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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSWhat
are your hours? Do you have gift certificates? Do you ever have sales? What are Swan Dollars and Holiday Dollars, and how do they work? Click here for information on this popular reward program. What's wrong with my plant? How do I . . . ? Check out our printable plant care sheets for more gardening tips and information. Do you deliver? "I found a lot of plants I just HAD to have" - Yes, fees vary based on the location, size and quantity of the order. Inquire with a sales person or cashier for Swansons delivery fee schedule.
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GARDENING TERMSNew 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 most vegetables 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 distinct trunk and with multiple branching beginning near its base, generally under 15 feet tall. “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. “Full Sun” locations receive 6 hours or more sunlight per day during the growing season (April - August) generally during the miday and afternoon portions when the heat and light intensity is the strongest. “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.
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