Terms & Conditions
What we ship
We ship only healthy, rooted, plants. We do not ship cuttings or leaves (we do when necessary for some international shipments). Safe packaging and delivery places a limit on the size of the plants that we can ship. See below for our plant/product guarantee.
Plants are shipped in 2 or 2 1/2" square pots. To see an example of size plant you might recieve click on the link on the product category pages--"plants shipped in 2 (or 2 1/2)" pots". Many product photos are of fully grown plants in larger pots--we cannot ship them this size! If plant size or maturity is most important, leave the choice of variety up to us ("seller's choice" or special offers). Otherwise, we ship whatever varieties you choose, no matter its size at time of shipping. Some plants with tall or long leaves will have leaves trimmed for shipping purposes. This will not harm the plant nor affect it's future growth. We cannot promise that all plants will be sent in bloom--if you must have plants sent in bloom for resale, or special event, contact us before ordering.
When we ship
All orders received by 12 noon ET Friday (this "cutoff" time can change based upon our schedule and volume of orders) are shipped the following week, unless instructed otherwise. Orders placed in mail on Tuesday (sometimes Wednesday), as our weather permits. If you must change or cancel your order you must do so by 9 am ET of the Monday of the week of shipment. After this time orders will have been boxed and/or shipped and a restocking fee of 10% may apply. We begin packing orders early Monday and will charge your account prior to this. You should receive your order late in the week of shipment (the week following your order submission). If we must delay shipment of your order, we will contact you either by phone or email. Order details can be viewed by accessing your account.
How we ship
Priority shipping typically arrives 2-5 days after shipping and is sent by best available service for your area. Express shipping guaranteed to arrive 1-2 days after shipping, overnite to most (not all) areas. If you have a PO Box, we strongly suggest shipping to this address, since this is the safest place for your package. We are not responsible for packages not delivered if invalid US mail or delivery address, or no mail receptable available! For more information on how we pack orders, see our "shipping" page.
Shipping & Handling costs and other fees
These are an approximation of actual postage across all orders we ship, and may be more (or less) than the actual postage of your package. Shipping costs begin at $14, Express shipping begins at $38, then a per item charge ($.50 or $.80) is added based upon type (size) of plant ordered. Because of their weight and high shipping costs, an additional fee is added for shipping potting soil or large supply items to some distant locations. Shipments made to addresses within NY state must be charged 7.5% sales taxes. Shipments made to certain states (AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, OR, UT, WA) must have USDA label attached to the package stating plants were produced in greenhouse free from Japanese beetle. A "USDA" label charge (4% of value before shipping) will be charged for shipments to those states (this approximates the actual cost to us of these labels and inspection fees). We do not make a profit on shipping, handling and fees--only on the plants and merchandise we sell!
Because we are shipping live plants, sensitive to both extreme heat and cold, we ship in insulated boxes. Smallest orders are shipped in 8x8x8" boxes or 12x12x8" boxes. Larger orders in 18x12x8" or 24x13x8" boxes. Plants are sent in corrugated cardboard boxes, with insulated foil liners we have custom-made to fit our medium and large boxes. For small orders, and depending upon the plants being shipped and their destination, we often use fiberglass insulation to line the box and protect plants. If you are highly sensitive to this material, take precautions when unpacking (or choose not to order from us).
What we guarantee
We guarantee safe delivery. If plants arrive dead or heavily damaged, inform us within 72 hours of receiving order. Any damage due to shipment will be evident within a day or two. If this is the case, we will either reship plants or issue a refund. Remember, we can guarantee safe delivery only via Express shipping during winter (November 14 to April 11) when signed for upon delivery. We will NOT refund or replace plants if you do not choose Express during winter (you save money but you also bear the risk)! From April 11 to November 1, we guarantee this by any means shipped.
We guarantee that first bloom on all plants received will be "true to description". If a plant first blooms in an entirely different color or manner, let us know and we will replace this plant at no cost, or issue a credit or refund. See the note that follows!
Please note! Photos on website are NOT altered in any way except to correct for over/under exposure. Perception of colors will depend upon lighting and background plant is viewed in. True "red", or "blue" colors do NOT exist in African violets--what we have are the "reddest" and "bluest" that are available given the genetics of the species. Intensity of colors depends greatly upon environment (esp. temperature and light) and your care. Particular colors, like "yellow" and "green" are especially variable and dependent upon environment. Variegation of foliage is also dependent upon environment--usually is best when plants are grown cooler.
We guarantee shipment of only healthy, symptom free, plants. We will not knowingly ship plants that are not healthy. Should you receive unhealthy plants, inform us of this within 72 hours of receiving your order. After this time, you are responsible for their care. If symptoms of an underlying disease or condition (existing at time of shipment) of the plant appear within 3 months of receipt, we will refund, credit, or replace. We are not responsible for damage or conditions due to care or environment after receipt.
Please view the "refunds" page for more information.
What we cannot guarantee
We do not back-order plants. We charge your account only for what we actually ship to you. We will not ship out of stock items at a later date. This is rarely a problem when payment is made online. Should you mail an order to us, however, some items that were in stock may become out of stock by the time we receive payment. Unless you list, or allow for, substitutes, we will charge your account only for what we can ship, or issue a credit if paid by check. Do not tell us to "hold order until all available"--we will not do this.
Timeliness of delivery. We ship orders when we promise to, subject to our weather conditions. If we must delay shpment, we will notify you of this. We cannot guarantee timeliness of delivery. If you MUST receive your order by (not on) a particular date, this may only be possible if you request Express mail service, and inform us when the package must arrive. We are also not responsible for nondelivery to invalid mailing addresses. Be sure the address you provide is correct and a valid USPS mailing address. We also are not reponsible for failure to accept the package in a timely manner.
We are not a florist--not everything we ship will be in bloom, and we cannot promise that this will be the case for any of the plants we ship. We ship the most mature plants on hand of each particular variety, and will ship them in bloom, if possible, but cannot promise this. We do not buy and resell--we grow everything we sell. It can take 9-12 months from propagation to bloom--plants bloom when they are ready to, not when we (or you) want them to!
We cannot guarantee that plants you receive will grow well, bloom, and live forever. This is up to you. We grow all of what we sell and sell only those plants that have proven to do well for us. We cannot grow them for you. Please view the "plant care" pages on this website, or call us during business hours, for advice, should you need to. We will try our best to help.
Plants are perishable items. Please do not return them to us in the mail--they will only perish in their long return trip and will be of no value when we get them. If you have any questions concerning your order, you must contact us within 72 hours of its receipt. After that we will presume that they arrived safely and you are now responsible for their care.
International orders. All international orders are sent at CUSTOMER'S RISK. We cannot be held responsible for actions of customs or delivery persons. Plants are sent in good condition, in a timely manner, with proper documentation shown clearly on outside of box. Despite this, there is greater risk to international orders simply because of customs and delivery!
We reserve the right to refuse an order, should we be asked to provide something that isn't possible to provide, or cannot fill an order to the customer's satisfaction.