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Quercus rubra (Red Oak)

Quercus rubra (Red Oak)

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Northern red oak develops relatively quickly for an oak. Deep loam or silt-loam suits its large crown, with full or partial sun and enough room for spreading branches.

For Quercus rubra, choose full to partial sun and mesic to dry-mesic soil. Recorded habitats include upland woods; Drier floodplain woods; North- and east-facing wooded slopes; Sandy woods; Savannas, including sandy savannas; Limestone-glade edges; Wooded bluffs and high riverbanks. Reported height: 60-100 ft.

Its below-ground structure is described as taproot. Choose the permanent location with that root structure and the mature size in mind. Planning the surrounding space at planting time reduces the need to reorganize an established bed later.

Plant specifications & ecological relationships

Key growing facts

Sunlight Full to partial sun
Soil moisture Mesic to dry-mesic
Height 60-100 ft
Bloom season Mid-spring to late-spring

Native landscape companions

For partial sun / light shade and dry-mesic soil, consider these native plants alongside Quercus rubra:

Companion plant Height
White Oak (Quercus alba) 60-100 ft
Silky Wild Rye (Elymus villosus) 2½–3½ ft
Bur-reed Sedge (Carex sparganioides) 12 to 40 inches
Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) 1½–2½ ft

These landscape suggestions combine overlapping growing needs with documented plant associations. Match soil, seasonal wetness and mature spread to your site. Remnant records are described separately under Plant communities & associates.

Show / hide ▾Growing & planting details
Growth habit Large oval crown; woodland-grown trees have longer trunks and narrower crowns
Root form Taproot
Soil pH Published cultivation guidance lists acidic, neutral soil conditions; no optimal numeric interval is established.
Cultivation hardiness zones Zones 4a–8b (general cultivation guidance)
Drought tolerance Drought tolerance reported in cultivation guidance; establishment needs and duration are not specified.
Deer browsing Deer resistance reported in cultivation guidance; browsing remains possible.
Salt tolerance Medium
Plant toxicity Poison characteristics are reported; listed parts: leaves, seeds. Pet safety is not established.

Plant identification & seed reference

Botanical name Quercus rubra
Other common names red oak; American Red Oak; Eastern Red Oak; Mountain Red Oak; Northern Red Oak; Oaks; Red Oak
Seed germination USDA reports separate 30–45-day and 70-day cold treatments, not one continuous range.
Plant family Fagaceae
Seeds per pound — reference estimate 125

Plant characteristics

Quercus rubra (Red Oak) is one of the most shade-tolerant oaks, and an excellent tree with great potential for red fall color. It is on the decline in the Chicago area so this could be an excellent choice to help out regional ecology and excellent for backyard habitat featured centerpiece. However, reds are not without its problems, they seem to be more susceptible to oak wilt, many older individuals have hollow trunks, and prefer rich soils.  

Show / hide ▾Plant communities & associates

Documented Illinois communities

Second-growth dry-mesic upland sand forest — woody layer

Lost Mound — Jo Daviess County, Illinois; 2005 survey.

Other native plants recorded in this survey area: Betula nigra, Carya cordiformis, Carya ovata, Celtis occidentalis, Corylus americana, Juniperus virginiana, Prunus serotina, Quercus alba, Quercus velutina, Ribes missouriense, Tilia americana, Acer negundo.

Selected species from the woody layer. The survey includes disturbance and succession; these records do not specify immediate neighbors or planting proportions.

Illinois woodland and stream communities

Middle Fork Woods, Vermilion County (1999–2002 survey). Recorded in: mesic ravine forest; dry upland bluff — east-facing river slope; dry upland bluff — west-facing creek slope; dry-mesic upland forest — immature second growth.

Mesic ravine forest — selected native associates: Geranium maculatum, Phlox divaricata, Asarum canadense.

Dry upland bluff — east-facing river slope — selected native associates: Carex pensylvanica, Carex rosea, Bromus pubescens.

These plants share a recorded habitat; they were not necessarily found in the same small plot.

Other documented plant associations

These published associations show how this plant fits into natural vegetation. The region and community are identified for each list; moisture, shade and flooding can differ within a community.

Mixed mesophytic forest canopy

Eastern United States; range-wide synthesis

Black-maple-dominated forest

Five stands summarized by the North Central Forest Experiment Station; exact localities unspecified

Lower ravine slopes

Central Kentucky

Forest overstory associates of northern red oak

Eastern North America; species-range synthesis

Small trees, shrubs and vines associated with northern red oak

Eastern North America; species-range synthesis

Central hardwood forests; different stand types

Central part of the American hornbeam range

Other regional plant communities

These plants are named with this species in published vegetation accounts. Each list keeps its community and region; some records describe a shared vegetation type rather than neighboring plants in a measured plot. They are ecological records, not a planting recipe, and may include plants unsuitable for a particular garden.

Show / hide ▾Native range & C-value

State nativity describes a broad range. Use the Chicago-region assessment for local context; a state listing does not establish county nativity.

Wetland indicator — NWPL 2022 Midwest FACU
C-value — Chicago region, Flora 2017 5
Chicago-region native — Flora 2017 Yes
Native range — U.S. states Alabama; Arkansas; Connecticut; Delaware; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; Nebraska; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New York; North Carolina; Ohio; Oklahoma; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; Tennessee; Vermont; Virginia; West Virginia; Wisconsin
County nativity Vermilion County, Illinois — historical remnant forest evidence (1974; resurveyed 1999–2002). County coverage is partial.
Show / hide ▾Pollinators & wildlife

Caterpillars & other plant-feeding insects

This plant has published caterpillar host records for the butterflies and moths listed below. These are larval feeding relationships, separate from adult nectar visits. The records span a North American literature compilation and do not establish that every insect occurs locally or uses only this plant.

Butterflies & skippers

  • Gesta juvenalis — Juvenal's Duskywing
  • Satyrium liparops — Striped Hairstreak

Moths

  • Acharia stimulea — Saddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Acleris albicomana — Red-Edged Acleris
  • Acleris chalybeana — Lesser Maple Leafroller Moth
  • Acleris semipurpurana — Oak Leaf Shredder, Oak Leaftier, Oak Leafshredder
  • Acleris subnivana — Bent-Wing Acleris, Common Acleris
  • Acrobasis minimella
  • Acrocercops albinatella
  • Acronicta americana — American Dagger
  • Acronicta lithospila — Streaked Dagger
  • Acronicta modica — Hesitant Dagger
  • Acronicta ovata — Ovate Dagger, Epauleted Oak Dagger
  • Acronicta tristis — Sad Dagger
  • Actias luna — Luna Moth
  • Adoneta spinuloides — Purple-Crested Slug
  • Alsophila pometaria — Fall Cankerworm Moth
  • Amphipyra pyramidoides — Miranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
  • Ancylis burgessiana — Oak Leafroller
  • Ancylis fuscociliana — Spider-Web Leaffolder
  • Ancylis laciniana
  • Anisota peigleri — Peigler's Oakworm Moth
  • Anisota senatoria — Orange-Tipped Oakworm Moth, Orangestriped Oakworm
  • Anisota virginiensis — Pink-striped Oakworm Moth
  • Antaeotricha humilis — Dotted Anteotricha Moth
  • Antaeotricha leucillana — Well-Marked Leaf Tier, Pale Gray Bird-Dropping Moth
  • Antaeotricha osseella
  • Antaeotricha schlaegeri — Schlaeger's Fruitworm Moth
  • Archips fervidana — Oak Webworm Moth
  • Archips rosana — Rose Tortrix, European Leafroller, Filbert Leafroller (listed as introduced in the source)
  • Archips semiferanus — Oak Leafroller Moth
  • Argyrotaenia quercifoliana — Yellow-Winged Oak Leafroller Moth, Lined Oak Leafroller
  • Arogalea cristifasciella — Stripe-Backed Moth, White Stripe-Backed Moth
  • Automeris io — Io Moth
  • Besma endropiaria — Straw Besma
  • Besma quercivoraria — Oak Besma
  • Blastobasis glandulella — Acorn Moth
  • Bucculatrix ainsliella — Oak Skeletonizer Moth
  • Bucculatrix copeuta
  • Bucculatrix quinquenotella
  • Bucculatrix trifasciella
  • Cameraria bethunella — Bethune Miner
  • Cameraria hamadryadella — Solitary Oak Leafminer Moth
  • Cameraria quercivorella — Rusty Oak Leafminer
  • Cameraria ulmella
  • Catastega timidella — Oak Trumpet Skeletonizer Moth
  • Catocala amica — Girlfriend Underwing
  • Catocala connubialis — Connubial Underwing
  • Catocala ilia — Ilia Underwing
  • Catocala lineella — Steely Underwing, Little-Lined Underwing
  • Cecrita biundata — Wavy-Lined Heterocampa
  • Cecrita guttivitta — Maple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
  • Cenopis directana — Chokecherry Leafroller Moth
  • Cenopis pettitana — Maple-Basswood Leafroller Moth
  • Charadra deridens — The Laugher
  • Chionodes adamas
  • Chionodes bicostomaculella — Two-Spotted Chionodes
  • Chionodes formosella — Spring Oak Leafroller
  • Chionodes fuscomaculella — White-Spotted Chionodes
  • Chionodes pereyra
  • Chionodes soter
  • Chionodes thoraceochrella
  • Choristoneura fractivittana — Broken-Banded Leafroller, Lined Corn-Borer Moth
  • Choristoneura rosaceana — Oblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Cissusa spadix — Black-Dotted Brown
  • Coleophora atromarginata — Pistol Casebearer, American Pistol Casebearer Moth
  • Coptotriche castaneaeella
  • Coptotriche citrinipennella — Oakleaf Edgeminer
  • Coptotriche zelleriella
  • Crocigrapha normani — Norman's Quaker
  • Cydia latiferreana — Filbertworm
  • Dasychira dorsipennata — Sharp-Lined Tussock Moth
  • Dasychira plagiata — Northern Conifer Tussock Moth
  • Dasychira tephra — Tephra Tussock Moth
  • Dichomeris ligulella — Palmerworm
  • Dyseriocrania griseocapitella — Chinquapin Leaf-Miner
  • Eacles imperialis — Imperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
  • Ectoedemia platanella
  • Ectoedemia similella — Broken-Banded Ectoedemia
  • Egira alternans — Alternate Woodling
  • Egira dolosa — Grieving Woodling, Cunning Woodling
  • Ennomos magnaria — Maple Spanworm Moth, Notchwing Geometer
  • Ennomos subsignaria — Elm Spanworm Moth
  • Erannis tiliaria — Linden Looper Moth, Western Winter Moth, Lime Looper
  • Euclea delphinii — Spiny Oak-Slug Moth
  • Gymnandrosoma punctidiscanum — Dotted Gymnast, Dotted Ecdytolopha
  • Halysidota tessellaris — Banded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
  • Hedya chionosema — Twin-Spotted Budworm, White-Spotted Hedya
  • Hemileuca maia — Eastern Buckmoth
  • Heterocampa obliqua — Oblique Heterocampa
  • Hydriomena transfigurata — Transfigured Hydriomena
  • Hypagyrtis unipunctata — One-Spotted Variant
  • Hyparpax perophoroides — Brown-Striped Prominent
  • Hyperstrotia secta — Black-Patched Graylet
  • Hyphantria cunea — Fall Webworm
  • Ianassa lignicolor — White-Streaked Prominent
  • Isa textula — Crowned Slug
  • Isochaetes beutenmuelleri — Spun Glass Slug
  • Lacanobia atlantica — Atlantic Arches
  • Lambdina fiscellaria — Hemlock Looper, Western Oak Looper
  • Lambdina pultaria — Southern Oak Looper
  • Lithacodes fasciola — Yellow-Shouldered Slug
  • Lithophane antennata — Ashen Pinion
  • Lithophane bethunei — Bethune's Pinion
  • Lithophane hemina — Hemina Pinion
  • Lithophane innominata — Nameless Pinion
  • Lithophane petulca — Wanton Pinion
  • Lophocampa caryae — Hickory Tussock Moth, Hickory Tiger Moth
  • Lophocampa maculata — Spotted Tussock Moth, Yellow-Spotted Tiger Moth
  • Lytrosis permagnaria — Gray Lytrosis
  • Machimia tentoriferella — Gold-Striped Leaftier Moth
  • Malacosoma disstria — Forest Tent Caterpillar
  • Meganola phylla — Two-Spotted Oak Punkie, Coastal Plain Meganola
  • Metarranthis duaria — Ruddy Metarranthis
  • Moodna ostrinella — Darker Moodna
  • Morrisonia confusa — Confused Woodgrain
  • Natada nasoni — Nason's Slug Moth
  • Nemoria lixaria — Red-Bordered Emerald
  • Nemoria mimosaria — White-Fringed Emerald
  • Neotelphusa querciella — Oak Leafroller
  • Neurobathra strigifinitella — Finite-Channeled Leafminer
  • Oneida lunulalis — Orange-Tufted Oneida
  • Operophtera brumata — Winter Moth (listed as introduced in the source)
  • Oreana unicolorella — Ladder-Marked Caterpillar
  • Orgyia leucostigma — White-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthosia hibisci — Speckled Green Fruitworm Moth, Speckled Green Quaker
  • Orthosia revicta — Subdued Quaker
  • Orthosia rubescens — Ruby Quaker
  • Packardia geminata — Jeweled Tail Slug Moth
  • Pandemis canadana — Green Aspen Leaftier
  • Pandemis lamprosana — Woodgrain Leafroller
  • Pandemis limitata — Three-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Paranthrene simulans — Hornet Clearwing, Golden Oak Borer
  • Parasa chloris — Smaller Parasa, Green Slug Moth
  • Phaeoura quernaria — Oak Beauty Moth
  • Phigalia strigataria — Small Phigalia, Small Oak Looper
  • Phigalia titea — The Half-Wing Geometer, Spiney Looper, Eastern Oak Looper
  • Phoberia atomaris — Common Oak Moth
  • Phyllonorycter minutella
  • Phyllonorycter rileyella
  • Plagodis alcoolaria — Hollow-Spotted Plagodis
  • Pococera asperatella — Maple Webworm
  • Pococera expandens — Striped Oak Webworm, Double-Humped Pococera
  • Prionoxystus macmurtrei — Little Carpenterworm, Lesser Oak Carpenter Worm
  • Prolimacodes badia — Skiff Moth, Skiff Caterpillar
  • Pseudexentera hodsoni
  • Pseudexentera spoliana — Bare-Patched Leafroller
  • Pseudothyatira cymatophoroides — Tufted Thyatirid
  • Psilocorsis cryptolechiella — Black-Fringed Leaftier
  • Psilocorsis quercicella — Oak Leaftier
  • Rectiostoma xanthobasis — Yellow-Vested Moth
  • Salebriaria engeli — Engel's Salebriaria
  • Selenia kentaria — Kent's Geometer
  • Sparganothis umbrana — Birdsfoot Trefoil Leaftier
  • Stigmella flavipedella
  • Stigmella quercipulchella
  • Symmerista canicosta — Red-Humped Oakworm
  • Symmerista leucitys — Orange-Humped Mapleworm
  • Synanthedon pictipes — Lesser Peachtree Borer Moth
  • Thalera pistasciaria — Pistachio Emerald
  • Tortricidia flexuosa — Abbreviated Button Slug Moth
  • Tortricidia pallida — Red-Cross Button Slug
  • Tortricidia testacea — Early Button Slug
  • Trypanisma prudens
  • Xylena thoracica — Acadian Swordgrass Moth

Leafhopper hosts

The INHS revision lists this plant as a host for the following Eratoneura leafhoppers. These plant-feeding insects are distinct from caterpillars and flower visitors.

  • Eratoneura abjecta
  • Eratoneura acantha
  • Eratoneura lenta
  • Eratoneura marilandicae
  • Eratoneura stannardi

Host names follow the 2010 taxonomic revision. Its distribution records do not establish a host observation at your planting site.

Show / hide ▾Frequently asked questions

What are the ideal growing conditions for Red Oak?
Light: Full to partial sun. Soil moisture: Mesic to dry-mesic.

How do I germinate and establish Red Oak from seed?
USDA reports separate 30–45-day and 70-day cold treatments, not one continuous range.

Is Red Oak deer and herbivore resistant?
Deer resistance reported in cultivation guidance; browsing remains possible. Even plants described as resistant may be browsed. Use physical protection where deer damage is a concern.

When should I expect Red Oak to bloom?
Typical flowering period: Mid-spring to late-spring. Timing varies with location and weather.

Show / hide ▾Sources & ecological notes

Landscape companion selection: Natural Communities compared the growing requirements shown on these species pages with selected source records: Dry-mesic upland forest — immature second growth — East-central Illinois. The shortlist is a planting-design inference. A shared record does not establish adjacency, identical soil requirements, local seed origin, or a tested planting combination. Regional synthesis records retain their documented focal-to-associate scope.

Illinois woodland records: Larimore, Phillippe & Ebinger (2008), Middle Fork Woods flora, Appendix I. © 2008 University of Illinois Board of Trustees, CC BY 4.0. Habitat records transcribed, selected and linked to catalog names by Natural Communities. Survey: 1999–2002.

Native range & ecological ratings: Flora of the Chicago Region (2017), via Universal FQA; USACE Chicago FQA (2017); Kew WCVP / Plants of the World Online; USACE National Wetland Plant List.

Growing conditions & other references: Illinois Wildflowers, John Hilty; USDA Forest Service: querub; USDA Forest Service: american hornbeam; USDA Forest Service: black maple; USDA Forest Service: Acer rubrum; USDA Forest Service: Carya ovata; USDA Forest Service: Geranium maculatum; USDA Forest Service: Juniperus virginiana; USDA Forest Service: Osmorhiza claytonii; USDA Forest Service: Prunus virginiana; USDA Forest Service: Quercus alba; USDA Forest Service: Quercus coccinea; USDA Forest Service: Tilia americana; USDA Forest Service: species review; USDA NRCS PLANTS; USDA Forest Service: species review; USDA Forest Service: species review; NC State Extension Plant Toolbox.

Wildlife records: Shropshire & Tallamy: caterpillar hosts (2025); INHS: Eratoneura leafhopper host records.

Native range does not identify the origin of the seed or plants offered. Community and wildlife records apply to the locations and conditions described.

Research notes & credits

USACE/ERDC fqadata — Chicago Region FQA 2017. Herman, B., Sliwinski, R. & Whitaker, S. (2017), Chicago Region FQA Calculator; distributed by USACE/ERDC in fqadata under CC0. Values may differ from Flora of the Chicago Region (2017). CC0 dedication. Retained for comparison; the displayed C-value follows Flora database 80.

Range data: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; 4 June 2026 release, accessed 7 September 2026. © The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. CC BY 3.0; selected and reformatted. Kew cannot warrant the quality or accuracy of these data. This use has no Kew endorsement.

Caterpillar host records: Shropshire, K.J. & Tallamy, D.W. (2025), Lepidoptera of North America, Supplement 1. Contains information from this database made available under the Open Database License (ODbL 1.0). Natural Communities selected species-level records and screened source qualifications. The complete selection and transformation instructions for this page are available below under the same license.

Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin — Eratoneura paper. Dietrich, C.H. & Dmitriev, D.A. (2010), Review of the Species of New World Erythroneurini, IV. Genus Eratoneura. Copyright University of Illinois Board of Trustees. CC BY 4.0; selected host records summarized and reformatted. No endorsement implied. CC BY 4.0.

Flora rating attribution: Kenneth Johnson (2018), Flora of the Chicago Region UFQA Database, following Gerould Wilhelm and Laura Rericha (2017), Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Individual rating facts are presented with original commentary; the calculator’s software license is not treated as a license for the underlying Flora publication.

Detailed record links: Eratoneura abjecta; Eratoneura acantha; Eratoneura lenta; Eratoneura marilandicae; Eratoneura stannardi; Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin — Eratoneura paper.

Caterpillar research records

Plant: Quercus rubra

Record scope: Host literature synthesis; no county nativity or local insect occurrence inferred.

Shropshire & Tallamy (2025) · Original research dataset · Reuse license: ODbL-1.0

Plant names in the source Source insect record IDs
Quercus rubra 200078, 200087, 200099, 200141, 200145, 200195, 200209, 200282, 200317, 200325, 200331, 200348, 200359, 200402, 200654, 200728, 200839, 200848, 200851, 200931, 200933, 200935, 201023, 201025, 201028, 201029, 201286, 201301, 201302, 201457, 201532, 201682, 201805, 201806, 201819, 201913, 201932, 201987, 202009, 202215, 202232, 202248, 202258, 202378, 202391, 202412, 202431, 202443, 202521, 202524, 202575, 202582, 202641, 202688, 202700, 202738, 202743, 202812, 202851, 202859, 202929, 202939, 202988, 203150, 203467, 203468, 203487, 203616, 203741, 203802, 203811, 203812, 204046, 204331, 204360, 204386, 204390, 204403, 204408, 204654, 204655, 204889, 205090, 206189, 206541, 206607, 206632, 206800, 206881, 207114, 207133, 207139, 207216, 207218, 207292, 207406, 207408, 207482, 207562, 207567, 207799, 207813, 207816, 207827, 207828, 207843, 207899, 207902, 207993, 208073, 208112, 208214, 208338, 208504, 208511, 208557, 208617, 208618, 208726, 208769, 209056, 209058, 209070, 209084, 209121, 209126, 209127, 209173, 209217, 209221, 209222, 209408, 209453, 209861, 209903, 209904, 209923, 210081, 210096, 210169, 210267, 210272, 210410, 210452, 210628, 210637, 210704, 210709, 210711, 210901, 211079, 211151, 211450, 211613, 211817, 211840, 211942, 211943, 212166, 212390, 212524, 212525, 212526, 212643, 212900

How these records were selected

To reproduce this selection, use the “UDELep May 2025” worksheet in the original research dataset.

  1. Match the insect record IDs above to column A (UDLepID). Within each table row, pair every listed insect ID with every listed source plant name.
  2. Use the first two words in column H for the insect’s scientific name, column E for its common name, and column AB for its source category.
  3. Treat the selected pairs as reported caterpillar host records. Keep all other source fields unchanged and outside this selected table. Include no other rows or host pairs.
  4. Group butterflies and skippers together, and the other categories as moths. Retain the source’s exotic-category labels and sort display names by scientific insect name.

County evidence: historical forest stands described in Larimore, Phillippe & Ebinger (2008), p. 182, with IDNR remnant-site context. The 1974 survey is reported by the 2008 paper; remnant origin is inferred from documented stand continuity.

Survey communities: Ebinger et al. (2006), Tables 1–12, Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin. CC BY 4.0; adapted as dated presence lists, with the source’s non-native records excluded from the displayed native lists.

Growing guidance: Illinois Extension — Keeping deer out of the yard and garden. Selected facts in original wording. General deer advice is not a species resistance rating.


Plant Shipping & Care

We want to ensure that our customers get what they want, a native backyard oasis. To do that, we need to follow a few simple guidelines and give you some information and pointers to make sure you get your plants delivered in a healthy state.

As a reminder, you will receive an email to confirm your pickup or shipping window just before the plants are ready. See Order Fulfillment below for seasonal fulfillment windows.

 

Choices to Receive Your Plants & Accessories

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Order Fulfilment - When Your Plants or Other Items Will Be Ready

We take orders all year long and seed is shipped all year, but we only provide the plants to you in certain fulfillment windows to ensure healthy plants.

Wholesale Orders

  • Shipped or are Ready For Pick Up As Requested.

 

Retail & Website Orders

  • Seed Typically Ships Out Within One Week Of Order All Year Long
  • Typically, single species flats ship when ready, sometimes as soon as early to mid-April (depends on weather) through early-October.
  • Mixed species kits are batched and shipped as indicated on the product page.
  • If a plant order is placed while outside of the plant fulfillment window your plants will be reserved through your payment, however, the order will not be fulfilled and shipped until the following spring. We don't want to provide you plants when they won't be happy during the cold winter months. 
  • Early in the spring and later in the fall certain species may be dormant or partially dormant with brown leaves, however they will return to grow healthy next growing season.
  • Your order may arrive in several different shipments.
  • If certain plants within an order will not be available until a later date, we may choose to hold the full order until all are ready.  In certain circumstances, we may choose to send them in two separate shipments 
  • Fulfillment is always dependent upon plant availability.  We try our best but sometimes plants do not overwinter well and perish.  If a plant is on back order you will receive an email indicating the estimated shipping date.  If we can not provide the plant we will first notify you and give you an option of substitution or a refund of that individual species.
  • Plants are typically only packaged and shipped on Mondays to ensure they do not sit in the harsh delivery facility for extended periods of time over the weekend. You will receive a confirmation email once your delivery has been shipped and to estimate your delivery date.
  • Apparel & accessories are ready typically within one to two weeks. See product page for holiday shipping.

Where We Ship

 

 

        What to Expect When Receiving Your Delivery

        • Your plants will be packaged with the utmost care
        • We will need to cut back certain plants prior to shipping. This seems counter-intuitive, however, the fewer leaves the less water the plants can lose during shipping, resulting in healthier plants for you. This also enables the plants to fit within the protective packaging and shipped safely.

         

           Shipments

          • Larger plant shipments will look similar to the picture below with a tray of your plants and a cardboard box to protect them during shipping.

           

           

          What to Do With Your Plants After  Receiving Your Delivery

          • Unpack your order IMMEDIATELY
          • Inspect for damage and report any issues immediately to Natives@NaturalCommunities.net
          • Water your plants
          • Install your plants as quickly as possible and water the entire garden area thoroughly
          • If you cannot install your plants immediately
            • Some plants may not be in a container, put them into some kind of a container such as a paper cup with loose soil until installation
            • Make sure each plant is receiving the appropriate amount of light.
            • Continue to water daily each morning and possibly again in the afternoon
            • No additional fertilizer is needed
          How to install native plugs
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