Why Some Flowers Arrive Damaged, and How to Prevent It

Flowers usually arrive damaged for four reasons: they went without water too long, they were exposed to heat or frost on the way, they were crushed or knocked during handling, or they waited too long before someone put them in a vase. Most of this is preventable by choosing sturdy flowers for the season, fixing a delivery time when the recipient is home, and conditioning the bouquet properly the moment it arrives.

Below we go through each cause the way we see it in our own work, with the signs that tell you which one you are looking at and what you can do as a sender or a recipient. The advice is especially useful if you send flowers to Russia from abroad, where you cannot check the bouquet yourself and a Russian winter or a July heatwave can do more harm than the journey across town.

Dehydration: the most common cause by far

A cut flower is a stem drinking through a straw. As long as the straw is open and in water, the head stays firm. Once the stem sits dry for a while, air enters the vessels at the cut end and blocks them, so even when the flower is back in water it cannot drink. That is why a rose can look perfect when it leaves the workshop and droop two hours later on a table without a vase.

Signs of dehydration are soft, slightly matte petals, heads tilting at the neck and leaves that feel limp but are still green. This is the most forgiving kind of damage: a fresh angled cut of 2-3 cm, removal of leaves below the waterline and a few hours in cool water usually bring the bouquet back. Bent rose necks need a deeper soak with the heads supported; our guide Roses Arrived With Bent Necks? Here Is How to Fix Them explains the method.

Prevention is about shortening the dry period. Bouquets travel with their stems in water or wrapped damp, but the clock starts again once the recipient takes the flowers. Ask them to put the bouquet in water within the first half hour, not after dinner. If you know the recipient will not be able to deal with flowers until evening, choose an evening delivery window instead of a morning one.

Temperature: frost, heat and the radiator next to the vase

Cold damage is a particular Russian problem. At minus ten, a rose petal can freeze in a few minutes in open air, and the result appears only later: petals turn dark, glassy and translucent, as if they had been soaked in water, and then go brown. Tropical flowers such as anthuriums and orchids are even more sensitive. Frost damage cannot be reversed, which is why in winter the walk from the car to the door and any wait outside matter more than the drive itself.

Heat works differently. In summer a bouquet in a hot car or on a sunny windowsill loses water faster than it can drink, petals scorch at the edges and delicate flowers like hydrangeas and sweet peas collapse within hours. Heat also speeds up bacteria in the water, which is the source of that sour smell and slimy stems in a bouquet that is only a day old.

The same rules apply indoors. Many Russian flats are heated hard in winter, and a vase placed next to a radiator or on a windowsill above one ages several days faster. Ask the recipient to keep flowers in the coolest bright spot of the room, away from radiators, direct sun and the fruit bowl, because ripening fruit releases ethylene, a gas that makes petals drop early.

Bouquets we can deliver

Bouquet of 1 yellow sunflowers

$13

Bouquet of 3 white roses with eucalyptus, 50 cm

$18

Bouquet of 3 red roses with eucalyptus, 50 cm

$18

Bouquet of 3 pink roses with eucalyptus, 50 cm

$18

Mechanical damage: crushed heads, snapped stems and bruised petals

Physical damage happens in a few predictable places: when a bouquet is tipped over, when it is squeezed in a crowded lift or doorway, and when it is unwrapped in a hurry. Bruises look like translucent, watery patches on petals; snapped stems are obvious; crushed heads lose their shape on one side. Tall, top-heavy designs such as long-stemmed roses and delphiniums are more vulnerable than compact round bouquets.

Many breakages actually happen after delivery, while the recipient is opening the parcel. Cutting the ribbon with scissors aimed at the stems, pulling flowers out of the wrap by their heads or dropping a heavy box can undo careful packing in a second. It is worth forwarding Flower Delivery Arrived? Unpack It Right From the First Minute to the recipient if they are not used to receiving bouquets.

Some imperfections are not damage at all. Roses have outer guard petals that protect the bud and are often slightly marked; florists sometimes leave them on for transport, and they can simply be removed. Small creases on the tips of tulip leaves or a few loose gypsophila sprigs are also normal. Real damage is when the main flowers themselves are broken or bruised.

Choosing flowers that travel well in every season

If you want the bouquet to look its best on arrival and for days afterwards, choose the flowers with the journey and the weather in mind. Chrysanthemums, alstroemerias, carnations, eustomas and good roses are the workhorses: firm stems, tough petals and a long vase life. Hydrangeas, peonies at full bloom, gerberas with thin stems and garden-style mixes with sweet peas are beautiful but less forgiving of heat and of a long wait without water.

In winter, compact bouquets with dense heads hold warmth better than airy designs, and a bouquet in a box or a basket with a water source is easier to carry quickly from the car to the door. In summer, avoid scheduling delivery into the hottest part of the day if the recipient lives on an upper floor with no lift or is likely to leave the flowers in a car.

Carnations deserve a special mention for Russian recipients: they are tough, last up to two weeks and carry strong associations, especially around May 9, where red carnations are the traditional tribute to veterans. For a birthday or a romantic occasion, roses or a mixed bouquet are more usual, so match the flower to the message as well as to the weather.

How we reduce the risk when you order with us

Much damage comes from waiting, so the delivery format matters. In large cities we deliver by express 1-2 hours after the order is confirmed, at an exact time (plus or minus 30 minutes), within the windows 09-12, 12-15, 15-18 or 18-21, or pre-ordered 1 to 30 days ahead. Pick a slot when the recipient is definitely at home; the courier calls them about 15 minutes before arrival, so they can be at the door instead of the bouquet waiting on a cold landing.

If the recipient is out, we agree a second delivery the same day or, with your consent, hand the bouquet to a neighbour or concierge, which is far better for the flowers than an hour on a doorstep in January. Delivery stays anonymous unless you sign the free card with your name.

Before delivery you can ask for a photo of the bouquet and agree any details, such as avoiding fragile flowers in a frost, with a manager on WhatsApp. City delivery costs 500 RUB; for remote districts and suburbs the operator confirms the price when confirming the order. Payment is online by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay. Browse the Bouquets catalogue to choose a design that suits the season.

What to do if damage happens anyway

Even with care, a stem can snap or a head can bruise. Ask the recipient to photograph the bouquet as it arrived, before they trim or rearrange anything, then condition it: fresh cuts, clean vase, cool water and a few hours of rest. Then take a second photo. Comparing the two shows whether you were looking at temporary dehydration or real damage.

If the problem is genuine, contact the company you ordered from on the same day with the order number and the photos, and explain clearly what is wrong. Our article Bouquet Arrived Damaged? Here Is What to Do Next goes through the reporting process step by step. We deliver bouquets across Russia in 1–2 hours.