How Our Plants Ship

At High Country Gardens, we are committed to growing outstanding plants for your waterwise garden. At our nursery in Utah, we grow a wide range of plants and trial exciting new plant varieties.

For over 25 years, High Country Gardens has built our reputation by offering the best plants and gardening products available. When you order from us, we guarantee that you will receive the hardiest plants, bulbs, and seeds available, packed with care and ready to thrive in your garden. Read on to learn more about how our plants are grown, packed, and shipped. 

Our team carefully packs your plants for shipment, using specially designed packaging to carefully hold your plants in transit.

We schedule shipments based on USDA Zones, and we ship your plants at the right time to plant in your area. (Of course, weather conditions are variable. In Spring, wait until after your last hard freeze to plant.)

Some plants may be shipped in a dormant state, which ensures the least amount of stress on your plant. Once planted in your garden, it can "wake up" from dormancy, ready to take off and thrive.

Our potted plants are grown and delivered in four sizes:

• Premium Pot (3.5" wide x 5" deep; 1 1/2 pints)
• Standard Pot (2.5" wide x 3.5" deep)
• Cactus Pot (2.5" wide x 2.5" deep)
• One Gallon Pot (6.75" wide x 7" deep)

These containers are what's known as a trade gallon, often labeled in nurseries as #1, #1 container, or #1 gallon. These pots average 3 quarts or 2.8 liters.

Due to their large size, plants in gallon pots are are shipped separately.

Depending on the plant life cycle and the time of year, you will receive your plants in various stages of growth.

Most perennial plants arrive with fresh, leafy top-growth. Many times, just prior to shipping, we will prune the leafy growth of the plants back to reduce stress during shipping and to encourage root growth when the perennial is transplanted. 

Don’t worry, these vigorous plants have healthy root systems and will begin regrowth quickly once planted.

If planting in fall, you may not see much top growth after transplanting. That’s because perennials planted in fall work to establish a strong root system first, and you’ll be rewarded with well-established plants the following growing season.

Some of our plants ship dormant - the plant version of sleeping. These plants are varieties that are slower to wake in spring. With a a robust root system and crown, once ground temperatures warm, these plants will sprout from the soil line. Make sure not to damage any small emerging shoots.

Plant these dormant plants right away. Don’t hold off planting them until they break dormancy or up-pot them. These plants will have better success when directly planted in your garden, where they can wake with Mother Nature’s prompting of longer days and warmer temperatures.

Learn More: Planting Guide For Dormant Plants

If shipped early in the growing season, shrubs and small trees will likely be dormant. They will have lost their leaves in the previous fall, but will soon begin to leaf out again. If you scrape a small area of bark with your fingernail, you should see fresh green healthy tissue under the bark. If you examine them closely you may see green buds that are starting to grow. Plant these dormant plants as soon as possible.

Flower bulbs contain buds surrounded by stored food to provide energy for growth. These small bulbs transform into lush, healthy plants with the right care! Follow the instructions on the package and you’ll be rewarded with beautiful blooms.

• Some "bulbs" are technically tubers or corms
• Healthy flower bulbs should be firm, with no mushy spots. Some bulbs may have a bit of surface mold; this is not harmful.
• Some bulbs have papery coverings, called tunics, that may flake off during handling with no harm to the bulbs. Don't peel them off if they aren't coming off on their own.
• Select bulbs require soaking in water prior to planting - only soak bulbs that specifically call for this step in the planting instructions.
• Bulbs may have visible buds or shoots, but most will not show any signs of life until they're planted. If buds or shoots are present, take care not to damage these buds during planting.

Learn More: Planting Guide For Flower Bulbs

In our experience, most of our perennial plants establish best when grown in pots, with a few exceptions: only our Daylilies are sold as bareroot plants. Bareroots are just that, plants that have a strong root system, but the soil has been removed. Bareroot plants arrive in moist peat moss packing material; keep the peat moss moist (but not soaking wet) and the roots loosely wrapped to prevent them from drying out until you plant them.

Bareroot plants may look a bit underwhelming, but rest assured, they will spring to life after being properly planted. You can spot a healthy bareroot plant by looking for small buds at the crown (where the roots meet the top growth) or on the roots themselves. Use your fingernail to nick the surface of a root; you may see some moist tissue underneath.

Even waterwise plants need supplemental water to get established. 

• To establish healthy perennials that have leafed out, continue watering 1-3 times per week, for the first 1-3 months, depending on whether or not you receive natural rainfall and how the plant appears.
• Dormant plants will need no additional water until new growth begins to emerge.
• For low desert regions, watering once every 2 weeks may be necessary if day temperatures are consistently above 80 degrees. (Watch our Gardening Videos for more information watering.)

Learn More: View our comprehensive Planting Guide and Gardening Videos for more guidance on planting, watering, and care for your plants.