Buyer/Seller Expectations & Agreement of Sale
Terms & Conditions: Tubers are available for sale to buyers who agree to the terms and conditions herein.
Buyer understands the expectations and shall indicate agreement by checking the box on the cart page at time of purchase. This step is required for completion of a sales transaction.
Sales Policy
Payment & Confirmation: Items placed in shopping cart or special item requests do not guarantee item reservation or acquisition until purchase process is complete and order confirmation received.
Sales are final after full payment is made and order confirmation is received. Order confirmation is emailed to Buyer at the provided email address following purchase.
Shipping & Delivery: Tubers are shipped and tracked via USPS Priority Mail starting in April, starting with orders being delivered to the southernmost USDA growing zones and working our way through to orders being delivered to the northernmost growing zones. Weather conditions dictate the shipping schedule and adjustments are made accordingly.
Shipping confirmation and tracking information is emailed as soon as USPS shipping label is generated and tracking number assigned. Stated shipping and delivery dates are approximate and subject to change. Seller will make every effort to notify buyer of any necessary changes of expected shipping dates. Seller is not responsible for carrier delays or weather conditions that may delay shipment or affect timely delivery by postal carrier.
During the tuber pre-sale order fulfillment process Seller will first endeavor to filter all open orders in system by address and combine any multiple orders found to be shipping to the same mailing address. In these instances, Seller will manually credit back the saved shipping costs to Seller. We understand how expensive shipping has become and make every effort to utilize the most efficient and affordable shipping option with least amount of risk of damage or loss.
if your order includes items other than dahlia tubers, these will all ship together in April. For seed orders that you desire to arrive immediately after purchase, please place these orders separately.
Only domestic shipping within the continental United States is possible at this time, as international live plant, bulb and seed quarantine restrictions, and increased restrictions in several individual countries, have severely narrowed our ability to ship internationally at this time.
Care & Handling: Seller shall adequately pack and properly package tubers in USPS priority mail shipping box and shall ship package only when weather conditions are favorable for safe package transit.
Tubers are shipped in visibly healthy condition with at least one viable eye. The specific variety names are indelibly stamped on tubers and are carefully cross checked with packing slip. Before being packaged for shipping, tubers receive a final inspection and are photographed in the event visual reference is required for identification or comparison purposes after box is sealed and shipped. Buyer address is verified in mail system before mailing label is printed and attached to shipping box.
Limited Liability: Responsibility of seller ends at shipment, except for documented shipping damage.
Upon Arrival: Following receipt of shipped tubers, Buyer assumes responsibility for proper care, planting and storage of tubers.
Buyer understands and agrees that in the event of documented shipping damage; or following a review of any claim of an otherwise damaged or defective tuber; or verified by USPS to be irretrievably lost in shipping, both parties will avail themselves to discuss and determine the options for remedy.
Claims, Damages & Refunds
Buyer shall notify Seller within 2 days of confirmed delivery date with photos accompanying any claims of damaged tubers caused during transit.
Replacement tubers may be provided at the Seller’s discretion and only if inventory allows.
Buyer understands and agrees that in the event a refund is necessary for the cost of a tuber, the original shipping costs and any subsequent shipping costs if a replacement tuber is sent, are non-refundable in every circumstance.
No refunds for any perceived flaw in the shape, size or condition of tuber—“ugly” tubers or irregularly sized or shaped tubers are still healthy viable tubers and will still sprout and grow normally. A Buyer’s belief that a tuber may not look normal or appear healthy or viable does not make it so.
Refund or replacement will only be considered when photos of tuber that fails to sprout due to a blind eye or other eye bud anomaly is submitted to Seller for review.
No refunds for tuber growth inabilities due to unfavorable growing conditions, including but not limited to soil quality, over or under watering, too warm or too cold temperatures, damage by pests, rotting or molding of tuber when over-saturated for extended period, drying or shriveling of tuber when left exposed for extended period or placed in soil media that is too dry, or any other contributing environmental factors that may also affect results.
Communication: Clear, calm, and timely communication is expected between both parties when confirming receipt or non-receipt of an order or when reporting any potential issues.
Buyer understands and agrees that, in all potential instances, Seller shall be given opportunity to remedy any potential instances of service or product dissatisfaction prior to posting unsatisfactory reviews.
Respect for Scarcity: Inventory availability is subject to change without notice. In the event that unforeseen circumstances affect availability of tuber inventory and prevents fulfillment of any or all varieties included in a presale order, Buyer will be given the choice of full refund or replacement with substitute variety.
Buyer understand that it may not always be possible for tubers to be replaced depending on current stock availability. In this instance, a full refund of tuber cost will be the only remedy option.
Plant Health & Disease Disclaimer
Dahlias are vigorous plants that are resistant but not invincible. They are naturally susceptible to disease and pest damage. They can inherently carry active or dormant viruses (ex: DMV, INSV, TSWV, TSV), contract fungal diseases (ex: Fusarium, Pythium, Phytophthora), and are susceptible to bacterial diseases (ex: crown gall, leafy gall).
Healthy plants have a better chance of defending from disease and pest attack. Ensuring optimal growing conditions, following strict sanitation protocols, implementation of tool disinfection processes, performing regular plant inspections, routine preventative application of fungicides, pesticides, and fertilizers are all best practices that help to give plants a fighting chance against disease and pests.
Infected plants may not always exhibit visible symptoms. Otherwise healthy looking plants that have demonstrated no signs or symptoms of a disease can still be infected. That plant’s tubers can also appear normal and healthy and still be infected.
The only way to accurately determine if disease is present is to conduct field testing or submit tissue samples to a lab for examination. Submitting tissue samples to outside pathology labs can quickly become both cost and time prohibitive and isn't always practical for large scale commercial growers.
With the obstacles and uncertainties surrounding dahlia diseases in mind, we utilize every known tool, implement every proven process, and adopt every best practice that we can in an effort to reduce as much risk to both we the grower, and you the buyer, as possible.
We take the extra steps to ensure the health of our plants and the tubers and seeds that come from them. This includes field deployed pathogen diagnostic testing, tissue submissions from a representative sampling of our dahlia stock to an outside lab, following standard quarantine protocols with any new plants, tubers, bulbs, and seeds, testing of all composted material, soils and other growing mediums prior to utilization, annual water and soil testing, and much more.
Tubers are provided, to the best of our knowledge after careful observation and visual inspection, to be free of disease at time of sale. This is not a guarantee as dahlias carry genetic predispositions to viral and bacterial diseases that can remain dormant without obvious symptoms and can integrate into the plant's genome or persist in tissue, impacting overall plant health and propagation. While genetics play a role, environmental factors can also influence disease presence and severity.
Lab testing of each and every plant on our premises for each and every possible viral, fungal or bacterial disease that exists, is simply not logistically or financially feasible.
Buyer acknowledges the risks and uncertainties that come with live tubers, as they inherently pose significant risks of carrying dormant or asymptomatic diseases and viruses, which can lead to substantial yield and quality losses, the contamination of healthy plants and soil, and long-term disease management challenges.
Our Commitment to Quality
As part of Highland Meadows Flowers’ ongoing commitment to growing and providing only the strongest and healthiest possible plants, tubers and seeds, we implement strict onsite biosecurity protocols to reduce the possibility of the introduction of disease or pests onto the property.
As part of our ongoing effort to prevent the possibility of contamination, we maintain closed growing areas. We do not open any portion of our growing areas up for public access at any time for “you-pick” cut flower activity, photography sessions, or special events. All onsite outreach and education activities are conducted at our visitor center and, in most cases, we are not able to accommodate requests for garden tours. We appreciate the understanding of our visitors and guests.
In addition:
-To help reduce the possibility of disease introduction via insect vector transmission, during the periods of the growing season when insect populations are highest and present the greatest risk, rows are routinely covered with pollinator friendly mesh, also known as bee netting. This reduces the risk of disease carrying sap-sucking insects (aphids, thrips, leafhoppers) to be able to gain access to otherwise healthy plants to feed on and potentially infect the plants.
-As a licensed, permitted, and certified commercial grower, our farm is regularly inspected by the North Carolina Dept. of Agriculture and the Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) division of the U.S. Dept of Agriculture’s Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Inspection records are kept on file as required.
-We regularly conduct physical inspections of all plants and look for any visual signs of abnormalities, pest damage, or nutrient deficiency. Observations of each plant are recorded in physical logs to preserve findings and then uploaded digitally for aggregate reporting and analysis.
-We utilize sanitation best practices when using all tools and implements. All cutting implements are constantly rotated and sterilized between new points of contact. Tools are soaked in commercial grade disinfection solution for ample amount of time before being used again. Disinfection solution is provided in all growing and work areas and is replaced regularly.
-Detailed records of all planting schedules, observation logs, photographic records, systems maintenance records, chemical spray and fertilizer application schedules and MSDS documentation, field and laboratory tissue testing results, and any/all other pertinent information gathered, is securely stored onsite and available for onsite regulatory review at any time.