International flower shipping: a practical guide to sending flowers
International flower shipping can mean arranging a bouquet for someone overseas or sending cut flowers as a physical parcel; these involve different practical questions. At Pyat Tsvetov (5 Flowers), we deliver flowers across Russia and abroad to 39 countries and more than 1080 cities. For an overseas destination, start with the country or city listed on our Flower delivery abroad page, which is in Russian.
Customers choosing flowers in our Saint Petersburg shops often begin with the occasion, then need help with the address, arrival time and message. Those details matter especially when the sender and recipient live in different countries. We have been working since 2011 and have three shops in Saint Petersburg, on Ilyushina Street, Obvodny Canal Embankment and Srednerogatskaya Street. This guide brings the bouquet choice and delivery arrangements together so you can prepare a thoughtful order.
Start with the destination and the kind of delivery you need
If your aim is to give someone flowers overseas, begin with their destination rather than with a bouquet selected for another country. Our international coverage includes the USA, United Kingdom, Spain, Canada, Vietnam, Turkey, France and Kazakhstan. The full country and city list is on the abroad page; use that list to check the destination before making your selection.
For an order abroad, choose a bouquet on the relevant country or city page, enter the delivery address and card text, and pay online in rubles. The displayed price is already converted to rubles and includes delivery. Keep this separate from Russian delivery pricing: the 500 RUB city delivery fee applies to Russian cities, not as an extra charge on an overseas order.
The phrase international flower shipping also appears in searches about packing flowers into a parcel and sending them across a border. Parcel transport raises questions about packaging, transit and entry requirements that a bouquet order does not answer. If you are comparing the two approaches, our guide to Flower Shipping vs Courier Delivery helps clarify the terminology before you choose.
Prepare a Russian delivery address that is easy to follow
When ordering flowers to Russia from abroad, write the city explicitly and include the street, building and apartment or office number where relevant. Check whether the address has a building designation or entrance detail that could distinguish it from a neighbouring property. Copying the recipient's address carefully is more useful than relying on a landmark that may have several names.
Provide a recipient phone number that they can answer on the delivery day. The courier calls about 15 minutes before arrival, so a surprise should still allow for that brief contact. For a workplace delivery, consider whether the recipient will actually be at that location and include useful access information in the order rather than assuming their usual schedule.
City delivery in Russia costs 500 RUB; for remote districts and suburbs, the operator confirms the price when confirming the order. An address described casually as being in a city may still need that clarification. Review the address alongside the Delivery and payment information, and call 8 (812) 507-67-05 if you need to discuss the arrangements.
Bouquets we can deliver
Choose timing around the recipient's day
For Russian cities, available arrangements include time windows of 09–12, 12–15, 15–18 and 18–21, or delivery at a specified time with a tolerance of plus or minus 30 minutes. Think about when the recipient can receive and look after the bouquet. Flowers arriving just before someone leaves for a long journey may be less convenient than a delivery earlier in their visit.
Express delivery in large Russian cities is 1–2 hours after the order is confirmed. Count from confirmation, and keep the time difference between your location and the destination in mind when making plans. Russian orders can also be placed 1–30 days ahead, which is useful when you already know the date of a birthday, anniversary or family gathering.
In Saint Petersburg, delivery is available around the clock. That statement applies specifically to Saint Petersburg; the Russian express timings and time windows should not be carried over to an order abroad. For an overseas bouquet, check the delivery information presented for the chosen destination before arranging a call, celebration or other activity around its arrival.
Match the bouquet to the person and the occasion
Start with a preference you actually know: a favourite colour, a fondness for roses or a taste for loose, mixed bouquets. A personal detail usually gives you a stronger basis for choosing than a universal list of flower meanings. Browse the Bouquets catalogue for a delivery in Russia, or choose from the relevant destination page when sending flowers abroad.
In Russia, an odd number of stems is customary for a celebratory bouquet when the stems are individually counted; even numbers are associated with mourning. This is particularly worth remembering when selecting a simple bunch of one flower type. In a dense mixed arrangement, the recipient is more likely to notice the overall composition, but the occasion should still guide your choice.
Red roses commonly suggest romance, so consider how that message will read if the recipient is a colleague, relative or new acquaintance. Colour symbolism varies between people and cultures, and yellow flowers do not carry one fixed meaning for everyone. If you know the recipient dislikes a particular flower or has a fragrance sensitivity, let that knowledge guide the selection more than tradition.
Make the card and handover part of the gift
A card with your text is free, and delivery is anonymous by default: the courier does not name the sender. If you want the recipient to know who sent the bouquet, sign the card clearly. This is especially helpful when your checkout details use one form of your name but the recipient knows you by another, or when several relatives are likely to send flowers.
Write a message that makes sense without a separate explanation on your phone. A short greeting, a personal sentence and your name are often enough; use the language the recipient reads most comfortably. For a shared family gift, include the names you want on the card rather than expecting the recipient to infer who contributed from the bouquet or delivery date.
If the recipient is absent, we agree a second delivery the same day or handing the flowers to a neighbour or concierge with the sender's consent. Consider in advance whether either handover option would suit the recipient and the occasion. Anonymous delivery concerns the sender's identity; the courier still calls the recipient shortly before arrival to coordinate receiving the flowers.
Check payment details and help the flowers settle in
Online checkout uses CloudPayments, and payment is made in rubles. If you are paying from another country, check the options displayed at checkout rather than assuming every foreign card will be accepted. For an order abroad, the bouquet price already includes delivery; for a Russian order, account for the applicable delivery charge and any suburb or remote-district price confirmed by the operator.
Before paying, read through the destination, recipient's contact details, delivery date and card text together. A correct date can still be inconvenient if it falls on a day when the recipient is away, and an unsigned card can leave an intended personal greeting unexplained. For questions about your order, contact us by phone at 8 (812) 507-67-05.
After arrival, cut-flower care starts with a clean vase, fresh water and removing any leaves that would sit below the waterline. Recut the stem ends with a clean, sharp tool, and follow any flower-food instructions supplied with the bouquet. Keep the flowers away from radiators, direct sunlight and ripening fruit, refresh the water regularly, and remove fading stems as needed; vase life varies with the flowers and conditions.
Frequently asked questions
Can I order flowers to Russia while living abroad?
Yes, we deliver flowers across Russia, and you can place an order online with the recipient's address and your card text. Checkout uses CloudPayments in rubles; check the payment options shown there for your card.
Which countries can you deliver flowers to?
We deliver abroad to 39 countries and more than 1080 cities, including destinations in the USA, United Kingdom, Spain, Canada, Vietnam, Turkey, France and Kazakhstan. Check the complete destination list on the [Flower delivery abroad](/mir) page, which is in Russian.
Does an international bouquet price include delivery?
For orders abroad, the displayed price is converted to rubles and already includes delivery. Russian city delivery costs 500 RUB, while the operator confirms the delivery price for remote districts and suburbs when confirming the order.
How quickly can flowers arrive in Russia?
Express delivery in large Russian cities is 1–2 hours after order confirmation. Russian delivery options also include specified times with a tolerance of plus or minus 30 minutes, four daytime windows, and pre-orders 1–30 days ahead; Saint Petersburg has around-the-clock delivery.
Will the recipient know who sent the flowers?
Delivery is anonymous by default, and the courier does not name the sender. A card with your text is free, so include your name in the message if you want the recipient to recognise the gift.
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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