Welcome to all our new customers! 

We are here to assist you in choosing the best plants for your spaces and learning about native plant ecology, but we know our sales may not be like other sales you’ve experienced! So here's a bit about what to expect when you preorder and/or attend the public sale.

REMEMBER:
NPU is a very small family business. Our sales are hosted by Geist Nursery, another (separate, different, please don't call them looking for us) small family business. We purchase from small to mid-sized regional growers, most also family owned. Most are wholesale but sometimes we order from retailers to bring you plants that are in short supply, and hard to find.

We do not grow our own plants, and WE DO NOT SHIP POTTED PLANTS. We do occasionally offer bare roots for shipping, but these will be clearly marked in the listing title.

Plants are living things. Our growers try to standardize sizes and shapes, but plants do what they want and are affected by many environmental factors. 

We do not offer warranties because the plants are subject to too many variables after they leave our care. Our promise is to be sure the plants we sell are healthy and vigorous. If we end up with a sad one, we’ll let you know and you can decide for yourself whether to take the chance on it.

PREORDERS:
Because we do not have our own property, we rely heavily on preorders for our seasonal sales. This helps us estimate our order for the grower- that "Goldilocks" number- not too many, not too few.

You are NEVER obligated to purchase a plant from us. If you need to cancel a preorder, you may do so - no questions asked. If you pick up your preorder and a plant isn’t what you expected, please let us know and we will offer an exchange or refund.

WHY preorder? Preorders guarantee that what you want will be available when you come to the sale. In addition, preorder customers choose a time slot in which to pick up their order. During that time they can ask us questions and shop at a less busy time, as well as get first selection of the species that are ONLY at the public sale.

PUBLIC SALE:
We do our best with online listings, but there’s nothing like seeing a plant in person to know what you’re getting. That’s why, after preorders are picked up, we offer a public sale period. The lengths of the sales may vary. About half the species we carry are only available at the public sale (or at time of pick-up for preorder customers).

CUSTOMER SUPPORT:
We welcome questions! We want your efforts to succeed and we are here to help as best we can. Email, text, or call!  
In addition, the listings include a lot of information such as growing conditions, and special considerations for each species. An abbreviated version of that info is available all the time online in the form of a “cheat sheet” PDF for easy reference.  Other information, like HOW to put in your new plant, and protect them from rabbits and deer, can be found in the blog section.

POT RETURNS: 
We take back pots and trays to the growers for reuse which is wonderful, and we’re more than happy to do that-  *BUT ONLY THE ONES THAT COME FROM OUR SALES*. Please follow the instructions on other pots as to if/how they can be recycled.

SALE SPECIFIC INFO:
Spring Herbaceous Sale in May, with online preorders in March: features wildflowers (forbs), grasses, sedges, rushes, and ferns- more than 200 species in total! These plants are in small pots, and all species in the online preorder will be in 2x2x3in pots unless otherwise stated in the listing. The preorders and sale generally span the entirety of their respective months.

Fall Woody Plant Sale in September, with online preorders in August: features trees, shrubs, and vines- more than 100 species in total! Plants available in the online preorder will be in three gallon pots unless otherwise stated in the listing. Fall preorders generally run through August, but the Fall Public Sale in September only lasts two weeks. Please note that all vines are currently public sale exclusive, and unavailable for preorder.

All of our plant sales are hosted by Geist Nursery (9890 Mollenkopf Road). Geist Nursery is a separate organization, so please direct any questions to NPU with the info provided in the contact page. Hours vary somewhat every year and do not always match Geist Nursery’s hours- check the homepage for the most current info.

Please note that we do not grow our plants ourselves and do not have our own location, so typically do not have plants on hand when our sales are not open! We may be able to special order full flats of single species by request, depending on availability, but do not take small retail orders when our sales aren’t open. Again, WE CANNOT SHIP PLANTS.

Contact us at info@nativeplantsunlimited with questions, and join our e-mail list for sale announcements and updates here!