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FAQ

General

Q: What are your business hours?

We are open Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. We are closed every Sunday.

Q: What methods of payment do you accept?

If you are shopping in-store, you can make a purchase with Cash, Debit, Visa or Mastercard. Our online store only accepts Visa and Mastercard. We do not accept American Express online or in-store. We also do not accept PayPal, e-transfers or cheques.

Q: What is your return policy/warranty?

Please see our return policy page for more information.

Q: Are you pet-friendly?

Yes, you can bring your pet in to shop with you if they are on a leash and exhibiting good behaviour. Please do not leave your pet inside your vehicle during the warm summer months.

Garden Club

Q: What is the Garden Club?

Vermeer’s Garden Club is a loyalty program designed to reward you! You will receive a 1% reward on every $1 spent after enrollment. It is free to join! Another benefit is that your receipts will be saved under your account, so if you need to make a return and you have misplaced your original receipt, we have a backup.

Q: How do I become a member of the Garden Club?

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Garden Club, you can sign up by filling out an application on our website! Scroll down to the bottom of our website and click on the blue button that says ‘Join the Garden Club’ for more information and to apply today!

Q: What is your Garden Club Guarantee?

Our Garden Club Guarantee is a one year warranty that we offer on select nursery stock. This warranty applies to trees, shrubs and evergreens. If a tree, shrub or evergreen dies within 12 months of purchase, it can be returned and the dead plant will be replaced. If the dead plant cannot be replaced, a gift card will be issued for the amount that was paid for the guaranteed nursery stock (regular or sale price). No cash refund. Vines, broadleaf evergreens (rhodos, azaleas, holly, pieris etc.), Roses, and small fruit bushes are only guaranteed until October 31st of the year they were purchased. Please note that replacement plants are not guaranteed. This guarantee is subject to the presentation of an original receipt (physical receipt or Garden Club history) and the dead nursery stock.  Vermeer’s is not responsible for damage caused by acts of God, animals, rodents, chemicals, fertilizer or improper watering. Vermeer’s reserves the right to make changes to the Garden Club Guarantee without notice.

Q: I made a purchase right before I signed up for the Garden Club. Can I still get these points?

After you have joined the Garden Club, we can backdate the points from your most recent purchase. Simply take a photo of your receipt, ensuring that the date and receipt total is fully visible, and send it to [email protected]. Please let Amy know that you recently signed up for the Garden Club and that you would like the points from this purchase to be backdated. Be sure to state your full name and phone number in the email.

Q: Does my online purchase count toward my Garden Club points?

Yes! If you are an existing member of our Garden Club you can accumulate Garden Club points while shopping online. Be sure that the last name you provided us with on your Garden Club application matches the last name on your online order as that is how we locate customers in the Garden Club that are making online purchases. Please note that Garden Club points cannot be redeemed while shopping online. Garden Club points can only be redeemed in-store.

Plants & Products

Q: I am looking for a specific plant or product. Can you help?

Our plant and product selection is constantly changing due to factors such as availability and season. If you are looking for a specific plant or product, feel free to call, email, or stop in for a visit.

Q: Can you help me identify a plant?

Of course! Bring in a sample (preferably with leaf, stem and flower, if possible) or show us a photo of the plant you would like identified and we will try to help.

Q: My plant is not doing well. What is wrong with it? Could it be a bug issue?

There are many different problems that are found in indoor and outdoor plants, but do not let that overwhelm you! Simply bring in a piece of your plant (preferably with leaf, stem and flower, if possible) or the bug and bug affected area in a sealed plastic bag and our plant doctors will go to work on the spot. While a sample works best, if you cannot bring one in, please take some photos to show us and we will try to identify the problem and suggest treatments for it.

Q: Will you repot my tropical plant, orchid or bonsai for me?

Yes! We do offer repotting and tropical plant maintenance services.

Tropical repotting services include: A new plastic grow pot, indoor soil, trimming of roots/foliage (if necessary), and any additional maintenance or care required.

Prices for tropical repotting are based on the size of the pot post-repot. Here is a price breakdown:

4” pot & smaller – $2

5”-6” pot – $4

7-8” pot – $6

9”- 10” pot – $10

12” – $14

14” – $18

Orchid repotting services include: A new clear plastic orchid pot, orchid mix, trimming of roots/leaves (if necessary), orchid fertilizer and any additional maintenance or care required. Although we mainly sell and work with Phalaenopsis orchids, we do have staff members that can work with other varieties of orchids, such as Dendrobium, Cattleya, Oncidium, etc.

Prices for orchid repotting are based on the size of the pot post-repot. Here is a price breakdown:

2”-3” pot – $4

3.5”-5” pot – $6

6” pot – $8

7” pot – $10

8” pot – $14

Bonsai repotting services include: Indoor or succulent soil, decorative rocks, moss, trimming of roots/foliage (if necessary), and any additional maintenance or care required. Trimming and shaping of the bonsai will be discussed prior to repot. If you would like your bonsai to be repotted in a new ceramic pot, the price of the ceramic pot will be added to the bonsai repotting service charge as it is a separate purchase and not all bonsai repots will require a new ceramic pot.

Please note that we may encourage you to leave your bonsai in our care for several days to ensure the repot is successful and the plant is not showing any signs of stress or decline.

Prices for bonsai repotting are based on the size of the pot post-repot. Here is a price breakdown:

5” – $8

6” – $10

7” – $12

8” – $14

9” – $16

10” – 12” – $18

All of the aforementioned service charges are subject to change based on the supplies used and the time spent on each service. All custom work is final sale.

Although we do our best to offer repotting services on the spot, this is not always possible. In this case we will take your information and contact you when your tropical plant/orchid/bonsai is ready to be picked up, unless a date has been discussed and agreed upon between you and one of our staff members.

Unfortunately, some plants may not survive post-repot. If we have reason to believe that your plant will not survive, we may advise against repotting. In any case, Vermeer’s is not responsible for the decline or death of any tropical plants/orchids/bonsais post-repot.

If you have any other questions or concerns about our repotting and tropical plant maintenance services, please email [email protected].

Q: Do you make custom indoor and outdoor planters?

We do! We love taking the time to create planters that complement your decor. Whether you are looking for an indoor tropical planter or an outdoor annual planter, there is a design expert that is here to help. If you are purchasing a container from us or bringing in one from home, we will create something that suits your style. Please note that due to COVID-19 safety measures we are limiting our design consultations. Please call us for more information.

Q: Can you design my garden for me?

While we cannot design your entire garden for you, we can certainly suggest plants that do well in certain lighting conditions and recommend plants that look nice together. If you are looking for help with planning out your garden, be prepared to answer questions such as:

What direction does your area face?

Is it sunny or shady?

How many hours of sunlight does the area receive daily?

Is the area usually wet or dry?

What are the dimensions of the area?

Q: If I purchase a tree or shrub, will you plant it for me?

Unfortunately, Vermeer’s does not have or offer any planting services.

Q: What zone are we in?

Welland is in zone 5a. Parts of Thorold and St. Catharines are in zone 6b. Zones with lower numbers than 5a are colder areas, while higher numbers are warmer. For example, Timmins, Ontario is approximately 1b and Miami, Florida is 10b.

Q: What do you mean by “full sun” or “partial sun” when it comes to outdoor plants?

Full sun generally indicates more than 6 hours of direct sunlight. The ideal situation for most ‘partial sun’ plants is either morning sun or filtered sunlight. Typically, afternoon sun situations are going to be too hot for most partial sun plants, even if it is fewer than six hours.

Online Shopping & Orders

Q: What I am wanting to purchase is not online. Can you help?

Unfortunately, not everything we carry in-store is available for purchase online. There is also a possibility that if something is out of stock online, we may have some still available for purchase in-store. To inquire about whether we carry a specific product, please give us a call or reach out to us via email, Facebook or Instagram.

Q: How long will it take for my online order to be ready?

Please allow 1-2 business days for your online order to be processed and filled. If we are experiencing longer delays, we will update our website to reflect this.

Q: I selected a preferred pickup/delivery date at checkout while shopping online. Is this date guaranteed?

Preferred pickup and delivery date selections made at checkout while shopping online are not guaranteed. If you require same day pickup or delivery, please give us a call and we will do our best to accommodate these requests.

Q: How do I know my order went through?

You will receive an email confirmation that lets you know that we have received your order and are working on processing it. You will also be given an order number. Before reaching out to us, please check your junk mail and confirm that you inputted the correct email address when you placed your online order. If there is still no sign of your confirmation email, call or email us and we can confirm whether the order was placed or not.

Q: How do I know when my online order is ready for pickup?

If you placed an order online and selected local pickup, please wait for an email that states your order is ready for pickup before making your way to the store. The ‘ready for pickup’ email is different than the email you will receive that states your order has been confirmed. If your order has been confirmed that means that it is awaiting processing and has not been filled yet.

Q: I placed an order online a few days ago, but I have not received an email stating that it is ready for pickup. What do I do?

Before reaching out to us, please check your junk mail and confirm that you inputted the correct email address when you placed your online order. If there is still no sign of your ready for pickup email, call or email us with any online order inquiries. If you received an email confirmation of your order, please provide us with your online order number so we can determine the status of your order in a timely manner.

Q: I placed an online order and received an email stating my order is ready for pickup. How do I go about picking it up?

Upon arrival at the store to pickup your online order, please park in one of our designated online order pickup spots. Each spot will be numbered. Have your online order number ready! Your online order number can be found in both your online order confirmation email and your ‘ready for pickup’ email. Call us at 905-735-5744 and press 4. The staff member on the phone will ask you for your order number, to identify the item(s) in the order and what numbered parking spot you are parked in. While a staff member is retrieving your online order, please open your trunk or back door and they will place your order safely inside your vehicle.

Q: I am trying to place an order online and I would like to pickup my order, but the only option being offered is delivery. What is happening?

This problem occurs when a step has accidentally been missed during the checkout process. When you go to your cart at checkout, look under the ‘cart totals’ section and locate the ‘calculate shipping’ button. Even if you do not want your online order to be delivered, you need to input your city and postal code so that the website can determine whether shipping to your location is an option. Once you have completed this step, the local pickup option should appear on the following page after you click the ‘proceed to checkout’ button. If you are still experiencing issues, give us a call and we will find a solution together.

Q: I live in a different province and/or country and I am trying to place an order online to be delivered to or picked up by someone in the Niagara Region, but it is not working. Why is that?

If you live outside of Canada (United States, Europe, etc.) unfortunately you are not able to place an order on our website and have it delivered to or picked up by someone in the Niagara Region. You will need to give us a call to place an order and make those arrangements. If you are ordering online, live in a different province and are arranging to have something delivered to someone in the Niagara Region, you should have no problem doing this on our website. If you are ordering online, live in a different province and are selecting local pickup in hopes of your order being picked up by someone in the Niagara Region, our website may not allow this. If you are having any trouble ordering online, give us a call or email us so we can work through the problem.

Q: I want to place an online order, but I cannot pick it up right away. What do I do?

All plant material purchased online for local pickup must be picked up within two weeks of the date it was ordered. If you select a preferred pickup date at checkout that is past the two-week mark, you will be contacted via email and/or phone. If two weeks have passed and you have not picked up your online plant order, you will be contacted via email and/or phone to see if you would like to proceed with the order or cancel it. If you have been contacted about exceeding the deadline and you would still like to proceed with your order, you will need to pick it up within two business days or your order will be automatically refunded. If we have contacted you via email and/or phone about exceeding the deadline and we have not heard from you within two business days, your online order will also be automatically refunded.

If you are placing an online order for something other than plant material, we strongly encourage you to pick up your online order within a week or two of placing it. If you cannot pickup your online order for something other than plant material within a week or two of placing it, please call or email us first to determine whether we can store your order for an extended period.

Q: I want to place an online order, but I need it right away. What do I do?

If you require same day pickup or delivery, please call us before placing your order online and we will let you know if this is a possibility or not on the given day.

Q: I placed an online order, but I cannot pick it up myself. Can someone else pick up my order for me?

Of course! Please indicate who will be picking up your order in the note section at checkout. If you have already placed the order and are now arranging for someone else to pickup your order, please call or email us to give us a heads up.

Q: I placed an order online and would like to return it. How do I go about this?

Online order returns must be processed online. They cannot be processed in-store at one of our cash registers. If you would like to return an item that you purchased online, please consult our return policy to determine whether the item qualifies for a return. You can then give us a call or email us with any online order returns. You must be able to provide us with your online order number as we cannot process the return without this information.

Q: Can I use the gift card I bought in-store on your website?

Unfortunately, if you have a physical, plastic gift card that was purchased in-store it can only be redeemed in-store. Physical, plastic gift cards that have been purchased in-store cannot be used online.

Q: If I purchase a gift card on your website can it be used in-store?

Yes! eGift cards that have been purchased online and emailed to the recipient can be used both online and in-store. Once an eGift card has been used in-store, however, it cannot be used again online, even if a balance still remains.

Delivery & Shipping

Q: Do you deliver? How much do you charge for delivery?

If you live in the Niagara Region (Welland, Fonthill, St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, etc.) we can deliver to you! Delivery cost is determined based on what is being delivered and where it is being delivered to. For instance, the cost of delivering a single floral arrangement to a residence in Welland would differ from delivering 20 bags of soil to the same residence.

Q: Do you call before you deliver? What if I am not home?

Yes! Before we deliver anything, we do call to ensure that you will be home. If, by chance, you are not home when we attempt to deliver something to you, we will leave a delivery notice that asks you to give us a call to set up another delivery or pick up.

Q: Do you ship plants or products within or outside of Ontario?

We do not currently ship plants or products within or outside of Ontario.