Frequently Asked Questions
These are the questions we hear most often from people sending flowers to Ontario from abroad or from another province. If your question is not covered here, our team is happy to help through the contact form.
Ordering flowers for Ontario
Can I order flowers for Ontario from outside Canada?
Yes. FlowersOntario was built for people who live somewhere else and want to reach someone in Ontario: families overseas with relatives in Toronto or Ottawa, parents of students at Ontario universities, friends in other provinces and companies thanking clients or staff. We accept orders from any country, and the whole process happens online. You choose the bouquet, enter the recipient's details and pay by card or PayPal. A local florist in Ontario then prepares the arrangement and delivers it by hand, so the flowers never travel long distances or sit in a courier depot.
Which parts of Ontario do you deliver to?
We deliver across the province through a network of local florists. Our busiest cities include Toronto, Ottawa, Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton, London, Markham, Vaughan, Kitchener and Windsor, and we also cover places such as Kingston, Guelph, Barrie, Oshawa, Niagara Falls, Peterborough, Sudbury and Thunder Bay. Smaller towns and rural addresses are usually reachable too. In remote northern communities the florist may need an extra day to get there, so for those areas we recommend choosing a delivery date at least one day later than you normally would.
What information do I need to place an order?
You will need the recipient's full name, their complete street address with postal code, and a phone number where the florist can reach them. The phone number is required on every order because the florist uses it to confirm someone is home, arrange access to a building or rearrange the handover if needed. You also choose a delivery date, write the message for the free printed card and add any delivery instructions. Your own email address is used for the order confirmation and for any updates about the delivery.
Delivery times and dates
Do you offer same-day delivery in Ontario?
Yes, in most areas. Orders placed before 11:00 am Ontario time (Eastern Time), Monday to Saturday, can usually be delivered the same day. Orders placed after 11:00 am are delivered the next delivery day. If you are ordering from Europe, Asia or Western Canada, check the time difference carefully: 11:00 am in Toronto is usually 4:00 pm in London and 8:00 am in Vancouver. Some remote northern locations may still need next-day delivery even when you order early in the morning.
Do you deliver on Sundays or public holidays?
No. Our florists do not deliver on Sundays or on the main public holidays, such as Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Canada Day and Thanksgiving Monday. The date picker at checkout blocks those days automatically, so you cannot select them by mistake. If an important date falls on a Sunday, the usual solution is to deliver on the Saturday before, which also gives the recipient a full day to enjoy the flowers. You can mention the occasion on the card so the timing makes sense to them.
Can I choose an exact delivery time?
We cannot guarantee a specific time, because florists plan their routes around all the deliveries in an area. Most deliveries happen during normal daytime hours. If timing matters, write your preference in the delivery instructions, for example 'morning if possible' or 'after 3 pm, recipient works days', and the florist will do their best to follow it. For events with a fixed start, such as a funeral service or a party, choose a delivery date that leaves a comfortable margin rather than relying on a narrow window on the day itself.
How far in advance can I schedule an order?
You can schedule an order up to about three months ahead. This is useful for birthdays, anniversaries and holidays you already know about, and it means you will not have to worry about time differences or busy weeks later on. The florist prepares the flowers fresh for the date you chose, not on the day you place the order. Booking early is a particularly good idea for Valentine's Day and for the Saturday before Mother's Day, when florists across Ontario are at their busiest.
Addresses, condos, offices and hospitals
How should I write an Ontario address?
Canadian addresses usually put the apartment or unit number before the street number, joined with a hyphen, so unit 1504 at 25 Maple Avenue is written 1504-25 Maple Avenue. Always include the city and the postal code, which follows the pattern letter, digit, letter, space, digit, letter, digit (for example M5V 2T6). A correct postal code helps us match the order with the right local florist. If the recipient lives in a basement apartment or a house with a side entrance, say so in the delivery instructions.
Can you deliver to a Toronto condo with a concierge?
Yes, condos are among our most common deliveries. In buildings with a concierge or front desk, the florist usually leaves the flowers with staff if the recipient is not available, and the building lets the resident know. For buildings without a desk, add the buzzer code and the unit number in the delivery instructions, since many entry panels list codes or names rather than unit numbers. The recipient's phone number is especially useful here, because the florist can call from the lobby and arrange a quick handover.
Can I send flowers to an office or a hospital?
Yes. For offices, include the company name, floor and suite number, and choose a weekday when the recipient will be at work; reception staff normally accept flowers on their behalf. For hospitals, add the patient's full name, room number and ward if you know them. Many hospitals do not allow flowers in intensive care units, and some wards restrict lilies, strongly scented flowers or latex balloons. If you are unsure, check with the family first, or consider sending the flowers to the patient's home for when they return.
What happens if nobody is home, especially in winter?
Ontario winters are cold enough to damage flowers in minutes, so our florists wrap arrangements for the trip and aim to hand them over in person rather than leaving them outside. If nobody answers, the florist will use the recipient's phone number to arrange another time, leave the flowers with a neighbour or building staff when appropriate, or take them back and try again. Clear delivery instructions and a working phone number are the best way to make sure the bouquet arrives fresh and on the right day.
Prices, payment and currency
How much does delivery cost?
Delivery is a flat fee of USD 14.95 to any address in Ontario, whether the recipient lives in downtown Toronto, a suburb of Ottawa or a small town outside Sudbury. There is no extra charge for condos, offices or hospitals, and the fee does not change between an order placed before 11:00 am Eastern Time for delivery that same day and an order scheduled weeks ahead. The delivery fee is added to your order total at checkout, so you can see it clearly before you pay.
Why are prices shown in US dollars?
FlowersOntario is operated by Flowers Worldwide LLC, a company registered in the United States, and all orders are charged in US dollars (USD). We also show approximate prices in euros (EUR) and British pounds (GBP) for reference, which helps customers abroad get a quick sense of the cost, but the charge itself is always in USD. If your card is in another currency, your bank converts the amount at its own rate and may add a foreign transaction fee. Bouquets start at around USD 79.99.
Which payment methods do you accept?
We accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express, processed securely by Stripe, as well as PayPal. You can pay from any country, and your card does not need to be Canadian. Card details are handled by the payment provider rather than stored on our site. If a payment is declined, it is often because the bank flagged an international online purchase: try again after approving it in your banking app, use a different card or switch to PayPal. If problems continue, our team can help through the contact form.
Flowers and add-ons
What kinds of flowers can I send?
Our catalogue includes hand-tied bouquets, flower arrangements and plants for every kind of occasion. Typical choices include classic roses, mixed seasonal bouquets, bright spring tulips, summer sunflowers and warm autumn colours in the fall, while plants are a lasting option that keeps going for weeks. Each design is prepared by a local florist for the day of delivery. If the recipient has allergies, a favourite colour or a dislike of strong scents, mention it in the delivery instructions. Browse the full range in our flower collection.
What add-ons can I include with the flowers?
You can add a box of chocolates, a glass vase, a plush teddy bear, a greeting card, balloons or a bottle of wine. The florist delivers everything together with the flowers. A vase is a thoughtful extra for hand-tied bouquets, since the recipient may not have one ready. We do not offer cakes, food hampers or other non-floral gifts, so our range stays focused on flowers. If you add wine, make sure the recipient is of legal drinking age, which is 19 in Ontario.
Is a card message included?
Yes. Every order includes a free printed card with your message, so you do not need to buy anything extra unless you would also like the greeting card add-on. Write the message exactly as you want it to appear, and include your name or the way you want to sign it so the recipient knows who it is from. If you prefer the gift to be anonymous, simply leave the signature off. Keeping the message to a few sentences helps it fit comfortably on the card.
Occasions and customs in Ontario
When is Mother's Day in Ontario?
Mother's Day in Ontario, as in the rest of Canada, falls on the second Sunday of May. Since we do not deliver on Sundays, the flowers arrive on the Saturday before, which is one of the busiest flower days of the spring. We recommend ordering several days ahead and selecting that Saturday as your delivery date. If you live abroad, keep in mind that Mother's Day is celebrated on a different date in many countries, so it is worth checking the Canadian date rather than relying on your own.
Which holidays and celebrations are popular for sending flowers?
Beyond birthdays and anniversaries, Ontario's flower calendar includes Valentine's Day and Family Day in February, Mother's Day in May, Canada Day on 1 July, Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October and the Christmas season. Ontario is also home to large South Asian, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern and Caribbean communities, so Diwali, Lunar New Year and Eid are important moments for many families. Main public holidays are not delivery days, so check the date picker around Family Day or Thanksgiving Monday and plan for the day before.
Are there flower customs I should know about?
Ontario is diverse, and customs vary from family to family. Red roses are strongly associated with romance, so for a friend or colleague a mixed or yellow bouquet is usually a safer choice. White flowers and chrysanthemums are linked with mourning in several cultures, so they are best kept for sympathy. For Lunar New Year, bright red and gold tones are popular, while for Diwali vivid orange and yellow flowers feel festive. Lilies are lovely and fragrant but toxic to cats, which is worth knowing if the recipient has pets.
Sympathy flowers
How do I send flowers to a funeral home?
Enter the funeral home's name and address as the delivery address, and write the full name of the deceased and the date and time of the visitation or service in the delivery instructions. Choose a delivery date at least one day before the service if you can, especially for morning services, since exact delivery times are not guaranteed. Use the phone number of the funeral home or of a family member as the contact. On the card, include your full name and your relationship so the family knows who sent the tribute.
Can I send sympathy flowers to the family's home?
Yes, and many families appreciate it, because flowers at home can be enjoyed in the quieter days after the service. A plant or a soft arrangement in white, cream or pastel shades is a common choice, and a short, sincere card message is usually best. If the family follows a tradition in which flowers are less customary at funerals, as is the case for many Jewish and Muslim families, a plant sent to the home a little later can be a gentler gesture. When in doubt, ask a relative quietly before ordering.