- How are my plants prepared for my order?
Bare root peonies from Hidden Springs Flower Farm start right here as peony plants grown in our own fields. To get you the freshest roots possible we run a tight schedule. We begin digging September 1st.
Hundreds of plants are dug over a two to three week period to fill our customers orders.
Washing and cleaning the roots takes a day or two per clump as the soil loosens from the roots. Each clump is then divided by hand and the roots carefully trimmed. They are counted, graded and put in a labeled container before they go to a cool, dark storage area. The cutting, trimming and grading starts as soon as we have our first field harvested. We then print labels and carefully tag each root. This process is continued as we dig, clean and ship orders in the sequence received.
Brigitte assembles your order checking them off as your order tray is filled. Once completed Harvey checks to make sure each root is healthy, has a tag and they are what you ordered.
Brigitte then packs and puts in a copy of your order in the box, and your mailing and tracking label are affixed and your package is sealed. The package then goes to the truck for transport to the post office where it is weighed, checked in and the tracking system activated. Your bare root peonies are on their way to you just days after leaving their home in the field. If you have an active e-mail account that does not block our messages we send you a note that your package has left the Post Office and is on its way with your USPS tracking number.
We will never substitute varieties, so it is worth your while to get an order in before rare and high demand varieties sell out during peak peony bloom season.
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- What are bare root peonies and why do I get them in the fall?
Bare root peonies are fresh dug from our fields as described and are packed without soil since they will be going directly into your garden. This is similar to fall planted bulbs. Like bulbs they produce their new roots in the fall. But peonies are typically not stored for long periods because they don't have the protective skin that say a tulip or daffodil bulb has and are best planted immediately upon receipt.
Peonies make their best roots in the fall and that is the best time for planting them. Instructions are included on the website for your reference.
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- Can I add to my order?
Yes, you may add to your order until the last day for ordering if a variety is still available. Some varieties do sell out so don't wait if you really have your heart set on a particular variety.
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- When can I expect to receive my peonies?
We ship Priority Mail and schedule orders to ship the roots out in the order they are received. The earlier you order the sooner the scheduled ship date. Our shipping season goes from September 15th - October 15th as the very latest date. If you have specific shipping date needs please let us know at the time of ordering but be aware it is almost impossible to ship your roots before September 15th. Please have your garden ready for them when they arrive. The longer the roots are left out of the ground the weaker the plants the following year!
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- When is the last date to order peonies?
The deadline to order peonies is August 31st. Please allow extra time if you are mailing in your order.
You can begin ordering as soon as the new listings are posted online in November. Our offerings rotate from year to year allowing time for the peony plants to mature. If you are using an old listing it will not guarantee shipment the following year as we rotate between the 600 different varieties of peonies that we grow. Approximately 40 peony varieties are dropped and replaced with new offerings every year.
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- Why can't I order after the deadline before shipping is done?
The short answer is that we may not have the items you wish dug and available any longer that season.
We reserve all prepaid plants as soon as an order is received and stop sale when our supplies are exhausted. Once our digging schedule has started we do not return to those parts of the field already harvested. We set the number of clumps we need dug to yield enough first quality roots to fill the orders. If the quality of roots produced are not up to our standards we will issue a refund, we do not back order or substitute without your permission.
Brigitte and I are the main work force during the harvest season. As soon as the mail orders are shipped we must begin replanting our own fields before the ground freezes. We are in a part of the world where freezing occurs in September.
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- Will my plants bloom next spring?
Some varieties are better than others at blooming the first year after planting although even in our fields many varieties will put their energy into growing a strong root system. The bloom color and flower shape improves much once the plant has grown a strong healthy new root system. Your close attention to proper soil preparation, planting and watering the first fall and the next growing season is critical for success.
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- How big are the roots you ship?
We ship first quality roots with 3 - 5 eyes for all peony varieties we sell including hybrids. We have many repeat customers that tell us how happy they are with their plants. Peony root size depends on the variety and has nothing to do with it's ability to grow. Some produce monster roots and others wimpy looking roots that still produce fine husky looking plants. You can order with confidence as we have over 30 years of peony growing experience and are happy to answer any questions you have once you receive your roots.
- Do you have a printed catalog?
We no longer print a catalog but you are welcome to print the web pages for your personal non-commercial use.
We enjoy working to bring you all the wonderful advantages of the digital age on our web site with full color pictures and real time information on what is in stock as well as the ability to give you access to special money saving offers that a printed catalog does not allow. Many customers find our special listings such as the fragrant varieties link helpful in narrowing down their selection.
- May I cancell my order?
Cancellations:
Sometimes an order may need to be cancelled for some very valid reason. We are happy to provide this service. Once an order has been received and processed there is a 15% restocking and processing fee. Orders can not be cancelled once they have been dug.
Why are there cancellation and restocking fees? We realize that most customers have no idea what costs are involved when they place an order and felt that knowing these costs might be informative.
When you place an order here is what happens:
1. We take care and time processing and printing the order, address labels, shipping labels and note any special instructions you may have included at the time of placing the order.
2. Your order goes onto a master digging list and the plants you order are removed from inventory and held exclusively for you.
3. The order is then filed according to the date received or requested shipping week.
4. When you place an order for a finite quantity product like plants that take years to grow we guarantee that we will hold your plant and not sell it to anyone else. The plants are removed from our sale inventory on the website and we lose the opportunity to sell them to another customer.
5. If your order, causes a ‘sold out' message on the website we must manually change the website and adjust inventory. When customers check a website for an item and it's sold out, they rarely come back and go searching elsewhere.
6. We pay the credit card provider upwards of 2.9% plus a transaction fee for processing the credit card when you make a purchase. Even more if you are using a rewards card which brings the total fees close to 6% per order.
When you need to cancel your order here is what happens:
1. We issue a refund to your account which costs another 2.9% plus a transaction fees and takes staff time to do so.
2. We have to pay staff to get the cancelled plants off of the digging list and return it to the available list.
3. We adjust the inventory on the website and if the plant was 'sold out' it must be reinstalled as available again.
4. We have to go into the accounting software, change the order and reprint Office and Customer copies.
5. Hard copies of your order are noted as cancelled and the date recorded.
Typically the total charges from the credit card and processing company for orders that are cancelled is 12%. In addition we have office time and may have lost the opportunity to sell the plant to someone else.
How can I avoid the restocking fees?
We will make a one time change to ship your order to a friend or family member as a gift if you are no longer able to accept the order provided the mailing address is located in the lower 48 States and we receive notice before September 1.
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