The Most Frequent Questions

What size plants do you ship?

Unless otherwise noted (i.e. 4-inch or quart containers), most plants shipped are growing in one gallon containers or in the field.  When we receive your order, we hand select the best available container or field grown plants from our inventory. A number of the web site pictures are of plants in containers ready for shipment.

How long will it take plants to reach full size?

It depends on the variety. Plants like daylilies are not shipped until they have bloomed at least once, however it may take some blue hostas several years to reach mature size, especially if the mature size is 4 feet.

We feel that larger bare root plants make an instant impact in your garden!
Our customers tell us that our perennial plants are bigger than other mail order nurseries. We trust you will think so too. You can see what customers have said about us and our plants at Daves Garden by clicking on the  

When will the plants flower?

Depends on the season you receive your plant and how or where it is planted. If ordered before their bloom season, they should bloom the first year. Most perennials will not be truly outstanding until their second year, they will be busy settling in their first year to flower at their fullest.

Are plants shipped bare root?

Yes, most are shipped bare root, unless noted otherwise.

The added weight to ship a large pot, plus various state quarantine restrictions make shipping potted plants expensive. Quarantine restrictions prevent the spread of pests and weeds that might live in the soil.

The first thing to do with new bare root plants is to stick the roots in a bucket of water for up to an hour. If you do not plant them soon, repeat this everyday or so. Try not to soak above the crowns. 

What is your guarantee?

Our plants are guaranteed to arrive healthy and true-to-variety. If there is a problem, please notify us within 7 days of arrival. If you are not satisfied, we will replace or refund them immediately. The credit card companies limit us to a 30 day money back guarantee. However, if you are unhappy with the plants at any time, please let us know, because we want you to 1) order us from us again, and 2) to tell your friends to order from us.

If you have not ordered from us before - you can guarantee purchases with buySAFE and its surety partners for up to $25,000.  For more information, click on the buySAFE logo located on the web site side bar. There is a charge for the guarantee and we do not, nor would our regular customers, recommend that you buy it. But, if you like insurance, the cost is 3% of the sale price. Sound crazy that we offer it, but do not recommend it??? We completed the approval process, continue the ongoing monitoring  procedures, and offer it because of the comfort it may provide first time customers that companies like Liberty Mutual and Travelers will vouch for our reputation, experience, financial stability, and ability to honor our commitments.

What about a bonus?

We generally do not try to tempt you with a bonus approach, but we do like to share. Occasionally we will offer a specific bonus. Most of the time any bonus will be at our discretion and based on the order - it may be extra of the same plant or a companion plant. Since we do not require a minimum order amount, small orders may not receive a bonus.

How can I correct my email address on your subscription service?

Just subscribe again. Undeliverable addresses are automatically deleted. Click here to subscribe.

What is your privacy policy?

We use your information to complete your order and email address (if you subscribe) to send occasional new plant update and special offers. This year we have sent three emails to our subscribers, but we hope to increase that number a little next year. If you request that your email address be removed from our list, we do so immediately. We never sell or share email addresses or any other personal information. If you use PayPal, any information you provide is subject to their privacy policy. Click here for more details.

How do I contact you with additional questions?

If you have any other questions, the best way to contact us is by email to mike at bloomindesigns.com. Please make sure your subject line is specific so that it is not rejected as spam. You can also try to contact us by phone at (678)376-7987, if we are busy in the nursery leave a message and we will return your call ASAP. Click here for more information.

Please note if you are contacting us about a past or present order - include your name and order number (or city, state). If asking plant questions, we need to know your state and zone so we can tailor our advice accordingly.

Are all the plants offered on the web site?

No, but a majority are listed. You are welcome to contact us if you don't see a variety you are looking for - we may have a limited supply available.

What is a Perennial?

A perennial is a plant that will live multiple growing seasons, unlike an annual which grows, sets seed, and dies all in one season. Their flowering time is not typically as long as an annual because the plant must gather enough strength survive the winter.

Every perennial on our site should have a recommended hardiness range indicated. Please keep your zone in mind if you want your perennial to last more than one year. Due to so many climate planting zones you can not expect your garden to look like the picture in the magazine if the conditions are not similar.

What are hardiness zones?  

These relate to the temperature ranges that a particular plant can survive in.  In the USA, a map has been drawn  showing which regions fall into each temperature range, to  make it easy to see if a particular plant is suitable to grow in your area. Click here for zone map.

What plants will do well in my zone?

Product information includes recommended zones on plants web pages. Please treat hardiness zone ratings on perennials as a best guess, but only a guess. Many factors influence plant survivability: reliable snow cover, wind swept location, proximity of structures, and depth of soil, just to name a few.

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Questions About Ordering

Is there a minimum amount for an order?

No minimum.  We have considered minimums, but know you might want to check us out first or might not need that many plants to complete your garden.

Can I order at wholesale prices?

Discounts are available for some plants with a minimum, as noted, per variety. Discount prices are not available on all items.  Click here or for larger orders, contact us.

If you live in Georgia or pick up the plants, and do not provide a sales tax exemption number, sales tax will apply.

How do I order?

Orders can be placed online, by telephone, by mail, by email, and by fax. Click here for more information.

How do I make payment?

Payment can be made by personal check, money order, PayPal or credit card. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. Our service providers are dedicated to ensuring that all online transactions are secure by incorporating strong cryptography, secure socket layers (SSL) and best of breed information handling to safeguard your information, which means - information you enter is transmitted across the internet in an encrypted (scrambled) form, then decoded when it gets to us.

How do I order online?

24 hours a day, 7 days a week browse through our online store

Click through the categories until you find an item you would like to see in more detail. Click on this item to view more information and a larger image.

If you want to select a product, click the add to cart icon. This item will then be held in your cart until you are ready to go to the checkout. You can amend the contents of your cart at any time by changing the quantity or clicking on the appropriate icon.

When you have finished, select Cart from the menu bar. Confirm the contents of your order and click the checkout button. Enter your payment and delivery details. Click here for more details

You will receive an order confirmation if you provided an email address

How do I order by fax?

1. Proceed as above for the online process, but instead of completing the checkout process, print the shopping cart from the website, and write your credit card or payment information on the form, or

2. Print out and complete a fax form. Click here for a fax order form

Fax to (770) 963-1291

Whether you have placed an order online, by telephone, by mail or fax, you will be sent an order confirmation if you include an email address.

How do I order by mail?

1. Proceed as above for the online process, but instead of completing the checkout process, print the shopping cart from the website, and write your credit card or payment information on the form, or

2. Print out and complete a mail order form. Click here for a mail order form

Mail to

Bloomin Designs Nursery

558 Auburn Rd

Auburn, GA 30011

How do I order by telephone?

Please contact us at (678) 376-7987 with your order, shipping information and payment method. If we are busy in the nursery leave your order, contact and payment information, or a message and we will return your call ASAP. Please have in hand the goods that you wish to purchase and method of payment information.

How do I order by email?

Email us at info@bloomindesigns.com with your order, shipping information and payment method. If you are paying by credit card, we recommend you send a separate email with the credit card expiration date.

Do you require prepayment?

Yes, we require prepayment on all orders. If you pay by check your order items will be reserved and shipped after the check clears.

May I pay via Western Union, money order, or cash?

We do not accept payments via Western Union and do not give out our bank information.  We are happy to accept your money orders (please see above for instructions on how to order via mail).  We accept cash but do not recommend mailing it.  If you send cash please wrap it discreetly in a security envelope, doing so is at your own risk.

How do I use PayPal to pay for my order?

During the online checkout process simply click on PayPal as the payment option.

If you fax, email, mail or telephone your order, our PayPal account is paypal@bloomindesigns.com

Not familiar with PayPal? Go to: http://www.paypal.com . It allows you to place orders online, even if you don't have a credit card. 

What happens after I order?

If you provided an email address, you will receive a confirmation email when the order is entered and a shipping confirmation email, including tracking number, when the order is shipped.

What if the plants I ordered are out of stock?

We do not substitute without permission, and attempt to maintain a conservative inventory count in the online store to prevent accepting payment if we do not have plants in stock. If we are out of stock, with your permission, we will send a substitute, place your request on back order, issue a refund or credit.

Can I change an existing order?

Yes, you can always change an existing order. By adding to an existing order before it is shipped, you will not need to pay the minimum $6.00 shipping charge twice. You may send your changes via email or telephone us. If you are contacting us about an order change, please include your order number. You will receive a confirmation reflecting the changes, if an email address has been provided.

If I cancel an order, do I have to pay any fees?

If your order has not been shipped, no fees will be applied.

Do you have a catalog?

No, we do not offer a printed catalog. All our information is online, and this helps us keep our prices low. However, we are working on a printable online catalog.

Why are some items not available on the web site?

Some items may be grown as a special order for a nursery customer, grown in limited quantities, or not easily shipped bare root. Also, if we do not anticipate a plant to be available for most of the shipping season, we normally do not list the plant on the web site. Phlox are an exception, as we typically sell out in the spring and do not plant the next crop until the fall.

Can a gift be sent to a friend?

We offer gift certificates for giving anytime. Click here for details.

If you would like to select the gift perennial(s), complete the Ship To information during checkout process accordingly. During the checkout process, reference any information or notes you would like us to include in the Notes section provided during checkout. Your special message can be included on the packing slip. All shipments include a shipping packing slip  listing the enclosed items (without prices), and general planting instructions. Email or telephone us if you have any questions.

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Questions About Shipping

How will plants be shipped?

We ship US Postal Service Priority Mail, which takes 2 to 3 days to arrive to most continental US destinations. Shipments to the west coast may take an additional day.

If an email address is provided, the shipment tracking number will be included in the email confirmation sent at shipment.

How much is shipping?

Shipping charges
gray states  -  $6.00 for the first item plus $1.00 for each additional item,
red states  -   $6.40 for the first item plus $1.40 for each additional item,
blue states  -  $6.60 for the first item plus $1.60 for each additional item,
unless an additional amount is also noted (for example base rose rate is $2.00). We could choose a cheaper shipping method, spend less time carefully preparing your plants for shipment and lose less money to ensure that your plants arrive safely, but our accountant would not sign off on our delivery guarantee statement.

How soon will my plants be shipped?

Paid orders placed by 12:00 pm on Friday, as a general rule of thumb, will be shipped the following Monday or Tuesday, subject to weather and backlog. Orders received in March, April and May can anticipate a one to two week delay due to volume. Special shipping information or dates should be referenced in the Notes section provided during the Checkout process. Subject to hardiness zone, orders are shipped in the sequence received.

When is your shipping season?

We start shipping most plants in mid to late March, depending on the weather. We stop digging and shipping field grown plants late October to mid November.  Plants grown in containers may be available through the winter for shipment to warmer zones or customer pick up. Contact us for any special shipping requests or times.

Weather conditions or plant type may affect the anticipated shipping schedule. All plants may not be available until mid April, depending on the weather. Unless requested otherwise, an order will be held until all plants are available. Plant orders shipped at different times or to multiple addresses will be subject to additional shipping charges.

Due to hot weather conditions, we may limit shipment of any plant items mid June through mid August.

How early in the spring / late in the fall can I plant?

Perennials are able to handle frost to a light freeze and recover. However, it is best to plant after the worst threats of bad weather are past.

The plants should be in the ground 4 to 6 weeks before your first frost.

Can I request a specific shipping time?

Yes, you may select the week of arrival.

Do you ship outside the continental US or internationally?

Usually no. Subject to review we can ship to other countries, but cannot not assume custom or delivery risks.

My plants just arrived. What should I do now?
You should unpack the plants, and remove any packing material. Place the plants in a shady spot, and water thoroughly. Place bare root plants in a bucket of water for up to an hour. If you do not plant them soon, repeat this everyday or so. Try not to soak above the crowns.

If wilted when they arrive they should perk up after soaking. Click here for additional Planting Information.

Questions About the Nursery and the web site

Where is the nursery?

The nursery is next to our home in metro Atlanta. We are located about half way between Atlanta and Athens, in eastern Gwinnett County, and about 8 miles east of The Mall of Georgia. Click here for a map.

When is the nursery open?

 Click here for Open House dates / information.

Except for Open House dates, please call (678-376-7987) before you come, as there are just a couple of us -

• on Monday and Tuesday we are digging, cleaning and packing plants for shipment,

• Wednesday through Friday, hopefully, we are making deliveries to our local nursery customers,

• in between, we are planting, fertilizing, watering, weeding, etc. (most of the computer and paperwork is done at night),

• weekends are usually spent getting ready for or doing the above,

• Fridays and Saturday are the best days to visit if you want the 25 cent tour, Click here for a picture tour.
  

and this is our home, so if you would like to visit or pickup plants, please do, but please call first to schedule an appointment.

Do you sell anything besides what is on the web site?

Yes, we often have other types of perennials available in limited quantities, and in the spring we have various annual planters and baskets. There may be special prices on select container plants and some plants are available in 3 gallon containers, so when you visit be sure to ask.

How do we get so many new varieties each year?

We have an excellent long-standing relationship with breeders, hybridizers and growers in the US and Holland. We are constantly in touch with them and are often asked to test plants for our area.  

Why are you called Bloomin Designs Nursery?

Bloomin Designs was initially a flower garden design and installation company. The nursery was started by taking plants from our gardens for our own designs, and eventually growing them in containers for local wholesale and retail nurseries. As our daylily and hosta fields increased, we decided to open our gardens to the public via the internet.

  How long have you been in business?

Linda managed a nursery that grows annuals and perennials for commercial accounts in the early 1990s. In the mid 1990s, we started installing flower gardens. The nursery started selling plants 1997. Our internet business started in 2003.

Can I have permission to reprint photos or information from your website?

Webmasters have permission to reprint information from our website to their website or in their newsletter - provided a live link is included back to this site. Please let us know if you have any questions on how to link to your site.

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