Hardy Exotics: What to Expect Through the Seasons
Our houseplants are famous for arriving flawless. Our Hardy Exotics are a different kind of plant, and that's the point.
They're grown outside in real British weather, so by the time they reach you they're tough, resilient and ready for life in your garden. That hardiness comes with a few honest signs of an outdoor life: a weather mark here, an older leaf there, and a look that changes completely through the year. Here's what to expect, season by season, so there are no surprises on the doorstep.
Why your hardy plant won't look like a houseplant
A houseplant lives its whole life in a controlled glasshouse. An outdoor plant lives with the sun, wind, rain and frost, and it wears a little of that, just as it will in your garden. Older or outer leaves may carry small marks; new growth comes through clean from the centre. None of this affects how the plant will perform once it's in the ground.
Through the seasons
Spring
The exciting one. Fresh growth flushes from the centre and base; dormant plants wake up. Plants are lush and at their most photogenic.
Summer
Full foliage and, for many, flowering. This is usually the hero-shot season.
Autumn
Deciduous exotics begin to drop leaves and pull energy back into the roots. This is natural and healthy, not decline.
Winter
Many hardy exotics are fully dormant: cut back, leafless, or sent bare-root. A banana or fern may arrive looking like little more than a pot of soil or a trimmed stem. It is alive, and dormancy is the best possible time to plant.
Dormant, not dead: how to check
If a stem looks bare and you're unsure, do the scratch test: gently scratch a little bark with your thumbnail. Green or pale-white underneath means living, healthy tissue, so your plant is simply resting. For palms and tree ferns, the spear test: the central spear should feel firm, not soft or pull away. Nine times out of ten, a "dead-looking" winter plant is just dormant.
Trimmed to travel
Some of our most exciting plants are also our biggest. To get a banana, ginger or large fern to you safely and affordably, we sometimes trim or fold the foliage for the journey. It looks more dramatic than it is, but the plant is unharmed and grows away strongly in spring.
What we'll never send
Honesty cuts both ways. Natural character ships; genuine problems never do. Every Hardy Exotic is checked before it leaves us, and we won't dispatch a plant with unhealthy roots, a damaged growing point, broken structure, or any sign of pests or disease. If a plant can't meet that bar, it doesn't go. If it's only cosmetically imperfect, it goes to our discounted Imperfect range, clearly labelled, never hidden.
Settling in: the first six weeks
Your plant has just travelled and is adjusting. Plant it in a suitable spot, water it in, and follow the care guide that comes with it (and on each product page). A little settling-in wobble is normal; steady new growth is the sign it's happy.
Your guarantee
Every order is covered by our 7-Day Live Arrival Guarantee. If a plant arrives genuinely damaged or unhealthy, send us a photo and your order number within 7 days and we'll put it right. Seasonal dormancy, natural weather marks and travel trims aren't faults; they're signs of a healthy, garden-ready plant, so they sit outside the guarantee. But if you're ever unsure which is which, just ask us. We'd always rather help than have you worry.