When Kim started Niche Gardens in 1986, all our sales were by mail order. One of her goals in creating the business was to have native plants available and to be able to ship them anywhere in the country in great condition. Over the years, she developed a system for growing, packing and shipping plants so they consistently arrived in perfect condition. We have kept the system she developed and continue to ship our plants according to this tried and true method.
Sometimes customers are shocked when they discover how much it costs to ship their plants. Believe me, so are we. We've met and thought and talked a lot about shipping, and checked and double-checked our actual UPS charges, and we feel that our policies are fair and necessary. We charge only what we have to in order to cover our costs.
You must bear in mind that shipping is more than just the actual charge to ship the plant. The plants for each order must be individually selected, collected, pruned if necessary, inspected for pests, and carefully packed. Only then do we add the cost of shipment. And because we ship larger plants than many mail order nurseries, we often send heavier boxes.
Orange County, where Niche is located, is now included in the ever-expanding USDA Fire Ant quarantine zone. We have yet to see any fire ants in the nursery and it is unlikely that fire ants would take up residence in our pots (it’s just not the sort of environment they prefer), but Federal law requires that all plants shipped out of the quarantine zone must be treated in order to prevent the spread of this insect. Therefore, before shipping, our plants are treated with Talstar, per USDA specifications. We have investigated our treatment options and believe that this is the safest and best treatment available for this required procedure.
Ordering
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When you order, please specify the week you would like to receive your plants. We will ship your plants to arrive during that week. A text box is provided on the shipping form to add any special shipping instructions you may have.
Shipping Policy
The shipping policies and rates described herein replace any previous policies or rates.
We will ship anywhere in the United States, including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
We do not ship anywhere outside the United States.
We ship February through November.
We ship on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, via UPS Regular Ground.
We ship early in the week to minimize stress on your plants. It can be damaging to the plants to sit in a baking hot or freezing cold UPS truck over the weekend, in addition to the regular shipping time. This also means your plants arrive just before the weekend, when people generally have more time to garden.
During the heat of summer, from June through August, all plants will be shipped via UPS 3rd Day Select, except shipments to our immediate 3 state area, ( North Carolina, South Carolina, & Virginia).
Orders will be shipped with soil and container, except where state law requires bareroot shipping, (Arizona, California).
Shipping Charges
The minimum order is $40.00.
Find your state and the time of year on the chart to determine your shipping charges.
| Abbr | State | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | Alabama | 30% | 30% | 30% |
| AK | Alaska | UPS Second Day Air, Contact us for charges | ||
| AZ | Arizona | UPS Second Day Air, Bareroot, year round 50% | ||
| AR | Arkansas | 30% | 35% | 30% |
| CA | California | UPS Second Day Air, Bareroot, year round 50% | ||
| CO | Colorado | UPS Third Day Select, Year round, 40% | ||
| CT | Connecticut | 30% | 35% | 30% |
| DE | Delaware | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| DC | Washington DC | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| FL | Florida | 30% | 30% | 30% |
| GA | Georgia | 30% | 30% | 30% |
| HI | Hawaii | UPS Second Day Air, Contact us for charges | ||
| ID | Idaho | UPS Third Day Select, Year round, 40% | ||
| IL | Illinois | 30% | 30% | 30% |
| IN | Indiana | 30% | 30% | 30% |
| IA | Iowa | 30% | 35% | 30% |
| KS | Kansas | 30% | 35% | 30% |
| KY | Kentucky | 30% | 30% | 30% |
| LA | Louisiana | 30% | 35% | 30% |
| ME | Maine | 30% | 35% | 30% |
| MD | Maryland | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| MA | Massachusetts | 30% | 35% | 30% |
| MI | Michigan | 30% | 30% | 30% |
| MN | Minnesota | 30% | 35% | 30% |
| MS | Mississippi | 30% | 30% | 30% |
| MO | Missouri | 30% | 35% | 30% |
| MT | Montana | UPS Third Day Select, Year round, 40% | ||
| NE | Nebraska | UPS Third Day Select, Year round, 40% | ||
| NV | Nevada | UPS Third Day Select, Year round, 40% | ||
| NH | New Hampshire | 30% | 35% | 30% |
| NJ | New Jersey | 30% | 30% | 30% |
| NM | New Mexico | UPS Third Day Select, Year round 40% | ||
| NY | New York | 30% | 35% | 30% |
| NC | North Carolina | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| ND | North Dakota | UPS Third Day Select, Year round 40% | ||
| OH | Ohio | 30% | 30% | 30% |
| OK | Oklahama | 30% | 35% | 30% |
| OR | Oregon | UPS, Third Day Select, Year round 40% | ||
| PA | Pennsylvania | 30% | 30% | 30% |
| RI | Rhode Island | 30% | 35% | 30% |
| SC | South Carolina | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| SD | South Dakota | UPS Third Day Select, Year round 40% | ||
| TN | Tennessee | 30% | 30% | 30% |
| TX | Texas | 30% | 35% | 30% |
| UT | Utah | UPS Third Day Select, Year round 40% | ||
| VT | Vermont | 30% | 35% | 30% |
| VA | Virginia | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| WA | Washington | UPS, Third Day Select, Year round 40% | ||
| WV | West Virginia | 30% | 30% | 30% |
| WI | Wisconsin | 30% | 35% | 30% |
| WY | Wyoming | UPS Third Day Select, Year round 40% | ||
The Fine Print
Our Guarantee
We guarantee that the plants you receive from us will be strong, healthy and, to the best of our knowledge, correctly labeled. Please unpack your plants promptly when they arrive. If there are problems due to quality or shipping, please contact us immediately and we will do our best to remedy the situation. We cannot be responsible for weather or cultural conditions in your garden. Our business depends on your continued support and we strive to satisfy every customer, every time. We very much appreciate your business and your trust.
You may have heard that some enormous big-box resellers of plants will guarantee their plants for an entire year after purchase. This is unprecedented in the nursery business and, we feel, an unreasonable expectation for anyone to have. That guarantee is based on predatory business practices and the insignificant cost, to them, of replacing your mass produced, lab grown, chemical fed plant, not on any real confidence in the plants’ quality or chances of survival.
Claims
All claims must be made within seven days of receiving your order. Please open your shipment and inspect your plants. Many plants are wrapped in different layers and types of paper, so please unwrap them carefully. As soon as possible, water and plant your order or heel-in in a shady area if weather does not permit planting. Every effort has been made to offer species true to name. We are more than willing to correct any mistakes made by us. We are not liable for plant losses beyond our control. In no case will our liability exceed the purchase price of the plant.
Custom Propagation
If you foresee needing large quantities of a plant, please contact us well in advance so the plants can be custom grown if necessary.
Catalog
Our descriptive catalog provides in-depth descriptions to aid in the most suitable placement of our plants in your gardens. Cultural requirements, plant combinations or interesting bits of information are included for every plant we offer. Active customers will continue to receive updated catalogs.
We do not sell or trade our subscriber list to other companies and we never give out phone numbers, e-mail addresses or any personal information of any kind about our customers.