FAQs

A botanical treasure hunt is what we call our major site-wide restocks and new botanical treasure releases!

As a small, family-run nursery, every growing gem goes through many hands (sourcing, growing, acclimatizing, preparing, and packing) before it’s ready to find its new home. Because of this care and attention, we release our plants in thoughtfully timed drops rather than making everything available at once.

This allows us to maintain the quality our Gem Growers know and love. While the excitement of a Treasure Hunt may not be for everyone, it’s all part of the experience. It's a great a chance to discover some truly special growing gems.

To learn more about how our Botanical Treasure Hunts work, click here.

Yes! You’ll be able to preview what’s coming before the hunt begins.

Our site enters preview mode the day before the Treasure Hunt (no set time—just as soon as we’re able to get everything ready). During this time, prices and the “Add to Cart” button will be disabled while we put the finishing touches on the release.

It’s the perfect chance to take a peek at the upcoming botanical treasures, plan your must-haves, and build your hunt list or wishlist ahead of time.

For more tips on how to prepare for a CSN Botanical Treasure Hunt, click here.

While our nursery primarily serves as a growing haven for our botanical treasures, we’re excited to offer seasonal drop-in shopping hours!

To stay in the loop, keep an eye on our e-newsletter, visit our Location & Hours of Operation page on our website, or follow us on social media for updates on when our doors are open.

There are a few avenues to get your hands on some of our botanical treasures: 

1) Here on our website! We've got an online store with an ever-increasing collection to browse. 

2) If you're looking to buy some growing gems in person, keep an eye out for markets or events we attend or host! 

3) We supply a select number of local nurseries and plant shops with some CSN gems so keep an eye out for our name tag! 

The best way to ensure you don’t miss out on a chance to add some of our botanical treasures to your collection is to subscribe to our newsletter and follow our social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram for updates!

You can also check out our list of upcoming events here

If you can view products but don't see prices or an "Add to cart" button, odds are you've caught us "Pre-Hunt".

When we prepare for our Botanical Treasure Hunts, we preview our plants on the day leading up to the hunt. This gives all the eager botanical treasure hunters time to prepare.

Pricing and ability to add to cart will be available at a designated time visible on our homepage.

For more details about our Botanical Treasure Hunts click here.

One magic part of plants is that they require our care to flourish. Knowing this, while we do have an expansive selection of botanical treasures, we only make plants available when they are ready to be re-homed.

Due to demand and limited supply, some items sell out rather quickly after they become available. Should an item you are interested in sell out or appear out-of-stock, you can sign up for our back-in-stock notifications for the products you are interested in so we'll reach out to you when they are available online again!

Product limits are currently suspended, allowing you to shop to your green hearts' content!

If circumstances change and implementing limits would benefit our community, we will revisit the idea of product limits.

Due to the limited and ever-changing nature of our botanical treasures and because plants are live, perishable goods, we’re unable to offer waitlists or hold plants/orders.

As items become ready and available, they’ll be released online or at events on a first come, first served basis.

That said, if there’s a particular growing gem you’ve had your eye on, feel free to reach out! We’re always happy to let you know if it may be available soon or add it to our “on the lookout” list.

If you are looking for something specific that isn’t on our online store please send an email to: info@crystalstarnusery.com.

It’s possible we have the item at our nursery but it's not quite ready for a new home yet. If we don’t have the variety you are seeking, we can add it to our list to try to source for the future.

We understand that group orders have long been a way for plant lovers to come together and access unique botanical treasures, especially in areas where options may be limited.

While we don’t restrict group orders, they are processed as a single individual order. This means all communication and customer care (including inquiries, claims, and any resolutions) will be handled only with the individual who placed the order.

If a replacement or store credit is issued, it will be provided under the original order holder’s name and, where applicable, sent to the original shipping address.

To ensure the best experience with our collection, care, and support, we encourage each Gem Grower to place their own order whenever possible.

Check out our "What do do when you're expecting?" post!

We recommend leaving your plant in its moss-filled pot for at least two weeks to allow it to acclimatize to your space.

At the nursery, many of our cuttings are rooted in sphagnum moss, as it provides excellent moisture control and supports strong root development during their early stages. It also allows us to care for a large collection of plants consistently and effectively.

Sphagnum moss can be a fantastic growing medium when you’re familiar with its properties and adjust your care accordingly. However, if another medium better suits your setup, we suggest waiting a couple of weeks before transplanting to give your plant time to settle in.

When you’re ready to transplant, soak the moss root ball in water with a few drops of dish soap to help loosen the fibres. Gently work the moss away from the roots and take your time. Some fine roots may look similar to moss fibre.

We recommend leaving it in the pot with moss for at least two weeks to acclimatize to your surroundings. We root most of our cuttings in sphagnum moss as they are more successful in this medium in their juvenile stage and easier to care for.

When you go to transplant, if you would like to remove all the moss. Simply soak the moss ball in water with a couple drops of dish soap to help loosen the moss fibres. Then carefully and gently remove the moss. Keep in mind that some of the roots can be mistaken for the moss fibres.

Photos shown on our product pages are for reference only, unless otherwise stated. While we do our best to provide specimens similar to what’s shown, natural variation is expected.

Our growing gems come from many avenues: carefully sourced from trusted suppliers around the world, as well as grown and propagated right here at our nursery. Because of this, plants may vary in size, shape, and condition. That said, each one is acclimatized and nurtured before being made available, so it’s ready to continue thriving in your care.

While you may not be able to personally select your plant, we approach each selection as if we were choosing it for our own collection. We prioritize plant health above all else, looking for establishing root systems, active growth points, and overall vitality to give your plant the best chance of success in its new home.

This means that size, leaf markings, or minor imperfections may vary and are not always indicative of quality or health.

Please note: Photos of blooms are also for reference only and do not guarantee your plant will arrive in bloom or spike unless otherwise specified.

Our platform is able to accept our Gift Cards, Visa, MasterCard, Visa Debit, and MasterCard Debit.*

*Please note we are only able to accept specifically Visa Debit or Mastercard Debit. Traditional debit/banking cards cannot be processed online at this time.

We offer a few flexible ways to bring your botanical treasures home, depending on the season and availability:

• Nursery Pick-Up
  Pick up at the nursery by booking a pick-up window that works for you.
• Event Pick-Up
  Order ahead and collect your growing gems at one of our upcoming events.
• Shipping
  Available Canada-wide for dry goods year-round and for plants during our shipping season, weather permitting.
• CSN Local Delivery
  Offered for a limited time when plant shipping is unavailable, bringing your botanical treasures right to your doorstep.

Availability for each option may vary depending on the time of year, weather conditions, and event schedule. Be sure to check the details at checkout or on our website to choose the option that works best for you.

The order retrieval options shown at checkout are based on availability, seasonality, and your location.

• Nursery Pick-Up is available year-round.
• Shipping is available Canada-wide, but only for items eligible at that time. Dry goods can ship year-round, while plants are available for shipping during our plant shipping season, weather permitting.
• Event Pick-Up is typically available 1–2 weeks prior to an event and will only appear during that window.
• CSN Local Delivery is offered for a limited time when plant shipping is unavailable.

Some items, such as bulk goods or larger specimens, may be available for pick-up or local delivery only due to their size or nature.

Please note: If an option is not visible at checkout, it is not currently available for that item or order. In some cases, your address may not be fully recognized by the system even if you’re within a serviceable area. If you believe this may be the case, feel free to reach out and we’ll be happy to help confirm your options.

Once your order is successfully placed and confirmed, your botanical treasures are reserved for you, but not guaranteed.

As we’re working with live plants and take our quality standards seriously, each growing gem undergoes multiple inspections, both before being made available and again prior to pick-up, shipping, or delivery.

In rare cases, a plant may not meet our standards during final inspection or availability may change. If this happens, we’ll always reach out to you by email to keep you informed and offer options, including a replacement or refund where applicable.

Our goal is always to ensure that every plant leaving our care is healthy, established, and ready to thrive in its new home.

Orders that have not yet been processed, picked up, shipped, or delivered may be cancelled in part or in full. Refunds will be issued to the original method of payment, minus a 5% restocking/processing fee.

As our plants are live, perishable treasures, we’re unable to accept returns, refunds, or exchanges once they’ve left our care.

Blooming / Spiking Plants

For plants offered in spike or bloom, timing is important. If your botanical treasure blooms out within the standard pickup, event, or shipping timeframe, we’re happy to offer a price adjustment where applicable.

However, if pickup is delayed beyond the allotted timeframe and blooms fade while in our care, refunds or adjustments will not be provided.

That said, we stand behind every growing gem we offer, which is why we provide our 7-Day Healthy Plant Guarantee.

Pick-up is available by scheduled appointment to ensure a smooth and seamless experience.

After placing your order, you’ll be prompted to book your pick-up date and time through your order confirmation page. Available time slots will be shown based on our current schedule.

Orders must be picked up within 14 days of purchase. If you need to adjust your timing, you can reschedule using the link provided in your confirmation email.

If you’ve selected event pick-up, your order will be available during the event hours you’ve chosen.

We recommend picking up your botanical treasures as soon as possible, especially for plants in spike or bloom, so you can enjoy them at their best.

If your pick-up time falls within our seasonal drop-in shopping hours, we’d love to have you come in and browse a selection of ready-to-go botanical treasures!

Outside of these hours, our nursery is focused on growing and preparing orders, so browsing may not be available during scheduled pick-ups.

To stay in the loop on when drop-in shopping is open, keep an eye on our home page, e-newsletter, or social media for the latest updates.

Sure you can!

Instructions to book your pick will be provided when you successfully place an order.

Of course!

Instructions to book your pick will be provided when you successfully place an order.

We offer Canada-wide shipping on dry goods year-round and for plants from Spring into Fall, while weather permits!

We announce our start and end dates via our social media channels as they are determined.

For full shipping policy details, click here.

Unfortunately, we do not currently offer plant shipping outside of Canada.

US shipping for dry goods is currently suspended. With ongoing shifts in trade and tariff regulations, it has become increasingly difficult to estimate the fees and duties for US shipments. We will resume shipping as soon as things stabilize.

A lot of care goes into growing our botanical treasures—and that same care carries through to how they’re packed and shipped.

Each order is carefully hand-packed, with plants individually wrapped and securely boxed to keep them safe and comfortable in transit. Whenever possible, we ship our plants in their growing medium (unless not required, such as air plants) to help reduce stress as they transition to their new home.

All packages are shipped using trusted courier services (e.g. Canada Post, Canpar, UPS, Purolator, FedEx) with transit times selected to get your growing gems to you as safely and efficiently as possible.

For full details on shipping schedules, timing, and policies, please refer to our Shipping Policy.

We ship orders Canada-wide on Mondays and Tuesdays (excluding holidays). For Ontario and Quebec destinations with a 1-day estimated transit time, orders may also ship on Wednesdays.

We avoid shipping later in the week to help ensure your botanical treasures spend as little time as possible in transit and arrive safely without weekend delays.

Orders placed during a Botanical Treasure Hunt or major restock may experience longer processing times due to order volume, our small team, and external factors such as weather. Our goal is to have orders processed and on their way within 2 weeks, though timing may vary slightly.

We appreciate your patience as we carefully select, prepare, and pack each growing gem—our priority is always to ensure they arrive healthy and ready to thrive in your care.

Yes! To help you save on shipping, we offer combined shipping for multiple orders.

Additional orders can be added for a $10 add-on fee per order, provided the following criteria are met:

• One order includes Canada-Wide Standard Flat Rate Shipping (typically the first order placed)
• All orders are placed under the same account
• Orders are shipping to the same address
• The original order has not yet been prepared or processed for shipping

If these conditions are met, we’ll happily combine your orders so your botanical treasures can make the journey together.