The Best Place to Send Flowers From: A Florist's Checklist

The best place to send flowers is a florist that delivers to the recipient's city itself, shows you the actual bouquet before it leaves, lets you choose an exact delivery time and gives you a real person to talk to if something changes. Price matters, but what you are really paying for is certainty: that the right flowers arrive fresh, at the right door, with your words on the card.

That sounds obvious, yet most disappointments with flower delivery come from skipping one of these points. Below I go through what to check before you order, which flowers travel and last best, how to time delivery, and how ordering flowers to Russia works with Turboflora, so you can judge any service, including ours, with clear eyes.

What actually makes a flower service the best choice

Start with who delivers. When the company you pay is the one that assembles the bouquet and sends the courier, there is one point of responsibility. If the flowers are late or the address is wrong, you speak to the people who can fix it, not to a call centre that has to chase someone else.

Next, look at how the order is confirmed. A good service confirms the details with you after you pay: the address, the time, the card text. In large cities this also tells you when the clock starts, because a realistic express promise is counted from confirmation, not from the moment you clicked the button.

Finally, judge the catalogue honestly. Photos should show real bouquets with readable sizes and flower names, not stock images of peonies in November. If a site cannot tell you what is in the bouquet, the florist assembling it will be guessing too.

Warning signs to watch for before you pay

Be cautious with a site that never states its delivery cost until the last step, or that promises any flower in any season. Ranunculus in a heatwave or fresh lilac in January are possible only in small quantities, and a florist who says yes to everything is likely to substitute without asking.

Another warning sign is silence after payment. If you receive no confirmation of the address and time, you cannot know whether anyone has read your order. A clear confirmation, and a contact you can actually reach, is the minimum you should expect.

Lastly, check what happens to the card. Some services print the message on a sticker or leave it out entirely. Ask before you order; the words you choose are often what the recipient remembers longest, long after the petals have fallen.

Bouquets we can deliver

Bouquet of 1 yellow sunflowers

$13

Bouquet of 3 white French roses with eucalyptus, 50 cm

$18

Bouquet of 3 red French roses with eucalyptus, 50 cm

$18

Bouquet of 3 pink roses with eucalyptus, 50 cm

$18

Flowers that travel well and keep looking fresh

Whatever service you choose, the flowers themselves decide how long your gift lasts. Roses, chrysanthemums, alstroemeria, carnations and lisianthus are reliable travellers: firm petals, strong stems and a vase life of a week or more with fresh water. Spray roses and chrysanthemums in particular forgive a warm flat or a busy recipient who forgets to change the water.

Peonies, hydrangeas, tulips and ranunculus are beautiful but more demanding. Peonies open fast in warm rooms; hydrangeas wilt if they dry out and need a deep drink; tulips keep growing and bending towards light after they are cut. They are lovely choices when the recipient is at home and enjoys looking after flowers, less so for an office desk over a weekend.

In winter, ask how the bouquet is packed. Frost damages petals within minutes, so a proper courier carries flowers wrapped and goes straight to the door. The courier's call shortly before arrival matters here too: the recipient comes down or opens the door quickly, and the flowers spend as little time in the cold as possible.

Timing: when to order and when the bouquet should arrive

For birthdays and anniversaries, order a few days ahead and pick a time window rather than leaving it open. With us you can choose a fixed window (09-12, 12-15, 15-18 or 18-21), an exact time within about 30 minutes, or book up to 30 days in advance. Morning windows suit offices; evening windows suit people who work long hours.

For last-minute gestures, express delivery in large cities takes 1-2 hours after the order is confirmed. That is enough for an apology, a congratulation after good news or simply a reminder that you are thinking of someone, but it is wise to confirm the recipient will actually be in.

Around big dates such as 8 March, Valentine's Day and 1 September, order early. Florists are busiest then, and a booked exact time protects you from the queue.

Sending flowers to Russia from abroad

If your family or friends live in Russia, the best place to send flowers from is one that delivers across the country and lets you pay from wherever you are. On Turboflora you choose a bouquet in the bouquets catalogue, enter the recipient's address and pay online by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay. City delivery costs 500 RUB; for remote districts and suburbs the operator confirms the price when confirming your order.

Time zones are the detail people most often forget. Russia spans many of them, so when you choose a delivery window, think in the recipient's local time. If you are unsure, write to a manager on WhatsApp: we help pick the bouquet, agree the time, address and card text, and can send you a photo of the bouquet before delivery.

For a fuller walk-through of the process, see our guide on the best way to send flowers to Russia, and the delivery and payment page for the current terms.

The card, the surprise and other small things that matter

A short handwritten-style message turns a bouquet into a personal gift. The card with your text is free with us, so use it. Two or three sentences are enough: name the occasion, say something only you would say, and sign in the way the person knows you. Write the text in the language the recipient reads most comfortably.

Delivery is anonymous by default: the courier does not name the sender. That is ideal for a surprise or a secret admirer, but if you want the recipient to know who sent the flowers, simply sign the card.

Think about the recipient's day as well. Flowers for a mother who is at home in the afternoon, a wife who leaves work at six, or a friend in a flat with a concierge each call for a slightly different plan. Our guides on flowers for your mother and flowers for your wife go into those choices.

What happens if the recipient is not at home

This is where a good service shows itself. Our courier calls the recipient about 15 minutes before arrival. If nobody answers or they have stepped out, we agree a second delivery the same day, or hand the flowers to a neighbour or concierge with your consent.

You can reduce the risk on your side: give a phone number the recipient actually answers, add the entrance, floor and door code to the address, and mention if they work night shifts or have a small child asleep in the afternoon. Five extra words in the order often save an hour of waiting.