International Flower Service: Sending Flowers to Russia and Abroad

An international flower service lets you choose a bouquet online in one country and have it delivered by courier to someone in another, with your message on a card. With Turboflora you can send flowers to any city in Russia and to 53 other countries - more than 1630 cities - paying online in rubles, with delivery already included in the price for orders abroad.

The idea is simple, but the details decide whether the surprise lands well: the right time zone, a correctly written address, a bouquet that suits the occasion and the local customs, and a card that sounds like you. Below is how a florist would walk you through it, step by step.

How an international flower order works, step by step

You do not need to speak Russian or know the recipient's city. On our site you choose a bouquet from the bouquets catalogue or from the page of the country or city you are sending to, enter the delivery address, write the card text and pay online. Payment is by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay. For orders abroad the price is shown in rubles, already converted and already including delivery, so there is no separate delivery charge to work out at the end.

For Russian cities the delivery conditions are a little different. City delivery costs 500 RUB; for remote districts and suburbs the operator confirms the price when confirming the order. In large cities you can choose express delivery - 1-2 hours after the order is confirmed - or an exact time with a margin of plus or minus 30 minutes, or one of the windows 09-12, 12-15, 15-18 or 18-21. You can also order 1-30 days in advance, which is useful when you are planning around a birthday or an anniversary.

Once the order is placed, the courier calls the recipient about 15 minutes before arrival. That short call matters more than people expect: it means the door is opened, the dog is held back and nobody misses the delivery because they were in the shower.

Timing across time zones

The most common mistake in cross-border gifting is thinking in your own clock. Russia alone spans eleven time zones: morning in Kaliningrad is already evening in Vladivostok. Before you choose a delivery window, check the local time in the recipient's city and ask yourself when they will actually be at home or at work.

For birthdays, a morning window works best - the flowers set the tone for the whole day and the person has time to put them in water and take a photo in daylight. For a romantic gesture or an apology, early evening is often better: the recipient is relaxed, at home, and the bouquet does not have to survive a day in an office.

If the date is fixed - Women's Day on 8 March, Teachers' Day, New Year - order a few days early. Pre-ordering 1-30 days ahead lets you settle the bouquet, address and card calmly instead of racing the calendar.

A practical trick for distant families: agree the delivery window with your own video call in mind. If the flowers arrive at eleven in the morning their time, you can call half an hour later and see the reaction live, rather than waiting for a blurry photo at midnight your time. Small planning like this is what turns a parcel into a shared moment across the distance.

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

Choosing flowers that travel well in meaning

Flower language is not universal. In Russia and much of Eastern Europe an even number of stems is associated with funerals, so for a living person you give an odd number: 5, 7, 11 or 15 roses. Large bouquets of 25 or more stems are the exception, as nobody counts them. Yellow flowers are sometimes read as a sign of parting in older Russian etiquette, although younger recipients usually just see them as cheerful.

White chrysanthemums are a funeral flower in parts of Europe and Asia, but in Russia they are a perfectly ordinary autumn gift. Red roses everywhere mean romance, so be careful sending them to a colleague or a friend's mother; a mixed bouquet in pink, cream or peach is warmer and less ambiguous. Lilies have a strong scent that some people find too much in a small flat - mention it on the card or choose them only if you know the recipient likes them.

When in doubt, a seasonal mixed bouquet or a bouquet of roses in soft tones is the safest choice. It looks generous, suits almost any age and does not carry hidden meanings.

Addresses, cards and anonymity

A precise address saves more deliveries than any courier. Give the full street, building, entrance number, floor, flat and door code if there is one, and the recipient's phone number. In Russian apartment blocks the entrance number (podyezd) is essential - a building can have ten of them.

The card with your text is free. Write it in the language the recipient reads best; if you write in English to someone who reads Russian, keep it short and clear. Sign it with the name they know you by, not your full legal name. If you want to stay a secret admirer, you can - delivery is anonymous by default, and the courier does not name the sender.

If you are unsure about wording, the address format or the time, message a manager on WhatsApp. They will help you choose the bouquet, agree the time, address and card text, and can send you a photo of the bouquet before it goes out - a nice reassurance when you cannot see it yourself.

What happens if the recipient is not at home

This is the worry that keeps people from sending flowers abroad at all. In practice it is handled calmly: the courier calls about 15 minutes before arriving, and if the recipient is not there, we agree a second delivery the same day, or the flowers are handed to a neighbour or a concierge - but only with the sender's consent.

To make this smooth, think ahead. If the recipient works long hours, send the bouquet to their workplace instead, with the company name and floor in the address. If it is a surprise and you cannot ask about their plans, choose an evening window on a weekday or a late-morning window on a weekend, when most people are at home.

Some senders quietly involve a family member or a flatmate. One short message - 'flowers are coming at six, make sure she is home' - turns a risky surprise into a guaranteed moment.

Helping the bouquet last after delivery

You cannot be there to care for the flowers, but the card can carry a hint, or you can mention it in your next call. Fresh bouquets last longest when the stems are cut by 1-2 cm at an angle with a sharp knife, placed in a clean vase with cool water, and kept away from radiators, direct sun and the fruit bowl - ripening fruit releases ethylene, which ages flowers faster.

Water should be changed every one or two days, with a fresh cut each time. Remove any leaves that sit below the waterline, as they rot and cloud the water. Roses usually stand 7-10 days with this care; chrysanthemums and alstroemeria often last two weeks; tulips keep growing in the vase and bend towards the light, so turn the vase daily.

If the bouquet arrives in an aqua-pack or a box with floral foam, it can stay as it is for a day or two; after that, moving it to a vase gives the stems more water and more life. We deliver bouquets across Russia in 1–2 hours.