Housewarming Gifts in Turkey: Plants and Flowers for a New Home in Istanbul

The photos arrive on WhatsApp: empty rooms, boxes, the view from the balcony. Your sister, your son or an old friend has moved in Istanbul, and you cannot make it to the first tea in the new flat. This page explains how people in Turkey congratulate someone on a new home, what to send, and what to watch for with a brand-new address.

Delivery windows and districts are on our flower delivery across Istanbul page.

Hayırlı olsun: how Turks congratulate a new home

For a new home people say Hayırlı olsun, may it bring good things, and above all Güle güle oturun, literally "live in it with laughter". In the first weeks after a move, relatives, friends and often the new neighbours come to visit, tea is served, the flat is shown round, and hardly anyone arrives empty-handed. Some families traditionally bring bread and salt, a wish for plenty in the home, others bring something sweet so life there will be sweet. Plants and flowers are now one of the most common gifts.

Why a plant often beats a bouquet

In a flat where half of everything is still in boxes, the vase is often the last thing anyone finds. A potted plant needs no vase, it stands from the first minute, and it is still there when the moving chaos is over. Orchids are one of the most popular gifts in Turkey, they flower for weeks and need little care.

• White double-stem orchid: classic, suits any interior.
• Mini purple orchid with kalanchoe in terracotta: cheerful, good for a first flat.
• Peace lily with kalanchoe: copes with lower light, good for flats with little sun.
• Potted guzmania: strong colour, very easy to keep.

If a cat lives in the new home, the orchid is the safer choice, as the peace lily is mildly toxic to pets. All plants are under plants, and the symbolism is in what orchids mean as a gift.

Getting a new address right

With a move, most delivery problems come from the address, not the flowers. Many people in Istanbul live in residential complexes, a site, with several blocks. So give the neighbourhood (mahalle), street and building number, the name of the complex and the block, the floor and the flat number. You pick the mahalle from a list when ordering. And always add a phone number for the recipient: in moving week people are often out, at the furniture store or at their parents'.

When to deliver

Not on moving day itself: the door is open, the removal team is walking through, and nobody has time for a bouquet. A day or two later, or the first weekend in the new home, works better. Orders placed by 18:00 Turkish time are delivered the same day.

What to write on the card

• Yeni eviniz hayırlı olsun: may your new home bring you good things.
• Güle güle oturun: live in it happily. The phrase every Turk says for a new home.
• Yeni evinizde mutluluklar dilerim: I wish you every happiness in your new home.

If it is not a home but a new shop or office, different customs apply, see grand opening flowers in Turkey. General rules are in Turkish flower-giving etiquette.