Rhapis Gardens News   Rhapis excelsa 'TENZAN' variety - 6' (2m) tall sent to Kew Gardens in 1987 as a small 5" (10 cm) pot plant.    

Dear Plant Enthusiast,     After 35 years of growing exotic tropicals and 25 years of doing mail order throughout the USA and the World, I have decided to stop shipping live plants.  Not because I want to, nor because there is no demand, but because of the ever escalating costs of shipping and the terrible service of mail order delivery companies.    Shipping costs have become outrageous!  A small 4" potted plant 18" tall now costs $24 to ship by 3 day service - over $35 for 2nd day "air".  I remember the days when this same plant would cost $5 for 2 day service!    Over 1/3 of our shipments this year have arrived late, not within the 2 or 3 day "guaranteed service time", and in many cases, were damaged.  The shippers tell us that they won't insure "perishables", or that our packing was not good enough (those of you who have ordered from us, know that we pack such that the delivery services could play football with our packages and the plants would not shift).   We've had to bear the burden of extra shipping costs, extra packing materials, replacement costs, and very little reimbursement from the delivery companies.  We've had 4' tall boxed plants dumped behind a customers SUV (instead of the porch 10' away) and the unaware customer backed over them. We've had boxed plants thrown over back yard fences (not put on the porch or given to the customer) and no one found them for days. We've had boxes delivered that looked like the delivery truck ran over them. We've had boxes "lost" for days in the delivery system. We've had boxes going from South Texas to California or Florida routed through Wyoming (and a possible blizzard) I could write a book on what all has gone wrong with our shipments. The bottom line is that we are losing money with our mail order operation and that our precious plants are being damaged by the shippers.  It is no longer worth it to endure the frustrations of trying to ship our plants anywhere, anymore.    So with much reluctance and regret, we are only shipping pots, soil, sago seed and pups (during the spring), and other things that can be shipped by surface.    If any of you pass through Corpus Christi, Texas and would like to come by to purchase a plant, email me at order@rhapisgardens.com and I'll see if we still have what you are looking for.    Otherwise, I want to thank all the thousands of wonderful customers we've had over the years.  We have loved growing plants for each and every one of you.  Lynn McKamey Rhapis Gardens    P.S.  If you have a question about palms and cycads, visit the  International Palm Society message board for palm questions and information.    Don't miss our fun feature "Sammi Samurai's Seek & Find Poster" for kids (big kids too!)  Sammi is Rhapis Gardens cartoon mascot and is searching for 80 tiny creatures, critters, and objects in a palm jungle.  You'll have fun looking for them too!      Lynn McKamey

 

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Rhapis Gardens   P.O.B. 287   Gregory, TX 78359 (361) 643-2061 E-Mail Rhapis Gardens at

 

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  Other exotic plants available by mail can be found at