Where to Buy Flowers: In Our Saint Petersburg Shops or Online with Delivery
The best place to buy flowers is a dedicated flower shop where bouquets are made to order from fresh stock, either in person or online with delivery. In Saint Petersburg you can visit one of our three Pyat Tsvetov shops on Ilyushina Street, Obvodny Canal Embankment and Srednerogatskaya Street; anywhere else in Russia, and from abroad, you can order on our website and we deliver the bouquet to the door.
We have been selling flowers in Saint Petersburg since 2011, and the questions customers ask at the counter are remarkably consistent: how to tell a fresh bouquet from a tired one, whether buying in person is better than ordering online, how much time to allow, and how to pay from another country. This guide answers them in the order they usually come up.
Shop, supermarket or street stall: what you actually get
Supermarket flowers are convenient, but they usually sit in buckets for days under bright lights and warm air, and nobody recuts the stems or changes the water as often as they should. They are fine for a quick jar on the kitchen table, less so for a gift you want to last a week. Street stalls and metro kiosks vary enormously: some are well run, many keep flowers out in the wind and cold, which shortens their vase life even when they look good on the spot.
A proper flower shop is different in three practical ways. Flowers are kept in a cool room or fridge at the right temperature, stems are recut and conditioned before they go into a bouquet, and the florist builds the arrangement for your occasion instead of handing over a ready-wrapped bunch. You can also ask for specific colours, a smaller or larger size, or no particular flower if the recipient has an allergy or simply dislikes lilies.
The difference shows after a few days in the vase. A bouquet from a shop that turns its stock over quickly and stores it correctly commonly lasts 7-10 days with basic care, while flowers that have already spent their freshness in a warm aisle may drop petals by day three.
How to check a bouquet is fresh before you pay
Customers often ask us how to judge freshness without being a florist. Start with the roses: gently squeeze the base of the head where petals meet the green part. A fresh rose feels firm and tight there; a soft, spongy base means it has been cut for a long time. Outer guard petals that are slightly bruised are normal and protect the bloom, but brown edges on inner petals are not.
Look at the leaves and the water. Leaves should be bright and springy, not yellow or limp, and the water in the shop bucket should be clear rather than cloudy or smelly. For chrysanthemums, check that the centre of each flower is still tight and green-yellow; for lilies and alstroemeria, choose stems with several closed buds so the bouquet keeps opening over the week.
Ask when the flowers were delivered to the shop and when the bouquet was made. A good florist answers that without hesitation. When you order for delivery, the same rule applies: the shorter the time between making the bouquet and handing it over, the longer it lasts.
Bouquets we can deliver
What to buy: a few Russian flower customs worth knowing
Foreign customers often ask what is appropriate before they choose. In Russia, a bouquet for a happy occasion traditionally has an odd number of stems, while even numbers are associated with funerals and remembrance. In a large bouquet of more than a dozen flowers, few people count, but with three, five or seven roses it is worth keeping to the custom, especially for older recipients.
Yellow flowers once carried a meaning of separation, and some older people still remember it, so for a romantic gift red, pink, white or mixed pastel shades are the safer choice. Carnations in red are strongly linked with Victory Day and official ceremonies rather than romance. White chrysanthemums and lilies are perfectly welcome as a gift, but in mixed bouquets rather than as a sombre all-white arrangement.
Season matters too. In spring, tulips are the classic choice around 8 March; in summer, peonies and garden-style bouquets are at their best; in late autumn and winter, roses, chrysanthemums and eustoma hold up well in dry, heated apartments. If you are unsure, tell us the occasion and the recipient's age when you call, and the florist will suggest a combination that fits.
Buying in person in Saint Petersburg
If you are in Saint Petersburg, coming to the shop lets you see the flowers, choose colours with the florist and leave with the bouquet in your hands. Pyat Tsvetov has three shops of its own in the city: on Ilyushina Street, on Obvodny Canal Embankment and on Srednerogatskaya Street. Tell the florist who the flowers are for and what the occasion is, and they will suggest varieties that suit both the message and the season.
Think about the journey home before you buy. In winter, ask for the bouquet to be wrapped fully so no petals are exposed to the frost, and do not leave it in a cold car while you run errands. In summer, carry it upright and out of direct sun. Once home, recut the stems by 2-3 cm, put the bouquet in clean cool water and keep it away from radiators and fruit bowls; our article on where to place a vase so flowers last longer explains why position matters as much as water.
Many customers who live in the city still prefer delivery, especially for birthdays, apologies and surprises. Delivery in Saint Petersburg is around the clock, so a bouquet can arrive first thing in the morning or late in the evening, when the surprise works best.
Buying online with delivery across Russia
Ordering online is the practical answer when the recipient lives in another city or you are not in Russia at all. We deliver flowers across Russia. City delivery costs 500 RUB; for remote districts and suburbs, the operator confirms the price when confirming the order. Choose a bouquet in our catalogue, enter the recipient's address and phone number, and pick the timing.
In large cities, express delivery takes 1-2 hours after the order is confirmed. You can also choose an exact time with a margin of plus or minus 30 minutes, one of the windows 09-12, 12-15, 15-18 or 18-21, or pre-order 1-30 days in advance. Pre-ordering is the calm option for dates you know ahead: birthdays, anniversaries, 8 March, the first day of school.
The courier calls the recipient about 15 minutes before arriving. If nobody is home, we agree a second delivery the same day or, with your consent, hand the flowers to a neighbour or concierge. When writing the address, add the entrance number, floor, intercom code and anything unusual about the building; our guide to delivery instructions in English shows what to write and where.
Paying from abroad and staying anonymous
The question we hear most from customers outside Russia is whether their card will work. Foreign bank cards are accepted on our website, with payment processed via Robokassa. Customers inside Russia can also pay online by Russian bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay. Full conditions are on the delivery and payment page.
Delivery is anonymous by default: the courier does not name the sender unless you want them to. A card with your own text is included free, so you decide whether to sign it, leave a hint or keep the mystery. Write the card in Russian or English; if the recipient reads only Russian, a short, simple English message is still better than a machine translation full of mistakes.
For anything unclear about an order, call us on 8 (812) 507-67-05. Customers abroad usually find it fastest to settle the delivery time and card text by phone before the day, especially across time zones.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I buy flowers in Saint Petersburg?
Pyat Tsvetov has three shops of its own in the city, on Ilyushina Street, Obvodny Canal Embankment and Srednerogatskaya Street. You can also order on our website, and delivery in Saint Petersburg is around the clock.
Can I buy flowers online for someone in another Russian city?
Yes, we deliver flowers across Russia. City delivery costs 500 RUB, and in large cities express delivery takes 1-2 hours after the order is confirmed.
Can I pay with a foreign bank card?
Yes, foreign bank cards are accepted on our website, with payment processed via Robokassa. Payment by Russian bank card, SBP and Yandex Pay is also available.
Will the recipient know who sent the flowers?
Only if you want them to. Delivery is anonymous by default, and the free card carries whatever text you write, signed or unsigned.
How do I know a bouquet is fresh?
Rose heads should feel firm at the base, leaves should be bright and springy, and lilies or alstroemeria should still have closed buds. Cloudy water in the shop bucket is a warning sign.
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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