In search of small things

All plants are insured through Route.  This means that if your plants arrive damaged for any reason, they’re covered. Route also covers lost and stolen packages.  If there are any issues with your plants, please contact me.  Plants are packed so that even with delays, they are unlikely to be damaged if left in the box for up to a week longer than expected. That being said, sometimes stuff happens! If your plant arrives with any damage outside of normal shipping casualties (a bent leaf, a few leaves missing on a plant with dozens of leaves, etc) you can choose to have your plant replaced (if stock is available) or refunded in full.

Yes! the nursery has stayed up to date with all required licensure since its opening.  This includes SOS registration, city business registration, federal filings, and an OR state nursery license. Each year, all required shipping and pest permits are renewed.

As of writing this (2026) there about 475 species on the shop.  Each season, you can expect about 250 species to be available.  They might not all be available at the same time, but I try to list at least 175-200 for the opening sale each season.

Only for a few select self pollinating species such as Monopyle choocensis and Calvoa sessifolia.

The shop is open from mid-April through mid-June, and September through mid-October most years.  There are a few reasons for this but the main one is that shipping tropical plants in extreme weather requires alot of extra packaging that ends up in landfills and causes undue stress on plants.

Not at this time.  Thanks for your understanding.

Anywhere in the continental US.  Plants shipped to HI will be shipped bare root and certain plant groups will be unavailable (Orchids, Poaceae).

When nighty lows and daily highs are between 40-90 for two consecutive days.  For some plants more sensitive to cold, a range of 50-85 is required. Before shipping, I check forecasts in your place of residence 100% of the time to make sure it is safe to ship.  I can hold plants until the weather in your place of residence is hospitable.

Plants always go out within two weeks of purchasing, usually within a week. I ship Monday, Tuesday, and sometimes Saturday to avoid weekend delays. You will receive an email with tracking information you when your order has shipped. If temperatures in your area be outside the safe shipping window, you will receive a message with an updated delivery estimate.

Flat rate $15.  The $13 is to help cover materials and actual shipping costs through USPS or UPS.  The other $2 is for route shipping protection.  If your total shipping cost comes out to more than $15, I will manually refund you after the fact (please allow up to a week to process). There is no additional charge if you place a large order and it takes a very large box to ship, or multiple boxes.

All plants are shipped meticulously in their pots (unless the listing is specifically for a cutting), with cellophane wraps around the foliage taped to the pot to maintain humidity.  Growing medium is covered in paper ribbons and taped down with painter’s tape around the plant.  Even very delicate plants take very well to this way of shipping.  You can view a step by step of this process here. 

If your temperatures are not suitable for receiving plants I will hold them until they are, but otherwise, please be ready to receive your plants within two(ish) weeks of purchasing.  Please specify in the notes section of your order if you are unable to receive the plants immediately.

Plants- I work with exporters who responsibly propagate and collect and do not illegally collect CITES plants. Stock plants are treated only with organic pest treatments, and very infrequently. Your plants will not have been treated with anything (even organic treatments) prior to your receiving them.  They are safe to put in terrariums or aquariums with any kind of animal immediately.

Packaging & Shipping- The boxes used for shipping are recycled and recyclable. Packing paper and padding are reused when possible and 100% recycled and compostable when I run out.  Instead of polyfil, shredded paper is used. Non-reinforced water based tape is used to seal boxes and is curbside recyclable (you can leave it right ont he box). Shipping labels are curbside recyclable. The only plastic used is the bags used to maintain humidity and unfortunately I haven’t found a suitable alternative but am looking into 100% cellophane wraps once I run out of the current stock.  I’m also searching for a recyclable painters tape but have not been able to find one yet (please reach out if you know one!).

Waste- All unused pots, bins, etc, are washed and sterilized after use, to be reused again the following year.  All used potting media is responsibly composted. ISO produces very little waste- a majority is from the plastic packaging and polyfil of plants being purchased online.

Energy-  Most of the plants are grown using energy-efficient LED lights.  All energy consumed is from renewable sources through PGE’s renewable energy program.

Your purchase helps support conservation projects around the world! 10% of net proceeds are donated to conservation projects in the tropics each year. These projects include,

the Mantella cowanii Action Plan- a conservation strategy to help protect the critically endangered Mantella cowanii frog in Madagascar, including habitat preservation and monitoring for poaching.

Rainforest Trust- works to protect and conserve areas using every method of land protection available including land purchase, legal recognition of Indigenous territories, and government designation of community forests and national parks. They have worked to protect over 60 million acres over 67 countries.

The Borneo Project- brings international attention and support to community-led efforts to defend forests, sustainable livelihoods, and human rights. The project focuses on community mapping, enabling communities to map areas of ancestral land claims and win legal cases and negotiations. They support paralegal education and mobile legal aid clinics and coordinate grants for community reforestation, organic gardening, territory demarcation, indigenous education, and other village projects.

If you are viewing the store during the off-season, all plants will be listed out of stock to prevent plant purchases during the off-season. If it’s during an open shipping window- plants tend to sell very quickly and they likely already sold or were not available that season. *Not every single plant is available every season*

All plants are tagged with their relative size.  Terms include mini, small, medium, large, and giant.  Input the desired size into the search bar and all plants of that size will show up (these terms are of course relative).

All plants are tagged with the locality information they came with.  If a precise locality is known, it will be tagged as such.  Input your desired area in the search bar and all the plants from that area will show up.

If you put additional orders before your first order has gone out, please put a note in the order form to let me know.  I will refund duplicate shipping charges manually so long as your plants have not gone out yet.

If a plant is out of stock and you would like to be notified when it’s available, please feel free to email me.  I keep waitlists manually and will email you when that particular plant is available.  It will be held until I hear back from you.  *Please be judicious with your requests*

Most of the plants here share their home with various species of springtails and mites.  The springtails are small and narrow, either silver or white.  The mites are orangey-pink or white, and move rather quickly.  They live predominantly in the soil but will occasionally venture onto plants.  Some are soil mites (Oribatid or similar) and others are predatory species (Phytoseiulus and Amblyseisus) purposefully introduced.  I also treat all my plants with beneficial nematodes, paper thin worms that consume pests.  All these organisms help to create a natural growing environment and fight off pests.

Feel free to contact me with any questions. If plants require special growing conditions I try and include that information in the description.  Otherwise, it’s safe to assume they will do well with evenly damp but not soggy sphagnum moss under medium (around 70 ppfd) light of 4000-6000K, and regular dilute (1/4 strength of standard 16/16/16 NPK) fertilizer. Maxsea is a good brand. Please take into consideration your microclimate, as care guidelines can vary significantly depending on your ambient humidity, temperature, and light.

Yes! I do not purchase plants for resale, only for propagation.  This ensures  I know enough about each plant to provide growing and care information.  Additionally, it ensures that all plants are healthy and growing well at the time of sale.  Plants are propagated vegetatively with leaves, rhizomes, stems, and grown from seed. Best practices and IPM are adhered to to minimize the opportunity for pest transmission during propagation and growing.

Yes!

The only information I see when you make an account is your name. I cannot view your wishlist or payment info.  If you purchase plants, I can see the address you provided in the shipping section.

Yes, you can checkout as a guest. I’m unsure whether all order notifications and updates are reliably relayed for guest checkout, however.  For this reason, I advise making an account.  I do not see any of your personal info other than what you provide on an order form (billing and shipping address).

Paypal and card. There is usually a pay in four option available through Paypal, but I think it also depends on the individual user.  All payments are setup to be paid with Goods & Services.

Due to the sensitive nature of the plants being offered I don’t accept returns.  Please contact me promptly if your plants have arrived damaged.