Flowers International Delivery: A Florist's Guide to Sending Bouquets Abroad

International flower delivery means you order and pay in one country, and a fresh bouquet is arranged and handed over in another, usually within a day or on the date you choose. With Turboflora you can send flowers to any Russian city, and also to 54 other countries and more than 1670 cities, paying online in rubles with delivery already included in the price.

The flowers do not fly across the ocean in a box. A good international order is built and delivered in the recipient's city, so what arrives is as fresh as a bouquet bought that morning. Below, I explain how to choose flowers that suit the occasion and the climate, how to time the order across time zones, what to write on the card, and what happens step by step after you press 'pay'.

How international flower delivery actually works

From your side, the process looks the same as ordering for a neighbour. You pick a bouquet, enter the recipient's address and phone number, type the card text and pay. The difference is behind the scenes: the bouquet is assembled close to the recipient and travels only the last few kilometres by courier. That is why roses arrive with tight, unbruised heads and the water in the vase is still clear.

For Russia, you order from the bouquets catalogue. City delivery costs 500 RUB; for remote districts and suburbs the operator confirms the price when confirming the order. In large cities express delivery takes 1-2 hours after confirmation, or you can choose an exact time (plus or minus 30 minutes), a time window (09-12, 12-15, 15-18, 18-21), or book 1-30 days ahead.

For other countries, open the flower delivery abroad page, which lists every country and city we cover (the page is in Russian, but country names are easy to find). The order is placed exactly the same way: choose a bouquet on the country or city page, enter the address and card text, and pay online. The price you see is already converted to rubles and already includes delivery, so there is no surprise fee at the end.

Choosing flowers that travel well and suit the recipient

Since the bouquet is made near the recipient, you do not need to worry about transport damage, but you should still think like a florist about longevity. Roses, chrysanthemums, alstroemeria, carnations and lisianthus stay fresh for a week or more. Peonies and tulips are seasonal and short-lived but spectacular, which makes them perfect for a birthday or an anniversary when the impact on the day matters most.

Consider the climate and the season at the destination, not where you live. In midwinter in Siberia, a bouquet will spend a few seconds in frost between the car and the door, so dense, well-wrapped arrangements are the wise choice. In a hot summer city, avoid delicate garden roses and hydrangeas if the recipient may not be home to put them in water straight away; a box arrangement with floral foam keeps itself hydrated.

Think about the person, too. An elderly parent may prefer a compact bouquet that fits on a kitchen table and does not need daily re-cutting. A colleague receiving flowers at the office will appreciate something that stands without a vase. If you are unsure, a mixed bouquet in soft tones is almost never wrong.

Bouquets we can deliver

Bouquet of 1 yellow sunflowers

$12

Bouquet of 1 pink lilies

$18

Bouquet of 3 red gerberas

$20

Bouquet of 3 red roses, 60 cm

$21

Timing an order across time zones

The most common mistake with international orders is thinking in your own clock. Moscow is eight hours ahead of New York and two or three hours ahead of most of Western Europe; Vladivostok is seven hours ahead of Moscow. If you order at 10 pm in London for 'tomorrow morning' in Novosibirsk, morning there arrives while you are still asleep. Always check the local time at the destination before you choose a slot.

For a birthday or anniversary, book ahead. In Russia you can pre-order 1-30 days in advance and pick a time window, which takes the pressure off. For big flower days such as 8 March, 14 February, 1 September and Mother's Day, ordering several days early gives you the widest choice of bouquets and the most convenient delivery windows.

If the moment matters more than the date, for example you want flowers to arrive right before a dinner or as someone leaves the hospital, choose an exact time. In Russian cities we deliver within plus or minus 30 minutes of the time you set. For a spontaneous gesture, express delivery in large cities takes 1-2 hours after the order is confirmed.

Writing the card: etiquette and language

The card is the only part of the gift that carries your voice, so it is worth a minute of thought. Write it in the recipient's language if you can. A short line in Russian means a lot to a grandmother in Kazan, even if you usually speak English with her. If you are not confident, keep it simple: a greeting, one personal sentence and your name.

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, sign the card. The card with your text is free, so there is no reason to skip it.

A few cultural notes for Russia: give an odd number of stems in a small bouquet, because even numbers are associated with funerals. Large bouquets of 25 or more stems are exempt from this rule, as nobody counts them. Yellow flowers once carried a meaning of separation, but younger people rarely care; still, for an older recipient, warm reds, pinks and whites are the safer choice.

What happens on delivery day

About 15 minutes before arrival, the courier calls the recipient to make sure someone is at home or at the office. This small step saves many deliveries: it gives your mother time to find her slippers and open the door, and it lets a busy recipient come down to reception.

If the recipient is not there, we agree a second delivery the same day or, with your consent, hand the flowers to a neighbour or concierge. To make this easy, enter a phone number that the recipient actually answers and add notes such as the entrance number, floor and door code. In Russian apartment blocks, the door code is often the difference between a smooth handover and a courier waiting outside.

If you want peace of mind, message a manager on WhatsApp. You can agree the time, the address details and the card text there, ask for help choosing a bouquet, and request a photo of the bouquet before it leaves. For many people abroad, that photo is the moment they finally relax.

Paying from abroad and keeping the flowers fresh

Payment is online on the site by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay. Orders abroad are paid in rubles; the price is already converted and already includes delivery. Russian city delivery conditions, including the 500 RUB fee and the express and time-window options, are described on the delivery and payment page.

Once the bouquet arrives, a few simple habits double its life, and you can pass them on to the recipient in the card or a message. Trim 1-2 cm off the stems at an angle with a sharp knife, remove any leaves that would sit below the waterline, and use a clean vase with cool water. Change the water every day or two and trim the stems again each time.

Keep the vase away from radiators, direct sun and the fruit bowl: ripening fruit releases ethylene, which makes petals drop faster. With this care, roses and chrysanthemums easily last a week, and alstroemeria often lasts two. A bouquet that stays beautiful for days is a reminder of you every time the recipient walks past it.