Click the list of questions below to be taken to your answer:-
- Contacting us
- Can I email or ring you to ask for help and plant advice?
- Why should I order by mail order from Burncoose Nurseries?
- When are the nurseries OPEN to the public?
- Using the website questions:
- I need help finding my way around the site, and ordering plants
- Why is my basket empty when I have put plants in it?
- Our plants
- What sized pots are your plants grown in?
- Are all your plants CONTAINER grown?
- Are any of the plants you sell poisonous?
- Your Order, our assurances
- What GUARANTEE do you offer to your customers when buying plants from Burncoose?
- How can I be sure my plants won’t be DAMAGED when delivered by post or overnight carrier.
- How long will it take to deliver my order?
- How do I pay for my order? When will I actually be CHARGED?
- What happens if some items are UNAVAILABLE when my order is received?
- If my order is despatched in two stages for any of the reasons outlined above which are beyond the nursery’s control will I have to pay a second delivery charge?
- Will you automatically provide close SUBSTITUE plants for any items which are unavailable at the time of despatch?
- Are there carriage SURCHARGES for deliveries to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Channel Isles, Scilly Isles and Northern Ireland?
- Can I order from within the European Union?
- Can I place an order from outside the EU?
- Can I place a TRADE order?
- Do all prices include VAT?
- Will you accept Gift Tokens in full or part payment of an order?
- Can I collect my order from the nurseries?
- Can I collect orders from the Burncoose stands at flower shows?
- Where can I find your full Terms of Business?
Q. Why should I order by mail order from Burncoose Nurseries?
A. 1. Choice
2. Reputation
3. History
1. Burncoose offers a huge choice of over 4,000 different ornamental trees, shrubs and other herbaceous plants. This makes it the UK’s LARGEST MAIL ORDER PLANT SPECIALIST.
2. Well over 20 Gold Medals from the Chelsea Flower Show lie behind Burncoose’s countrywide reputation for supplying quality plants by mail order. Click here to view our customer comments.
3. Burncoose Nurseries has been trading from its current location the 30 acre woodland gardens at Burncoose for over 25 years. Burncoose is part of the Caerhays Castle Estate owned by the Williams family. The Williams family financed many of the plant hunting expeditions to China around 100 years ago which led to the introduction to cultivation in the UK of many of the camellias, magnolias and rhododendrons which Burncoose offers for sale today. The nursery is still owned and run by the Williams family one of whose ancestors bred the first of the new huge worldwide range of x williamsii camellias.
Q. What sized pots are your plants grown in?
A. We are an active working nursery where plants get potted on periodically during the year. However, as a general rule of thumb:-
Herbaceous plants are in 1.5 or 2 litre pots
Ornamental shrubs are in 2, 2.5 or (most often) in 3 litre pots
Plants shown as being 'LARGE' in the catalogue are in 5 or up to 10 litre pots
Plants shown as being 'SPECIMENS' or Half-Standard trees in the catalogue are in 10 or up to 25 litre pots
We do not sell tiny plug plants or small liner plants. Everything we sell should be the equivalent of garden centre saleable or immediately plantable in the garden size. Plants which are dormant in winter or dieing down after flowering or in the autumn would however probably not still be on the garden centre shelf at the time!
If we do send you a plant which is smaller than our normal catalogue size we will tell you and apply an appropriate price reduction.
Q. Can I email or ring your to ask for help and plant advice?
A. As a long-standing mail order business that is exactly what we are here for! We try to ensure (but don’t always succeed) in manning the office 7 days a week to give help and advice to all our customers about their plant queries and problems. However you can order or ask our advice at any time of the day or night by using our online helpline service, and completing our online form. We also have care and advice articles which may cover the particular plant you need advice on.
Email - info@burncoose.co.uk
Telephone - 01209 860316
Q. What GUARANTEE do you offer to your customers when buying plants from Burncoose?
A. We have put together a shortened version of our terms and conditions here and you can also see some of our satisfied customer comments by clicking here.
Q. How can I be sure my plants won’t be DAMAGED when delivered by post or overnight carrier.
A. The Burncoose Packing Shed staff are frequently complimented on the skill and care with which plants are packed. Our packers have many years experience of packing delicate plants to travel long distances. Damage in transit is rare and where it does occur the goods are full insured and will be replaced. Click here for photographs of the packing shed in action.
Last year we despatched thousands of separate orders throughout the UK and Europe so please trust our experience and packing skills. Click here for customer comments)
Q. HOW LONG will it take to DELIVER my order?
A. Orders are normally despatched well within 5-10 working days from receipt except in the busy spring or autumn seasons when it may take up to 10 - 15 working days from receipt until despatch.
If you need your order to be despatched or received on a particular day this will not normally present a problem providing your instructions are clear.
However customers need to be aware that:-
i) Some plants are very rare and often in short supply.
ii) Some plants are only available at certain times of the year (e.g. autumn bulbs) or at the start of the summer (e.g. semi hardy herbaceous plants).
iii) Every gardener has to face up to shortages, crop failures and horticultural disasters from time to time. Burncoose is no exception.
iv) A few of the more inexpensive hedging plants are only dug and delivered bare root between November and March.
v) Some plants are only imported from China, Chile and New Zealand once a year.
vi) Nobody would thank us for delivering plants at times of drought or severe cold.
Where you order is going to be delayed beyond our normal despatch timetable we will always try to email or telephone to let you know the position.
Q. How do I pay for my order? When will I actually be CHARGED?
A. Customers who provide us with their card details will be charged as soon as their order is placed. If there are any plants unavailable from your order at the time of despatch you can be certain that you will receive a credit back onto the same card. Cheques will be banked upon receipt, likewise if there are plants unavailable you will recieve a cheque back within 30 days after despatch.
Q. Are all your plants CONTAINER grown?
A. With the exception of a very few smaller trees and hedging plants which are supplied bare root virtually everything we grow is in containers. Our pot sizes start from 1.5 litres, however most plants are supplied in 2.5 to 3 litre pot, trees and shrubs in larger 5 - 25 litre pots. Further details of pot sizes can found here.
This means that you can plant the plants we supply at any time of the year – weather conditions permitting. We do not supply any plug or liner plants.
Q. What happens if some items are UNAVAILABLE when my order is received?
A. If a split or two stage delivery is necessary for reasons beyond our control (e.g. seasonal factors or stock failures etc) we will advise you of the likely timing of the second despatch with the first delivery.
If there are only one or two or perhaps a few missing items on your order then we normally despatch everything else and request that you reorder any missing items.
If we are unable to supply the majority of your order we will contact you and advise you of the position and the likely time when the full order will be available.
Again you only pay for what is actually despatched.
Q. If my order is despatched in two stages for any of the reasons outlined above which are beyond the nurserys control will I have to pay a second delivery charge?
A. In normal circumstances, yes. BUT you will be advised by PHONE before that a split delivery is occuring and you will have the chance to completely cancel your order if you want to. You don't have to worry that you will be paying for split delivery without giving us the go ahead to do so.
Q. Will you automatically provide close SUBSTITUTE plants for any items which are unavailable at the time of despatch?
A. Only if you specifically give us permission to do so when ordering or if we get your specific permission to supply a close substitute in a subsequent telephone conversation or email.
Q. Are there carriage SURCHARGES for deliveries to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Channel Isles, Scilly Isles and Northern Ireland?
A. Unfortunately this is the case although the amounts involved are often not that great. These carriage surcharges are levied on us by Parcelforce and our couriers as a matter of course. They do change frequently so please call or email us for the latest details. click here for our online form.
Q. When are the nurseries OPEN to the public?
A. The nurseries and 30 acre woodland gardens at Burncoose are open every day of the year except Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Q. Can I order from within the European Union?
A. Regulations change regularly, click here for the latest details on export orders, available in English, French and German
Q. Can I place an order from outside the EU?
A. Certainly, you do not have to be in the UK to place an order with us for UK delivery, however if you are outside of the UK and wish to have the plant(s) delivered outside of the UK also, then please click here for latest details on export orders, available in English, French and German
A. Certainly and we would welcome this!
The Burncoose catalogue already contains a large range of discounts for quantity orders of individual plants.
However further discounts may be offered to genuine trade customers (e.g. garden designers, landscape gardeners, other nurseries and garden centres) who order in excess of £400 worth of plants.
The simplest and best way forward is for you to provide us with a list of your trade order by email, telephone or fax. We will then very quickly give you a quotation based on the scarcity or otherwise of the plants you require, the quantities of individual plants needed, whether we have grown them ourselves or imported them from overseas and our current stock levels.
Click here to visit our trade and professional gardeners page.
A. Yes, where applicable. Plants with edible fruits are zero-rated.
Q. Are any of the plants you sell poisonous?
A. Yes. There are various categories of risk which are clearly outlined in the codings of our main catalogue. The Horticultural Trade Association defines what plants are considered poisonous and the categories we use. (Click here for latest information on codings)
Q. Will you accept Gift Tokens in full or part payment of an order?
A. Yes. We only however accept National Garden Gift Tokens and our own Burncoose Nurseries Gift Tokens. (Click here to purchase National Garden Gift Tokens)
We regret that gift tokens can never be exchanged for cash and no cash refunds can be given when tokens are used. Gift tokens cannot be used for payment for online orders unless you place your order over the telephone. However, you can purchase online gift vouchers as a present, which can be used in full or part payment for any order placed online. Online Gift Vouchers are valid for one year from date of purchase.
Q. Can I collect my order from the nurseries?
A. Yes, of course, but please give us a few days notice. Just select the 'collect from Nursery option' during checkout.
Q. Can I collect orders from the Burncoose stands at flower shows?
A. Yes, certainly, providing again that we have say ten days notice from the start date of the show. We do however make a small charge for the carriage and packing involved. Unfortunately show regulations prevent us bringing orders for collection to the Chelsea Flower Show. (Click here for the shows which we are attending this year)
Click to customer enquiry form
Q. Where can I find your full Terms of Business?
A. Click here for Full Terms and Conditions
Q. Why is my basket empty when I know I have put plants in it ?
A. Ideally you should enter our website with the URL: https://www.burncoose.co.uk. However, this is not essential and you may come from a bookmark or a search engine link. We use cookies to link your computer to our order database. If you have not got cookies enabled we cannot make this link. In Internet Explorer, if you go to 'Tools', then 'Internet Options', and set Security and Privacy to 'medium' it should solve the problem.
Sometimes security programs you may be using will block the cookie connecting. As a rule on ours and other websites it is always best to check your Shopping Basket/Cart once you have added one or two items to check everything is working okay.
