Dahlia Caitlin's Joy

You've just received your bouquet of flowers, now what? Well, I want you to know that they have been freshly harvested from the garden within the last 24 hours, or sooner, in the early morning or late evening for the best vase life. 

Flower Fullness

Depending on the variety of flower, you may receive buds that are barely open, or flowers that are in full bloom. Unless they are a bouquet of dahlias or zinnias, which I harvest when fully open, your flowers will continue to open, fill out, and bloom as they are at home with you. So, if your large bouquet doesn't seem to be that large, just wait a day or two until the flowers are fully opened, this ensures you get to enjoy them for as long as possible.

Flower Preservation

I dip my stems in a solution to hydrate them and also add flower food to the water if you receive your bouquet in a mason jar. Please start changing the vase water on day 2 or 3 of having your bouquet---fresh, clean, cool water will help them last the longest, and you can also cut a bit off the stems at an angle if you wish. 

 

How Long Will Your Bouquet Last?

Some varieties, like ranunculus, last 7-10 days, while other varieties like certain dahlias, may only last 3 days. I hope you enjoy them for however long they last and that the care and treatment I've provided for them help them maximize their vase life.

Ethylene gas from fruits, such as apples and pears, will also ripen your flowers and decrease their vase life, so please keep away from fruit.

Shipping available within Canada only. Store in a dry location until ready to plant. Local customers wanting to pick up at our farm may select pick up on check out; delivery is also available for a fee.

Please be patient with shipping status; you will receive emails when the shipping label has printed, when it is transit and when your item has been delivered. You will also get an email when you order is ready for local pick up.

I'm pleased to offer my flowers for delivery in a pretty large service range. Deliveries are offered 2 days a week on Tuesdays and Fridays during the growing season; guaranteed in the afternoon so I can make my bouquets fresh in the morning. Holiday delivery days vary.

For the 2022 season, prices are as follows for delivery to:

• Standard $5
• Rockyford, Hussar and Rosebud $10
• Strathmore $10
• Rural Strathmore/Wheatland County, Gleichen, Cluny $15
• Chestermere $20
• Calgary (wholesale only): $25---may be split for multiple deliveries

When you purchase flowers for delivery, you are accepting the responsibility of being home to receive them, or have someone receive them for you so they do not get damaged by the elements. For 2022 I will be doing all of my bouquets, or as many as I can, in flower sleeves, so please leave a jar of water out if you won't be home; I am charging and extra dollar for mason jars this year.

I cannot guarantee a delivery time (just a window in the afternoon), but if you did your online checkout correctly, you will receive an email when your order is out for delivery and another email when they have been dropped off. Please make sure you add "Shopify" to your safe senders in your email and check your junk mail just in case as well as under the "promotional" emails if you use Gmail.

If you ordered flowers to be delivered for someone else, I will always knock/ring the doorbell so they receive their flowers, otherwise I am doing contactless porch drop off; this keeps me on time with all the deliveries I have to do.

If I do not feel safe approaching your home due to obstacles, gates, animals, etc, I will leave the flowers in the best place I can, and let you know immediately that I could not get to your home; I cannot take liability if anything happens to your flowers after delivery.  

Special Rural Delivery Note

If I am delivering to a rural address, I require a blue sign number and a location pin texted or emailed to me. I will not deliver to addresses that have a gate unless arranged previously that it will be open for me and I don't have to wait.

I went into the wrong yard once and the resident came onto their porch with a gun. I really don't want to be trespassing in rural yards for my own safety, and thus I am requiring a precise delivery location. If I feel that it is unsafe for me to deliver to a certain area, I will let you know and issue a full refund.

Local Pick Up

I have decided to open up my farm for pick ups again instead of using the store in town. Contactless porch pick up only, I ask that you kindly respect that this is our home and to not help yourself to look around and/or bother our animals. Thank you!

PICK UP HOURS:

TUESDAY & FRIDAY BETWEEN 12:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Location pin/directions will be emailed to you after you place your order. Absolutely no garden tours at pick up, thank you.

I'm pleased to partner with and offer pick up again in 2022 at Lil Hoots Boutique in Strathmore. Lil Hoots is located at #103, 307 - 3rd Avenue.

Pick up hours for Lil Hoots are:

PURCHASE INFORMATION

Thank you so much for your consideration in purchasing from my store. You must carefully read through the following information regarding my products, and agree to these terms, before you to purchase.

SHIPPING INFORMATION

All orders are packed carefully and shipped in the order they are received, closely following the forecast for spring shipping; fall shipment orders ship regardless of the weather; there is no concern for corms to freeze as they are dormant. You have supplied us with your email address when placing your order, so you will receive a shipping confirmation email with the package tracking number when we print your shipping label. You will get another email once it is scanned and in transit, and another email when it has been delivered. Merchandise orders are fulfilled and shipped by Printful.

Sarah's Cut Flowers is not responsible or liable for:

• Disappearing packages after they were marked as delivered by Canada Post, or the courier service, at the address provided on the order
• Packages that have been waiting at your local post office for pickup because they could not be delivered to the address provided
• Returned packages that could not be delivered to the address provided on the order; refunds will no longer be issued
• Packages lost or damaged in transit by the carrier or post office
• Any duties or customs fees charged from merchandise orders

Shipping is a very labor intensive and manual process. Combining orders into one shipment adds a significant amount of processing time, but we have decided to allow 1 extra order to combine shipping for free. Any subsequent orders placed can be added into one shipment with an extra fee of $8 per order to account for added shipping and handling costs. If we ever decide to offer free shipping, your order totals cannot be combined to receive free shipping. Since there has been confusion in the past at checkout, we ask that you pay for your shipping on subsequent orders at checkout, and you will be refunded the fee at the time of processing less $8.

RETURN POLICY

I have a 10-day return policy, which means you have 10 days after receiving your item(s) to request a return on flower bulbs, corms, and tubers only. THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO EGGS, CHICKS, FRESH FLOWERS INCLUDING CHRISTMAS PRODUCTS OR MERCHANDISE.

To be eligible for a return, you must request via email at orders@sarahscutflowers.com. If your return is accepted, you need to pay for your own expedited (tracked) shipping to ship your items back; instructions on how and where to send your package will be provided. Items sent back to me without first requesting a return will not be accepted. Once items are received back, you will receive a refund on the items returned less a $10 restocking fee; shipping and handling are non-refundable.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Cancelled orders are subject to a $5 cancellation fee or 10% of your order, whichever is greater, to cover processing and restocking fees.

Once an order has been packed or shipped, we cannot make changes to your order. Merchandise is not eligible for cancellations.

Memberships cannot be cancelled.

DAMAGES AND ISSUES

Please inspect your order upon receiving it, and contact us immediately if the item is damaged, or if you receive the wrong item, so that we can evaluate the issue and do our best to make it right.

RESTOCKING FEE

If an order is shipped to the address provided by the buyer and is returned by the post office, or the order is refused/returned to us for any reason, the purchaser forfeits their order and a refund will not be issued. If you wish to re-ship your order, new shipping/handling charges will apply.

LOST PACKAGE

If your order tracking shows that your package has been delivered, we ask that you take the tracking number provided in the shipment email, to your local post office for assistance in locating your package. Many times a package will be incorrectly marked delivered, but taken back to the post office for pickup, as your mail delivery person did not feel safe leaving the package at that time. We are not liable for packages left at your delivery address and refunds cannot be issued.

DAHLIA TUBERS

Dahlia tubers will be shipped with a viable eye even if you cannot see the eye. We have been dividing dahlias for many, many years and know what to look for, how to divide them, and what a dahlia tuber needs to be viable and grow. Often during the dividing and storing process, the eyes can disappear as the tubers re-enter a dormant stage, but as long as the tuber has the body, neck, and crown---it will have an eye(s) and grow.

If you tubers arrive moldy or rotten, this is not normal or acceptable. Please email us at orders@sarahscutflowers.com. THIS MUST BE DONE WITHIN 2 DAYS OF RECEIVING. Growing performance AFTER PLANTING is beyond our control and the responsibility of the grower. 

We do our very best to ensure this doesn't happen, by storing and shipping in vermiculite, but sometimes conditions are beyond our control and this happens. Often if it is a light dusting of mold on a dry tuber, you can wipe it off, let air dry, and it will grow absolutely fine. If tuber grows mold whilst you have it waiting to plant it, I cannot be held liable for this situation, and refunds will not be issued. 

Sarah's Cut Flowers is not liable for the following situations, buyer assumes all risk:

• Growing performance AFTER PLANTING is beyond our control and the responsibility of the grower
• Due to the unique growing requirements for corms and tubers, we cannot be held responsible for loss, damage or failure to grow resulting from weather or poor soil conditions (rot, mold, wind, draught, cold, heat) of any of our products sold
• Loss, damage or failure to grow resulting from rodent, animal, or insect  damage, disease, or pests
• Anomalies in color or shape due to mother nature creating mutations during the growing season
• Malformed blooms or green centers due to insect damage (lygus, thrips, etc.) during the growing season
• Bi-color varieties turning solid, or any kind of somatic variation in the plant DNA during the growing season
• Failure of products that were either forced, grown in pots, or further divided from what you had received
• Failure of cuttings taken from our product
• Poor customer care or customer negligence
• Frozen product if you insist on early spring shipping
• Product loss or damage that was left unattended or exposed too cold or hot temperatures, or animals
• Packages disappearing after they had been marked as delivered by Canada Post at the address that you have provided on the order
• Additional shipping costs if the original address provided was undeliverable
• Packages lost because the provided shipping address was incorrect, or not updated if changed after order was placed (ex. you moved)

For more info on dahlia tubers, please read here.

HATCHING EGGS & CHICKS

It is important for you to know that my flock has been exposed to mycoplasma. This is one of the most common illnesses that backyard flocks have---it is estimated that >65% of the world's flocks are carriers. It can come from a variety of sources, including wild birds, mice, or other hens/chicks you add to your flock...or it can travel with you home on your clothing or shoes from the feed store.

There is not a lot of information on egg transmission, but it has been studied a bit, and there is a low chance (~<1%) that hatching eggs from any infected hen, can carry mycoplasma. Mycoplasma can be transmitted through egg-laying, although this can depend on when the parent bird was initially infected. Hens with mycoplasma can also experience low fertility, thus their eggs have a lower chance of actually developing. This is a very low chance that the chicks that develop from my eggs will be mycoplasma carriers, but it is something I need you to be aware of as a consumer. I will never include eggs from a symptomatic, or previously symptomatic hen, in my hatching eggs, or sell eggs if I have an actively sick hen within my flock.

My goal is to breed for resistance and resilience within my flock, as this bacteria-like illness can emerge from anywhere, even if I decided to cull my flock and start over clean again. My desire is to be transparent, as most consumers don't know to ask these types of questions when purchasing hatching eggs. I sure didn't when I started my flock.

I am willing to ship hatching eggs as the weather cooperates, and if you are willing to accept the risks of receiving hatching eggs shipped in the mail. I have purchased hatching eggs many times over the years, and sometimes Canada Post is best, other times couriers are best. I will ship your eggs with each egg wrapped in plastic bubble wrap, pointy end down and well padded in a shipping box. The rest is up to the postal service, and your care of the eggs upon receiving them.

Your hatching eggs will be packed with the utmost care and delivered by Canada Post, UPS or Purolator. Only the fastest shipping options will be available so you get them quickly. I will ship Monday or Tuesday to ensure arrival before the weekend.  

Seldom but occasionally, regardless of how carefully your eggs are packed, packages are mishandled and delicate eggs arrive broken. I will always include an extra egg or two to compensate for the possibility of breakage. 

When your hatching eggs arrive, they should be unwrapped, placed pointy end down, and allowed to rest for 12-24 hours without movement, before being placed in your preheated incubator. This will allow the air cell to stabilize and greatly improve your odds of success. 

The eggs you receive will be from 1 to 5 days old. If your eggs must be stored for more than the 24 hours period,  you can extend their shelf life by keeping them at a cool 7 - 12 degrees Celcius, and turning them 3 times daily until incubation begins. Hatching eggs should be placed in your incubator within a day of delivery for best results.

Purchasing shipped fertile hatching eggs is a risk! No refunds or returns are available.

Sarah's Cut Flowers in no way guarantees your hatching egg success. There are many variables involved with the success or failure of your incubation experience. Unsuccessful hatches can and do happen, trust me, I know from experience!

Some of the possible causes of unsuccessful hatches are:

• Damage from mishandled packages in shipping
• Exposure of the eggs to extreme temperature/pressure/x-ray
• Inexperience with incubation/failure to prepare/improper technique
• Faulty incubators
• Incorrect incubator temperatures and/or humidity levels
• Improper storage of eggs once received (not allowing your eggs to rest before putting them into the incubator)
• Improper cleaning of the incubator prior to starting incubation (this may allow bacteria to form and contaminate your eggs)

Please remember that you are not paying for chicks. You are paying for fresh, fertile eggs. Average hatch rates for shipped hatching eggs are around 45-50%,these are only averages. All of these things are generally understood by seasoned buyers of hatching eggs. I don't want you to be disappointed in any way with your purchase, so I want you to be very aware of the risks of your purchase. It helps to understand what to reasonably expect and accept the fact that from time to time hatches are unsuccessful, even for the experienced.