Answers to the things people actually ask. If yours is not here, use the contact form.
Shipping and delivery
Where do you ship?
Within the United States only. We do not ship internationally.
Are there places you cannot ship live plants to?
Yes. Some live plant varieties cannot be shipped to certain states and territories under federal and state agricultural rules, which exist to keep pests and diseases from moving between growing regions. Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and other US territories are the most commonly restricted destinations, and a few mainland states restrict particular genera or plants shipped in soil. If something in your order cannot legally ship to your address, we contact you and refund that item. Pots and tools are not affected.
How long does processing take?
Your order is passed to the grower within 1 business day. The grower ships Monday through Wednesday, so plants are not sitting in a facility over a weekend. If you order late on a Wednesday, your plant most likely goes out the following Monday.
Can you tell me exactly when it will arrive?
No, and anyone who does is guessing. Transit is handled by the carrier and we do not control it. You get tracking when each box ships, and that is the most accurate information available.
How do I track my order?
Tracking is emailed to you when each box ships. A link also appears on your order confirmation. If your tracking email has not turned up and it has been several days since you ordered, check your spam folder, then write in.
What does shipping cost?
Nothing. Shipping is free on every order, with no minimum. The price on the listing is the price you pay, and no shipping line is added at checkout. If your order ships in more than one box, each box still ships free.
Packing and weather
How are live plants packed and shipped?
Plants ship in their nursery pots. The soil is secured so it does not empty out in transit, the pot is braced inside the box so the plant is not rolling around, and the foliage is protected with paper or sleeving. Boxes go out from the grower directly, not from a warehouse, so the plant spends less time in the dark than it would through a typical retail supply chain.
Do you ship in winter and summer?
Yes, year-round. Live plants are surprisingly tough in a box for a few days at normal temperatures.
What happens in extreme heat or freezing weather?
The grower may hold your order until conditions improve. A tropical plant sitting on a loading dock at 20F is a dead plant, and no packing material fixes that. If your order is held, you are notified. Holds are usually short. If you would rather cancel than wait, tell us and we will refund the order.
Can I ask for a heat pack or a cold pack?
Ask in the order notes or through the contact form and we will pass it to the grower. Whether it can be added depends on the variety and the route, so treat it as a request rather than a guarantee.
When something goes wrong
My plant arrived damaged or dead. What now?
Send photos through the contact form within 14 days of delivery, showing the plant and the packaging. We ship a free replacement; you do not need to send anything back. The full terms are on the Arrive Alive Guarantee page.
My plant looks stressed but not dead. Should I claim?
Some travel stress is normal: a few yellow lower leaves, some drooping, a bit of leaf drop. That usually recovers in a week or two once the plant settles. Badly stressed is different, and it counts. If you are unsure, send the photos anyway within the 14 days and we will tell you which it looks like.
My pot arrived cracked or chipped.
Send a photo of the item and the packaging through the contact form and we will replace it or refund it. That is not your problem to absorb.
Plants and how they look
Why does my plant look different from the photo?
Because it is a different plant. Every listing photo shows one specimen from a batch, and living things vary in height, leaf count, branching, and variegation. Yours may be fuller or leggier, taller or shorter.
Colour is the other common surprise. Leaf colour shifts with light. The same plant grown under bright grower conditions can look deeper green, more compact, or more strongly variegated than it will after a few months in an average living room. That is the plant adapting, not a defect. What we do guarantee is that you get the species and pot size listed, in good health.
Are your plants safe for cats and dogs?
Some are, and those are labelled. Pet safety is checked against the ASPCA's toxic and non-toxic plant lists, genus by genus, before a listing gets a pet-safe label. If a genus is not clearly listed, we do not claim it is safe, so some plants have no label even though they may well be harmless. Browse pet-friendly plants for the ones that passed. Even with a safe plant, a determined cat eating a lot of foliage can still upset its stomach, so height and a closed door remain useful tools.
Do you sell rare plants?
We sell what our grower partner grows well, in the sizes listed. If you are after something specific, ask, and we will tell you honestly whether it is available.
Pots and care
Is the decorative pot in the photo included?
Only if the listing says so. Plants ship in a plain nursery pot by default. Many listings offer a decorative pot upgrade you can choose on the product page, and the page states clearly what is included. You can also buy a decorative pot separately.
What size pot do I need?
Check the nursery pot size on the plant listing. To repot, choose a pot one size up. To keep the plant in its nursery pot and drop it inside, choose the same size.
Do the pots have drainage holes?
The listing says, every time, because this is the single most useful thing to know about a pot. If a pot has no hole, use it as a cachepot: leave the plant in its nursery pot, drop that inside, and lift it out to water. Details are in Plant Care Basics.
Do you include care instructions?
Every product page lists light, water, size, and pet safety. General guidance lives on the Plant Care Basics page and in longer form on The Potting Bench. We do not print a card for every box, because a page we can correct beats a card that is wrong forever.
Should I repot right away?
No. Give the plant two to three weeks to settle first. Repotting a stressed plant is how a recoverable situation becomes a compost situation.
Orders, returns, and changes
Can I return a plant I simply do not like?
No. Live plants are not returnable for change of mind. Once a plant has left the grower and spent days in transit and in your home, it cannot be resold to anyone else, and shipping it back a second time is rough on the plant. The Arrive Alive Guarantee covers the real problem, which is a plant that turns up in bad shape.
Can I return a pot or a care product?
Yes. Non-living goods can be returned in unused condition within 30 days. You pay return shipping unless the item was wrong or damaged, in which case we do. Full terms are in the Return and Refund Policy.
Can I cancel my order?
Only before it ships. Contact us within 12 hours of ordering and we will almost always catch it.
I entered the wrong address.
Tell us within 12 hours and we can usually fix it. After the box ships, we cannot redirect it, and a live plant that goes to the wrong house and sits there is not covered.
Can I send an order as a gift?
Yes. Ship it to the recipient's address at checkout. Prices are not printed on the box. Add a note in the order notes and we will pass a short message along where possible. One thing worth knowing: nobody controls the delivery date, so a plant is a poor choice for a gift that must land on a specific morning. Order early and let it be a nice surprise on whichever day it turns up.
Do I need an account to order?
No. Guest checkout is enabled.