-67-05, tell us the order details and we will check what happened on our side. Card issuers abroad sometimes block the first payment to a Russian merchant as a precaution, and your bank's app is usually the place to approve it.
Delivery day: timing, the courier call and surprises
In large cities express delivery takes 1 to 2 hours after the order is confirmed. You can also pick an exact time, with a margin of plus or minus 30 minutes, or one of the windows: 09-12, 12-15, 15-18 or 18-21. Orders can be placed 1 to 30 days ahead, which is the safest option for birthdays and anniversaries when you are in a different time zone. In Saint Petersburg delivery runs around the clock, so a late-evening or early-morning surprise is possible there.
The courier calls the recipient about 15 minutes before arrival. This matters in Russian apartment blocks, where you often need an intercom code, a floor number and sometimes help with a locked gate. If the recipient is not at home, we agree a second delivery the same day or, with your consent, hand the flowers to a neighbour or the concierge.
Delivery is anonymous by default: the courier does not name the sender. If you want the recipient to know the flowers are from you, write it in the card; a card with your text is free. City delivery costs 500 RUB, and for remote districts and suburbs the operator confirms the price when confirming the order. All the conditions are on the delivery and payment page.
Choosing flowers by season
Russian seasons shape what looks best in a bouquet. Late winter and spring bring tulips, hyacinths, mimosa around 8 March and irises; summer is the time for peonies, matthiola and garden roses; autumn favours chrysanthemums, hydrangeas, dried grasses and warm orange and burgundy tones. Roses, alstroemeria and eustoma work all year.
When the recipient lives in a warm, centrally heated flat, which describes most Russian homes from October to April, choose sturdy flowers for vase life: roses, chrysanthemums, alstroemeria and carnations in light colours last well. Tulips and irises are beautiful but short-lived in heat, so they suit a moment rather than a fortnight. If you are not sure, describe the recipient and the occasion when you call, and the florist will suggest something that fits.
Frequently asked questions
Can I order from a Russian flower shop with a foreign card?
Yes. On 5cv.ru foreign bank cards are accepted, and the payment is processed through Robokassa. Russian cards, SBP and Yandex Pay work as well.
Do you deliver outside Saint Petersburg?
Yes, we deliver flowers across Russia. City delivery costs 500 RUB; for remote districts and suburbs the operator confirms the price when confirming the order.
Will the recipient know who sent the flowers?
Not unless you say so. Delivery is anonymous by default, so if you want to be named, put your name in the free card.
What happens if the recipient is not at home?
The courier calls about 15 minutes before arriving. If nobody is in, we arrange a second delivery the same day or, with your consent, leave the flowers with a neighbour or the concierge.
How can I ask a question before ordering?
Call us on 8 (812) 507-67-05. We can help with the address, delivery time, card text or the choice of bouquet.
Ready to send a bouquet?
Pick a city, choose the flowers, and we will hand them over with a photo confirmation.
Choose a city →