When life and business become too complicated, we seek ways to simplify at Flowers by the Sea Farm and Nursery. Two changes we're currently making concern ordering and shipping. As business has grown, we have found it increasingly difficult to maintain two longtime practices -- split shipping and allowing additions to orders via telephone or email.

Here's some helpful backstory before we explain the changes.

Sometimes all the plants placed in a single order aren't available at the same time. This happens if part are regular selections that Flowers by the Sea grows year round and others are preorders of plants that are only available at certain times of year. It also occurs when customers mix regular order plants with special orders for plants that are rare or for which demand isn't constant or seasonal. 

Preordering is especially helpful for customers who want our spring-limited plants (ones we only grow at this time), but need to plant them in mid- to late spring. Special ordering allows customers to purchase a larger than normal quantity of a plant or obtain plants we don't grow year-round due to limited demand. We grow special orders beginning when an order is placed. Both practices are aimed at conserving resources yet providing you with the plants you want at the right growing time for your garden.

Now, on to the changes.

Goodbye, Split Orders
Under our former policy, a customer could request that we split an order between two shipping dates. This involved sending what was ready for shipping immediately and waiting until a later date to send the remainder.

Although we didn't encourage it, split shipping was often the resolution when customers posted an order mixing plants requiring preordering or special ordering with ones immediately available. That is no longer possible. Nor is revision of mixed orders to remove items for placement in a second order. If you create this kind of mixed order, all the plants will be shipped together and delivered when the preordered or special ordered choices are ready. We will manage propagation so your entire order is ready for planting at the same time.

No longer allowing split orders for shipping alleviates tracking problems, incorrect charges for shipping and confusion for both us and you. It also improves inventory management.

Goodbye, Telephone/Email Additions
Adding to orders via telephone or email is another practice that became perplexing as business expanded. Now, you may place a separate order for additional plants and request, at the time of the second order, that it be combined with a previous order for shipping.

Questions?
As already indicated, both of these practices are just too complicated all around. Yet we realize that some of you liked these former options. So, we apologize for any inconvenience these changes may cause, but they are for the best. Please contact us if you have any questions.