How to Package Artificial Plants for Safe Ecommerce Shipping

Pack artificial plants so nothing can move and nothing presses on the foliage: sleeve the plant, secure the pot or stem base, fill the gaps with light cushioning and close the box so it cannot flex. The box should fit the plant's length with a few centimetres to spare at each end, not a lot. Below is a packing-bench method your team can follow for every order, with spec cards for each product family and the box sizes we supply.

The packing kit

A consistent kit is what makes packing repeatable. Keep these at every bench, restocked daily:

• Boxes in fixed sizes. Long formats for stems, slim trees and trailing plants, plus a few cube cartons for vases and planters. Our packaging boxes guide lists the six long box sizes we stock with live availability.
• Sleeves or tissue. Open-ended plastic or paper sleeves for foliage and flower heads, sized a little wider than the plant.
• Pot covers. A square of card or a bag taped over the pot top to stop weighting material or loose fill escaping.
• Void fill. Crumpled kraft paper or air pillows for gaps; card dividers for multi-item parcels.
• Tape and a dispenser. 48mm tape, applied in an H pattern on both ends.
• Labels. "This way up" arrows for potted items and "Fragile" labels for glass or ceramic, plus a reshaping note for the customer.
• Tape measure and a pack-spec card for each product family (see the final section), so packers don't guess.

Board grade and how to size boxes are covered in detail in our cardboard boxes packaging guide. The short rule: allow 30–40mm clearance on each face for rigid items such as planters, and 40–60mm for delicate foliage and flower heads.

The 8-step packing method

1. Check the item against the order. Confirm the SKU, colour and height against the listing before it goes in a box. A wrong colour costs more than a crushed leaf.
2. Measure the packed size. Measure the longest dimension and the widest rigid point (usually the pot). Soft foliage can be gathered; pots and trunks cannot.
3. Choose the box from the spec card. Pick the smallest box that leaves the clearance above. If two sizes fit, take the tighter one.
4. Protect the top. Gently gather branches or stems upward and slide on a sleeve. Flower heads should sit inside the sleeve, not bent against its end.
5. Secure the base. Cover the pot top, then wedge the pot at one end of the box with fill or a card collar so it cannot slide towards the foliage.
6. Fill the voids. Fill around the pot and along the sides, not on top of the foliage. The test is movement, not volume.
7. Shake test. Close the flaps without taping and give the box a firm tilt end to end. If anything slides or rattles, add fill at the base end and repeat.
8. Seal, label and log. Tape in an H pattern, add orientation and fragile labels where needed, and log the box size used against the order. That log is what lets you trace damage later.

Add a short reshaping card to every parcel: "Gently fluff the leaves and flowers by hand after unpacking; they settle back into shape within a few minutes." It prevents a share of "arrived squashed" complaints before they start.

Trees and tall plants

Tall plants fail in two ways: the pot slides and hits the canopy, or the box flexes and bends the trunk. Pack the pot end first and hard against the box end with a card collar, and pack fill between the pot and the first branches so there is no run-up.

Our long boxes suit slim plants whose pot and body fit inside the box section. The wide 120 x 30 x 30cm long box suits upright plants up to about 110cm with a pot around 20cm across or less, such as the 100cm premium cactus in its 17cm pot. The 165 x 22.5 x 22.5cm long box takes longer, slimmer items such as 120cm foliage stems or garlands. Trees with a spread much wider than 30cm need their branches folded up and sleeved firmly, or a larger carton; don't force a wide tree into a narrow box.

For trees taller than your largest box, our guide to long boxes for tall trees covers the options. Always check the tree's height, width and pot dimensions on the product page before quoting a delivery method to your customer.

Stems and flower heads

Flower and foliage stems are sold to you individually and usually leave your warehouse singly or in small bunches, so they are the most-packed item for most online sellers. Their weak point is the head: petals crease and sprays flatten if the head touches the box wall.

• Sleeve each stem or bunch individually, with the head fully inside the sleeve.
• Lay stems head-to-tail when packing more than two, so heads don't stack on heads.
• Tape the stem ends (not the heads) to a strip of card so the bunch can't slide.
• Choose a box at least 8–10cm longer than the stem to keep 40–60mm clear at each end.

Matching stems to our 16cm-section boxes: a 50cm pompom dahlia stem goes in the 16 x 16 x 65cm box; a 75cm delphinium stem in the 16 x 16 x 86cm box; and an 85cm gypsophila stem in the 19 x 19 x 100cm box. The 16 x 16 x 44cm box suits stems up to about 35cm. Browse lengths in flower stems.

Hanging plants, planters and glass

Hanging and trailing plants

Trailing strands tangle and kink rather than crush. Gather the strands loosely down the length of the plant, sleeve them, and pack the hanging pot at one end as you would a tree. Don't coil long trails tightly to fit a short box; the kinks show. Choose a box by the trail length, which is the height given on the product page. See lengths in wholesale hanging plants.

Ceramic and metal planters

Wrap planters individually and fill the inside so the walls can't flex inwards. A small ceramic such as the 16cm white honeycomb ceramic planter needs 30–40mm of cushioning on every face. Never pack a planter loose in the same box as foliage; it will move and crush it.

Glass vases

Glass needs a cube carton, not a long box. Wrap the vase, fill the inside, and cushion every face, including the base. A 28cm gold-rim smoke grey glass vase (13.5cm across) needs a carton of roughly 22 x 22 x 36cm to keep 40mm of cushioning all round. Mark it fragile and this way up.

Multi-item orders

Combining items saves postage but multiplies risk. Three rules keep it safe:

• Heavy at the bottom, soft at the top. Planters and potted items go in first, foliage last and uppermost.
• Divide, don't pile. Use a card divider between a rigid item and foliage. If you can't divide, ship separately.
• Glass travels alone or in its own inner box within the parcel.

When a combined parcel would need a box much larger than any single item, compare the courier's volumetric charge with two smaller parcels. Two tight boxes often cost less and arrive in better condition than one loose one.

Printable pack-spec cards

Print this table and pin it above each bench. Box sizes are the six long boxes we stock; the cube carton is your own.

Product family	Example line	Box	Sleeve	Fill and marking
Short stems (up to ~35cm)	Small foliage sprays	16 x 16 x 44cm	Individual	Ends only; no fragile label
Medium stems (45–55cm)	50cm pompom dahlia	16 x 16 x 65cm	Individual, head inside	Card strip at stem ends
Long stems (65–78cm)	75cm delphinium	16 x 16 x 86cm	Individual, head inside	Head-to-tail if several
Extra-long stems (80–90cm)	85cm gypsophila	19 x 19 x 100cm	Individual	Card strip at stem ends
Slim potted plants (to ~110cm)	100cm premium cactus	120 x 30 x 30cm	Full-length	Pot collar; this way up
Long stems and garlands (120–155cm)	120cm foliage stems	165 x 22.5 x 22.5cm	Full-length	Ends and mid-length
Glass and ceramics	28cm glass vase	Cube carton	Wrap	All faces; fragile, this way up

Frequently asked questions

Can I reuse the boxes stock arrives in?

Only if they are clean, rigid and the right size. A bulk outer sized for a multi-stem delivery is usually too large for a single-stem parcel, and extra fill won't stop movement as well as a tighter box.

How do I order your packaging boxes?

Add them to a stock order. Boxes are supplied flat-packed, and orders containing packaging boxes ship only when the order is over £500 ex VAT. Compare the six sizes in our packaging boxes guide.

Do I need a "fragile" label on foliage parcels?

Not usually. Orientation arrows matter more for potted items. Save fragile labels for glass and ceramics so they keep their meaning.

What should I check when stock arrives from you?

Check deliveries on arrival and report any damage or shortage within 24 hours. Our guide to diagnosing shipping damage covers receiving checks and damage logs.

How do I stop plants looking flat on arrival?

Sleeve rather than wrap tightly, keep heads clear of box walls, and include a reshaping card. Most flattening is from contact, not weight.

Order boxes with your stock

See all six box sizes with live stock in the packaging boxes guide or the packaging boxes collection, and use our box-size guide to match sizes to your best-moving lines. If you sell online, the selling artificial plants online toolkit covers product data and feeds.

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