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File a Claim

How to File a Claim For Dead Trees or Shrubs

 

To request a replacement, read this entire page for step by step instructions and be sure to include clear photos of each plant you're submitting for review—this is required for all claims. Complete photo guidelines are below and a scratch test must be preformed and images sent as well to verify it's dead (applies to trees or shrubs).

You Must Send Pictures to Verify Your Plants are Dead - Preform a scratch test and other pertant information to successfully file a claim:

 Instructions Below

How to perform a scratch test to determine if your trees or shrubs are dead

A scratch test is a simple way to determine if a dormant plant is still alive. It involves lightly scratching the bark of the plant and looking for wet tissue or the cambium layer beneath the bark:
  1. Use a knife, pruners, or your fingernail halfway up the trunk of a tree to slide along the bark and peel off a thin layer of the surface wood
  2. Look for wet, moist tissue that's white or almost green around the edges, this means the tree is alive
  3. Check if the cambium layer is dry, brittle, and brown, or if it looks like pencil shavings, it is most certainly dead.

How and When To File a Claim For Perennials, Ferns, Vines, and Groundcovers

If your plants are not trees or shrubs and don’t have a trunk but grow beneath the soil, you can’t do a scratch test. Instead, dig them up, break the roots, and send us photos to confirm if they’re dead.

Bare root plants like perennials, ferns, and groundcovers may not sprout right after planting, especially in warmer months. Fewer than 1% will emerge immediately—most appear the following spring. That’s why we offer a 1-year warranty from the delivery date. If the plant doesn’t come up, you’re eligible for an in-store credit. 

What We Ship, How They Should Grow and To See If Your Plants are Really Dead

Below is a video from the owner showing exactly what we ship. Your plants are dormant, which means they won’t have leaves, greenery, or foliage—and that’s perfectly normal. This dormancy is what makes them hardy and resilient.

In the end of this video, she will show you how to do the scratch test - this needs to be done only for trees or shrubs

Results From Scratch Test on Trees or Shrubs

How Do You Do a Scratch Test On a Tree? - TN Nursery

Once you have verified your trees or shrubs are dead with a scratch test, please email us  the following:

Name order was placed under

 order #

nature of problem

Identify each plant in each image

If your filing a claim on items planted underground by roots only (perennials, ferns or groundcovers) you will need to dig those up - you must dig those up, break a root in half and email images of each plant that died. 

Send this information to [email protected]. Failure to not provide all the above information will result in a claim refusal. Please allow 3-4 business days for an email responce.