Is Garden World open to the public?

Yes, we are a cooperative of local growers providing the highest quality plants and competitive pricing! Our friendly staff can assist you with inventory or price questions or help you to select the right plants for your particular situation. We carry over 1,000 different varieties of common and unusual shade and flowering trees, conifers, shrubs, vines, perennials, and grasses.

Does Garden World deliver?

Yes, we deliver anywhere within Oregon and Washington. Currently our delivery days are Fridays and Saturdays. For more information click here to go to our Delivery page. We do not currently offer shipping services.

What do #1, #5 mean on your plants?

In the nursery industry, plastic containers are labeled #1, #2, #5, etc. The number means approximately ’gallon’. We don’t call them ’gallon’ anymore since they are not precisely 1 or 5 gallons. Several pot sizes can vary. For example, #5 comes in a tall version and a wider version, but both are referred to as 5 gallon containers.

What exactly does ’hardy’ mean, and what is our hardiness zone in the Portland area?

Hardiness is the lowest temp a plant has been observed to survive at. In an average year, the lowest temperature observed in the Portland Metro area is about 10 degrees Fahrenheit or USDA Hardiness Zone *8*.

Microclimates (cold and warm pockets and/or windy areas) can affect cold hardiness. If provided with shelter of a structure, some plants in zones 9-10 can survive in our climate. Mature plants are often better equipped to withstand temperature extremes, than newly planted ones. Plants also need a while to acclimatize in the winter, so cold temperatures early in the dormant season often can have more dramatic effects than later on in the season.

Why does the same kind of plant sometimes vary in price?

Garden World is a coop of local growers. Plant material is brought in from many different growers who have different cost structures. Prices will also vary due to the difference in pot size, age, height, or spread of the plant.

What do the various measures of plant growth mean?

• Slow: 0-6 inches per year
• Medium: 6-12 inches per year
• Fast: 12 or more inches per year
• Plant Growth Habit:
  • Cascading: Generally a horizontal, weeping form
  • Fastigiate: This is a narrow up-right, columnar, it probably won't become half as wide as it is tall.
  • Globose: This is a globe-like shape which can become as tall as it is wide.
  • Pendulous: This is weeping and usually will grow close or along to the ground unless you stake it.
  • Prostrate: This is a ground creeping habit. It usually gets much wider that it is tall.
  • Pyramidal: This is a conical habit. Pretty typical of most conifers.
  • Spreading: This plant has horizontal branching, and the plant will most of the time be twice as wide at maturity as it is tall.
  • Upright Broad: These are ascending branches that tend to spread with age, and usually becomes half as wide as tall.
  • Upright Narrow: This means that the plant has lateral branching that will vary, a narrow profile similar to fastigiate plants.
  • Upright Open: This has lateral branching that is widely spaced.