A Truly Significant Holiday - Passport magazine

How To
Buy Flowers
text Elena Kryvovyaz
Flower Power
There is nothing worse for a Russian woman than to go
through 8th of March without a bouquet of flowers . Giving
flowers is a simple way to make sure she knows you are actually
fairly civilized, despite being a foreigner.
What do they mean?
Tulips in general denote sympathy, while yellow tulips
reveal a hidden love. Red roses unequivocally point to the
heart. An orchid praises unique beauty and a chrysanthemum
speaks of undying youth and health.
Get Your Numbers Right
This is important in Russia, because you should present only
odd numbers of flowers (1,3,5,7 etc.), because bouquets and
bunches of even numbers are traditionally presented at a
funeral. Presenting an even number of flowers may cause the
wrong reaction.
Where to buy
Moscow is full of flower kiosks and special botanical shops
where you can buy any exotic plant from anywhere on the
planet. Unfortunately, all these shops are rather hard to find
when you’re running late for a rendezvous. So, the first piece
of advice is to buy flowers in advance.
Metro Kiosks
Almost every underground passageway near a metro
station has small kiosks with a basic assortment of flowers
(yellow and white roses, lilies but they’re rare). Usually they
are already tied into bunches. You can buy a single flower
(80-250 rubles for a rose and 50-80 for a tulip), or a bunch of
roses – it’s up to you. The more flowers you buy, the cheaper
they are and bargaining - up to 15% for brave bargainers, but
packing will cost 10-15% on top of the cost of the flowers.
Kiosks at supermarkets
You’ll find a bit more choice here than near the metro
stations, but roses are in majority again. Prices are considerable
higher (1,500 rubles or even more for a mixed bunch of
five flowers with herbs added) but the service is about the
same as in the metro kiosks. Bargaining is out of the question
in these establishments. Russians do not usually go to such
stores to buy flowers; except if they have plenty of cash and
have to buy the family groceries at the same time.
Flower shops
Most of them have sites with their catalogues and deliver
flowers around the city. Some florists specialize in selling roses
(Au Nome De La Rose), others –wild flowers (sendflowers.ru,
buket.su) or orchids etc. Prices vary from a reasonable 600
rubles (for simple but stylish flower composition) to 5,000 rubles
or even more for something rare and incredibly beautiful.
Single flowers are often sold here, and the price is sometimes
lower than in metro kiosks: 80-120 rubles - and the wrapping
costs nothing. If you bring something special and symbolic,
hey, she might be yours forever. Isn’t that worth it! P
Addresses:
Vo Imya Rosy/Au Nome De La Rose
m. Okhotny Ryad, Bolshaya Nikitskaya, 14,bld.2
(495) 629-45-55
m. Kropotkinskaya, Prechistenskiye Vorota ploshad, 1/5
8 (909) 945-69-90
Zvetochny Rai
m. Belorusskaya, Lesnaya ul., 8/12,
(495) 251-05-74
Green Lips
m. Prospekt Mira, 18/1
8 (495) 628-58-36
Internet-shops:
Many internet shops deliver flowers 24 hours a day.
Herbarium.ru,
Cityflora.ru
Flowerstyle.ru
Mandarino.ru
Interbuket.ru
How To
March 2009 39