How We Ship!
We have chosen Federal Express and USPS to deliver our plants to you. We take pride in the care we put into packing a box. We receive almost zero complaints about how we ship but receive lots of compliments on how the hostas arrive to their new home. You can see some of the responses in our testimonials. You will receive an e-mail with a tracking number once the assigned carrier has your package.
Shipping Chart
| ZONE A: | ZONE B: | ZONE C: |
ZONE D:
Shipped Bare Root Due |
||||
| CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT | DC, DE, MD, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, VA, WV |
FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, MN, MO, NC, SC, TN, WI |
AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, ID, KS, LA, MS, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WY |
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| Plant Total | Shipping Rate | Plant Total | Shipping Rate | Plant Total | Shipping Rate | Plant Total | Shipping Rate |
| $0-$20 | $8.50 | $0-$20 | $9.50 | $0-$20 | $11.00 | $0-$20 | $13.00 |
| $20.01-$40 | $9.00 | $20.01-$40 | $10.50 | $20.01-$40 | $12.00 | $20.01-$40 | $13.00 |
| $40.01-$60 | $9.50 | $40.01-$60 | $12.00 | $40.01-$60 | $13.00 | $40.01-$60 | $13.00 |
| $60.01-$80 | $10.00 | $60.01-$80 | $13.00 | $60.01-$80 | $14.00 | $60.01-$80 | $14.25 |
| $80.01-$100 | $12.00 | $80.01-$100 | $14.00 | $80.01-$100 | $15.00 | $80.01-$100 | $14.25 |
| $100.01-$125 | $14.00 | $100.01-$125 | $15.00 | $100.01-$125 | $16.00 | $100.01-$125 | $14.25 |
| $125.01-$150 | $15.00 | $125.01-$150 | $16.00 | $125.01-$150 | $17.00 | $125.01-$150 | $19.00 |
| $150.01-$175 | $16.00 | $150.01-$175 | $17.00 | $150.01-$175 | $18.00 | $150.01-$175 | $19.00 |
| $175.01-$200 | $17.00 | $175.01-$200 | $18.00 | $175.01-$200 | $19.00 | $175.01-$200 | $19.00 |
| 200.01-$224.99 | $18.00 | $200.01-$224.99 | $19.00 | $200.01-$224.99 | $20.00 | $200.01-$224.99 | $19.00 |
| $225+ | FREE | $225+ | FREE | $225+ | FREE | $225+ | FREE |
How We Determine Our Shipping Costs
We ship our plants with the soil to most states. Shipping the plants with the soil limits the stress put on the plants for transplanting but adds cost to the shipping due to the weight of the soil. The size of our plants also affects the costs. Some of our plants are over 2 feet tall during peak months. Having to use a larger box for larger plants adds cost to the shipping. We have tracked hundreds of packages and have set our shipping costs at an average shipping rate for weight and distance.
If you live in a Zone A, B or C state and would like cheaper shipping costs, please call and ask us to bare root your order. If we bare root your order then the Zone D shipping rates apply to your order.
For the states we have to bare root to we use flat rate boxes with determined costs so we can ship at an even rate to everyone.
Sometimes we are able to ship smaller packages for much cheaper than the listed shipping charge. When this happens we will refund your order the difference of the shipping costs!
We Ship At Cost, Not At Profit
We are not looking to profit from shipping charges but rather at break even costs so we can continue to send our customers a quality product. Unlike some other online plant companies, we are shipping you the soil with the plants and the added weight creates higher shipping costs. Our 4.5 inch containers weigh approximately two pounds each and our 3 inch containers weigh one pound each.
Yes, Shipping Potted Plants Does Cost More, But It's Worth It!
You may pay more for shipping with us over companies who ship bare root plants, but you will receive a plant from New Hampshire Hostas that has not gone through any stress.
- Our plants can stay in their containers for as long as you want if you keep them moist.
- Our container plants are easier to plant in the ground than bare root material.
- Bare root plants need to be planted within days of arrival.
- Often the leaves on bare root plants have been removed. We do not remove leaves when we ship bare root.
Regretfully, By Law, We Must Ship Plants Bare Root To The Following States:
Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Washington.
This is due to the National Plant Board decision to try and prevent the spread of Japanese Beetle to states not known to be infested.
Shipping Destinations in the United States
- We ship to all the contiguous states plus Alaska. Your plants will be shipped in their container with soil except for the states in Zone D Shipping.
- Orders shipped to Zone D (see our chart above) will be shipped bare root due to strict agricultural laws. The National Plant Board has categorized the states into 4 category's. Category 1 and 2 (our zone D shipping) are not known to be infested with Japanese Beetles and therefore are being quarantined to limit the spread of the pest. Click here for a pdf of the rules.
- FedEx requires a complete shipping address. They cannot deliver to PO Boxes.
- We are not shipping out of the United States at this time.
We Can Ship Year Round
During the winter season, we can ship live - but dormant - 3" and 4.5" potted hostas to our southern most customers or to those customers in colder areas who have a greenhouse.
2024 Shipping Schedules
Placing orders early guarantees that you receive the selections you want as some plants are very popular and sell out quickly. We will ship your winter orders in Spring when the weather permits for your area. If you prefer, you may give us a specific ship date when you place your order.
We use the average last frost date from the freeze/frost lookup chart on Dave's Garden to determine proper ship dates.
During the growing season we ship all orders within a week of receiving your order unless a preferred date is given.
To ensure that you receive your hostas promptly, we ship as follows:
- Northeast - Monday Through Saturday
- East of the Mississippi - Monday Through Saturday
- West of the Mississippi - Monday Through Saturday
Note: We no longer have to worry about packages sitting in a terminal over the weekend as most shipping companies deliver 7 days a week.
We want you to receive your new plants as fast as possible without any damage to them!
You will receive an e-mail with your tracking number when your package ships.
Payments Accepted
We accept Master Card, Visa, Discover, Amex, PayPal, checks and money orders. If you want to use a check or money order you can send in an order form or call to place your order.
Printable Order Form
If you would prefer to order through the mail, please download a printable order form here.
Please Do An Apples To Apples Comparison
Most of our hosta are in 4 1/2 inch wide by 5 inch deep pots that weigh close to 2 pounds when shipped. This is why our shipping costs may appear more costly than sites selling you smaller tissue cultured and bare root plants. Our plants have been grown for a season in their container whether they originated from our divisions or the tissue culture lab. When you compare plant value and shipping costs, please make sure you are comparing apples to apples.