Planning a birthday flower surprise in Spain

You live in another country and someone's birthday is coming up in Spain: a parent, a partner on a long posting, a friend who moved to Valencia. A bouquet at the door on the morning of their birthday is the kind of surprise that gets a phone call back. This guide answers the questions people ask us before they order: which date to choose, what happens if nobody is home, how the recipient is contacted, and what the bouquet looks like when it arrives.

Loose Gerberas

Bright, sturdy, in white, pink, red or fuchsia

From €24

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How do I choose the delivery date?

Pick any bouquet, add your message, and open the cart. The cart has a calendar that shows the dates we can deliver; closed days simply do not appear. Choose the birthday itself if it is offered. If it is not, for example because it falls on a Sunday or a public holiday, choose the day before. Fresh flowers last well over a week, so a bouquet that arrives the day before is still at its best on the day.

The calendar shows what is still possible from the moment you order, so the earlier you order, the more dates you see. For a birthday near a busy date such as Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, order a week or two ahead. There is nothing to gain by waiting: the order is prepared on the day it ships, not when you place it.

After the date, the checkout offers a standard delivery and earlier or later options for that date. For a morning surprise before they leave the house, the early option is the one to choose. The details of each option are on our delivery information page.

What if they are out on the day?

This is the question behind most birthday orders, and it has a simple answer: the courier calls. At checkout you give the recipient's phone number; it has to be a Spanish number, because that is the one the courier can call. If nobody opens, the courier phones to arrange the handover. On weekday deliveries there are two attempts, one in the morning and one in the afternoon; on a Saturday delivery, one.

Three ways to make the day easier:

• Deliver where they will be. If they work on their birthday, send the flowers to the office. Colleagues make the surprise bigger, not smaller.
• Bring an accomplice in. A partner, a flatmate or a neighbour who knows the plan can receive the bouquet and keep it hidden until the moment is right. Put that person's name next to the recipient's in the address.
• Choose the afternoon option for someone who sleeps in. A student, a nurse coming off a night shift, a retired parent who goes out every morning: match the delivery option to their day.

Premium Sunflowers

Six or twelve stems of sunshine

From €30

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How is the recipient contacted?

We write to you, not to them. The order confirmation and the photograph of the finished bouquet go to your email. The recipient hears nothing from us in advance. On the delivery day, the courier calls the phone number you gave only if it is needed to complete the delivery, and the courier does not say who sent the flowers. The card does that.

The courier calls the recipient's own number. If it is not a Spanish number, write to us before ordering and we will tell you how to proceed. You can also send us a second number, a partner's or a neighbour's, by email or WhatsApp after ordering, and we pass it to the courier.

What should the card say?

A card with your message is included with every bouquet, and it is the part they keep. Write it on the bouquet page before adding it to the cart; it goes in exactly as you type it, in any language. A birthday card from far away works best when it is short and specific:

• "Happy birthday, Mum. Save me a slice of cake. Love, Clara"
• "Thirty looks good on you. Wish I were there for the toast. James"
• "Feliz cumpleaños, abuela. Un beso enorme desde Londres. Tus nietos"

What arrives, and when?

The bouquet is made by hand in our workshop in Albox, Almería, on the day it ships. It travels wrapped in kraft paper with a ribbon, inside our box, with a water reservoir on the stems so it arrives fresh. Your card comes in a black envelope, together with two sachets of flower food. Before it leaves, we photograph the finished bouquet and send you the picture, so you know what they are opening.

It arrives on the date you chose, within the delivery option you selected at checkout. A vase is not included; if you are not sure they have one, add a vase as an extra on the bouquet page and the problem is solved before it exists.

Which bouquets make a good birthday surprise?

Our birthday flowers collection gathers the bouquets people choose most for this. Four that rarely miss:

• Loose Gerberas, bright and cheerful, the birthday bouquet for a friend, a sister or a parent.
• Premium Sunflowers, for someone whose birthday deserves sunshine.
• Premium Pink Roses, soft and classic, for a mother or a grandmother.
• Amor, red roses with eucalyptus, when the birthday person is your partner.

Premium Pink Roses

Soft pink roses, five to twelve stems

From €31

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We deliver across mainland Spain; the full list of cities is on our send flowers to Spain page, with dedicated pages for Madrid, Valencia and Seville. The Balearic and Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla are outside our delivery area.

Where they are

• Birthday flowersThe bouquets chosen most for birthdays
• MadridDelivery across the capital
• ValenciaCity and metropolitan area
• SevilleCity and surroundings

Is the birthday happening during a trip? Our guide to sending flowers to a hotel or holiday rental in Spain explains what reception needs. Ordering from the UK? The UK buying guide covers billing and payment.