The Mail Order Customer Service Department is available: Monday - Friday, 9 am - 3pm (Pacific Time) Next Shipping Dates: East, July 8th, 2013 West, July 9th, 2013
Sorry, no shipping the first week of July, 2013
Ordering. Orders are typically shipped on Monday and Tuesday. Plants need to be pulled, labeled, cleaned, wrapped and boxed along with all the necessary paperwork and we have a lot of orders each week. It is very helpful to us to have you note a preferred ship date in the comments section on your order and we will do our best to ship on the date requested.
Ordering from the website is preferred, although we do accept written orders in the mail or by phone. We have no minimum order amount. All orders are filled as they are received with payment on a first-come first-served basis, which means that if you order in February and don't want it shipped until April, we will pull your order in February and hold it until your ship date. In such cases, please be aware of the kinds of plants you are ordering and that plants here might start growing earlier than your climate zone. We can't ship a 5' Lily in June but could earlier in the spring or in the fall.
Payment. As for payment, we accept VISA, Master Card and Discover as well as checks by mail. Or, you can make our day and drop by the nursery with cash. Your credit card is charged upon placing your order, which stakes your claim on your plants. Plants being what they are, things can happen to them which we didn't anticipate and if we are unable to fill your order completely, you will be refunded.
Shipping Costs and Carriers.
Our shipping charges start at $12 to Western States.
Alaska and Hawaii shipping is 2nd Day with a minimum base rate of $30.00.
East of the Rockies the minimum charge is $20 for express 3 day or $15 for ground 5-7 business days.
We also add a factor for the weight and volume of the
order. You'll be able to see the exact charge for shipping before
submitting your order.
As our plants come in a variety of pot sizes and
are widely variable as
to price, we could not have shipping prices based on the number of
plants or a percentage of the order total, as sometimes someone would
not
be getting a fair shake. We are happy to say that our algorithm does
an excellent job
of computing fair shipping charges. Our charges compare quite favorably
with other online nurseries when using the same method of
shipping, especially when given our often larger container size. We are
not making money on shipping. The process is more involved than one
might suspect.
We use FedEx Ground, FedEx 3 Day and FedEx 2nd day for Alaska and Hawaii.
East of the Rockies we recommend FedEx 3 Day, as we want the plants to spend no more than 3 days in transit.
West of the Rockies we use mainly FedEx Ground which also is no more than 3 days in transit. We have had excellent results using these methods and the plants arrive in great condition.
We are offering FedEx ground to East of the Rockies because we recognize shipping costs can be a significant portion of the order. Please note that we don't recommend this and as such, are not responsible for the condition of the plants upon arrival. Generally they will be fine but the plants can show yellowing, leaf drop, stretching or curved growth if in active growth or in worst cases, be cooked or scrunched. Plants with soft growth or intolerance of heat are not likely to fare as well as say a dormant peony or hardened off woody plant. For those destinations that are typically a 5 to 7 business days delivery time, even though we ship on a Monday, your order will very likely not arrive until the following Monday or Tuesday. So if you are willing to assume the risk, we'll ship this way with apologies to the plants.
If you require something different or faster or more expensive, please give us a call. Please note that these are the time estimates for delivery once your order has been shipped and is not how long it will take for you to receive your plants after placing your order. Please see the first paragraph on this Ordering page for clarification.
Shipping Season. We ship year round weather permitting. We are weather junkies and if there is weather that is too cold or too hot between us for the method of shipping, then we will delay shipment and notify you.
Packing. We pack your plants carefully which is generally assumed, as we've yet to see a nursery who says they don't, but it is true - they are carefully packed because they are all our kids. Larger pots such as 1 gallon may have the pot removed as well as some soil, in which case the root ball will be securely wrapped in plastic. Smaller pots will either ship in the container or with the container removed as above, depending on the plant. Dormant bulbs or rhizomes may be sent free of soil and packed in damp shavings. This reduces weight and reduces the chances of shipping damage, because heavier boxes are harder to handle. Damage doesn't happen often, but we do all we can to make sure it doesn't happen.
Receiving Your Order. When you get your order, unpack it immediately and water if needed. Place the plants in light shade until you can plant them. If you are planting right away and it is blazing sun, a little shading for a day or two is helpful. Likewise if you get a serious cold snap after planting, mulching or protecting is common sense.
Damaged Plants and Guarantees. If your box arrives damaged, please accept the order and point out or let the shipping carrier know about it. Open your box and inspect your plants. We have received every possible variation of mangled boxes with live plants and it is amazing how resilient they are. Give them a fair chance before you write them off. Leaves that are rumpled or have fallen off, or similar minor cosmetic issues, do not qualify as damage. Like certain other issues that have come before the Supreme Court, you will know unacceptable damage when you see it. We also need to be notified within 5 days of your receiving your order if there is damage. We want to make sure you get the plants you want in good condition. It would have been so easy if we loved hose washers instead of plants - shipping those would have been a snap.
