Have you ever wondered how a tree sapling, shrub or hedging plant can be ordered online and safely arrive at your door by post?
It might sound simple enough - your order is placed, a plant is picked, it is packed into a box and sent to you.
But there is actually a lot more involved in getting a living plant safely from a specialist growing nursery to your garden.
When you order from Trees by Post, your order is passed through to the nursery supplying your plants. From there, the growing, picking and dispatch teams carefully prepare the plants for their journey.
So, what actually happens behind the scenes?
It starts with the growing nursery
The specialist nursery growing the plants is a large-scale growing operation, covering more than 50 acres of polytunnels, greenhouses and outdoor growing areas.
With around 150 different types of tree saplings, shrubs, hedging plants, marginal plants and wild flowers available, there is an enormous amount of organisation involved in growing, monitoring and keeping track of the plants.
Many of the plants are cell-grown, meaning that individual plants remain in their growing trays until they are ready to be planted out, sold or picked for a specific customer order.
This means plants aren't necessarily sitting around pre-packed and waiting to be sent.
Instead, many are carefully picked specifically when they are needed.
Your order is picked specifically for you
Once your order has been received and processed, a picking and packing sheet is created for the nursery team.
This tells the pickers exactly which plants are required for your order.
And finding a particular plant isn't always as straightforward as you might imagine.
With plants growing across such a large nursery, a member of the picking team may need to travel considerable distances to locate and collect the particular tree sapling, shrub or hedging plant that has been ordered.
Once the correct plants have been located, they are carefully removed from their growing trays and taken to the dedicated dispatch area.
Behind the scenes in the dispatch room
The nursery's dispatch area is a dedicated space with large work benches and everything needed to prepare plants for delivery.
There are cardboard plant boxes, packing tape, plant bags, drawstring bags, shredded card for protecting larger bundled orders and polythene for wrapping groups of the same species.
The packing team handles a huge variety of orders.
One customer might order a single tree sapling for their garden, while another might order hundreds of different or identical saplings for a woodland planting scheme or a large hedging project.
Every order is different, and the way it is packed depends on exactly what has been ordered.
Identifying your plants
Where an order contains different species or types of plant, the plants need to be clearly identifiable when they arrive.
A name tag is added to the appropriate plant or bundle, with plants of the same species grouped together where there is more than one.
This makes unpacking your order much easier and means you can quickly identify what you've received.
How are tree saplings packed for posting?
For orders of up to 8 plants, the plants are sent via Royal Mail in a specially designed, strong double-skinned cardboard plant box.
The boxes have been designed specifically to help tree saplings and shrubs travel safely and securely through the UK's postal network.
Each plant is carefully placed into a black polythene bag to help retain moisture during its journey.
The plants are then arranged inside the box in a particular way to help keep them secure.
Up to four plants can be positioned from one end, with additional plants placed from the opposite end. This allows the saplings to support and hold one another in place, helping to reduce movement while the parcel is travelling through Royal Mail's postal hubs and on to your local delivery depot.
So although the parcel may look fairly straightforward from the outside, there is quite a bit of thought that goes into getting the plants safely positioned inside.
The final checks
Once the plants have been packed, the order is checked before it leaves the nursery.
A Trees by Post care card is included with instructions to help you plant and care for your new tree saplings, shrubs or hedging plants when they arrive.
A personal message can also be added to the care card where requested.
The final step is adding the Royal Mail address label, including your name, address and any relevant delivery instructions.
The order is then marked as completed and joins the other parcels waiting for collection.
Your plants then begin their journey
Royal Mail collects the completed orders and scans them into its postal network.
You'll receive tracking information from Trees by Post so that you can follow the progress of your parcel and see when your plants are expected to arrive.
From there, it's the final part of the journey - from the growing nursery, through the postal network and finally to your garden.
And that's only the beginning
Of course, everything that happens on the day your order is picked and packed is only one part of the story.
Before a plant ever reaches the dispatch room, it has already had a long growing journey.
The nursery team has the job of looking after the plants from the earliest stages, including carefully selecting seed, nurturing young plants and monitoring their development until they are ready to be supplied.
They also have to manage stock across a huge growing area - knowing what plants are available, where they are growing and when individual plants will be ready for sale.
And then there's the weather.
Too much sun, not enough sun, heavy rain, changes in humidity and light, and even snow can all affect growing conditions.
Water is supplied through irrigation systems and borehole supplies, while the nursery team monitors the plants and adjusts their care according to the conditions.
It takes a great deal of organisation, specialist knowledge, time and care to produce healthy plants ready for planting in gardens, hedges and woodland schemes.
From the nursery to your door
So when a small tree sapling or shrub arrives at your door in a cardboard box, it may look like a fairly simple parcel.
But behind that parcel is a much bigger process.
There is the growing, nurturing and monitoring of the plant, careful stock management across a large nursery, locating the right plant, preparing it for dispatch, identifying it, packaging it securely and finally getting it into the postal network.
Whether you've ordered one tree sapling for your garden or hundreds of plants for a woodland or hedging project, there is a surprising amount of work involved in getting those plants safely from nursery to customer.
And that's what happens behind the scenes before your tree sapling arrives at your door.
From the nursery to your garden, every plant has a journey.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tree Saplings by Post
Can tree saplings be sent by post?
Yes. Tree saplings can be carefully prepared and packaged for postal delivery. Orders of up to 8 plants are sent in specially designed, double-skinned cardboard plant boxes to help protect them during transit.
How are tree saplings packaged for delivery?
Each tree sapling or shrub is carefully prepared and placed into a black polythene bag to help retain moisture during its journey. The plants are then positioned securely inside a specially designed cardboard plant box to help minimise movement during transit.
Can I buy tree saplings online?
Yes. Tree saplings, shrubs and hedging plants can be ordered online through Trees by Post, with plants carefully selected and prepared for delivery.
How are plants kept safe when they are sent through the post?
Plants are carefully positioned inside their packaging so that they support one another and have limited movement during transit. The packaging is designed specifically for sending tree saplings and shrubs through the postal network.
How many plants can be sent in one box?
Orders of up to 8 plants are sent using the specially designed tree sapling and shrub boxes. Larger orders are packed according to the number and types of plants ordered.
Will my plants arrive with planting instructions?
Yes. A Trees by Post care card is included with orders, providing information to help you plant and care for your new tree saplings, shrubs or hedging plants.