Gifting Flowers to Another Address: What to Enter and What to Check

To gift flowers to another address, you simply enter the recipient's address and phone number at checkout instead of your own, add your message for the card, and pay online. Your billing details and the delivery address are completely separate, so you can be in London or Toronto while the bouquet goes to your mother's flat in Kazan or a friend's office in Moscow.

The ordering part takes a few minutes. What makes the difference between a smooth delivery and an awkward one is the detail: a complete address, the right phone number, a sensible time slot and a card that is clearly from you. Here is how I would advise a customer standing at my counter.

The details the courier actually needs

Start with the address in full: city, street, building number, building section or block if there is one, entrance number, floor, flat number and the intercom code. Russian apartment blocks often have several entrances, and the intercom code saves the courier from waiting outside. If the building is new or the yard is a maze, add a landmark. Our article on what courier drivers do when an address is hard to find explains why these small notes matter.

Next, the recipient's phone number. This is not optional. The courier calls the recipient about 15 minutes before arrival, so a working number is how the bouquet reaches the right door. Give the number of the person who will actually be there, not your own.

Finally, the recipient's name exactly as they will recognise it. If you are sending to an office, add the company name and, if possible, the department or floor. Reception staff are much quicker to accept a delivery when the name on the order matches someone they know.

Choosing the timing so someone is home

The most common reason a gift does not land as planned is that nobody is in. Think about the recipient's day. Office workers are easiest to reach at work on a weekday, while retirees and parents with small children are usually home in the morning. If you are not sure, ask a family member quietly.

In large cities you can choose express delivery, 1-2 hours after the order is confirmed. You can also pick an exact time (plus or minus 30 minutes), a time window of 09-12, 12-15, 15-18 or 18-21, or pre-order 1-30 days ahead. For birthdays and anniversaries I recommend pre-ordering: you choose the date calmly and do not depend on a last-minute rush.

If the recipient is out when the courier arrives, the flowers are not just left on the doorstep. We agree a second delivery the same day, or, with your consent as the sender, hand the bouquet to a neighbour or concierge. Decide in advance which option you prefer, so the manager knows what to do.

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

Surprise or not: anonymity and the card

Delivery is anonymous by default: the courier does not name the sender. That is ideal for a surprise, but it also means the card is the only way the recipient learns the flowers are from you, unless you want to stay a mystery.

The card with your text is free. Keep it short and personal: the occasion, a warm line and your name. If the recipient reads Russian more comfortably, write in Russian; if you are unsure of the spelling, write in English and ask a manager to check it. Our guide on adding a gift card message has examples for birthdays, apologies and condolences.

One practical tip: if the surprise must stay secret until the doorbell rings, tell the person who shares the flat. A partner or flatmate can make sure the recipient is home without giving away why.

Picking a bouquet that suits a different home

When you send flowers to someone else's home, you are choosing for their space, not yours. A tall arrangement of gladioli is striking but needs a large vase; a compact round bouquet of roses or spray roses fits any kitchen table. If you do not know whether they own a vase, a hatbox or basket arrangement stands on its own.

Keep Russian customs in mind. Living people receive an odd number of stems; even numbers are for funerals. Yellow flowers once carried a reputation for separation, and older relatives may still notice that, so for grandparents pastel pink, white or cream is a safer palette. For a host family, see our notes on hostess gift flowers for a Russian family home.

Browse the bouquets catalogue with the recipient in mind: their age, their taste and the room the flowers will stand in. When in doubt, choose seasonal mixed flowers in soft colours; they rarely disappoint.

Consider the recipient's home life as well. A heavily scented lily bouquet can be too much in a small flat or for someone with a newborn, and lilies are dangerous for cats. Roses, chrysanthemums, alstroemeria and eustoma are gentle, long-lasting choices that suit almost any household.

Common mistakes when sending to someone else

Entering your own phone number instead of the recipient's. The courier will call you in another country while the recipient wonders who is ringing the intercom. Double-check the number before paying.

Sending to an address the recipient has left. Students move between dormitories, relatives spend summers at the dacha, and people change jobs. If the gift is for a specific date, confirm where the person will be that day, not where they lived last year.

Choosing a time slot that clashes with the occasion. A bouquet arriving at 9 am on the morning of a birthday party is perfect; one arriving during the party itself may interrupt it. Think about the moment you want the doorbell to ring.

Forgetting about storage on the recipient's side. If the bouquet arrives the evening before the occasion, the recipient can keep it fresh overnight in cool water away from heating. Our article on whether you can leave flowers for a day before giving them explains how. It is a good option when you want the flowers in hand first thing in the morning.

Ordering from abroad: how payment and confirmation work

Payment is online on the site by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay. City delivery costs 500 RUB; for remote districts and suburbs, the operator confirms the price when confirming the order. Once the order is confirmed, timing runs from that point.

Before you pay, read the order back as if you were the courier: is the flat number there, is the phone the recipient's, is the date right in Russian time? Moscow is ahead of most of Europe and far ahead of the Americas, so an evening order from New York lands in the early hours of the next day in Russia. Choosing the date in the recipient's calendar avoids the classic mistake of flowers arriving a day late.

To agree details such as an unusual address, a specific delivery moment or the exact wording of the card, message a manager on WhatsApp. They can also send you a photo of the bouquet before delivery, which is reassuring when you cannot see the flowers yourself. We deliver bouquets across Russia in 1–2 hours.