Sending Flowers: Practical Advice from a Saint Petersburg Flower Shop
To send flowers, pick a bouquet online, enter the recipient's name, address and phone number, write a card and choose when it should arrive. If the recipient is in Russia, you can do this on our site from any country and pay with a foreign card; we deliver across Russia, and in Saint Petersburg at any hour.
Pyat Tsvetov has been making bouquets in Saint Petersburg since 2011. Over the years we have noticed that the bouquets people remember are rarely the most expensive ones. They are the ones where the sender thought about the person, the date and the moment of delivery, and below we share what we tell customers who ask for advice.
Three questions we ask before every bouquet
When someone calls us unsure what to send, we start with three questions: who the flowers are for, what the occasion is, and where the person will be when the bouquet arrives. A mother turning seventy, a colleague leaving the company and a new girlfriend need very different bouquets, even at the same budget. The occasion sets the tone, and the place sets the size: a grand armful suits a restaurant table, a compact round bouquet suits a small flat or a desk.
Next we ask about taste. Some people love bright, saturated colours, others only ever buy white and green. If you do not know, look at photos of the person's home or remember what they wear; it is a surprisingly reliable guide. Scent is the last check: heavily scented lilies and hyacinths are wonderful in a big living room and too much in a small bedroom.
Once these answers are clear, choosing in our catalogue usually takes minutes. Customers who skip this step tend to scroll for an hour and then pick the first red roses they saw.
Budget matters less than people think. A modest bouquet of well-chosen seasonal flowers in the recipient's favourite colours makes a stronger impression than a large generic one, and it is easier to fit in a vase.
Flowers to think twice about in Russia
Russian flower customs are stricter than in most of Europe, especially among the older generation. Even numbers of stems are for funerals, so loose flowers for any happy occasion should be odd. Red carnations are tied to Victory Day and remembrance, and yellow flowers are still read by some as a sign of parting or betrayal.
Chrysanthemums are perfectly acceptable in Russia, unlike in some European countries where they mean mourning, and they are prized because they last. White lilies are elegant, but some people associate them with funerals; arranged with pink or peach flowers, they read as festive. We go into more detail in our article on what flowers not to send to a Russian woman.
If the recipient has cats, avoid lilies entirely, because every part of the plant is toxic to them. Roses, tulips, alstroemeria and chrysanthemums are safe alternatives that still look generous.
Bouquets we can deliver
Dates when Russians expect flowers
Some dates in Russia come with a near-obligation to give flowers. March 8 is the biggest: on International Women's Day men give flowers to wives, mothers, daughters and colleagues, and tulips and mimosa fill every flat. September 1, the first day of school, is the second, when children carry bouquets to their teachers. Birthdays, wedding anniversaries and Mother's Day at the end of November complete the list.
Winter holidays need extra thought, because New Year is the main family celebration in Russia and Orthodox Christmas follows on January 7. Our guide to New Year's Eve versus Orthodox Christmas explains which date suits which recipient.
A new baby is another moment when Russians send flowers, traditionally at the discharge from the maternity hospital. Soft pastel bouquets of modest size are the rule; see our article on flowers for a new baby in Russia for the details of that tradition.
Sending flowers to Russia from another country
Customers abroad mostly worry about payment, and here the answer is reassuring: foreign bank cards are accepted, with payment via Robokassa. Russian bank cards, SBP and Yandex Pay also work, all online on the site. City delivery costs 500 RUB; for remote districts and suburbs the operator confirms the price when confirming the order.
Write the address the Russian way, from city down to apartment, and add the building's korpus, the entrance number and the intercom code if there are any. Give a Russian mobile number for the recipient, because the courier calls about 15 minutes before arrival. If nobody answers the door, we agree a second delivery the same day or, with your consent, hand the flowers to a neighbour or concierge.
Delivery is anonymous by default and the courier does not name the sender. The card with your text is free, so sign it if you want to be recognised, and consider writing in Russian for older relatives.
Picking the delivery time
In large cities we offer express delivery 1-2 hours after the order is confirmed, delivery at an exact time give or take 30 minutes, time windows of 09-12, 12-15, 15-18 and 18-21, and pre-orders 1-30 days ahead. For a birthday, a morning window is the classic choice; for an office, pick a window in working hours; for a surprise at home, check discreetly with a family member when the person will be in.
In Saint Petersburg delivery runs around the clock, so a bouquet can arrive at midnight on a birthday or at dawn before a flight. Elsewhere, choose from the daytime options above and count in the recipient's time zone, since Russia spans eleven of them. If you are unsure which option fits, call 8 (812) 507-67-05.
For holidays such as March 8 and New Year, we advise placing the order several days in advance. Demand on those dates is very high, the most popular time slots fill first, and choosing calmly a week ahead gives you a better bouquet than choosing in a hurry the night before.
Helping the flowers last after delivery
Most bouquets lose days of life in the first hour, not the last. Ask the recipient to cut the stems at an angle by two centimetres, remove leaves below the water line and put the flowers in a clean vase of cool water. Changing the water every two days and trimming the stems again each time keeps them drinking well.
Russian flats are heated strongly from October to April, so the vase should stand away from radiators and direct sun. Tulips keep growing in water and bend towards the light, so turn the vase daily; hydrangeas love water so much that a drooping head often recovers after an hour fully submerged.
Different flowers age at different speeds, and it helps to know what to expect. Chrysanthemums and alstroemeria often stay fresh for two weeks, roses for about a week with good care, and tulips and peonies for five to seven days. Keep the bouquet away from a fruit bowl as well: ripening fruit gives off ethylene, which makes petals drop sooner. We deliver bouquets across Russia in 1–2 hours.
Frequently asked questions
How do I send flowers to someone in Russia?
Choose a bouquet on our site, enter the recipient's address and Russian phone number, write the card and pick a delivery time. Payment is online by bank card, including foreign cards, SBP or Yandex Pay.
Can I send flowers today?
Yes. In large cities express delivery arrives 1-2 hours after the order is confirmed, and in Saint Petersburg we deliver around the clock.
Can I send flowers anonymously?
Yes. Delivery is anonymous by default and the courier does not name the sender. Leave the card unsigned if you want to stay a mystery.
How many flowers should I send in Russia?
For happy occasions, loose stems should be an odd number, such as 7, 11 or 15. Even numbers are for funerals and memorials.
Who can I ask if I have questions?
Call us on 8 (812) 507-67-05. We will help with the bouquet, the address and the delivery time.
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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