Cut Flowers & Florals
Roses, mums, and other cut stems that lose value by the hour, moved through reefer air and ocean space timed to the shortest reasonable transit.
Greenhouse Logistics Solutions.
We manage the complex logistics of live plants, cut flowers, nursery stock, and greenhouse-grown produce, from origin greenhouse to U.S. shelf, with the phytosanitary and customs expertise that living and perishable imports demand.
From temperature-sensitive produce to delicate plants and botanicals, we manage every step of the supply chain with precision, maintaining product integrity, freshness, and regulatory compliance. As a licensed U.S. customs broker and a freight forwarder, the same team that books your reefer space also clears the USDA/APHIS phytosanitary inspection and FDA requirements that living and perishable cargo faces at the border, so your shipment is not losing shelf life on a dock while paperwork catches up. With deep expertise in controlled environment agriculture, our team ensures proper handling, climate-controlled storage, and efficient transportation, helping your products move swiftly from greenhouse to market.
Greenhouse to shelfOne licensed partner, climate-controlled end to end
The Greenhouse Cargo We Move.
From fast-moving cut flowers to rooted nursery stock, every category of living and perishable greenhouse cargo, handled with the timing and documentation each one demands.
Live Plants & Nursery Stock
Potted plants, rooted cuttings, and nursery stock that travel as living cargo, clearing USDA/APHIS phytosanitary inspection before reaching a grower or retail shelf.
Greenhouse-Grown Produce
Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, berries, and other controlled-environment produce, held in continuous cold chain from origin greenhouse to U.S. distribution center.
Bulbs, Seeds & Propagative Material
Bulbs, seeds, and cuttings imported for further growing, cargo that draws close USDA scrutiny for pests and plant disease before it is released.
Botanicals & Plant-Based Ingredients
Dried botanicals, extracts, and plant-based ingredients moving into food, supplement, or cosmetic supply chains, each following its own regulatory path.
Cold Chain & Controlled-Atmosphere Packaging
Reefer containers, temperature-monitored packaging, and controlled-atmosphere handling that keep living and perishable cargo stable from greenhouse to destination.
The Compliance Burden on Living and Perishable Imports, Handled.
Live plants, cut flowers, and greenhouse produce face agricultural inspection on top of standard customs entry, and a shipment held at the border loses shelf life every day it waits. This is where a licensed customs broker earns its keep.
Plant health
USDA / APHIS Phytosanitary Inspection
Live plants, cut flowers, bulbs, and propagative material must clear USDA APHIS inspection for pests and plant disease, typically against a phytosanitary certificate issued at origin.
How we help: confirm the certificate and permit requirements before your shipment leaves origin, and coordinate inspection scheduling so cargo is not held longer than the process requires.
Food safety
FDA / FSMA on Greenhouse Produce
Greenhouse-grown produce entering U.S. commerce as food falls under FDA rules, including Prior Notice ahead of arrival and, depending on your supply chain, Foreign Supplier Verification requirements.
How we help: confirm Prior Notice and FSVP documentation is filed correctly and on time, so perishable produce is not sitting at the port while paperwork is sorted out.
Classification
HTS Classification for Plant & Floral Products
Cut flowers, live plants, bulbs, and processed botanicals each carry distinct HTS classifications that set the duty rate and determine which agency, USDA, FDA, or both, reviews the entry.
How we help: classify every line correctly and document the reasoning, so the right agency review happens the first time, not after a hold.
Bonds & filing
Customs Bonds, ISF & ACE
Every import needs a customs bond, and time-sensitive cargo has no room for a filing delay. The Importer Security Filing is due to CBP at least 24 hours before ocean cargo is loaded.
How we help: size the bond correctly and treat the 24-hour ISF deadline as a gating item on every booking, so a paperwork gap never becomes a spoiled shipment.
This page is general information, not legal, tax, or customs advice; trade measures change and vary by product, origin, and destination, so we verify the rules in force on each shipment.
One Partner, From Greenhouse to Shelf.
Every link in the greenhouse import chain, coordinated by a single team so a time-sensitive shipment is never waiting on a handoff.
Ocean & Air Forwarding
Reefer ocean space and air freight booked and tracked for the shortest reasonable transit, so living and perishable cargo spends less time moving and more time saleable.
Customs Brokerage & Clearance
Entry filing, HTS classification, and coordination with USDA and FDA review, by a licensed broker who treats the clock on perishable cargo as the priority it is.
Warehousing & Cold Chain Storage
Climate-controlled storage steps from the terminal, so product integrity holds from the moment cargo clears the port to the moment it moves again.
Inland & Final-Mile Delivery
Temperature-monitored trucking from the port of entry to your distribution center, greenhouse, or retail partner.
Trade Compliance Consulting
Guidance on phytosanitary certificates, FDA filings, and classification before your shipment ever leaves origin. Compliance consulting
Why Growers and Importers Choose W.M. Stone.
The expensive risks in greenhouse cargo are time and agricultural compliance. We are built to manage both.
A Broker, Not Just a Forwarder
Only a licensed customs broker is authorized to clear your entry before CBP. A forwarder moves the box; we move it and clear it, USDA and FDA review included.
Built for the Clock
Living and perishable cargo loses value every hour it waits. We treat phytosanitary inspection and food-safety filings as scheduling priorities, not afterthoughts.
Climate-Controlled, Start to Finish
From reefer booking to climate-controlled warehousing to temperature-monitored final-mile delivery, the cold chain never has a gap we created.
250+ Years of Combined Experience
Our team draws on 250+ years of industry experience, continuing a Norfolk customs brokerage legacy built at the Port of Virginia.
Greenhouse & Live Plant Import FAQs.
The questions importers ask us most before moving cut flowers, live plants, nursery stock, and greenhouse produce into the U.S.
Do live plants and cut flowers need special clearance to enter the U.S.?
Yes. Live plants, cut flowers, bulbs, and other propagative material fall under USDA APHIS plant health rules and typically require a phytosanitary certificate issued at origin, along with inspection on arrival. We confirm the certificate and permit requirements before your shipment leaves the greenhouse so clearance is not the step that costs you shelf life.
What happens if a shipment is held for agricultural inspection?
APHIS or CBP can hold a shipment for pest or disease inspection, which is a real risk on perishable and living cargo. We coordinate scheduling and documentation up front to keep the process moving, and if a hold does happen, we manage the response so the shipment is released as quickly as the process allows.
Does greenhouse-grown produce face FDA requirements?
Produce entering U.S. commerce as food is subject to FDA rules, including Prior Notice before arrival and, depending on your supply chain, Foreign Supplier Verification requirements. We confirm these filings are complete and timely so produce is not sitting at the port waiting on paperwork.
How do you keep the cold chain intact from greenhouse to shelf?
We book reefer ocean or air space suited to the commodity, move it into climate-controlled warehousing immediately on arrival, and deliver on temperature-monitored trucking, so the cold chain has no gap we introduced between origin and destination.
Why use a licensed customs broker instead of just a freight forwarder for greenhouse imports?
For living and perishable cargo, the expensive risks, agricultural holds, FDA filings, and classification errors, all live at the point of entry, which only a licensed customs broker is authorized to handle before CBP. A forwarder alone moves the container; a broker clears it correctly. W.M. Stone is both, so freight and compliance move as one team.
How do I get a quote for a greenhouse import shipment?
Share the commodity, origin, volume, and target arrival date through our quote form or by calling (757) 800-6080. A logistics specialist will scope the move, usually responding the same business day.
Credentialed to Move Living and Perishable Cargo.
Here to Drive Your Greenhouse Supply Chain Forward.
Tell us what you're importing, where it's coming from, and when it needs to land. We'll handle the phytosanitary and customs clearance and keep your greenhouse cargo moving from origin to shelf.