How to Send Flowers to a Hospital Room: A Practical Checklist
To send flowers to a hospital room, confirm with the patient or the department that flowers are allowed, order a small arrangement with a water source and little scent, and give the full details: hospital name, building, department, ward, the patient's full name and a phone number that will be answered. Deliveries are normally handed over at the reception or the main entrance, not carried into the ward, so plan a daytime slot when the patient or a nurse can collect the flowers.
Customers who call our Saint Petersburg shops about hospitals usually ask the same handful of things: whether the courier will go up to the ward, what happens if the patient cannot come down, which flowers will not bother the neighbours in the room, and what to do if flowers are banned. Below are the answers, based on what we have learned working as florists in Saint Petersburg since 2011.
The courier and the ward: how hospital deliveries really work
Almost every hospital in Russia keeps outside visitors, couriers included, at the reception or the information desk. Security staff will not let a courier with a bouquet walk the corridors, and in most departments outdoor clothing and street shoes are not allowed past a certain point anyway. The realistic plan is a handover at the entrance of the right building, to the patient, a relative or a member of staff.
This is why the phone number matters so much. Our courier calls the recipient about 15 minutes before arrival, and that call is the signal for the patient to put on slippers and come down, or to ask a nurse to fetch the flowers. If the patient is bedridden, after surgery or not allowed to walk, give us the number of a relative who visits, or ask the patient in advance whom the staff should hand the flowers to.
If nobody can take the bouquet at the agreed time, the courier does not leave it in a corridor. We agree a second delivery the same day, or hand the flowers to someone else at the hospital, such as a relative or the reception desk, but only with your consent. Write the preferred option in the order comment so the decision is made before the courier arrives.
Departments where flowers are not accepted
Before you order, check the department. Intensive care units, oncology and haematology wards, infectious diseases hospitals and burn units almost always refuse fresh flowers, because water and plant material carry microbes that are dangerous for patients with weak immunity. Many maternity hospitals also do not accept flowers in the ward and welcome them only on the day of discharge, when the family meets the mother at the door.
General therapy, surgery, cardiology, neurology, trauma and rehabilitation departments are usually more relaxed, but the head nurse decides, and rules can change during flu season or quarantine. A two-minute call to the nurses' station, or a message to the patient, saves a wasted delivery. Ask directly whether fresh flowers can stand in the ward and where parcels for patients are accepted.
When flowers are not allowed, change the plan rather than the rules. Send the bouquet to the patient's home for the day they are discharged, to a family member who is caring for them, or to the maternity hospital entrance at the time of discharge. Our guide on how to send flowers to a hospital in Russia covers these situations in more detail.
Bouquets we can deliver
Writing the address for a large hospital complex
Big city hospitals are small towns: a dozen buildings, several gates and departments that moved since the last time anyone checked the website. Give the official name of the hospital, the street address, the building number (korpus), the department and the floor, and the ward number if you have it. A note such as "entrance from the side street, building 3, ground floor reception" saves the courier fifteen minutes of searching.
Write the patient's surname, first name and patronymic exactly as in their documents, because hospital reception staff look patients up by surname in their lists. For a common surname, add the date of birth or the department, as there may be two patients with the same name in one hospital.
If you are not sure of the building, ask the patient to send a photo of the sign at their entrance or the name of the department as written on their discharge papers or wristband. Ten seconds of their time removes most of the risk of a delivery going to the wrong door.
Which flowers we recommend for a patient
We steer hospital orders towards compact arrangements in a box or basket with wet floral foam. They stand on their own, do not need a vase and fit on a narrow bedside table or a windowsill. A large wrapped bouquet looks impressive at the door but becomes a problem in the ward, where vases are scarce and space is shared.
Scent should be light. In a room with three or four beds, strong perfume from lilies, hyacinths or stocks quickly becomes too much, especially for someone with nausea after anaesthesia or medication. Matthiola, for example, is lovely at home, but as our note on matthiola explains, its scent fills a whole room. Better choices are spray roses, alstroemeria, gerberas, chrysanthemums, carnations in soft colours and lisianthus, all of which also last well in warm, dry air.
Pick calm, warm colours: peach, coral, soft pink, light yellow and fresh greens. Avoid all-white arrangements and dark red-and-white combinations, which older patients may associate with funerals, and keep to an odd number of stems in a single-variety bouquet. Pollen-heavy flowers are best avoided because pollen stains bedding and can irritate allergies. You can see suitable compact options in our bouquets catalogue.
Timing, the card and ordering from abroad
Hospital days follow a fixed routine: rounds and procedures in the morning, lunch and quiet hour in the early afternoon, visitors in the late afternoon and evening. The 12-15 or 15-18 window is usually the most convenient, and if the department has set hours for accepting parcels, match the delivery to them. In Saint Petersburg we deliver around the clock, but for a hospital an evening or night delivery makes little sense, since reception may not pass anything to the wards until morning.
We deliver across Russia. City delivery costs 500 RUB; for suburbs and remote districts, where some large hospitals are located, the operator confirms the price when confirming the order. In large cities express delivery takes 1-2 hours after the order is confirmed; you can also choose an exact time within about 30 minutes, a time window, or pre-order 1-30 days ahead, for example for the day after an operation or for discharge day. Payment is online by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay, and foreign bank cards are accepted through Robokassa. Details are on the delivery and payment page.
The card is free. Keep the text warm and short and leave out the diagnosis, because cards in a shared ward are often read by others. Delivery is anonymous by default and the courier does not name the sender, so sign the card if you want the patient to know who is thinking of them. If you are unsure about the department rules, the address or the right bouquet, call us on 8 (812) 507-67-05 before ordering.
Frequently asked questions
Will the courier take the flowers up to the patient's ward?
Usually not, because hospitals keep couriers at reception. The courier calls the recipient about 15 minutes before arrival so the patient, a relative or a nurse can collect the flowers at the entrance.
Which hospital departments do not accept flowers?
Intensive care, oncology, haematology, infectious diseases and burn units almost always refuse fresh flowers, and many maternity wards accept them only on discharge day. Check with the nurses' station before ordering.
What details do I need to send flowers to a hospital in Russia?
The hospital name and address, building number, department, floor and ward, the patient's full name and a working phone number. A relative's number is a good backup if the patient cannot answer.
What is the best time to deliver flowers to a hospital?
Early or mid-afternoon, after the morning rounds, is usually best. If the hospital has fixed hours for accepting parcels, book the delivery window that matches them.
Can I pay with a foreign card?
Yes, foreign bank cards are accepted through Robokassa. You can also pay by Russian bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay on the site.
Ready to send a bouquet?
Pick a city, choose the flowers, and we will hand them over with a photo confirmation.
Choose a city →