Posted:  26 Sep 2014 20:18
Registered User Currently Offline Join Date: Sep 2014	Posts:  8 Reputation: Unranked User Rank: 1 - Seedling
Hi there! I am currently conducting research on suppliers and distributors of quality plants and containers in Western Canada, and so far I've only been able to come up with Burnaby Lake Greenhouses. They have a great selection of quality plants, however, I am searching for more varieties than they carry, and they do not have a very good selection of pots/containers. Ontario has much more of a selection of tropical/foliage plants then British Columbia, but I am wondering if shipping live plants across such a distance will be cost prohibitive (over 3000 kms.) Is there anyone here who has experience with shipping live plants across the border? From a shipping perspective, it seems to me that it would make sense to purchase stock from Western American suppliers. However, there are strict regulations with bringing live plants across the Canadian border (phytosanitary certificates, etc.) and the regulations on the Canadian government website are somewhat difficult to follow. They do have a section on the regulations of importing "houseplants" but there are limits to how many plants you can bring in at a time (only 50 plants.) Does anyone happen to have any experience or advice on this? Would perhaps using a plant broker help to solve some of these issues? Thank you for help

Posted:  26 Sep 2014 20:40
Registered User Currently Offline Join Date: Sep 2014	Posts:  53 Reputation:  1 User Rank: 2 - Sprout
Here's a place to start that may help you find more greenhouses in western Canada. It's a national business magazine published exclusively for commercial greenhouse growers in Canada. Greenhouse Canada With regards to plant containers, we ship to Canadian customers every week. Nearly all wholesale orders ship same-day so you shouldn't be waiting long for your orders. Give us a look.. NewPro Containers

Posted:  27 Sep 2014 15:21
Registered User Currently Offline Join Date: Jan 2011	Posts:  798 Reputation:  43 User Rank: 10 - Blossom
Kay, We ship flowering potted plants from Ontario on a weekly basis to New Jersey, and we never have any issues with plants being damaged/frozen in transit.  That said, we are buying anywhere between fifty and several hundred cases of plants per shipment (sometimes trailer, sometimes straight truck), so our landed prices are going to be cheaper than small quantities shipped a great distance.  Check with the Ontario growers you're familiar with, give them an approximation of how many cases and how often you will be ordering, and they'll be happy to give you quotes.  If you do decide to ship in from California, for example, that state has phytosanitary regulations that are probably the strictest of anywhere, Canada included.  So it's worth some phone calls and e-mails to check on pricing from there as well.  But California pricing tends to be higher for many reasons, so I'm not sure you'll get any bargains that way.  Good luck and happy hunting!

Posted:  31 Oct 2014 19:11
Registered User Currently Offline Join Date: Sep 2014	Posts:  8 Reputation: Unranked User Rank: 1 - Seedling
Thanks for the tip Clem. Are there any particular suppliers you recommend off hand?

Posted:  31 Oct 2014 20:38
Registered User Currently Offline Join Date: Jan 2011	Posts:  798 Reputation:  43 User Rank: 10 - Blossom
I can't really say, because we order in re-wholesaler quantities and I'm not sure what those brokers require in the way of minimum orders.  I'll message you privately with a couple of names to try.

Posted:  07 Nov 2014 20:24
Registered User Currently Offline Join Date: Nov 2014	Posts:  1 Reputation: Unranked User Rank: 1 - Seedling
Not sure where you are in Western Canada, but you could try Mainland

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