For My Sister in Porto

Flowers for my sister in Porto: where the roses come from and what to send

The grid names its roses' origins. 11 Kenyan French Roses grow around Lake Naivasha at about 1,880 metres. Tall Ecuadorian Roses come from Andean farms at 2,800–3,000 metres, and their stems tend to run longer than the Kenyan ones, from 70 centimetres to a metre and beyond. Flowers for my sister in Porto get chosen first by where the bouquet will stand and how much room it has there, and only then by colour.

What the flowers for your sister are made of

Lavender runs through much of the section: spray roses on stems of eleven and twenty-five, peony-style roses, the bouquet "Lavender Smoothie" and a Dutch gerbera arrangement simply called "Lavender". Peony-style roses are usually English varieties in the style bred by David Austin, with dense, many-petalled heads.

"French" in the name of the Kenyan roses is not a variety. It describes a technique: the florist turns the outer petals back by hand to open the bloom fully.

Other shapes sit alongside them: a bunch of thirty-five peonies, lilies, the airy-wrapped Jumilia, the blue-toned "Blue Field" and "Navola", which pairs roses with hydrangea. On the way here, the cut flowers travel at around two degrees, on the plane and in the warehouse alike.

If a cat lives in her flat, lilies are the one flower to leave out. Every part of the plant is toxic to cats, including the pollen and even the water left standing in the vase.

Without a cat in the house, lilies still need a little care. Their pollen stains fabric and is hard to lift out, so once a bloom opens the anthers can be removed, and any pollen that falls is lifted with sticky tape rather than rubbed in.

Dianthus, alstroemeria and chrysanthemums last two to three weeks in water, and roses about a week. A basket needs no vase at all: the stems sit in wet floral foam, watered daily in a thin stream over the whole surface.

A card in your words and something to go with it

The card that comes with the bouquet is free, and it can carry your own words or stay unsigned. Balloons, sweets, a soft toy or a vase can all be added to the order at checkout.

Before the courier sets off, a photo of the finished bouquet is sent over. Ask for a change and the florist will make it; if one flower is missing, it gets replaced with something close in shade and price.

Flowers for sister delivery in Porto, as a surprise

Nobody calls the recipient ahead of time unless the sender asks for it. The one exception is a building nobody gets into without a call, where the courier rings from the door instead.

If your sister has moved and you do not have her new address, her phone number is enough on its own.

Several bouquets going to different addresses can travel in a single order, though delivery is charged for each address separately. Most orders are handed over the same day they are placed, and the exact timing shows on the bouquet's own page. Payment runs through Visa or Mastercard, with nothing extra to pay the courier.

A first choice is easy: start with roses or peonies for a classic look. For a home without a vase, flower baskets stand on their own, and a small extra from gifts to go with the bouquet rounds out the order. Timing, zones and payment are all set out on the delivery page.