FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What are your hours?
CURRENTLY OPEN 9-7pm EVERY DAY

Do you have gift certificates?
Yes! Gift certificates can be easily purchased by phone with a credit card or at a cashier station at the Nursery. If you prefer to pay by phone we will mail it to your desired recipient. Call (206) 782-2543

Do you ever have sales?
Yes. Please click here current sales or specials.
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What's wrong with my plant?
We look forward to helping you solve your plant problems. It's very difficult to diagnose disease and insect problems without seeing a piece of the affected plant. Please bring in a sample for our knowledgeable information booth staff to examine and we'll do our best to help.

How do I.....? Check out our printable plant care sheets!

Do you deliver? I found a lot of plants I just 'HAD to have' -

Yes! Fees vary based on location, size and quantity of order. Inquire with a sales person or cashier for Swansons delivery fee schedule.

What are Swan Dollars and Holiday Dollars, and how do they work?

GARDENING TERMS
New to gardening? Unsure what the difference is between a perennial and an annual? Deciduous and evergreen? A tree and a shrub? Here are some of the more common gardening terms you will encounter and what they mean. Be sure to check with one of Swanson's trained nursery professionals for other gardening questions and to help you select the right plant for your needs.

“Evergreen” - a plant that retains its foliage throughout the year. Needled evergreens (conifers) include firs, pines and junipers; broadleaved evergreens include rhododendrons, boxwood and laurels.

“Deciduous” - a plant that loses its foliage at the end of the growing season. Most shade and fruit trees are included in this category, as are shrubs like lilac and forsythia.

“Perennial” - a plant whose life span exceeds one year. While this term applies to trees and shrubs as well, it is most often used to refer to those garden ornamentals, often flowering, which die back to the ground each winter and then return to active growth in the spring.

“Annual” - a plant that completes its life cycle in one year. Petunias, impatiens, etc. and mostvegetables are examples of annual plants. They must be replanted each year (some are self-seeding).

“Herbaceous” - a term used to define plants which have no permanent above ground structure. Hostas and delphiniums are examples of herbaceous perennials.

“Woody” - a plant that has a permanent above ground structure, like a trunk or stems. Maples, roses and most other trees and shrubs are examples of woody plants.

“Tree” - a large, woody plant having a distinct trunk. Small trees generally range in height from 12 to 25 feet; medium sized trees from 25 to 40 feet and large trees can exceed 40 feet.

“Shrub” - a woody plant with little or no trunk and with multiple branching beginning near its base. “Partial shade” - a location receiving less than 5 hours of direct sunlight per day during the growing season (April - August), or receiving only sun filtered through trees. Most plants preferring partial shade should be shaded from direct afternoon sun between 1:00 and 5:00 p.m. Full “shade” locations receive no direct sun or sun only in the very early morning or late evening.

“Hardiness” - a term used to describe and rate a plant's ability to withstand climate conditions, most often winter cold. This term is usually used in conjunction with a zone number, e.g., “hardy from zones 3 to 8.”

“Zone” - a term used to refer to a series of regional climatic conditions formulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to classify plant hardiness.
The Puget Sound region is generally considered to be within USDA Zone 8. Sunset^® publications use their own zone system to consider more specific local conditions; most of Puget Sound is in Sunset’s Zones 4 to 5.

“Tender” - a plant that is unlikely to survive our winter weather outdoors.

“Dormant” - a period of inactive growth which usually coincides with winter. Deciduous plants will have lost their foliage and herbaceous plants will have died back to the ground.