Delivery Instructions: How to Write Them So Your Flowers Arrive Smoothly

Delivery instructions are the short notes you add to an order to help the courier find the recipient and hand over the parcel the way you want: building entrance, floor, intercom code, the best time to call, and what to do if nobody is home. For flowers they matter even more than for ordinary parcels, because a bouquet cannot sit in a locker overnight or wait on a doorstep in the cold.

We read thousands of these notes, and the difference between a smooth handover and a stressful one is usually two or three extra lines. Below is what to include, how addresses work in Russian cities, how to protect a surprise, and a ready-made template you can copy when sending flowers from abroad.

What good delivery instructions contain

Think of the instructions as answers to the questions a courier asks on the way. Which door? Which floor? How do I get through the gate? Who do I call? A useful note covers four things: precise access details, the recipient's phone number, timing preferences and a fallback plan.

Access details are the part people most often skip. Write the entrance number, floor and flat number, intercom code or the number to dial, and any landmark that helps: a yellow door, the second building in the courtyard, the entrance facing the park. If the recipient works in an office, add the company name, floor and whether visitors need a pass at reception.

Keep it short and factual. A courier reads the note in the van, often between other deliveries, so three clear lines work better than a paragraph. Avoid vague phrases like call when close or ask anyone; name the person or the place instead.

Russian addresses: entrance, intercom and courtyard

If you are sending flowers to Russia, the address has a structure that does not always fit foreign checkout forms. A typical city address includes the street, the building number (sometimes with a block or korpus), the entrance (podyezd), the floor and the flat. Large apartment blocks can have ten or more entrances, so without the podyezd number the courier may spend twenty minutes walking around the building.

Most residential entrances have an intercom (domofon). Some open by dialling the flat number, others need a code, and many newer complexes sit behind a closed courtyard gate with its own entry system. If you do not know these details, ask the recipient casually or simply leave the field empty: our courier calls the recipient about 15 minutes before arriving, and that call is usually enough to get the code.

Business centres, hospitals, universities and hotels each have their own rules. For an office, add the reception or security desk as the handover point. For a hotel, give the guest's name exactly as on the booking. For a hospital, check visiting rules first, since not every ward accepts flowers. Our article on leaving delivery instructions in English covers how to transliterate street names and what to put in each field.

Bouquets we can deliver

Bouquet of 1 yellow sunflowers

$12

Bouquet of 3 red gerberas

$20

Bouquet of 3 white matthiola

$22

Bouquet of 3 pink matthiola

$22

Phone number and timing: the two lines that save a delivery

The recipient's phone number is the single most important instruction. Give a mobile number the person actually answers, with the country code. With Turboflora the courier calls the recipient about 15 minutes before arrival, so a working number means the flowers are handed over in person rather than left waiting. If the recipient rarely answers unknown numbers, mention it in the note and warn them, if the gift is not a surprise.

Then choose the timing. In large cities we can deliver express, 1-2 hours after the order is confirmed; at an exact time with a margin of plus or minus 30 minutes; in a time window of 09-12, 12-15, 15-18 or 18-21; or on a date you pre-order 1-30 days ahead. Use the instructions to explain why the time matters, for example: before 12:00, she leaves for the airport. A clear reason helps us plan the route around it.

Remember the time difference. If you live in another country, write times in the recipient's local time and double-check the date, especially for birthdays that fall just after midnight in Russia. You can find the full list of options on our delivery and payment page.

Keeping the surprise: anonymity and the card

Many people want the bouquet to be a surprise, and some want the sender to stay a mystery altogether. Our delivery is anonymous by default: the courier does not name the sender. If you want your name revealed, write it on the card; if you want the courier to say who the flowers are from, add that to the instructions.

The card with your text is free, and it is separate from the delivery instructions. The card is for the recipient, the instructions are for us. A common mistake is writing the card message in the instructions field, or putting the intercom code on the card. Keep them apart and both will do their job.

For a real surprise, do not ask the recipient for their entrance or code directly. Ask a family member or colleague instead, or rely on the courier's call before arrival, which most recipients take as a pleasant hint that something nice is on its way.

Plan B: what happens if nobody is home

Even well-planned deliveries meet closed doors. If the recipient is not there, we agree a second delivery the same day, or hand the flowers to a neighbour or concierge, but only with the sender's consent. Saying in advance which you prefer saves time and keeps the flowers fresh.

A good fallback line is specific: if Anna is out, leave with the concierge on the ground floor, or if nobody answers, try again after 18:00. Avoid leave at the door: in apartment buildings the courier usually cannot reach the door without someone letting them in, and a bouquet left on a stairwell is not the impression you want.

If the recipient is travelling or works shifts, consider choosing a later window or a different address, such as their workplace. A short message to our manager on WhatsApp is the quickest way to agree the time, the address, the card text and to get a photo of the bouquet before it leaves.

A template you can copy

Here is a simple structure that covers almost every case. Line one: entrance 3, floor 7, flat 112, intercom code or dial 112. Line two: call Maria on her mobile before arrival; she speaks only Russian. Line three: if she is out, give the flowers to the concierge; if not possible, try again after 18:00. Line four: do not mention the sender.

Adapt it to the occasion. For an office delivery replace line one with the company name, floor and reception. For a hotel give the guest name and room number if you know it. For a pre-ordered anniversary delivery, write the reason for the time so we can plan around it. If you worry about language, our note on whether the courier calls only in Russian answers the usual questions.

Once the instructions are ready, choose a bouquet, pay online by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay, and the rest is on our side. City delivery costs 500 RUB; for remote districts and suburbs the operator confirms the price when confirming the order.