Flowers — Ivory Coast

Freshest stems first, and a second run if needed

Bouquets follow the freshest stems of the day. If a particular flower has not come in, the florist replaces it with one of equal or greater value in the same style, keeping the shape and the colours you chose. Should nobody be home when the florist arrives, they will usually call the recipient or arrange a redelivery rather than leave the flowers to their luck on a doorstep. Local style tends towards bold, colourful tropical arrangements with dense foliage, hand-tied and wrapped in cellophane.

How to address a delivery in Ivory Coast without a postcode

Addresses in Ivory Coast typically run on a PO box, the Boîte Postale, with no postal code system — for example, 01 BP 1234 Abidjan 01. Include the recipient's local phone number, which florists use to confirm availability and the exact address before they set out. Apartment deliveries often need a door code — add it in the checkout field, and it costs nothing. One destination worth avoiding: someone mid-journey. A person at an airport, a railway station or a cruise terminal is close to unreachable, so send to their hotel, office or home instead, timed for after they land.

Gift baskets, plants and chocolates alongside the flowers

There are over 100 fresh flower arrangements to send, and the same order can carry more than stems. Gift baskets, potted plants and chocolates sit next to the bouquets, so an anniversary you want to mark properly from a long way off can arrive as flowers and something to open together. Add it at checkout and it goes out on the same delivery.

Tropical stems, seasonal rains and how flowers grow here

Growing appears to be centred on the Abidjan area, where anthurium, heliconia and bird of paradise are among the cut flowers raised locally. The tropical climate allows some growing year-round, though heavier rains from June to October can disrupt supply and transport, and busier periods lean partly on stems imported from Europe. Roses, anthuriums, orchids, lilies and gladioli are the flowers you are most likely to see, usually set against palm fronds, croton, ti leaves and monstera.

When to order for Mother's Day and Valentine's Day

Mother's Day (Fête des Mères), the last Sunday of May, and Valentine's Day on February 14 are the exception to the usual schedule — florists open for the big flower days, so your order can arrive even when the date falls on a Sunday. Order at least 48 hours ahead. Both are commonly marked with flowers, Valentine's Day especially with roses. Christmas on December 25 and Easter, the Sunday following the Paschal full moon, bring flowers into homes and churches, and on New Year's Day, January 1, they are given alongside other gifts.

The card message, the currency and the local florist

Sending from another country changes nothing at your end: you order online, and the arrangement is made and delivered locally. Most orders placed for the country come from people who are not in it, which is exactly what the service is for. Write your card message at checkout and it travels with the flowers, free and exactly as you typed it — printed as you wrote it, with nothing added and nothing charged.