Guarantee
Your guarantee matches the nursery that grows your tree
We don't grow plants. Your tree ships from a nursery, and the guarantee we offer is that nursery's guarantee, passed straight through to you. Some trees are backed by us directly: where a nursery's guarantee doesn't cover trees bought through a reseller, we give our own arrival guarantee instead and pay for any replacement ourselves. You always see it on the tree's card and again before you pay. It is never revealed only after purchase.
The two choices
Full guarantee: Arrives alive + replaced once if it doesn't leaf out
Arrives alive: tell us within 7 days of delivery and we replace it. Doesn't leaf out: if it was ordered and planted between Nov 1 and Apr 30 in its recommended zone, send a photo and scratch test by July 1 and we replace it once.
Order dates matter: the leaf-out promise covers trees ordered and planted between Nov 1 and Apr 30, as Ison's own warranty does. Orders placed May 1–Oct 31 get the arrival guarantee only; the cart and checkout say so.
Backed by nurseries whose own policy covers arrival problems reported 7+ days after delivery and a replacement or plant-price credit when a tree doesn't leaf out: Ison's Nursery & Vineyard and Stark Bro's. Those nurseries settle leaf-out claims with a credit for the plant and charge shipping on the replacement. We pay that reshipping ourselves, so you get a replacement tree at no cost.
Standard
The tree comes from the nursery with the lowest delivered cost today, and the guarantee is that nursery's own policy, worded on the card no more generously than the nursery words it. When that nursery already backs the full guarantee, you'll see just one button.
Each nursery's own terms
Checked on each nursery's policy page on October 22, 2026. The daily refresh re-reads these pages and stops offering the Full guarantee from any nursery whose key terms change.
| Nursery | Tier | Report arrival problems within | If it doesn't survive or leaf out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ison's Nursery & Vineyard (Brooks, GA) Policy page | Full | 7 days | one-time credit equal to the plant's purchase price, good 12 months, excludes shipping — notified in writing by July 1 following planting |
| Stark Bro's (Louisiana, MO) Policy page | Full | 14 days | free one-time replacement, $9.99 shipping fee; refund if unavailable — within one year of delivery |
| Just Fruits & Exotics (Crawfordville, FL) Policy page | Nursery's own | 10 business days | one-time replacement (customer pays shipping); refund of plant cost if out of stock |
| Willis Orchard Co. (Berrien County, GA) Policy page | SouthernFruitTrees arrival guarantee (backed by us; the nursery's warranty doesn't cover resold trees) | 3 days | Not covered |
What the Standard guarantees say, in full
SouthernFruitTrees arrival guarantee
Arrives alive or we replace it — tell us within 3 days of delivery, with photos. Backed by SouthernFruitTrees (not the nursery). Later losses aren't covered.
Just Fruits & Exotics guarantee
If it's damaged in transit, report it with photos within 10 business days and it's replaced. If it turns unhealthy within 90 days of the ship date, it's replaced once. Reshipping isn't covered. Freeze, weather and care-related losses aren't covered.
Which trees have which guarantee today
Full guarantee: Celeste Fig, Brown Turkey Fig, Fuyu Persimmon, Ison Muscadine, Fry Muscadine, Supreme Muscadine, Carlos Muscadine, Powderblue Blueberry, Premier Blueberry, Brightwell Blueberry, Pawpaw (native seedling), Wonderful Pomegranate, Hosui Asian Pear, Methley Plum, Kieffer Pear, Elberta Peach, Pineapple Pear.
Your choice of Standard or Full guarantee: none today.
Standard guarantee only (no full-guarantee nursery has it in stock): Chicago Hardy Fig, Tifblue Blueberry.
This changes when a different nursery has the lowest delivered cost. Your order keeps the guarantee shown when you paid, and your receipt records it.
How to make a claim
Email hello@southernfruittrees.com with your order number, a photo of the plant, and for a leaf-out claim a photo of a scratch test (scratch the bark halfway down the trunk; green underneath means it's alive). Please write within your guarantee's window. We pass the claim to the nursery the same day.
All guarantees exclude damage from improper chemicals or fertilizer, neglect, and planting outside the tree's recommended zone, as each nursery's policy states.