How to Send Flowers to Toronto from Abroad: Family in the GTA, Delivered the Same Day

If you want to send flowers to Toronto from abroad, the simplest route is also the freshest one: order from a florist who is already here. The flowers are made that morning, they never cross a border, and a driver who knows the roads takes them to the door. Your part is the order, the card and getting the timing right from a different time zone. Everything else about delivery here, from the towns we reach to what it costs, is in our complete guide to flower delivery in Toronto and York Region.

We're Laris Florist. We design every order by hand in our studio in Oak Ridges, at the north end of Richmond Hill, and deliver across York Region and Toronto seven days a week. Some of our customers are sending flowers to a parent, a sister or an old friend in the GTA from the other side of the world. This guide answers the questions that come with that.

One thing first, so nobody wastes time: we deliver only around our studio, up to 50 km by road. That covers York Region, Toronto and a few towns just past them, like Bradford. It leaves out most of Mississauga and Brampton. We don't ship flowers to other provinces or out of Canada.

How to send flowers to Toronto from abroad, step by step

1. Pick a design. Every bouquet in our same-day collection can go out today or on a date you choose. The photo is the design; the exact stems are that day's best.
2. Enter the recipient's postal code. Checkout measures the driving distance from our studio and shows the delivery fee and the dates that are open.
3. Choose a date and a window. Anytime, morning (until 1 pm) or afternoon (from 1 pm), all in Toronto time. You can book up to 60 days ahead.
4. Type the card message. We tuck it in with the flowers. No prices go in the box, and your receipt goes to your email, not theirs.
5. Pay by card. You see the full total, delivery and HST included, before you pay. We confirm the order by email.

Ordering from a phone in another country works the same way. You don't need a Canadian address, only the recipient's.

What time is the 1 pm cut-off where you are?

Order by 1 pm Toronto time and we can deliver the same day to most postal codes. Here is what 1 pm in Toronto means today in a few cities our customers order from:

The chart works the times out for today's date, so it stays right when the clocks change. Toronto moves its clocks forward on March 14, 2027, and cities that don't change theirs (Istanbul, Tehran, Dubai, Karachi, Delhi, Manila) then see the cut-off an hour earlier. London and Beirut change their own clocks at the end of March, which puts them back where they were.

Our advice: don't aim for the cut-off. If the birthday is on Saturday, book it on Thursday night your time, for Saturday delivery. Then sleep.

Choosing a delivery day and window from another time zone

The windows at checkout are Toronto time, and they fit inside our studio hours for that day. On weekdays, anytime runs 9:30 am to 6:30 pm. On Saturday it ends at 6 pm. On Sunday the studio keeps shorter hours, 10:30 am to 3:30 pm, so the windows shrink to match: morning is 10:30 to 1 and afternoon is 1 to 3:30.

Think about the recipient's day, not yours. A parent who's retired is usually home in the morning. A sister who works downtown may not be home until six, so a weekday afternoon window could reach an empty house; her office, or a Saturday, may be the better choice. For a birthday dinner, the afternoon window gets the flowers there before the table is set.

If the date is fixed, like a birthday, an anniversary or Mother's Day, book it as soon as you know. You can schedule up to 60 days ahead, and we still make the flowers on the day, not before. On the busiest days of the year our windows can run wider than usual, so a booked order is the calm option.

Paying from outside Canada

Prices on our site are in Canadian dollars. Your card is charged in CAD and your bank converts it to your currency, sometimes with a foreign transaction fee, which depends on your card, not on us. As a rough guide, Canada's Financial Consumer Agency found that banks' currency conversion markups typically run about 1% to 4% over the mid-market rate, built into the rate rather than shown as a separate fee. Your own bank's may differ. HST of 13% and the delivery fee are added at checkout, and the total is on the screen before you confirm.

Some banks hold a first payment to a shop in another country while they check it's really you. If your payment is declined, look for a message from your bank, approve it, and try again. If it still won't go through, call us at (437) 291-5605 or email support@larisflorist.com.

The amount you see at checkout is the amount we charge, in Canadian dollars. What lands on your statement in pounds, dirhams or rupees depends on your bank's rate that day, so it can differ slightly from the Bank of Canada's daily exchange rate for the same day. If something isn't right with the order itself, refunds go back to the card you paid with and usually appear within 5 to 10 business days.

What does it cost to send flowers to Toronto?

Here are real totals in Canadian dollars, using designs from our shop and the delivery fee each address would pay. Ontario's HST is 13%, charged on the flowers and the delivery:

Delivery is priced by driving distance from our studio: $12 up to 10 km, $18 up to 20 km, $25 up to 35 km and $30 up to 50 km. Orders of $400 or more, before tax, get free delivery within 35 km. Downtown Toronto is past 35 km, so it pays the $30 fee whatever the order size. Our flower price guide has more worked examples, and flowers under $100 keeps the total lower.

Getting the address right

A missed delivery often comes down to a missing detail, not a wrong street. From abroad you can't pop over to fix it, so put everything in the order:

• Condos and apartments: the unit number, the buzzer code, and whether there's a concierge. A lot of Toronto towers have a front desk that will hold flowers.
• Houses: a side door, a porch, a gate code, anything that helps the driver.
• Hospitals: the patient's full name and room or unit number. Check the ward allows flowers before you order. University Health Network, which runs Toronto General, doesn't allow flowers in patient rooms in any intensive care unit, and other hospitals have their own rules.
• Offices: the company name, the floor or suite, and a contact person.
• A phone number for the recipient. This matters more than anything else on the list.

What happens if nobody's home? Our delivery terms say we may leave the flowers in a safe, shaded spot, with a concierge, reception or a neighbour, or contact you to agree on next steps. Once flowers are left that way, the order counts as delivered. If an address is wrong or incomplete, or nobody is available, we'll contact you to arrange another attempt, and a second delivery may carry another fee. The full wording is in our terms.

If it's meant to be a surprise, say so in the delivery notes, and give us your own phone number or email so we can reach you instead.

Texting and calling us from overseas

Texts to our number only work from Canadian phone numbers, so if you're abroad, call (437) 291-5605 or email support@larisflorist.com. You can also leave instructions in the order notes, or use the chat on our website to check whether we deliver to a postal code.

Studio hours are Monday to Friday 9:30 am to 6:30 pm, Saturday 9:30 am to 6 pm and Sunday 10:30 am to 3:30 pm, Toronto time. If you call outside those hours, email instead and we'll answer when we open. For a same-day change, though, a call during those hours is the quickest way to reach us. You can change or cancel an order free of charge until we start preparing it, and same-day orders can be started soon after they come in.

What to write when you can't be there

The card does more work when you're far away. A few lines that sound like a person, not a greeting card:

• "Wish I were at the table with you. Next year, in person."
• "Happy birthday, Mama. I'll call the minute you've put these in water."
• "I'm eight hours behind you, but I didn't forget."
• "Thinking of you all today, and missing you."

Sign it the way they'd expect to hear from you: "your son in Dubai" can mean more than a full name. If you'd like to write in a language with a different script, such as Arabic, Urdu or Farsi, email us before you order so we can make sure it appears exactly as you wrote it. For more ideas, our FAQ has a section on card messages.

Which flowers to send to family you can't visit

For a mother or grandmother: soft and full usually goes down well. Peach Chiffon is 50 pink and white roses with lilies and eucalyptus for $215, and Lily Dedication is 50 white and pink roses with a lily topper and banner for $235.

For a new baby: Blue Lullaby ($165) for a boy, or Apricot Sherbet ($175) in pink and peach, both from our new baby flowers. We'd skip strongly scented lilies for a newborn's room.

For a birthday: our guide to last-minute birthday flowers is written for exactly the day you realise it's tomorrow in Toronto.

For a holiday: Eid, Nowruz, Christmas, Diwali, Lunar New Year. Our holiday flowers page covers the colours and customs for each, including the ones to avoid.

Sending funeral flowers to Toronto from overseas

When you can't fly in for a funeral, flowers are one of the few things you can still do from where you are. If you can't make it, flowers to the family home or the funeral home say you're there in spirit.

For the funeral home, check the name of the funeral home and the time of the visitation or service with the family first. Put the name of the person who died, the room or chapel if there is one, and the service time in the order notes, and choose the morning window when the visitation is in the afternoon or evening. Many funeral homes accept flower deliveries, but it's worth an email or a call to them to check. White Vigil is a large white arrangement of roses, lilies and mums for $145, and Quiet Lilies is a white basket for $135.

For the family home, there's no rush. A bouquet a week or two later, when the visitors have gone, is often the one people remember. Our guide to funeral flowers explains what suits which service, and our funerals and memorials page covers larger pieces.

Regular flowers for a parent in Toronto

If you're far away for the long term, one bouquet a year can feel thin. A Petal Post gift subscription sends flowers on a schedule you choose: every week, every two weeks or once a month, Monday to Saturday. Pick a size (Postcard at $55, Letter at $85 or Parcel at $145 per delivery, plus the delivery fee for the address), and send 3, 6 or 12 deliveries, or keep it going until you cancel. You write the card for the first delivery.

Each delivery is a different design made from what's in season, so your mother gets something new on the table every time, not the same bouquet on repeat. Nothing is charged online. We call to confirm the details and set up payment before the first delivery, so leave a number where we can reach you, and add your email in case the time difference makes a call awkward.

We deliver across Toronto, Markham, Vaughan, Thornhill, Richmond Hill and the rest of our delivery area.

Frequently asked questions

Can I send flowers to Toronto from another country?

Yes. Order online from a florist near the recipient, pay by card in Canadian dollars, and choose the delivery date and window. We make the flowers in our Richmond Hill studio and deliver across York Region and Toronto, so nothing is shipped across a border.

Can I pay with a card from outside Canada?

You pay by card at checkout, charged in Canadian dollars, and your bank converts it. Some banks hold a first payment to a foreign shop for a security check. If a payment is declined, approve it in your banking app and try again, or call us at (437) 291-5605.

What time do I need to order for same-day delivery in Toronto?

Order by 1 pm Toronto time for same-day delivery to most postal codes. In winter that's 6 pm in London, 8 pm in Beirut, 9 pm in Istanbul, 11 pm in Karachi and 11:30 pm in Delhi. Booking a day ahead is safer.

How much does it cost to send flowers to Toronto?

Our designs cost $75 to $650 in Canadian dollars, plus a delivery fee of $12 to $30 by driving distance and 13% HST. Most Toronto addresses pay $25 or $30 for delivery. For example, a $175 bouquet to North York comes to $226.00 with delivery and tax.

Will the recipient see how much I paid?

No. Prices are never included with a delivery. The recipient gets the flowers and your card message. Your receipt and order confirmation go to your email address only, so the gift arrives without a price on it.

Do you deliver outside Toronto and York Region?

Only up to 50 km by road from our studio, which takes in a few towns just past York Region, like Bradford, but leaves out most of Mississauga and Brampton. We don't ship flowers to other provinces or other countries. For family elsewhere, look for a florist in their own city.

What if the person isn't home when the flowers arrive?

We may leave the flowers in a safe, shaded spot, with a concierge, reception or a neighbour, or contact you to agree on next steps. Add the recipient's phone number and any buzzer code or building instructions at checkout so the driver can reach them.