Do you offer a guarantee?
How does the program work?
Are live plants shipped?
When are the plants shipped?
How do I prepare a spot to plant my garden in?
What should I do when I receive my package?
How do I plant my perennials?
How do I care for my perennials?
Should I mulch my perennials?
What is a perennial?
What size are the plants when shipped?
How old are the plants when shipped?
Can you send a gift to a friend?
When will the plants flower?
How often should I water the plants?
Can I overwinter perennials in a container?
How and when is my bankcard processed?
How early in the spring can I plant my order?
What hardiness zone am I in?
Do you have a privacy policy?
Is your site finished?
How long will it take to receive my order?
How much will shipping cost?
How do I reach Original Gardens?
Do you offer a guarantee?
Yes, we offer a thirty day guarantee on all live plant material.
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How does the program work?
The live plant program is very similar to kits you have seen for ants, butterflies, and other kinds of bugs. Our retail partners order and receive kits containing color plant stakes, directions, garden additions, and a coupon good for 24 live plants to be submitted to and redeemed by Original Gardens.
Fill out the order form and mail or fax it back to Original Gardens. We will send you a kit with all your components and instructions as well as a coupon redeemable for live plants. Simply complete the card and mail it back to us specifying where you would like the gardens shipped; we will deliver it right after your last frost.
Fax your order to 800.306.4167 or mail it to Original Gardens, Inc., PO Box 808, Chagrin Falls, OH 44022. Plants will be delivered to your home via Fed-Ex after the danger of frost has passed.
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Are live plants shipped?
Jumbo 3 paks are 2.25" x 3" deep, and sold in sets of 3 plants. The plants tops will vary in height by variety, but if they are taller than 6-8" we normally have to cut them back to fit in our boxes. This does not harm the plant in any way, and actually helps to promote a bushier, fuller plant. Our standard "jumbo" pak will be 6 to 12 months old.
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When are the plants shipped?
We normally ship as follows based on the recommended planting time for your area:
a. Zone 3,4-Mid May
b. Zone 5-Late April/Early May
c. Zone 6-Mid to Late April
d. Zone 7-Early to Mid April
e. Zone 8-Mid to Late March/Early April
f. Zone 9 and warmer-Mid to Late March
g. Due to the weather in NE Ohio, we are not able to ship before the middle of March. If you book in advance, the preceding dates apply. If you order during the season, your order usually ships within 2 weeks, often faster.
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How do I prepare a spot to plant my garden in?
Lay the area out with a hose or something to outline the area. Spray out a line with yard spray paint. Rototill and add approximately 4 bags of topsoil additive per 40 square feet. Make sure the soil is soft and easily plantable to about 4" deep.
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What should I do when I receive my package?
You should unpack the plants and remove any packaging material. Place the plants in a shady spot, and water them thoroughly. They should perk up overnight if looking wilted. You can plant right away or let them catch their breath for 3-4 days, then plant them in the ground, again watering thoroughly. Plants can actually be maintained in their Original Gardens pots/pak for several days, just keep them moist and in dappled light.
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How do I plant my perennials?
Use a trowel to dig a hole about 3" x 6" deep in prepared soil as described above. Massage the bottom of the planter that plant is in and remove. Place plant in the hole and use the trowel to smooth soil into the hole in and around the plant. Use the trowel to press down on the soil to eliminate any pockets of air. Water thoroughly immediately after planting.
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How do I care for my perennials?
Water thoroughly and fertilize in the Spring and Summer. Be sure to keep the growing area free from any weeds. Trim off remaining foliage after Thanksgiving to ensure rot does not take place.
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Should I mulch my perennials?
In most cases, no, you should not cover your plants for the wintertime. A protective mulch (salt marsh hay, pine boughs, straw, etc.) can be applied after the ground is frozen, and removed with the first thaw. Here in the Midwest that is very hard to do-since we typically have a December thaw, a January thaw, and February and March thaws. The biggest killer of perennials is having the crown of the plant smother (or rot) in the late winter/early spring. Overwintering mulch put on too soon, or left on too long will do this. Exceptions would be areas with extreme cold and little snowcover. Or when plant material is way outside of its normal climate range, (i.e. 2 or more zones away.) We never use mulch here in Northern Ohio, and never lose plants to Old Man Winter. Decorative mulch such as cedar is another issue. While convenient for weed control and appearances, it's depth should be no deeper than necessary to discourage the weeds, and it should NEVER be rakes over the crown of the plants for the winter. The jury is still out on the decorative mulch as it can harbor insects and plant diseases, but its use is so prevalent now that we address it here. Our best advice for your plants is to avoid excessive decorative mulch, and plant your garden so that it will fill in.
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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 as long as an annual because the plant must take time out to gather enough strength to overwinter, but the range of flowering times, colors, heights, foliage color, and textures make for a fascinating plant pallet to work with.
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What size are the plants when shipped?
Jumbo 3 paks are 2.25" x 3" deep, and sold in sets of three plants. The plant tops will vary in height by variety, but if they are taller than 6-8" we normally have to cut them back to fit in our boxes. This does not harm the plant in any way, and actually helps to promote a bushier, fuller plant.
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How old are the plants when shipped?
Our standard "jumbo" pak will be six to twelve months old.
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Can you send a gift to a friend?
We do offer gift certificates for giving anytime. If you would like to make a present of our perennials to a family member or friend, we will send them an enclosure card with your personalized message and a catalog with the gift certificate. We also have pre-planned prepared gardens which make excellent gifts. They are acknowledged to your friends with a personalized gift card, if desired, and with a full write-up of the plants alongs with instructions for soil preparation and planting. The plants themselves and a second set of instructions follow at the proper planting time for their area.
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When will the plants flower?
Most perennials won't be truly outstanding until their second year. They will be too busy growing their first year to flower at their fullest. As a rule of thumb though: Spring flowering varieties will flower before shipping. Summer flowering varieties will put on 2/3 of a show usually six weeks later their first season. Fall flowering varieties will almost reach full size, and put on a nice show their first year.
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How often should I water?
Your goal should be a self sufficient flower border. If you water everyday, you will always have to water everyday. Normally, 1" of water a week, either from you or Mother Nautre the first year is enough. You want it to soak deeply so that the plants will send their roots down to look for water. The second year you can water every other week, more often just to help them through the droughts, or if wilting before lunchtime.
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Can I overwinter perennials in a container?
Almost every plant we grow will be okay in a contaier for one season. The difficulty comes in wintering over the container. Since the roots are now "above ground" in the container, the moderating effect of the soil's warmth is lost. Either transplant the perennials into your fall border, or sink the entire container in the ground. In mid zones, you might get away with protecting the container with hay bales, or by placing the container along the sheltered foundation of your house.
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How and when is my bankcard processed?
Bankcards are processed automatically by the website. Bankcards are charged within a day or two of when the plants are ordered.
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How early in the spring can I plant my order?
The plants will be able to handle a heavy frost to a light freeze. It is much better to plant your order than to hold it until all threats of bad weather are past. If in doubt, let us advise you as to the best time for your area.
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What hardiness zone am I in?
Most books dealing with plants, and catalogs will have a U.S.A map depicting the climate zones. Use our handy zip code search to find your hardiness zone based on your zip code in the resources section of our website.
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Do you have a privacy policy?
Yes we do. You can read all about it here.
We here at Original Gardens share many things in common with our customers.With this in mind let us share with your our privacy policy in keeping your information private, what information we collect and why, our email policies and why you can feel safe doing business with Original Gardens Perennials.
- The love of green and growing things.
- The satisfaction of hard work in the garden and creating something beautiful.
- Not being afraid of getting our hands dirty.
- Most importantly, when we do our shopping we want to know our personal information is going to stay just that - personal.
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Is your site finished?
No, not ever. It seems we are always working out the bug-du-jour. We are always trying to improve. We update our site regularly. If you experience any problems please let us know. We want this to be easy!
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How long will it take to receive my order?
We normally give you a two week window in which to expect your plants. If spring has arrived to your area and we are currently shipping to your area, you will receive your order within 10 days of ordering. If it is late in the spring, we are usually shipping the next day, avoiding weekend layovers. Call our office with any questions.
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How much will shipping cost?
Shipping and handling charges are already part of the $165 cost. There are no additional shipping or handling costs!
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How do I reach Original Gardens?
Write to:
Original Gardens, Inc.
PO Box 808
Chagrin Falls, OH 44022
Phone: 800.983.5860
Fax: 800.306.4167
Email: info@originalgardens.com
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