Our secret?
We care – a lot.
Bottom line:
- Live plants ship in 1-5 days for arrival 1-5 days later
- Live plant packages are tracked and insured (typically $50-$100)
- Heat packs, insulation, and weatherized shipping cartons are included FREE and automatically when weather is too cold/hot at destination Zip Code
- Live plant arrival is always guaranteed between April and October
- From November through the end of March, a note must be sent with your order asking us to Hold for Pickup at a location near you in order to qualify for live plant arrival guarantee
We’ve shipped hundreds upon hundreds of flowering orchids and tropical houseplants straight through the coldest days of winter. We give the utmost attention to detail and safety when packing every individual plant. Our packaging process is sophisticated and takes advantage of developing technologies in the e-commerce fulfilment industry. Our staff is knee-deep in varioius postal carrier networks, so we’re always ahead of the curve when adapting to major shifts in the mail-order industry (like epidemics, postal carrier understaffing, shipping center consolidation, and any other logistical challenges faced by postal carriers that could delay your package).
So what goes into our shipping process?
First and foremost, we don’t charge you a dime. We make it simple, and we cover the logistics of shipping from start to finish.
We ship live plants using express methods. We prioritize using USPS whenever possible, but will often use UPS as well. Packages get to you 1-5 days after shipping, and they’re automatically insured for $50 or more. Some other plant web-stores are willing to charge you for 10-15 day shipping, which we find just ridiculous. Shipping is traumatic enough, especially if a plant is flowering. Plants begin to shut down in the dark. Light is the energy source that plants use to convert carbon dioxide and water into energy, foliage, and flowers! If that process shuts down, a plant is likely to prioritize surviving over growing. That means blasted buds, wilted leaves, and stunted growth.
Why USPS? Well, for starters, we only ship within the states! Who better than America’s postal service? In truth, statistics show USPS is responsible for over 60% of e-commerce packages. They know what they’re doing, and their distribution network doesn’t stop over the weekend. More of their services are “air transport” compared to other carriers, which is highly valuable when sending perishables across the country. Their extensive network of offices means you’ll have the option of somewhere safe and familiar to hold plants for pickup. Their retail network is bigger than Walmart, McDonald’s, and Starbucks combined!
How do we wrap your plants? Extremely. Carefully. We begin by staking larger flower spikes straight up, so they have support and won’t snap during delivery (you can adjust to your preference later). Then we’ll cling wrap the pot to combat dehydration – a battle we win all winter and all summer long. Structural support comes next. Your new plant pal will be surrounded with padding (shredded paper for foliage and Poly-fil for fragile flowers), and wrapped into a paper cone strong enough that it could be grabbed by the top and turned upside down with no worries at all. If the forecast is especially hot/cold at either our post office or yours, we’ll wrap your friend in layers of insulating sheet foam for that extra bit of thermal stability. If temperatures are particularly extreme, we’ll add an extra layer of metallized bubble insulation. Finally, when the weather dips below approximately 45° F, we’ll include heat packs that last up to 5 days, FREE, which stay warm long enough to see your plant through to your windowsill. No extra hassle or cost on your part!
Here comes our favorite bit…
Every package we send stands up to two rigor tests
The Upside Down Test
Everything will be packaged securely using any means of support necessary so that your plant can be turned upside down, sideways and any other ways you can think of. Every bit of void in the package will be filled, and your plant will be wrapped up so tight it won’t be able to budge or beg for mercy!
The Drop-kick Test
You heard us right. The Drop-kick Test. No, we won’t drop kick your plant! We used trained stunt-plants to test our packaging. It’s an unfortunate eventuality that some of our packages will be dropped, kicked, and tossed around while in transit – such is the nature of third party carriers. You can bet your bottom bud that your precious baby plant won’t notice if they are… drop-kicked.