Ordering and shipping information
Ordering information
1. Standard webshop orders
Plants and other products listed in the Nepenthes category and all other standard webshop categories are physically available at our nursery.
For orders within the European Union, we aim to ship these products within 14 days after the order has been placed, provided that weather conditions allow safe shipping.
International orders may require additional processing time because phytosanitary certificates, CITES documents and other export documents may need to be arranged.
Our standard webshop range includes:
- Plants from the Taerwe Tropicals breeding programme
- Plants sourced from selected suppliers
- Exotica Plants Nepenthes that were imported previously and are ready for shipment
2. Exotica Plants pre-orders
Products listed in the Exotica Plants PRE ORDER category are not yet present at our nursery.
These plants must first be ordered from Exotica Plants in Australia and imported into Belgium. The entire import process may take three months or longer, depending on production, export documentation, inspections, transport and customs procedures.
Customers will receive updates about the status of the import through email and our Instagram and Facebook channels.
Because we purchase these plants specifically for confirmed customer orders, pre-orders cannot be cancelled after the pre-order period has closed.
We kindly ask customers to remain patient throughout the import process.
3. Combining orders
Customers who place an additional order before an existing order has been shipped may select the option to combine both orders during checkout.
Orders can only be combined when the first order has not yet been prepared or shipped.
4. Shipping notification
You will receive a notification when your order has been prepared and is ready to leave our nursery.
5. Plant selection and special requests
Please do not send requests for photographs, measurements or the selection of individual plants.
The photographs, plant descriptions and size guidelines on our website provide the information required to place an order.
All available plants and products are listed in our webshop. We do not offer plants outside the webshop and cannot make exceptions or reserve unlisted plants.
This policy ensures that every customer has an equal opportunity to purchase available plants.
6. Stock updates
New plants and stock updates are added to the webshop regularly.
Upcoming releases and webshop updates are announced through our social media channels.
Shipping information
Shipping within the European Union
We ship throughout the European Union without a minimum order value.
Our standard shipping conditions apply to all orders within the European Union.
International orders outside the European Union
Before placing an international order, customers should first visit our Distributors page to check whether Taerwe Tropicals already has an official distributor in their country or region. Where a distributor is available, customers can order Taerwe Tropicals genetics directly through that distributor.
We ship internationally when all required export and import documents can be arranged.
For international orders outside the European Union and outside our official distribution network, a minimum plant value of €2,500 applies.
This minimum only applies to the value of the plants. Additional costs are not included and will be charged separately where applicable. These costs may include:
- Phytosanitary certificates
- CITES documents
- Government inspections
- Shipping and postage
- Packaging and handling
- Import permits
- Import duties and taxes
- Customs charges
- Any other required administrative or regulatory costs
International customers must provide us with the exact import requirements for their country before placing an order.
Depending on the destination, these requirements may include:
- A phytosanitary certificate
- CITES documentation
- An import permit
- Additional declarations on the phytosanitary certificate
- Specific packaging or treatment requirements
- Other documents requested by the local authorities
Taerwe Tropicals can arrange the required Belgian export documents. However, the customer remains responsible for providing complete and correct information about the import requirements in the destination country.
Taerwe Tropicals cannot be held responsible for delays, refused entry, plant destruction, confiscation, loss, additional inspections or extra costs resulting from missing, incorrect or incomplete import information supplied by the customer.
Information about our official international distributors can be found on the Distributors page.
Collection at the nursery
Orders are shipped through postal or courier services.
It is not possible to collect an order directly from our nursery.
Shipping temperatures and seasonal restrictions
Temperate plants may be shipped throughout the year.
Winter is often the best period to ship dormant temperate plants, including:
- Sarracenia
- Dionaea
- Darlingtonia
- Most water lilies
We do not normally ship tropical plants when temperatures are expected to fall below 10°C.
As a result, tropical plant shipping is usually suspended between October and April or May, depending on weather conditions.
Customers who request shipment during colder conditions may ask us to use heat packs and additional insulation. Any shipment under these circumstances takes place at the customer’s expense and risk.
Taerwe Tropicals always reserves the right to postpone shipping when weather conditions may endanger the plants.
Plant packaging
Most plants are shipped bare-root and wrapped in moist tissue or Sphagnum moss.
Plants that are particularly sensitive to root disturbance, such as Cephalotus and certain ant plants, may be shipped in their pot and substrate.
Plants are packed in plastic bags and protected carefully to reduce movement and damage during transport.
Damaged parcels
Please contact us immediately when a parcel arrives damaged.
Clear photographic evidence of the parcel, packaging and plants is required before we can assess a claim.
We guarantee that plants are healthy and packed carefully when they leave our nursery. However, transport always involves risks that are outside our direct control.
Exotica Plants pre-order
The Exotica Plants PRE ORDER category contains Nepenthes that must first be imported from Exotica Plants in Australia.
Taerwe Tropicals is the official European distributor for Exotica Plants.
Exotica Plants is internationally recognised for Nepenthes hybridisation and cultivar selection. With more than 25 years of experience, the nursery has developed an exceptional collection of parent plants and has introduced many distinctive Nepenthes hybrids, cultivars and seed-grown plants.
Please read the pre-order conditions above carefully before placing an order.
Tissue-cultured and seed-grown plants
Tissue-cultured plants
Tissue-cultured plants, indicated as TC, are propagated under sterile conditions in an in-vitro laboratory.
Plants belonging to the same tissue-culture clone are genetically identical. Tissue culture allows selected genetics to be multiplied efficiently and produced in larger quantities.
Seed-grown plants
Seed-grown plants, indicated as SG, are grown from seed.
Every seed-grown plant is genetically unique. Individual plants may therefore differ in colour, shape, growth habit, pitcher characteristics and other features.
Seed-grown plants usually take longer to produce and grow to a saleable size. They are often more limited and may therefore be more expensive.
Seeds may be germinated in a greenhouse or under sterile in-vitro conditions.
All plants supplied by Exotica Plants are seed-grown.
Taerwe Tropicals offers both tissue-cultured and seed-grown plants. The propagation method is clearly stated in each product description.
Nepenthes plant sizes and terminology
Our goal is to supply strong, well-established and greenhouse-hardened Nepenthes.
We do not intentionally offer weak or recently deflasked plants that have not been properly established.
The following size descriptions apply unless a product listing states otherwise.
Large
Large plants are mature or near-mature plants that have already reached a substantial size.
They are normally supplied with pitchers, although pitcher presence may vary depending on transport preparation, season and growing conditions.
Large plants may be seed-grown or tissue-cultured.
Medium
Medium plants are established plants in the growth stage between small and large.
They have a minimum total diameter of approximately 20 cm, including pitchers.
Small plants and new releases
Small plants and newly released plants may vary in size.
Unless stated otherwise in the product description, they have a minimum total diameter of approximately 10 cm, including pitchers.
New releases may be offered at a smaller stage because the genetics have only recently become available.
Rooted cuttings
Rooted cuttings, indicated as RC, are established plants produced from cuttings taken from a selected mother plant.
A rooted cutting represents a specific clone or selected variant. The reference photograph on the webshop shows the mother plant or exact variant from which the cutting was taken.
Rooted cuttings are supplied with an established root system. They may or may not have pitchers at the time of shipment.
Specimen plants
Specimen plants are large, unique and individually selected plants.
The photograph in the product listing shows the exact plant that the customer will receive.
Location and facilities
Taerwe Tropicals is a specialist Nepenthes nursery located in the Flemish Ardennes in East Flanders, Belgium.
We focus on rare and exceptional Nepenthes and operate a dedicated breeding programme based on:
- Selected parent plants
- Unique and carefully planned crosses
- Individual plant selection
- Long-term development of breeding lines
- Preservation and propagation of exceptional genetics
For selected breeding lines, we collaborate with specialised tissue-culture laboratories in Belgium and the Netherlands.
More information about the nursery, our background and the development of Taerwe Tropicals can be found on the About Us page.
Terms and conditions
All orders are subject to our full Terms & Conditions.
Please read them carefully before placing an order.