Shipping YOUR ORDEr

What We Send

Our mail order team are always at pains to pack plants carefully so they arrive in the best condition. We take off most of the soil, gently wrap the roots to keep the moisture in and then enclose in good quality newspaper, each plant clearly labelled.
 
Ferns and Agapanthus are 2 litre plants, all sent in their pots. The size of hosta plant we send depends upon the variety - newer and small varieties tend to be in 9 cm or 1 litre pots, whereas others are 2 litres. Early in the season, hostas may be sent out of their pots; at the height of the season they will probably be sent potted.
 
Some hostas we keep in the cooler and send out with no apparent growth, even when hostas in the garden are in full leaf. These will soon come into fresh, new leaf when planted out. In warm weather, a couple of weeks should be long enough to see growth occurring.

Plants are dispatched Monday through to Thursday. We spend a lot of time carefully, making sure that the plants do not move in transit and arrive safely and securely.

We have sent plants all over the world in this way for over 20 years and it works very well.

If you wish to send plants as a present, we are, of course, happy to send the parcel directly to another address for you.

Shipping Information

We ship all our orders from our nursery in Sticklepath, Devon. Orders are picked and packed on a daily basis and our main shipping days are Tuesdays and Thursdays – occasionally other days (to avoid plants in the mail over the weekend). We try very hard to make sure that if you order before 12 noon on a Tuesday then we get the plants out that same day. After that it will probably be Thursday despatch. 

Parcels are currently dispatched with Royal Mail on a 48 hour tracked service and insured for up to £150 as standard.

For larger plants we do one of three things:

1. Package on to a specialist horticultural trolley and deliver to your address.
2. Ship via Pallet Network, again on a next day service.
3. Personal delivery by our own staff; this is mainly for large bamboos or tree ferns that require specialist handling. We will contact you to arrange a mutually convenient time for deliveries.

 
We can ship to any address in the United Kingdom. Inevitably, additional charges may apply for The Highlands & Islands in Scotland. Following our exit from the EEC we don't export to Europe and beyond or Northern Ireland.

When you place an order, the website will automatically calculate shipping on the number of plants selected.
 
Occasionally a parcel does go astray and we will promptly replace it with, hopefully, a minimum of fuss! If having the plants really quickly is a priority then please let us know when placing your order and we will do our utmost to fulfil your request.

Order Status Meanings

• Awaiting Fulfillment: We have received your order and will be processing it asap.
• Awaiting Shipment: Your order has been checked and is due to be packed ready for shipment
• Pending: We will be despatching it via our own vehicle or a pallet or horticultural trolley
  
• Awaiting Pick Up: You have arranged to collect your plants from the nursery in Devon
• Shipped: Your order has been dispatched and you should be expecting it the following day. There will be a tracking number you can now follow.

A happy customer talks about packaging at the 2018 RHS Chelsea Flower Show:

 "Just to let you know the wonderful Hostas and golden fern arrived safely yesterday evening, delivered by a very nice UPS driver who knew our village, so found our address easily. The plants were so carefully and robustly packaged, thank you, which kept them really well protected in transit. The Little Red Rooster is an extremely strong plant and even I can’t kill off this one! And thank you for being kind and sending the two complimentary Hostas, which is very much appreciated. All will be loved and well cared for. I plan to create a Hosta Theatre (as in Auricula Theatre) to show off their beauty." Fay, September 2020