Table of Contents
- More Than Just Packing Plants In A Box!
- Temperatures & Shipping Conditions
- Prepping Your Plants For The Journey
- Improved Packaging
- Streamlining Logistics For Speed and Efficiency
- Plant Sentry™
- What To Expect When You Open Your Box
- Bareroot Plants
- Container Plants
- Securely. Confidently. Responsibly.
When it comes to shipping live plants, spring and fall bulbs, and bare-root plants, ensuring their safety and health is a priority! Proper shipping methods protect plants during transit but also maintain their viable and aesthetic appeal.
So let Nature Hills walk you through how we’ve improved shipping practices and how to keep plants safe throughout the process.
More Than Just Packing Plants In A Box!
Here is all that is involved before, during, and after your plants are shipped to keep them safe and viable!
Temperatures & Shipping Conditions
Weather is a fickle being, and when it comes to live plants, the health and safety of your product is our number one priority!
- Before we ship, careful attention to the temperatures that your plant will endure during its entire journey are scrutinized!
- Freezing temperatures, excessive heat, and hold-ups that extend your plant's time in packaging, all impact the health of your order.
- We will not ship into a natural disaster (blizzards, heat waves, floods, hurricanes, wildfires, tornado damage, etc.). Instead, we will keep your plant safely at the nursery, growing where it will be cared for until your area is safe. Not to mention, this keeps delivery drivers safe too!
- Even if a plant ships through a single state experiencing extreme weather, and it cannot be rerouted around the problem area, then your order will be held to ensure you receive a stress-free plant!
- Dormant plants, such as fall-planted bulbs or bareroot plant material, must wait to be shipped in cooler fall temperatures. Unless they will experience arctic conditions that can still damage them in an unheated truck. These dormant plants also cannot ship to you until your region is cool enough in the autumn to keep them dormant for the winter. Read more about bareroot plants in our #ProPlantTips For Care!
We only ship when every step of the way from nursery to your doorstep is safe for your plant.
Prepping Your Plants For The Journey
A lot goes into preparing your order before it heads out of the nursery!
Our landscaping material is grown outside in the elements so it is ready for the rigorous conditions of your yard. Enduring everything that Ma Nature has in store for them. This creates a stronger plant ready for all weather conditions.
Nature Hills sells quality plant stock, with mature root systems that are older and better rooted in their pots than box store nursery stock. Making our plants able to establish in your landscape faster!
Preparing a plant to ship involves days of special care to get it ready to be in a box and on a truck for a few days.
Nature Hills typically has nurseries around the country, growing plants in a growing zone or region similar to where they will be shipping to. But in some situations, such as Citrus that need year-round consistent warmth, some plants do need to ship from farther away. Sometimes across the United States.
- A good long watering to thoroughly hydrate the plant's roots
- Increased air humidity so the foliage does not dry out en route
- Cooling the plant to slow down its metabolism and not need as much moisture or sun
- Sometimes the plants are sprayed with anti-desiccant to slow moisture evaporation
- Carefully securing long branches, limbs, and side growth to prevent breakage. Shrubs are gently tied up.
- The tops of young trees are given a small snip to encourage side-branching once planted.
Improved Packaging
Our team has engineered the best method of boxing plants to prevent them from becoming damaged during the short time they ship to you! The days of the old “mail order” companies shipping many very small plants in the same box are long gone!
Your plants are typically wrapped in plastic bags to prevent excess moisture loss during transit. Potted plants also have the bag tied around the container to prevent soil from spilling should the box become turned upside down or laid on its side.
We wrap the roots of bareroot plants and bulbs in moisture-retentive materials, like damp paper towels, shredded newspaper, bark chips, or sphagnum moss, to prevent dehydration. These are then wrapped in plastic bags to prevent drying out.
Dormant Bareroot is much easier to ship because there is no need to keep leaves and flowers safe during shipping! They cost less too!
Innovative packaging and shipping materials offer maximum protection so they arrive in good condition! The foundation of safe plant shipping starts with selecting appropriate packaging materials.
- Sturdy, breathable boxes are crucial for live plants, as they allow proper airflow while providing structural integrity. These shipping boxes are heavy-duty corrugated boxes! No flimsy material here!
- Your container or bareroot bag is stapled into the box, or the container is secured into a smaller box that is then stapled into the sturdy shipping box. That way plants stay put and don’t bounce around inside their shipping container.
- Plants and trees with long branches and lots of leaves are further wrapped and secured to prevent damage.
- Further insulation, moisture-retentive packing paper, and/or wrapping is added depending on that plant's unique needs.
Streamlining Logistics For Speed and Efficiency
Fast and efficient, Nature Hills has improved shipping potted plants and bareroot products to reduce the risk of plant damage! We also strive to negotiate shipping costs to further save you money!
Working with reliable shipping carriers ensures that plants spend less time in transit - further ensuring plant safety during transit.
Clearly labeling packages with "Perishable" or "Live Plants" alerts handlers to take extra care. Monitoring the shipment's progress with tracking tools allows sellers and buyers to anticipate delivery and address any delays promptly.
We then send you your tracking number and continue updating your order in your online account for you to monitor at your convenience. Letting you know when your order has arrived at their destination.
Plant Sentry™
Nature Hills employs Plant Sentry™ to protect our ecosystems by preventing any plant that we sell from being shipped into any state that has a restriction. Stopping the spread of harmful insects, disease, or plants that are invasive in those restricted states. Plant Sentry™ is a one-of-a-kind database that stays on top of the latest information in regulatory compliance when transporting plants.
Plant Sentry™ helps us remain compliant with all State and Federal regulations set up to help protect plants during the growing and shipping process.
What To Expect When You Open Your Box
Immediately open your box and inspect your plants. Then follow our Planting Support Guide regarding how to give your new plants the best welcome possible and get them planted the right way.
Give our customer service team a call or go online at customer-support.naturehills.com and send us photos of any concerns or questions.
Note: Leaf drop and a few snapped branch tips will not be detrimental nor impact your plant's ability to grow once you get them planted. Major damage includes snapped trunks, damage to more than half of the branches, or damage to the root ball that leads to the main root system being broken from the trunk/stem, or the root ball dislodging from the container and drying out completely during shipping.
Bareroot Plants
Simply snip off any broken branches with clean, sharp shears and move your plant into a cool area away from the sun and elements until you can plant it. Once you are ready to plant, remove the packing material, soak the roots well to prepare them for transitioning into the ground.
Container Plants
A few dropped leaves due to shipping is normal and a few branches with broken ends is to be expected. Some loosened or dislodged soil is also expected after a bumpy journey in a truck. Simply pack the soil back into place and begin soaking your container if you plan on planting within the next 24 hours.
Securely. Confidently. Responsibly.
Shipping live plants requires thoughtful preparation and careful execution to ensure they arrive safe and thriving! Every plant Nature Hills Nursery ships is of the finest quality and your order will be carefully handled and shipped to ensure that you receive a healthy product!
E-commerce purchases from Nature Hills Online Plant Nursery bring a new level of quality and size to our customers who prefer shopping from the comfort of their own homes 24 hours a day.
By using proper packaging, growing quality plants, ensuring optimal conditions, and prioritizing fast delivery, Nature Hills is doing everything to ensure that your plants reach their destination in perfect health!
Happy Planting!
