White Flower Farm: superb garden plants and service to match

Welcome to the White Flower Farm Online Customer Service Department. Here is a list of commonly asked questions, in which we hope you will find the information you need. Clicking on the question will take you directly to the answer on this page. If by chance the information you need is not here, we invite you to contact us at custserv@whiteflowerfarm.com

Our normal Contact Center hours are from 9AM to 6PM Eastern Time, Monday-Saturday, 12PM to 6PM Sunday. We are closed on Sundays during July and August.

We ship our bulbs and plants at the right time for planting in your area, with orders dispatched on a first-come, first-served basis by climate zone. We include detailed planting guides with every order. All hard goods are shipped with your plants or bulbs, unless you request otherwise.

When will you process my order?
We "process" your order immediately (orders placed after 6 p.m. EST are not processed until the next business day)-- charging your credit card and reserving inventory in your name. We will ship your plants and bulbs at the proper time for planting in your area. We ship tools and accessories (hard good items) with your plants or bulbs, unless you request otherwise. See our current shipping information for more details about when plants and bulbs will be delivered. (Back to top.)

Do you guarantee your products?
Yes. Behind the pages of our catalogue and Web site stand several dozen careful and competent professionals who are determined to make your gifts and plant and product orders successful in every respect. We guaranteee your complete satisfaction or your money back.

We guarantee to ship plants that are true to name and in prime condition for growing, to deliver them at the proper time for planting, and to provide clear and reliable information regarding the proper use and care of every item offered. If any item fails to meet your expectations, we will cheerfully replace or refund it.

Please note: The size of the plants we ship has been selected to reduce the shock of transplanting. For some, this means a large, bareroot crown. Others cannot travel bareroot or transplant best if grown in containers. We ship these plants in 3in pots, except as noted. We must point out that many perennials will not bloom the first year after planting but will the following year, amply rewarding your patience. (Back to top.)

Substitutions
When a bulb or plant you have ordered is not available, we reserve the right to provide another of similar attributes and pricing that will produce the same garden effect.(Back to top.)

How do I order gift certificates online?
You will find our gift certificates listed in a separate category at left. Just select the amount that you wish to purchase and add it to your Shopping Cart. If you are having the certificate sent directly to your gift recipient please make sure the recipient's name and address are in the "ship-to" area of the shopping cart as you check out. We send our gift certificates with our most recent catalogue by Priority mail, so please include a PO Box number if needed. If selecting Priority Shipping, there is a $17 charge for this but please make sure to provide us with a street address for UPS delivery to arrive the next business day after we "process" your order since our Priority Shipped Gift Certificates are sent by UPS so they cannot be delivered to a PO Box.. You may also include a brief four-line message to be sent with the certificate. (Back to top.)

Can I use my gift certificate or merchandise credit online?
You are now able to use your gift certificate or merchandise credit on our web site when placing your order as long as you have the customer account number and credit number available. There will be a box to check off if you have this information on Page 3 when you are checking out which will bring you to the page to key in this information. We will apply any credit to your order before your credit card is actually billed. If you do not know the customer number and credit number, please just key in a brief message on this gift certificate page in the"comment" box provided giving us as much information as possible for us to locate your credit for you so that we can be sure to apply it to your order. Please realize that we will need to check all credit information and will send you a second order acknowledgement in about 24 hours after you place your order to confirm that it really was applied. (Back to top.)

Can I cancel or change my order?
This option is not available on our Web site at this time. However, you can either send us an email letting us know the confirmation web order number (this would be needed to make any changes) and what you would like us to do, or you may call us at (800) 503-9624 from 9am-6pm Eastern time, Monday-Saturday; noon- 6 p.m. Sundays. We will try to accommodate your changes if possible. Please be aware that as we get closer to your shipping zone time it may not be possible to make any changes to your order. (Back to top.)

I'll be in Connecticut next month -- can I tour the Farm?
Our display gardens and retail store are open from April through October. For directions and to learn more, please visit the store's page of our site. (Back to top.)

When may I order?
We are pleased to accept orders until the last realistic planting date in your area. This generally means early to mid June for spring orders and mid to later November for fall orders, weather permitting. We cannot deliver any orders to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, APO/FPO addresses, or outside the U.S. (Back to top.)

Is there a minimum purchase requirement?
There is no minimum for placing an order. (Back to top.)

What is your mailing address if I prefer to mail in my order?
You may contact us at White Flower Farm, PO Box 50, Litchfield, CT 06759-0050.(Back to top.)

Payment information
To reserve from a finite and perishable inventory, we must request payment upon receipt of orders. On orders to Connecticut only, delivery charges must be added before sales tax is applied, as required by state law. (Back to top.)

Prices
Prices are set seasonally by variety, and quanity discounts apply only to multiple purchases of a single item number. Due to increasing energy costs, prices and delivery charges are subject to change. (Back to top.)

SHIPPING

How will you ship my order?
Our shipments may travel via UPS, which requires a street address for delivery, OR by Priority US Mail, so please provide both street and postal addresses, if applicable. Large or heavy items are generally shipped via UPS. We ask that, when possible, you please provide an address where a daytime recipient is available.

We cannot be responsible for delivery problems due to incorrect addresses. Please check that you have typed in the correct address and ZIP code.

The size of the plants we ship has been selected to reduce the shock of transplanting. For some, this means a large, bareroot crown. Others cannot travel bareroot or transplant best if grown in containers. We ship these perennials in 3in pots, except as noted. We must point out that many perennials will not bloom the first year after planting, but will the following year, amply rewarding your patience. We ship bulbs as dormant, bare bulbs, sometimes with some wood shavings or moss. Shrubs, Roses, vines, and other woody plants may be shipped bareroot or potgrown. The size of the pot is noted in the individual descriptions. (Back to top.)

When will you ship my order?
We ship our bulbs and plants at the right time for planting in your area, with orders dispatched on a first-come, first-served basis by climate zone. Tools, hardgoods, and fertilizers are shipped with your plants or bulbs, unless you give us other instructions.

We ship our spring-flowering bulbs and plants ordered from our spring catalogue at the right time for planting in the spring, beginning in early March for warmer zones. The exact time varies by climate zone. Your order may arrive in more than one shipment, but this will not affect shipping charges. If we have your email address on file, we will notify you when your order is shipped from our Connecticut nursery.

We ship orders placed from our fall catalogue at the proper time for planting in the fall, shipping to colder zones first beginning in early September.

If you have ordered spring or fall-shipped bulbs, perennials, or other plants as a gift, we will send a gift card when the order ships. You may request us to send a gift card out ahead of the shipment so that your gift is announced before it arrives. Please let us know when checking out by including a message in the 'Comment' box provided on Page 3 when checking out.

Our Lily of the Valley pips ship late December through June or as stock permits.

Our South African Amaryllis will start shipping around early to mid October with the Dutch varieites not shipping until around mid November. Our paperwhites begin shipping in late September and continue into January, as weather and stock permits.

Clivia miniata, Orchids, Primose 'Blue Mars', Lavender 'Goodwin Creek Grey', Abutilon pictum 'Thompsonii', will ship as the weather permits and also as noted with each item. Please refer to the sub-title information under each of them when ordering.

We begin spring shipping the most cold-tolerant, dormant perennials in early March to Zones 7-9, with Zone 5 commencing in early April; less cold-tolerant annuals and perennials start shipping in April, in the latter part of the month to Zones 5 and 6.

We begin shipping Tuberous Begonias in March to all zones, because these plants perform best if started early indoors. Other shipping times: Citrus begins shipping in mid-March. Scented Geraniums and Tomato and Pepper plants begin shipping in mid-April for hardiness zones 7-9 and mid-May to early June for hardiness zones 2-6. Daffodils are shipped in the fall. (Back to top.)

Unless you request later delivery, holiday gift orders usually start shipping right after Thanksgiving depending on weather and availability except for tender gift plant orders which begin shipping in mid-November, weather permitting. Shipments addressed to the purchaser (persumed not to be gifts) will be shipped promptly unless otherwise noted on our web site.

Please note that many of our gift plants are temperature-sensitive, so we watch national weather maps as we prepare shipping schedules. If an extended period of sub-freezing weather delays gift plant delivery, we will send a card for the holiday, followed by the plant as soon as weather permits (Back to top.)

MERCHANDISE TOTAL	STANDARD (3-7 business days in transit)	EXPRESS (3 business days in transit)	PRIORITY (2 business days in transit)
$0 to $20.00	$11.95	$26.95	$41.95
$20.01 to $50.00	$13.95	$28.95	$43.95
$50.01 to $100.00	$17.95	$32.95	$47.95
$100.01 to $150.00	$23.95	$38.95	$53.95
$150.01 to $200.00	$28.95	$43.95	$58.95
more than $200.00	18% of total	18% of total plus $15	18% of total plus $30
Gift Certificates			$17.00

Can I indicate when I want my order to ship?
If you need your order to arrive by a specific day we would recommend that you express or priority ship your order. This will guarantee that your order will leave here within the next two business days and will arrive within 2 to 3 business days depending on the method of shipping you selected. Please be aware that UPS does not deliver on Saturdays or Sundays so these days are not included when estimating when your order will ship. We ship weather permitting and when it is appropriate for your growing zone. Items that do not ship directly from White Flower Farm cannot be express or priority shipped; this will be indicated in the Item Details description. If you need further assistance, please contact our Customer Service Department at (800) 503-9624 or by emailing us at custserv@whiteflowerfarm.com.
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Can I postpone shipment of my order?
If you need to postpone shipment of your order, please contact our Customer Service Department by calling (800) 503-9624 or by emailing custserv@whiteflowerfarm.com. (The office is staffed 9am-6pm Eastern time, Monday-Saturday; noon-6p.m. Sundays.) Please include your order number or order confirmation number and the requested ship date in your message. We will make every effort to accommodate your request, but if we have already begun to pack your order, it may not be possible to pull it back from the truck. (Back to top.)

Do you ship overseas or to Alaska, Hawaii, or Canada?
No, we can no longer ship any orders to Alaska, Hawaii, APO/FPO addresses, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, or to any addresses outside the U.S. (Back to top.)

Agricultural Regulations
Agricultural regulations restrict the shipment of certain plants. When (No AL, AR, CA, ...) appears in Item Details it means these plants cannot be shipped to the states indicated. (Back to top.)

What happens if an item arrives damaged?
We guarantee to ship plants that are in prime condition for growing. If your order is damaged or fails to meet your expectations, we will cheerfully replace or refund it. Please contact our Customer Service Department at (800) 503-9624 or email us at custserv@whiteflowerfarm.com. (The office is staffed 9am-6pm Eastern time, Monday-Saturday; noon-6 p.m. Sundays.) Please include your order number or customer number when contacting us. (Back to top.)

Can you deliver to a P.O. box?
We can deliver smaller orders to a P.O. Box. Gift certificates are sent via US mail, so a P.O. Box must be given if that is the mailing address; we do prefer to ship our plants and bulbs to a street address. Large, heavy orders and those with oversized items can be delivered only to a street address. If shipping via Express delivery a street address is required regardless of the size of the order. (Back to top.)

Can I request that an item ship earlier for my planting zone?
If an item is already shipping to another zone, we can probably ship it to your zone earlier as well, but this service would be at your own risk. We do realize that in some warm zones spring bulbs may need to be chilled several weeks before planting so we do ship these bulbs earlier automatically. (Back to top.)

How can I track the delivery of my order?
If you have provided us with a valid e-mail address we will notify you when your order has shipped and is on its way to you. We will provide a UPS or Priority Mail tracking number when available so that you can track your shipment as it is enroute to you. Please note that it may take 24 hours for available information from a tracking number to be updated. (Back to top.)

What zone am I in?
The National Arboretum offers the USDA zone map online and it's quick and easy to determine your zone.

Do you offer a source request service?
No, we are sorry but we do not offer this service any longer. You may search the web for a source for the item in question (we've had excellent results using www.google.com). In addition to finding your source you may find current information on price and availability of the product as well. Alternatively, you may visit your local library where many research options are available. (Back to top.)

When can I transplant and divide bulbs?
The best time to move or divide spring-flowering bulbs is when their foliage has all but withered in the spring, signaling the end of active growth. Lift them with a digging fork or a spade, taking care to avoid injuring the bulbs, and replant them immediately at the same depth and about three times their diameter apart. (Back to top.)

When is the best time to transplant and divide perennials?
The best time to divide perennials depends on your climate. Here in Connecticut, we have the luxury of choosing between early spring (usually mid to late April) and early fall (late August through September). In colder climates, spring division is preferred because it allows plants plenty of time to settle in before winter. In hot-summer climates, fall is the best time to divide; plants divided in spring may not become established before the arrival of the heat. A few plants insist on their own timetable. Peonies and Bearded Iris, for example, prefer to be divided in late summer or fall. They won't bloom again until the following year if divided in spring. (Back to top.)

How can I tell if my soil is deficient in a key nutrient?
To find out whether your soil is deficient in a key nutrient, test your soil. We suggest you contact your local Cooperative Extension Service; check the government pages of your telephone book under County Offices, or the State Department of Education or Agriculture. Extension Service offices usually offer soil tests for a modest fee.

The test results will show the levels of several nutrients, including the big three: nitrogen (often abbreviated with its chemical symbol N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Nitrogen is essential for leaf growth and the production of flowers; phosphorus aids in the growth of roots, fruit, and seed; potassium is essential for plant growth and disease resistance. A soil test will also provide recommendations for correcting deficiencies, usually through the application of fertilizers – materials that contain one or more essential plant nutrients. There are dizzying arrays of fertilizers to choose from. Many of the packages are emblazoned with three numbers such as 5-0-5 that indicates the percentage, respectively of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Your soil test should help you determine what balance you need to treat your conditions.(Back to top.)

Can I cut the leaves off my Daffodils after they have flowered?
Most bulbs we offer go dormant within about 8-12 weeks after flowering. The period between the end of flowering and the withering of the foliage is crucial to the future vigor of the plant. If you cut, fold, or braid the leaves before they have yellowed and collapsed, you may prevent the bulb from storing the energy required to bloom the following year. You can hide curing foliage by interplanting bulbs with leafy perennials such as Hostas, Daylilies, and Ferns or with annuals or ground covers. If you plant bulbs in a lawn, do not mow the grass until the bulb foliage begins to yellow. (Back to top.)

How do I plant Daffodils and Daylilies together?
Prepare your soil before planting. Then set the Daylilies on top of the soil, allowing 18-24 inches of space between each plant. For a full, natural look, arrange the plants in staggered ro