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Plants, like puppies, are living beings that require care, and just like puppies, all have their life destiny. After a plant leaves the nursery, there are many variables - proper transport, planting, watering, and maintenance - that conflict with offering a guarantee. We guarantee that we only sell plants that we consider healthy, vigorous, and likely to succeed in the appropriate location. A guarantee would be like insurance, and we do not fold this into our pricing as other garden centers may.

Proper site selection is critical to the survival of native plants. Our staff can help you choose plants that match your site conditions and advise on planting. If you have a problem after planting, we can help troubleshoot. Email us with a photo and description of the issue, and we’ll do our best to assist.

Hard goods (books, tools, containers) can be returned with the receipt within 30 days of purchase. We do not accept the return of plants. Why? See above regarding all the variables after plants leave our care.

Technically you can plant anytime the soil is not frozen or too wet, AND you can provide supplemental watering as needed. It is best to avoid times when the weather is too hot – if you’re wilting, your plants will be too!

The absolute BEST time to plant is in the Fall. Planting in September, October, and November (and some years, even into December) allows the plant’s roots to settle in and grow during the cooler season. The plant will be less vulnerable to high temperatures and water stress by the time next summer rolls around. Planting in the Spring is the second-best time to plant, but you’ll need to be more vigilant with monitoring watering needs during the summer.

It may take 2-3 years for your new plant to establish after planting (woody plants longer than herbaceous). It is critical to monitor and provide supplemental water during these first few years. Make sure to weed around your new plants and mulch - only apply to the soil over the rootball – no mulch on crowns, stems, or trunks! See below for more about mulch.

Mulch helps prevent weeds seeds from germinating, increases water-holding capacity in the root zone, and is a visual cue to keep mowers and string trimmers away from the base of the plant.
Covering the surface of the soil beneath new plants is good practice. Be sure to use mulch on soil that is already weeded. There are several types of mulch – formerly living material such as chopped leaves, straw, salt hay, wood chips, shredded bark, pine needles, or ‘green mulch,’ a living groundcover plant.

When mulch is an organic material, it will improve the soil as it decomposes. When using formerly living materials, use only a 2-3” thick layer over the entire root zone of the plant. Keep mulch about 1-4 inches away from crowns, stems and trunks as mulch piled against the crown or stems of perennials or grasses or against the trunks of trees can cause rot.

Due to the low-growing and quick spreading tendencies of groundcovers, these plants are a logical choice for ‘green mulch’. Instead of traditional mulch that must be applied year after year, a base layer of low-growing and fast-spreading plants can be used to create a green backdrop. Plant these groundcovers in large masses along the base of trees and shrubs. Utilizing their natural tendencies, these plants will cover the ground, denying weeds access to light and space to get established. In addition, they will provide garden interest and biodiversity to the ground layer.

There are different kinds of fertilizer. Synthetic chemical fertilizers are formulated to make nutrients immediately available to plants. However, depending on many factors (soil pH, plant species, existing soil physical and chemical conditions, etc.), the plant may not take up all available nutrients from this source. The rest will run off into groundwater and end up in the nearest water body and eventually the ocean.

Organic materials used for fertilizer (such as compost, bone meal or chicken manure) are not immediately available to plants. It works by being processed by soil micro-organisms that break down the fertilizer feedstocks into nutrients available for plants to take up. Healthy soil has billions of micro-organisms, mycorrhizae, and pore space to allow air and water flow. The plants and the soil work together to exchange and use nutrients.

We don’t recommend synthetic fertilizer anytime. Depending on existing soil conditions, adding organic materials as fertilizer at planting may be beneficial. You don’t want to overly enrich the planting hole and discourage the roots from growing out of the rootball into the surrounding soil.

Compost is formally living material (organic) rich in carbon and other nutrients that can be used as a soil amendment. Compost should not be smelly; if it is, there was too much nitrogen-rich (green) material and not enough carbon-rich material (brown) in the mix. Properly managed compost heats up to 140 and kills any weed seeds or pathogens.

Compost can be a great benefit to soil. It can improve water-holding capacity, aerate soil, lessen compaction and increase the activity of soil organisms that will help provide nutrients to your plants over time. Compost contributes to healthy soil. Apply the correct amount of compost to your planting area as adding too much compost may be harmful. Applying a layer of compost, a quarter-inch to 1-inch deep, to the planting surface each year may be enough.

At the nursery, we maintain our plants without synthetic pesticides, fungicides, or neonicotinoids. We use a peat-free planting medium and use certified organic fertilizer when needed. We source our plants from responsible growers who use sustainable practices, with minimal input, without neonicotinoids, and in many cases, propagate from local eco-type seed sources.

Our plants are not certified organic as that is a paid program through the USDA.

According to PennState Extension, the number of deer in Pennsylvania has significantly changed our forests over the last 50 years. We see far fewer young trees and very limited biodiversity. In many areas, deer have overeaten the forest, and the diversity in the vegetation layers is gone. As gardeners, we know that gardening in Pennsylvania and New Jersey means managing impacts from deer. Deer are “browsers.” They primarily eat the leaves, twigs, and shoots of young trees, shrubs, and wildflowers, but they may rub on trees too. No plants are deer-proof, but many are less palatable to deer and will be more resilient in the event of deer browse. Our staff can help you choose the best plants for your site conditions and advise on deterrents and physical barriers for plants that need protection during establishment.

We set prices as competitively as a small, independent retail business can. We do not hold sales or otherwise discount merchandise. Organizations providing a Pennsylvania Certificate of Tax Exemption will not be charged sales tax. A 10% discount is offered to those in the trade with proof of business operation.