Frequently Asked Floral Questions


FAQ - Placing an Order

We endeavour to ensure that ordering with us is an easy and fun process! Our recommendation is to order directly online, as you can go at your own pace and ensure firsthand that all the order information is entered correctly and to your satisfaction.

If you prefer to speak to a human, we have great news! We have a team of dedicated humans! Real people who would be happy to talk to you directly and assist you with placing your order. Before ordering, you'll need to have the recipient name, a complete address & phone number ready for where you're sending your order to. It is also strongly encouraged to decide beforehand what you'd like to write on the card message. Last but not least, we also require the billing address linked to the payment method you will be providing.

Floral delivery cards used by florists across Canada & the USA are typically only slightly larger than a standard business card. Therefore, the number of characters you may type when creating your card message at check-out is restricted.

We know sometimes mistakes are made in addresses, spelling of names, etc. Sometimes, after you’ve placed the order, you may find out that your recipient is away from home and unable to accept the delivery on the original delivery date.

Please call 403-816-7220 or send an email to customerservice@panda.ca as soon as you discover the error. We will do our very best to fix the error prior to the flowers heading out for delivery.

Have no fear! Please let us know about the duplicate order(s) as soon as possible and we will cancel and refund the duplicate order immediately. We recommend informing us ASAP. We always make our best effort, however, if the order has already been delivered or is in route, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to successfully cancel and refund your order.

Our website at www.pandaflowers.ca is designed to assist our customers with ordering flowers 24 hours a day!. If you prefer to order over the phone or wish to speak with a Customer service Specialist, at any time during your online visit, we have a team in place and ready to help. 

Contact Us by phone at 1-403-816-7220 or toll free at 1-877-776-7220 Mon-Fri from 9 AM to 5 PM MST or Sat 9 am-4 pm MST.

FAQ - Payment

Our accepted forms of payment for online orders are Visa, MasterCard and American Express.

Unfortunately, we do not accept PayPal at this time.

We recommend reading our thorough and informative Privacy Policy located under Customer Care. We do not sell your customer information nor do we use it for unsolicited advertising and marketing.

Taxes are required for all orders sent within Canada. The tax charged will be based on the recipients address. USA and International order prices are all inclusive.

According to provincial and federal laws, the taxes owing are determined by the Province that you are sending to, not from where you reside or are ordering from.

Once your order is successfully submitted online, you will immediately receive an email confirming the details of your order. If you don’t receive this confirmation, it could be due to your firewall. Please call us at 403-816-7220 and we will do our best to get you the required paperwork!

FAQ - Product Questions

This question remains the most important in our industry. Generally, yes, the delivered arrangement will look similar to the online photo. Keep in mind that the photo represents the arrangement in full bloom. As a Customer, you also want a long lasting arrangement. We will create your arrangement using the freshest stems possible. This could result in your arrangement looking “less than” the photo. For example, a lily in full bloom shown in a photo is entirely different from a fresh lily with blooms yet to open. The same can be said for roses, alstromeria, etc. We will do our best to send fresh product that will last and create the arrangement as similar as possible to the photo.

Given that each stem of each arrangement is placed by a human designer, their artistic flair may account for small variations in flower placement.

Additionally, the vast majority of fresh cut flowers in Alberta come from outside our Province. Ie roses from South America, orchids from Thailand, etc. (So, transportation can sometimes take a toll on the delivered stems. If, for example, roses arrive crushed from South America, we would never deliver the damaged product to the recipient. Instead, we will do our best to locally source replacement roses. It they are unavailable, we will substitute the product so that the delivered arrangement is beautiful, fresh and long lasting.

Our Corporate Expectation is that our affiliated Florists will maintain the overall look & presentation of what was originally requested. Sometimes it's necessary to substitute flowers due to variations in supply across the country.

You can make this request in the "Special Instructions" field when placing your order. We will always use our best efforts to accommodate all requests. If the specific flowers in the arrangement have special meaning to you or your recipient, it is best to note this in “Special Instructions” and place your order 7-14 days ahead of the delivery date. This will provide us with time to source the specific product requested.

We cannot guarantee that your special request can be accommodated, but we will do our best.

Due to COVID19, some international flights that would typically import certain popular flowers are not arriving into Canada causing higher than normal product substitutions. Additionally, the farms that are in our supply chain experienced “shut downs” similar to our shut down and crops were either not planted or not harvested. Mother’s Day 2020 floral deliveries were greatly impacted by this situation.

Please contact our Customer Service team (customerservice@panda.ca) within 48 hours of delivery of the flowers or call us at 403-816-7220 or toll free at 1-877-776-7220.

We cannot guarantee that your special request can be accommodated, but we will do our best.

Please be sure to provide both the name under which the flowers were ordered and the name of the recipient available. Additionally, be ready to email us photos of the unsatisfactory product so our Team can better assist you with the best resolution.

Yes! If the online item chosen is presented in a vase, the delivered arrangement will be in a vase. Other arrangements may be in baskets or other lovely containers, as shown in their respective photos. All items will arrive as close to the photo as possible.

On occasion, popular vases/containers sell out and we may need to substitute a different vase/container while we await future shipments. Similar as possible is our next best thing.

Upgraded, Premium, Better, Best (various terms found on floral websites) are all terms to provide options to you when ordering flowers. These versions of arrangements would remain similar to the photos shown but would be designed with more flowers for an overall larger arrangement. Generally, flower arrangement sizing is all about math. A higher amount of stems means a higher price.

Yes, it's completely normal. Our goal is to maintain the highest standard of quality and deliver the freshest flowers possible – with the longest lasting lifespan. The online photos typically show the arrangements in full bloom.

If your flowers arrive in closed bud form, do not worry, it means they are very fresh. Give them time to bloom, give them fresh water every couple of days, and they'll show their true beauty in no time! Please keep in mind that Mother Nature creates no two flowers the same, and each one develops at its own pace. Flowers that may arrive in bud form are as follows: Lilies, Alstroemeria, Roses, Tulips and Irises.

You bet! While Mother Nature is our partner in this industry, she can be fickle in weather & growing patterns. Flowers are seasonal and therefore, all varieties of flowers are not available all year round. A good example is customer favourite, peonies. Peonies are readily available in Alberta starting just before Mother’s Day and then throughout June each year. After June, the local farms are finished their growing season. We can still find peonies around the world but the travel/import cost to bring them in to Alberta, is higher. Same is true about tulips!

Additionally, the supply and demand concept applies. Flowers that may have issues in the growing phase at the farm (lack of rain, dramatic weather storms, for example) may result in a lower quantity being available. So, the cost goes up.

FAQ - Delivery Questions

There are some flower retailers who offer "free flower delivery". This usually means either one of two things:

1) the delivery cost has been hidden within the cost of the flowers shown online

or

2) the delivery cost will be deducted from the cost of the flowers you have ordered resulting in a smaller arrangement being sent to your recipient.

We would rather be honest and transparent. We use specially trained delivery companies who specialize in floral delivery. Whether it’s really hot outside, freezing cold outside or there is no answer at the recipient’s door, these drivers know what to do next.

Leaving flowers outside on a hot summer day or a cold winter day is not an option. Our courier will do their very best to contact the recipient via phone or, they may leave the flowers with a neighbour willing to accept them on behalf of the recipient. Either way, clear communication is a key component to our service.

Yes! Once the deliveries of the day are complete, we will send you an email confirming delivery has been made. Remember that delivery may have been made to a neighbor IF the recipient was not at home. Flowers are perishable and a proper “Plan B” for delivery must be followed. A message will have been left at the recipient’s home: either a door tag or a voice message advising them of the delivery.

In the event, you have not received a delivery confirmation email, please contact us and we will track the delivery.

At present, Panda Flowers does not deliver on Sundays.

Our deliveries are picked up around 9:00 am and 1:00 pm Monday through Saturday. Specific delivery times are not usually available however, we try to accommodate requests for AM or PM delivery windows. Specific delivery times are similar to a “direct-rush courier” service which would result in higher delivery charges.

In most cases, yes! Order online by 1 pm MST and we can get your flowers delivered the same day within the city limits. Deliveries to outlying areas such as, but not limited to: Okotoks, Dewinton, Priddis, Chestermere, Airdrie, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Nisku, etc are coordinated for a one time per day delivery route. Cut off time may vary depending on volume & the delivery direction.

For rural deliveries, we will contact the recipient directly to arrange a suitable delivery window. This will make sure the recipient is home to receive the flowers and that additional delivery charges, for you, are not incurred.

For delivery during busy holiday seasons, ie Valentines Day, Mother’s Day or Christmas, same day delivery may not be possible. Ordering early (1-2 weeks in advance of major holiday) assists the flower shop in scheduling drivers for the volume of orders each day. Ordering last minute may cause schedule interruptions which may cause delivery time delays.

The answer to this question is – weather dependent. If the forecasted weather provides temperatures that keep the flowers happy, yes, we can leave them at the door at your request. If temperatures are too hot, or too cold, it is best to not leave them at the door. The driver will use discretion in determining the correct course of action. We can assume no liability should the weather change or if the flowers are removed by porch bandits.

We all love surprises! If you prefer that we don’t call the recipient ahead, we won’t. (You can include this request in the “special request section”). However, we still MUST have the recipients phone number. If there is no answer at the door and we do not have a valid telephone number, we won’t have any method of contacting the recipient to let them know a delivery is headed their way!

In general, we advise against sending anonymous gifts, as these can lead to anxiety for the Recipient. You can send an order anonymously but note that our policy is to provide the Sender's name, if requested by the Recipient. This is a common floral industry practice.

In our experience, the Recipient will almost always prefer to know who has sent a gift.

They sure can! We will require a complete address including any special access or gate codes, unit numbers, hours of operation, etc. Please note, some locations will only accept deliveries via a receiving desk, concierge, guard, main office, or superintendent. They assume responsibility for the final leg of the delivery. The more information, the better!

Unfortunately, No. School and university campuses can be huge with multiple buildings, multiple departments and student residences. A recipient telephone number, along with a detailed address, must be provided.

Everyday, all day long, except Sunday! It is very important that you have the patient location. Ie, Are there multiple buildings on the hospital grounds? Which building is the patient located? Please make sure to provide the patient’s full name. Occasionally, legal names can be different from more casual versions so it’s necessary to understand how the patient has been registered to ensure a successful delivery.

As part of our service, we will call ahead to the unit where the patient is located to make certain flowers will be accepted into the unit.

If your flowers are NOT for a patient but rather an employee of the hospital, it’s important to let us know. That way, we can make certain the delivery tag notes “employee” and the Hospital Reception Desk will understand how to search for the Recipient of the flowers.

Lilies, while gorgeous and a customer favourite, are highly scented and therefore, not allowed in hospital arrangements. You can still pick an arrangement style that may include a lily but, we will automatically substitute a non scented, similar stem.

We recognize the importance of floral arrangements arriving prior to a funeral service. Please provide specific details on the time and place for the service and we will make every effort to ensure delivery occurs prior to the viewing and/or the service. Details can be included in the “Special Instructions” area when you place your order.

In situations where the recipient refuses to accept the delivery, for whatever reason, we are unable to provide a refund.

Providing accurate recipient information is very important. If incorrect or incomplete delivery information is provided and this information results in a non-delivery, we will make every effort to contact you, recover the product and redirect your order with the correct information.

We do understand you may live in a different city, province or country than the recipient of the flowers and are not sure of their address. Perhaps they have moved and you were unaware. At the very least, an accurate phone number for the recipient will assist us in getting your gift delivered to them. We will call ahead and verify their address.

If the address is different from what you’ve provided but in the same city, we will do our best to redirect your order on the same day. Occasionally, next day delivery may be required.

In some instances, we may require additional delivery costs for any unsuccessful delivery. We always do our very best to ensure that no additional charges are incurred however, in some instances, they can not be avoided.