General
Placing an order does not imply automatic acceptance of the order. We normally send orders out on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but it depends on the time of year and the current weather conditions. We try to dispatch all orders received by Sunday evening the following week, although during very busy times this is not always possible. See our Delivery Information page for current lead time and/or any issues affecting delivery.
While we make every effort to keep the website up-to-date with plant availability, it is impossible for stock levels to be 100% accurate, especially during busy times. We sell plants online, at the nursery and at plant fairs etc, so our stock levels are constantly changing. Please feel free to email us to check availability for specific plants. If an item is unavailable and you have not chosen to accept substitutes during the checkout process, we will refund the relevant amount for any unavailable plant(s).
Plants are living, not manufactured, and are subject to various natural rules and vagaries. Plants grown from seed occasional exhibit colours or characteristics which are different from their parents. It's possible for plants to 'sport' which is where a plant decides to change randomly. We do our best to ensure that the plants we send you are the plants you expect but we cannot be held responsible for changes that occur naturally.
Payment
You can choose to pay using your Mastercard, Visa, American Express or Discover credit or debit card, or you can pay via PayPal. Either way, we do not see your card details and the transaction is handled directly by either PayPal or the transaction processing company.
You can also select to pay over the phone and we will call you back to take your payment.
You will receive a summary of your order by email, confirming the products selected, delivery address and any special instructions. This email is sent automatically by the website and if you haven't received it, please check your junk/spam folder.
VAT
Prices displayed on the website include VAT at the current standard rate. Our VAT number is 369 7807 35.
Please note that if you live in a zero-rated area of the UK (for example Guernsey and Jersey), you will still be charged VAT. This is partly because of the accounting overhead, which is significant for a small business, and partly because we have to pay VAT on the products we buy (pots, compost, seeds etc.), and the services we pay for (energy, internet, courier etc.), to produce, sell and deliver your products.
Plant Use / Edible Plants
We sell plants to be used for horticultural use - i.e. for display in gardens. While we may point out that certain plants are/have been used as food or traditional medicine, we are not recommending their use for these purposes. It is your responsibility to ensure that plants are suitable for any other purpose than ornamental.
Delivery
We deliver to mainland UK only, unless agreed in advance. We regret that since Brexit we are unable to deliver to Northern Ireland.
Your order will be dealt with in strict rotation. If you know you will be away at certain times, please tell us in the comments box on the online checkout form.
If you would like to make any changes to your order, please let us know as soon as possible. We will try to accommodate your wishes, but we cannot make changes after your plants have been packed for dispatch. If you wish to order additional plants before the order is sent, simply place a second order and select 'Add to existing order'.
If you ask us to tell the courier to leave your parcel in your 'safe place', this is at your own risk and we will not accept any liability for your parcel after the courier has notified us that it has been delivered. If we have the courier's proof of delivery, you will need to take up any issues with the courier directly.
If you request that the courier changes the delivery address, or deliver to a pick up point, we will have considered the parcel delivered when it arrives at that location. It is your responsibility to collect the parcel in a timely manner and we will not be held responsible for any problems with the plants caused by any delay.
If for any reason your parcel cannot be delivered (i.e. there is no one to sign for it and/or there is not a safe place indicated, or the safe place is not deemed safe by the courier) and if you do not rearrange the delivery in a timely manner, we will not accept liability if the plants suffer from the delay.
If you do not provide sufficient information for the courier to find your address, or to contact you by telephone, we will not accept liability if the plants suffer from any delay.
We email you when your plants leave us and the courier also contacts you with tracking information. From this information we assume that you know your plants are on the way and if they have not arrived within 48 hours of leaving us we ask you to contact us so that we can deal with any problems before the plants suffer.
Please be reassured that 99.5% of our parcels are delivered successfully!
Substitutes
We will only substitute if something you ordered is not available AND you have ticked the relevant substitute box on the form. If you tick the box you agree to accept the substitute we deem suitable. If you do not tick the box and something is unavailable, we will refund you for the unavailable plant. We will only contact you in the unlikely situation of the majority of your order being unavailable.
Hardy Plants
Unless otherwise noted, our plants are hardy perennials, which means that they survive over a typical British winter and continue to grow for several years. Extreme weather (such as the 'Beast from the east' in 2018, flooding etc) may cause plants to die and we cannot accept any responsibility for this.
Returns Policy
Please remember that your plants will have been in their box for at least two days, transported in at least 3 different vehicles and been through an automated sorting process before reaching you. We package the plants as best we can and have very few problems, but plants that come out of their packaging will look a bit more 'ruffled' than if you'd just picked them off the bench at the nursery. They will soon pick up.
If your order does arrive badly damaged or there are plants possibly missing, please inform us immediately, and keep damaged packages until you hear from us. All claims of damage must be backed up with a photograph so that we can pass it on to the delivery company. In most cases, plants will soon recover from all but the most severe damage but if you are concerned please contact us within 48 hours of delivery. We cannot accept claims for damaged or dead plants at a later date unless you have expressed a concern and emailed a photograph within 48 hours of receipt.
If you wish to return plants we must agree in advance (see next paragraph) and they must be returned within 5 days, because they are perishable goods. We cannot accept returns after this time because we cannot control how well they have been cared for in the interim period.
Orders placed online are covered by the Consumer Contract Regulations. Please note that plants are counted as perishable under these regulations and are therefore not included in your right to return them simply because you changed your mind. Of course, if any plant is not in good condition or the wrong plant is sent, etc, we will replace it or refund your money (subject to the above 5 day limitation). If we agree that you can return plants to us we will usually require you to pay for postage.
We have no control over your local ground or weather conditions, your local pests and diseases or how well you have cared for the plants so we cannot accept claims for dead plants beyond a reasonable period of time. If you have not contacted us with a concern upon receipt of the plants, we consider a reasonable time to be 2 weeks.
We care about the plants we send (after all, we have grown them!) and want our customers to have a good experience when ordering from us, so please do get in touch if you are not happy and we will do our best to resolve any problems.
Photographs of Plants
Please note that colours in photographs can look very different depending on the screen type/settings/age. Printed photographs on labels are also often not 100% accurate due to printing processes and ink types. We cannot accept claims for refunds based on slight differences of colour. Unless otherwise noted on the page, the copyright of photographs on our site is owned by Shire Plants and any unauthorised use may result in claims for breach of copyright and damages may be sought. We are happy to consider requests for their use - please email.
Pre-Order Plants
Orders which contain pre-order plants will be held until all plants are ready and be dispatched together.
