Wilson Brothers Gardens

Hi Dlriz,

Could you let us know your name ordered under? I am unable to find the order under Dlriz in our orders. I would like to look into this for you.

Regarding our listings in General, Our expert team does a lot of research to ensure accuracy on each USDA listing. That said experienced gardeners will be very familiar with the fact that USDA zones are guidelines and not a guaranty that a plant will survive a Winter. There are may possible reasons a plant will not survive a given Winter. Below are a list of the most common reasons

When a plant that was planted in spring or summer of the previous year grew well but declined and/or died over the winter, there could be several causes. Without being there to do a close-up inspection of the plant and surrounding environment, it's difficult for me to say what that cause might've been.

If after reviewing the list of possible causes below you are still having trouble identifying the cause of decline, it might be helpful to consult with your local arborist, Extension Service Agent, or other horticultural professional who can visit and closely inspect the plant(s) and the surrounding environment.

#1 SOIL DRAINAGE CONCERNS

Though sometimes plants will die from dry conditions, the most common cause for plant decline at any point in time after transplanting is an over-saturated soil due to poor soil drainage and/or excessive rainfall or irrigation. This is especially true during the winter months, when water is not evaporating as quickly from the soil and plants have gone dormant and are not drinking near as much water. As a result, sometimes a healthy plant that thrived during the previous warm season unfortunately went into a state of decline and/or died during the winter when the soil in the planting area became too wet.

With the exception of aquatic and bog plants, which prefer a constantly wet soil, most other plants prefer a moist but well-drained soil. When the soil is waterlogged the roots of most plants growing in wet soils will die because they cannot absorb the oxygen needed to function normally. The longer the air is cut off, the greater the root damage. The dying roots decay and cannot supply the plants with nutrients and water. Too, plants stressed or injured by wet soil can become abnormally susceptible to certain fungal pathogens. For example, Phytophthora is a fungus naturally existing in most soils that enters damaged roots and causes them to rot.

So, the first thing to do is rule out a soil moisture issue. Start by digging or lifting the dead or dying plant from the ground to inspect the roots and the planting hole. If the soil is soggy and the roots are rotted, but there wasn't excessive rainfall or irrigation, this indicates there is most likely a soil drainage issue. In this case, before replanting we strongly advise to test the soil drainage in the planting area.

To test soil drainage:

1. Dig a hole 12" wide by 12" deep in the planting area.
2. Fill the hole with water and let it drain.
3. Then, after it drains, fill it with water again, but this time clock how long it takes to drain.

In well-drained soil the water level will go down at a rate of about 1 inch an hour.

A faster rate, such as in loose, sandy soil, may signal potentially dry site conditions and possibly a need to add organic matter to help retain moisture.

A slower rate indicates poor draining soil and is a caution you need to improve soil drainage, replant in a raised mound to ensure roots will not be standing in water, or replant with a plant that is more tolerant of wet or boggy conditions.

#2 COLD DAMAGE

Many gardeners and growers use the USDA Plant Hardiness Zones as a guide to select plants that will be cold hardy at our location. That said, as stated on the USDA website, "The 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The map is based on the average annual minimum winter temperature, divided into 10-degree F zones." What no one can do, including the USDA, is predict with absolutely certainty what Mother Nature might decide to do. Sometimes an area or region of the country will experience record low winter temperatures that drop below the average minimum temperature as published on the USDA Zone map. Other factors, such as wind and wind chill, soil moisture, etc, can trump the map as well.

When temperatures are forecast to drop below the average minimum winter low temperature, take steps to provide insulation on those plants that might suffer injury. Keep in mind that plants growing in pots will be 10 to 20 degrees less cold hardy due to that their roots will be exposed to the colder air temperatures. Also, to prevent roots from freeze drying from extremely cold temperatures, make sue the soil around the root zone of plants is moist. The water in the soil will freeze to encapsulate and insulate the roots at 32 degrees.

How To Protect Outdoor Plants From Cold During Winter
[HYPERLINK@www.wilsonbrosgardens.com]

How To Protect Potted Plants From Cold During Winter
[HYPERLINK@www.wilsonbrosgardens.com]

#3 IRRIGATION CONCERNS

While an irrigation or sprinkler system can be a convenient method for watering plants, and usually provides enough water to a depth necessary to supply sufficient water to established plants growing in the landscape, it will usually not be able to supply water to a sufficient depth for new plantings, which may require deeper soakings by hand. That said, in cooler climates where plants go dormant during winter, an automated irrigation or sprinkler system run on the same watering schedule as during summer can cause wet soil conditions during the winter. To avoid wet soil conditions during winter, we suggest turning an automated irrigation system off, using it manually only as needed to maintain a damp to moist soil during winter drought conditions.

#4 ROOT SUFFOCATION

Sometimes we like to place some extra mulch around plants that will serve as insulation in case temperatures drop below the average minimum winter low. However, if we place too much mulch (more than 2 to 3 inches) over the roots of plants this can prevent irrigation or rainwater from getting down to the roots. An overly dry soil will eventually lead to death of a plant. Conversely, thick mulch (more than 2 to 3 inches) causes the soil below to hold too much water after periods of excessive rainfall, not allowing water to evaporate as it normally would resulting in a wet soil.

#5 FERTILIZER & CHEMICAL CONCERNS

In cooler climates that experience freezing temperatures, we suggest to cease feeding plants 45 days prior to the average first frost date in your area. Reason being, late feeding can stimulate new growth on a plant that will be susceptible to injury from frost or freezing temperatures. It is okay to mulch plants with shredded wood mulch, straw mulch or composted organic matter during winter.

#6 LAWN GRASS CONCERNS

Generally speaking, ornamental shrubs and trees are not compatible with lawn grasses. Lawn weed killers designed for use on a lawn are deadly to the roots of plants. Too, lawn grasses require more frequent applications of fertilizer and water than do ornamental plants, so over watering and over fertilizing are a concern as well.

When planting a shrub or tree in or near a lawn area, we always advise creating a mulched landscape bed with a diameter equal to at least 1/3 to 1/2 the width of what the plant or tree will grow to at maturity. For example, if a tree grows to 20 feet wide at maturity, we suggest a mulched bed at least 8 to 10 feet in diameter with the tree planted at the center. Because the feeder roots of many plants and trees can extend well beyond the branch perimeter (drip line) over time, as a plant or tree grows the mulched bed can be extended. Doing this helps to avoid spreading lawn fertilizers and lawn weed killers over the root system of the plant or tree.

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#7 CONTAINER GROWING CONCERNS

Keep in mind that plants growing in pots will be 10 to 20 degrees less cold hardy due to that their roots will be exposed to the colder air temperatures. So, when growing plants in outdoor pots, make sure to select varieties that are listed as cold hardy to two full USDA Zones north of your location. We list the USDA Zone range for each type of plant on its plant page in our website. For example, if you are in USDA Zone 7a and want to grow a plant or tree outdoors in a pot year round, select plants that are listed as cold hardy to USDA Zone 5a. Otherwise, plan to bring those potted plants indoors during winter.

How To Protect Potted Plants From Cold During Winter
[HYPERLINK@www.wilsonbrosgardens.com]



The soil in pots tends to dry much slower during winter than during the warm seasons. A soil that stays wet during winter can cause the roots of plants to rot. So, when planting in pots or planters make sure the container has a drainage hole(s) at the bottom. To prevent drainage holes from becoming stopped up with roots and soil, before filling your container with soil mix, we suggest lining the interior of the pot with a porous landscape fabric. Allow the fabric to go at least 6 inches or more up the sides of the interior of the pot. If you place gravel, rocks, bricks or other material in the bottom of the pot lay the fabric over it. For most shrubs and trees that will be grown in a container, we suggest using a quality potting soil or potting mix, or a 50/50 combination thereof. Never use native dirt as it holds too much water.



During periods of drought, the soil in containers will dry more quickly than ground soil. So check soil moisture more often and apply only as much water as needed to maintain a level of moisture a specific type of plant prefers. You can find soil moisture preferences on every plant page in WilsonBrosGardens.com.



Hope this information is helpful and don't hesitate to let me know if you need more details or have any questions or concerns.

Hi ,

Hope your day is going well. To clarify our policy it is as follows. Wilson Bros Gardens guarantees to send you a healthy plant and will guaranty coverage of 100% of the price paid if upon arrival it is not. We do give you 72 hours to send us pictures of it. Past that period since we have no control over the care or environment the plant is in we can not cover it under this guaranty. We do have an extended 'No fault' Guaranty for plants planted in the ground if the plant dies between 3 days and six months of receipt that offers 50% of the price paid of the plant as store credit. We do exclude plants in containers as care for them is much trickier and requires much more expertise than plants in the ground.

I have looked through your thread and see that no pictures were ever sent even though requested. Since we are not on site pictures are needed by us to be able to help and determine what may be happening to the plant and why we always request them at the start of any conversation about a plant having problems. . If you could send us pictures of the plant ( If on a new thread please include your name and order number) we could take another look at this issue.

Hi,

Yes I do see that we have had several conversations with you on this issue. From the pictures sent by you to us it is very clear that this is a lack of hydration in the leaves because the damage starts at the margins of the leaves. I would be happy to share those pictures you sent to us here but am refraining to do so for now out of respect for your privacy. You had mentioned that you water by sprinkler system which can be very unreliable for recent transplants as often when watering this way it does not deliver water deep enough to the root system of larger plants. We had sent our recommedations on how to correct this watering issue. It is unfortunate that the app you used steered you in the direction that this was a fungus. With all due respect while those apps can be very helpful in some cases they also cause a lot of headaches for inexperienced people such as yourself. This issue with the leaves could be easily corrected by correcting the watering if it has not gone too far. When you sent the pictures at the start of our conversations although the leaves looked slightly unsightly they were still very viable and would not have affected the health of the plant overall. Once corrected new growth would be healthy.

Respectfully
Spencer Young
Wilson Bros Gardens

Hi Sarmistha,

We do stand behind the health of all of our plants when shipped . Because there are so many things that can happen to a plant when grown in containers we do state on our guarantee page "We cannot offer any guarantee beyond our normal guarantee for plants purchased from us that are transplanted to and grown in above ground pots or other containers that are situated indoors or outdoors." Below is our last email on this issue that includes more information.


Hope your day is going well. Thanks for the information. Yes I was just concerned as the sheets of paper were not fully removed although usually the paper is shredded when used for mulch as that lets the plants breath better. As well below are other issues that can affect plants growing in containers which is why we do not guaranty them when grown in containers


In nature, most plants grow in the ground. Though growing plants above ground in containers is doable and can be successful with proper attention to planting and care, it is not natural.

In comparison to the ground, containers hold substantially less growing media (soil). This means their surface-area-to-volume ratio is far greater, which causes them to heat up and cool down far quicker than the ground. These fluctuations in temperature can damage plant roots and compromise overall growth.

The same applies for the rate of water loss or retention in pots, meaning you will have to monitor and maintain soil moisture more frequently, which can be up to twice a day at the peak of the summer, depending on the type of plant. One missed watering could spell serious damage or death of a plant. Too much water from rain or irrigation, or poor drainage caused by a drainage hole that is stopped up with roots and/or soil media, can cause a waterlogged soil that suffocates roots and causes root rot and other plant diseases. To avoid drainage holes from becoming stopped up we always advise lining the bottom interior of the pot with shade cloth or a porous landscape fabric. If you place gravel in the bottom of the container lay the fabric over it.

There are nutritional concerns as well. Potting soils don't contain or hold the vital nutrients that are vital to ongoing plant health as well as ground soil. If you are using a traditional compost-based potting media for your pots, you will also need to test and apply fertilizer and essential nutrients on a more frequent basis. This is because potting soils are usually made of ingredients such as peat or coir that naturally contain low levels of essential plant nutrients. Potting soil typically doesn't hold nutrients as well as the ground.

The difference these cumulative effects can have on plant growth can be significant. Plants growing in containers will often achieve only half the normal size and flower or fruit production as they would growing in the ground, where their roots have more room to spread and nutrients are more readily available.

So what to do if space or other restrictions require you to grow plants in containers rather than the ground?

There are three ways to up your success. First, choose pots of non-porous materials like metal, glazed ceramic, plastic or resin, not breathable terracotta, which can lose water throughout its entire surface. Second, plants growing in larger pots with more soil space will always be less susceptible to these cumulative effects than smaller pots. And, finally, using a soil-based growing media verses a peat-based one will hold water and minerals for far longer and won’t break down anywhere near as fast.

Hope this information is helpful and don't hesitate to let us know if you need more details or have any other questions.

Spencer Young | Wilson Bros Gardens

In the Nursery industry most varieties of Japanese maples, especially rare ones like we carry, are usually propagated by grafting. Named cultivars do not come true from seed so a branch is cut from the cultivar and grafted onto a Japanese maple rootstock that was grown from seed, which is almost always Acer Palmatum. This way you will get the exact clone of the cultivar Unlike if you were to try to grow from seed, which more often than not will revert to the parent acer palmatum.
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here’s one helpful article that explains the nature and reproduction of japanese maples in great detail. grafting is the reason you will not find these varieties in the wild.

[HYPERLINK@www.gardeningknowhow.com]

All of the grafting of our Japanese Maples are done by Professionals. The grafts on Younger Japanese Maples will be more prominent but as the tree ages and the trunks thicken it will just appear as a slight bump.


Also I do see communication with Our customer service Representative , Jen, on this issue. Although it has been to long to offer a return now we do see at the time you were offered a chance to return these items. (email below).
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Good Day,

Jen here from Wilson Bros Gardens, thanks for your email!

I do see your note on your order for a bonsai. The packagers are not familiar with bonsai since we do not sell bonsai plants, but to do a bonsai you would need a very small one gallon to successfully bonsai it due to the age and size. 3 gallon sizes of Japanese maples are too old and thick to be formed and contorted to successfully be a true bonsai. If you would like to return these for a refund and purchase a one gallon instead we can do a picture order to pick out a better specimen For this purpose. In all honesty, to do a bonsai I would recommend purchasing a Liner plant (very small baby plant) or planting these and taking a cutting to bonsai into a tree. My husband, who also works at Wilson bros, is currently working on a bonsai with a cutting. He swears it’s easier than with a one gallon plant, but we will see. :) In my experience, a liner plant or one gallon is easier, but he’s more patient than me.

These plants are currently still coming out of dormancy and it looks like they experienced some cold Temperatures during transit on the leaves, which is cosmetic damage and can be pruned off for new leaves to bud out. The branches look healthy. Sometimes grafts do not look great on dormant Japanese maples until they are older and more mature.

If you decide to return these, let me know and I can send you return instructions and labels!
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If you have any further questions, please don\'t hesitate to ask!
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As far as the size of our plants, If you are familair with Japanese Maples the height of the youngers ones may sometimes be similar to the older ones but the older ones will have more branches and a more developed canopy.

Wilson Bros Gardens has a 30 day return period and plants can be returned for any reason within that period. We see from our correspondence on this issue that you were advised of that and were sent a return label but did not ship them back. .

As far as the spots on the leaves when sent, we grow all of our plants outside so they will be acclimated to the weather when you receive them. Towards the end of a long summer and when going into the fall transition stage the leaves of plants will naturally start to change color and develop spots, patches and other blemishes, which is due to the chlorophyll factories in the plant shutting down. The plant will drop its leaves as usual and will flush out fresh new leaves in spring.

We did notice that you have placed 10 orders with us since this issue so I do assume the order has been resolved to your satisfaction.

Spencer Young
General Manager
Wilson Bros Gardens

The Florida Anise are light rooters especially when grown in pots. With issues like this we would need pictures of the rootball to assess the health and take any necessary action. I see that you did email us with your concerns on Saturday May 9th 2020 and we responded on Sunday May 10th requesting pictures but we never heard back from you.

Spencer Young
General Manager
Wilson Bros Gardens