Guaranteeing Life

Doctors don't guarantee life,
so why should landscapers?

  
BEST LINE EVER!

While attending a nurseryman's conference back in the 90's, I heard the best line ever: "Doctors don't guarantee life, so why should landscapers?" Think about it.
  
A doctor does everything within his power to ensure patients live long with good health, but there is still a partnership involved. Doc can do his absolute best, but if patients don't hold up their end of the partnership, there's certainly no guarantee of life.
  
The partnership between landscapers and their clients is similar to a doctor-patient relationship, yet different. Landscapers go much further than doctors by guaranteeing life for 1 year.
   
While planting contracts call for "proper watering," clients will rarely admit they were negligent by failing to water properly. On occasion, this is sort of a "white lie" since watering is taking place, but not being done properly.
   

WIDE OVERHANG or BAD HANGOVER? How would you like to be the landscaper guaranteeing these plants for one year. They have no chance of receiving natural rainfall and depend entirely on hand watering or automatic irrigation.

DON'T PLANT UNDER OVERHANGS! Clients often swear they can effectively hand water in these sorts of overhang situations, but the reality is usually much different. Be sure to plant out from underneath roof overhangs. Otherwise you will need a very effective automatic irrigation system.

   
Regardless of the actual situation, many people will skirt the truth when it comes to admitting a plant's death was due to their neglect. It's kind of like the patient lying to the doctor, "Sure Doc, I've been watching my calories and exercising every day" when all the evidence indicates a much different reality.
  
No one likes to "fess up" when it comes to neglect, especially if it hits them in the wallet for $50 or more. If a landscaper does challenge a client with facts -- "We stopped and checked this tree several times over the summer and it was always bone dry" -- refusing to replace a dead tree under warranty, the landscaper loses the account and forever suffers bad mouthing. It's a lose-lose situation.
  

ORIGINS OF THE PLANT WARRANTY

Where did this "one year plant warranty" system get started any way?  My best guess is that it began as a consumer protection measure against unscrupulous nurserymen way back when. Theoretically, you had some nurseries selling weakened, diseased or infested plant stock that was on the verge of dying. The nursery was anxious to sell the plant instead of taking the financial hit themselves, when the plant inevitably expired.
  
That's the only scenario I can imagine, but it's not in touch with today's reality. Most nurserymen I've done business with over the past 35 years are plant-loving people who would rather keep a weak plant than have it cause a client displeasure.
  
Most of these nurseries are "mom & pop operations" that intend to be in business for many years to come, while riding on a good reputation. I've found in most plant warranty situations, these nurseries have traditionally been the real victims. Most of their "conditional warranties" have been misconstrued as "unconditional warranties" with customers expecting a full refund if a plant dies for any reason.
  

PLANT 'PIRATES' STILL EXIST

Even though most nurserymen and women are very reputable sorts, there is one nurseryman I crossed paths with who is a complete sham. He loudly proclaims his deep love of plants, while at the same time installing B&B trees tightly bound with synthetic burlap and plastic rope binding the trunk.

GAG ORDER This spruce tree was sentenced to death when it was first planted.... the synthetic burlap should have been cut open in multiple locations or completely removed. Plastic twine can also be deadly after several years.

  
The ironic part is that his plants will easily live through the one year warranty period, but succumb to girdling (strangulation) five or ten years down the road. This sort of chicanery could only be due to greed -- getting the job done faster to make more money. Or maybe he's just a flat-out crook who can't be trusted. You know who you are!
  

A BETTER WAY

Just like automobile and property insurance, plant warranties end up costing consumers money. Somewhere along the line, an expense has to be built into the cost of guaranteeing a plant. Consumers who are prudent with plant care end up paying the freight for those who aren't. C'est le vie!
  
It would make much better sense to eliminate plant warranties altogether. Here are some bullet points for those on both sides of the (nursery) aisle....