Dahlia Cutting Franz Kafka

Shipping available within Canada only, with the exception of day old chicks. 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 offer my orders for delivery in a pretty large service range, but only offer delivery for fresh flower buckets now. Customers now need to select shipping for orders at a flat rate of $15 for Alberta, which is the same as my delivery fee, saving you time and gas money. Fresh eating eggs are delivered for free to residential Strathmore afdressss. Deliveries are offered only on Tuesdays during the growing season.

For the 2024 season, prices are as follows for delivery to:

• Standard $5
• Rockyford, Hussar and Rosebud $15
• Strathmore $15
• Rural Strathmore/Wheatland County, Gleichen, Cluny $20
• Calgary (wholesale only): $30

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. 

I cannot guarantee a delivery time, 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.

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 your order 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 order 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

The only pick up location I have now is our farm; contactless porch pick up only for fresh flower buckets and eating eggs only. I ask that you kindly respect that this is our home, to not enter our home or any other buildings on our farm, and to not help yourself to look around and/or bother our animals. We have one dog that might be outside at the time of your pick up. He is friendly and does not jump, but if you have a fear of dogs I cannot guarantee he won't be out, so pick up is not a good option for you.

PICK UP HOURS:

I am flexible with my pick up days and times, as long as I am home, we can discuss pick up via email after your order is placed.

Location pin/directions will be emailed to you before your order is ready for pick up. Absolutely no field tours at pick up, thank you.

Strathmore Pick Up

For the 2024 season I am no longer offering pick up at Lil Hoots Boutique in Strathmore. I am very grateful to the store for opening up their doors for pick ups the last 4 years, however, there have been too many negative experiences with unreasonable customers over the years, and I am not willing to expose the Lil Hoots staff to this anymore.

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; corm 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.

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

• Disappearing packages after they were marked as delivered by Canada Post, or the UPS, 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 not be issued and packages will not be shipped again
• Packages lost or damaged in transit by the carrier or post office---please submit your own claim if your order has been marked as delivered but it wasn't delivered to you

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 on dahlia tuber orders only. Any subsequent order(s) placed can be added into one shipment, however the full shipping fee will be charged.

RETURN POLICY

I have a 7-day return policy, which means you have 2 days after receiving your item(s) to request a return on flower bulbs, corms, and tubers only, and items must be shipped back by the 7th day. The return policy starts on the date of delivery. Example: your order was delivered on May 1, you must submit your return request by May 3. If you do not retrieve your delivery until May 4, the return policy cannot be implemented. If the return is approved, you must ship the return back to me no later than May 7.

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 $5 or 10% restocking fee, whichever is greater; shipping and handling are non-refundable.

RETURNS DO NOT APPLY TO GIFT CARDS, MEMBERSHIPS, FRESH FLOWER BUCKETS, EATING OR HATCHING EGGS OR LIVE ANIMALS.

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. 

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, I 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. I am not liable for packages left at your delivery address and refunds cannot be issued. If you have done everything on your end to locate your package but cannot find it, please email me so I can submit a claim, but please know I have unfortunately never been able to successfully be compensated for lost packages.

If your order was shipped via UPS and delivered to the wrong address you can submit your own claim I do not need to do this and will not do this.

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/yellow/blown centers due to insect damage (lygus, thrips, earwigs, slugs, 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 or UPS 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)
• Dahlias that grow and show signs of virus or disease

For more info on dahlia tubers, please read here.

EATING EGGS

All of my eggs sold for eating are collected multiple times daily and washed within 2-3 days of being collected. They are stored pointy end down for maximum freshness and are refrigerated. Upon receiving your eggs, they must be refrigerated until consumed. They should last in your fridge up to 6 weeks, which is much longer than the eggs purchased in the grocery store. I no longer offer unwashed eggs and these eggs are not graded or inspected by the government as grocery store eggs are.

It is recommended to crack farm eggs separately before you use them, as sometimes blood or meat spots occur in farm eggs. These are still safe to eat and will not harm you, but some find it off-putting and may want to discard these eggs.

HATCHING EGGS & DAY OLD CHICKS, & DUCKLINGS

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. The only reason I know is because I am a responsible flock owner and have received veterinary care for my flock.

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 or UPS. 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 and will not ship with freezing temperatures; if you do not like receiving packages via UPS, please let me know as soon as you order.

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

When your hatching eggs arrive, they should be unwrapped, inspected by you, 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 Celsius, 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 at any point after the sale, even if you have a low or zero percent hatch rate.

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. I always send extra eggs with your order to compensate for fertility and hatch rates of shipped eggs.

LIVE ANIMALS

Please do NOT purchase live animals from me if you cannot provide them with the care that they need. Chickens and ducks can live up to 10 years and geese can live up to 20 years.