Shipping live plants is particularly challenging in winter. Since many of our plants are delicate tropicals we take special care during the cold months to make sure they arrive safely. To accomplish this we offer our Cold Weather Shipping Kit, as well as a system of winter holds.

Cold Weather Shipping Kit

We offer Premium Cold Weather Shipping as an option at checkout. This includes a styrofoam insulated box, a 72-hour chemical heat pack, and an upgrade to USPS Priority shipping. These kits are able to keep tropical plants from experiencing cold damage from temperatures into the teens. Orders that include choose Premium Cold Weather Shipping are only shipped on Mondays, so as to ensure that the heat pack is not wasted over the weekend during shipment. During weeks with midweek shipping holidays (such as Christmas and Thanksgiving), orders with cold kits will be delayed until the following Monday.

Winter Holds

We check the weather state-by-state once a week to ensure safe temperatures for shipping plants. Generally we consider it safe to ship if overnight temperatures are above freezing. In regions that are too cold to ship we apply either a partial or a full winter hold.

*NOTE*

We are not able to check the weather for every individual order. We check weather by state. If you live in a state that is very large, like California, or that has distinct climate zones, like Washington or Texas, please check your local forecast before placing an order.

Partial Hold

A partial winter hold means that we will hold the order for shipment until temperatures increase. If you choose to purchase a Cold Weather Shipping Kit your order will be shipped the following Monday. Orders that include a Cold Weather Shipping Kit are only shipped on Mondays, so as to ensure that the heat pack is not wasted over the weekend during shipment.

As of 4-5-23 the following states are on a partial winter hold:

AK

Full Hold

A full winter hold means that it is too cold to safely ship plants even with a Cold Weather Shipping Kit. This usually means low temperatures in the low teens and below. Orders on full winter hold will be held until temperatures increase. Orders on full winter hold that include Cold Weather Shipping Kits will be shipped as soon as overnight temperatures increase above the low teens. Orders without a Cold Weather Shipping Kit will be shipped once it is safe to do so.

As of 4-5-23 the following states are on a full winter hold:

n/a

Waiving a Hold

We offer winter holds as a courtesy to our customers. If you do not wish to wait for your plants you can opt to waive the winter hold. However, we will not be able to offer our Live Arrival Guarantee on any orders that have waived the winter hold, since we institute holds when we believe it is unsafe to ship plants.

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