Pre-orders

WHAT IS A PRE-ORDER?

Pre-ordering reserves you a plant that is still growing and not ready for dispatch yet.

Payment is taken at the time the order is placed. 

The nursery will release these plants once they have developed a strong root system to enabling them to travel well.  Additionally some plants are also frost sensitive, so they will be held until the last frosts have passed.

WHEN DO YOU TAKE PAYMENT FOR MY PRE-ORDERED PLANT?

Payment is taken at checkout at time of ordering.  This reserves a plant for you from the growing stock in the nursery.  In the unlikely event we are unable to supply the plant, then we will contact you to offer a suitable alternative or provide you with a full refund.

THE PLANT I WANT TO PURCHASE SAYS 'AVAILABLE SOON', WHEN WILL THAT BE?

For the 2023 season we are releasing plants in 3 phases, most plants on the website will be available in Phase 1 and Phase 2.  If a plant says 'available soon' use the 'e-mail when available' feature to sign up for an alert once it is available to pre-order or ready for dispatch.  We will take pre-orders for plants as below.

Phase 1 - Early Season Plants - these plants will be available in March and April. We will have all plants in this section shipped by the end of April.  Pre-orders for these plants is open now.  Plants in this group include Water Hawthorn, Marsh Marigolds, Iris and some waterlilies. 

Phase 2 - Late Spring Plants - these plants are available in May and we will have all plants in this section shipped by the end of May.  Pre-orders for these plants will open on 15 April.  Plants in this group include Loosestrife, Frogbit, Brandy Bottle and Pygmaea Waterlilies.

Phase 3 - Summer Plants - these plants are available in June and we will have all plants in this section shipped by the end of June.  Pre-orders for these plants will open on 15 May.  Plants in this group include Pickerel Weed and Powdery Alligator Flag

Not Available for Pre-Order - these plants are not available for pre-order and will be released for general sale once they are ready.

I WANT SOME PLANTS THAT ARE READY NOW AND OTHERS THAT ARE PRE-ORDER, WILL YOU SEND THEM SEPARATELY?

No, if you mix the plants in your shopping cart then the whole order will be held until all the plants are ready.

We suggest in this scenario that you do two separate orders, one for plants that are ready now and one for the plants that are on pre-order.  This will ensure you get the plants that are available now sooner.

The 'Normally Available From' is a guide and based on when this plant has been ready for sale in previous seasons.  

This is subject to change as our greenhouses are not artificially heated, so we rely on the British weather to be kind to us!

WHEN WILL MY PLANTS BE READY?

We offer an estimated date range on each product page but cannot give an exact date as each plant grows at a different rate.  Our plants are grown in the UK in unheated greenhouses and in cold water, this produces stronger plants for the UK climate but also means that our plants can take longer to mature for sale if the spring weather remains cold.

We are in daily contact with the nursery from mid February and once seasonal growing conditions are favourable, then we see big changes in plant growth on a daily basis.

We will only send out plants once they have established a sufficient root system, to ensure they travel well and reach you ready to be put into your pond.  

Although it may be frustrating waiting for a plant, we want to make sure we send you the best plant we can.  They grow quicker, stronger and develop a better root system under the glass in the greenhouses, so please be guided by us and our experts at the nursery, as we aim to only send plants once they are strong enough.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for an update.