Flowers and the Netherlands: What Makes Dutch Blooms Special and How to Send Flowers to Russia

The Netherlands is the centre of the global cut-flower world: it is famous for tulip fields, the huge Aalsmeer flower auction near Amsterdam and decades of breeding work behind many of the roses, chrysanthemums and lilies sold everywhere. If you live in the Netherlands and want flowers to reach someone in Russia, you do not need to post anything across borders - you order online, pay by card and the bouquet is delivered by courier in the recipient's city.

Below you will find what Dutch flower culture actually looks like from the inside, which varieties the country made famous, how the Dutch give flowers (the etiquette is a little different from Russian habits), and the practical steps for sending a bouquet from Amsterdam, Rotterdam or Utrecht to Moscow, St Petersburg or another Russian city.

Why the Netherlands became the flower capital of the world

The story starts with the tulip. Bulbs arrived from the Ottoman Empire in the late sixteenth century, and by the 1630s the Dutch were trading single rare bulbs for the price of a house - the episode known as tulip mania. The bubble burst, but the expertise stayed: growers learned to select, cross and multiply bulbs, and the sandy soils behind the dunes between Leiden and Haarlem turned out to be ideal for them.

In the twentieth century the Dutch added glasshouses, precise climate control and cooperative auctions. Royal FloraHolland's auction hall in Aalsmeer is one of the largest buildings in the world by floor area, and its famous falling-price clock let growers sell millions of stems a day. Much of the plant breeding behind modern cut flowers - new rose colours, longer-lasting alstroemeria, spray chrysanthemums - also comes out of Dutch companies.

For a flower buyer this matters in one simple way: the Netherlands set the standards for cut-flower quality. Grading by stem length, bud size and freshness, cold-chain handling and conditioning in water with flower food are now normal practice for florists far beyond the country.

Dutch flowers worth knowing by name

Tulips are the obvious symbol, and the season runs roughly from January to May for cut stems. Look for the difference between single early tulips, double peony-like tulips, fringed tulips and the striped Rembrandt types that recall the old paintings. A tulip keeps growing in the vase - often by several centimetres - and bends towards the light, so arrange it a little shorter than you think.

Hyacinths, daffodils and muscari are the other bulb flowers the Dutch spring is known for. Daffodils release sap that shortens the life of other flowers, so florists stand them in water on their own for a few hours before mixing them into a bouquet. Hyacinths are heavily scented: lovely on a table, a little strong for a small bedroom.

Beyond bulbs, the Netherlands is a major producer of roses, chrysanthemums, gerberas, freesias, lilies and amaryllis, as well as potted orchids. Phalaenopsis orchids in particular became a mass-market houseplant largely thanks to Dutch growers. When you look through a modern bouquet in any country, there is a good chance at least one variety in it was bred there.

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

How the Dutch give flowers - and how it differs from Russia

In the Netherlands flowers are an everyday purchase rather than a grand gesture. People pick up a bunch of tulips with the groceries on Saturday, bring a simple bouquet when invited to dinner and keep flowers on the kitchen table all year. The bouquet is often loose and natural, a single variety or two, wrapped in paper.

Russian flower etiquette is more formal, and it is worth knowing if your recipient is there. Bouquets are given in odd numbers of stems - even numbers are traditionally reserved for funerals and remembrance. Large bouquets are normal for birthdays, anniversaries and 8 March, and a man is expected to bring flowers on a first date. Yellow flowers once carried a hint of separation in older traditions; most people today do not mind, but if you are sending to an older relative, a different colour is a safe choice.

So if you are Dutch and sending flowers to Russian friends, go a bit fuller and more generous than you would at home. If you are Russian and living in the Netherlands, enjoy the relaxed Dutch habit of flowers for no reason - and know that a surprise bouquet arriving in Russia on an ordinary Tuesday is always well received.

Sending flowers from the Netherlands to Russia: practical steps

The simplest way is to order a ready bouquet for delivery inside Russia. Choose one in our bouquets catalogue, enter the recipient's address and phone number, and pay online on the site by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay. Nothing is shipped from the Netherlands; the bouquet travels only across the recipient's city.

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 the order is confirmed. You can also pick an exact time (plus or minus 30 minutes), a window of 09-12, 12-15, 15-18 or 18-21, or pre-order 1 to 30 days ahead. All details are on the delivery and payment page.

Mind the time difference: Moscow time is one hour ahead of the Netherlands in summer and two hours ahead in winter. If you want flowers to arrive for breakfast on a birthday, place the order the day before and choose the 09-12 window rather than waiting until your own morning.

If you want help choosing, need to agree a time or address, or would like a photo of the bouquet before delivery, write to a manager on WhatsApp.

Surprise, card text and what happens at the door

Delivery is anonymous by default: the courier does not name the sender. That works well for a surprise, but if you want the recipient to know who sent it, say so on the card. The card with your text is free, so it is worth writing a few real lines rather than just a name. You can write in English or Russian; if your Russian is shaky, a short phrase like happy birthday plus your name in English is perfectly charming.

The courier calls the recipient about 15 minutes before arrival. If nobody is home, we agree a second delivery the same day, or with your consent the flowers can be left with a neighbour or concierge. For this reason the recipient's phone number is the most important field in the order - double-check the country code.

Keeping Dutch-style flowers fresh at home

Whether you bought tulips at a Dutch market or your relative just received a bouquet in Russia, the care basics are the same. Cut 1-2 cm off each stem at an angle with a sharp knife, remove leaves that would sit under water and use a clean vase with cool water and flower food. Change the water every two days and recut the stems each time.

Keep the vase away from radiators, direct sun and fruit bowls: ripening fruit releases ethylene, which ages flowers faster. Tulips like very cold water and even a couple of ice cubes; roses and chrysanthemums are happy at room temperature. With this care most bouquets last a week or longer, and chrysanthemums and alstroemeria often reach two weeks.