Material sourcing guide

Landscape plants for scheduled planting areas

Use this guide to source living plant material for landscape beds, boundaries, screens and seasonal displays. Separate plants from hardscape, irrigation and aftercare so suppliers can price each scope clearly and protect live delivery.

Potted landscape plants including a small tree, grasses and shrubs.
Potted landscape plants including a small tree, grasses and shrubs.
01 / Materials & uses

Start with the right material groups.

Trees and root formats

Group trees by species, girth or height, container format and required staking condition. Keep each planting location and access constraint visible.

Shrubs and ground cover

For beds, borders and slopes, separate shrub blocks from ground cover by spacing basis and container size. Avoid mixing filler and feature plants in one line.

Seasonal and replacement material

For displays and phased replacement, state expected supply period and condition at handover. Do not treat temporary color material the same as permanent structural planting.

02 / Package boundaries

A material price is only part of the package.

Your material schedule
01Trees and root formats
02Shrubs and ground cover
03Seasonal and replacement material

One schedule, clearly separated scopes. This is a request outline, not an installation drawing.

Included materials

Covers trees, shrubs, palms, climbers, ground cover, seasonal bedding plants and plant-related growing media only when scheduled with the species.

Connections & interfaces

Confirm loading, transport and delivery phases in the supplier offer. State separately whether planting, initial watering and aftercare are included.

Confirm separately

Clarify rootball, container, bare-root or cell format, plant height or girth, quantity and any tagged grade before comparing offers.

03 / A comparable request

Six details that make offers clearer.

Plant schedule and product designation
Give the exact schedule code, botanical name and approved common name. Attach the landscape drawing revision and identify each bed or block.
Size and root format
State required height, spread, girth or trunk height together with container volume, rootball size or cell type. Confirm the method used to measure the delivered plant.
Condition and form
Describe required habit, branching, single or multi-stem form, feathered or standard structure. Ask the supplier to declare how condition is controlled before supply.
Quantities by zone and phase
List plant counts by bed and delivery phase. If using linear metres for hedges or square metres for ground cover, include the project-specified planting density and resulting plant count. Show allowances separately.
Growing media and planting accessories
Confirm whether soil, compost, mulch, root barrier and staking materials are requested with plants. If included, list them against each plant group.
Substitution and evidence requirements
Ask how the supplier marks proposed substitutions and what plant passport, origin or condition documentation is available if required by the project.
Illustrative request lines
Item & descriptionQuantity
LP-01Trees for entrance avenue; species, girth and rootball size per planting schedule and tagged individually.42 pcs
LP-02Hedge planting for boundary line; container size and plants per linear metre confirmed by the project landscape detail.180 m

Example quantities only; no live prices or supplier offers. Use your project schedule for final values and ask suppliers to list deviations.

04 / Compare the whole offer

Three checks before you decide.

Compare measured plant size

Check that offers use the same height, girth, branching and root-format requirements and the same measurement method. Plant count or container volume alone does not define an equivalent offer.

Access and replacement risk

Review how plants will be handled to the planting area and what replacement terms apply if material fails during the agreed period.

Separate supply from care

Confirm which activities sit in the plant supply price and which belong to the installer or landscape team, including water and temporary storage.

05 / Practical questions

Details worth clarifying early.

How should I compare trees with different container sizes?

Ask suppliers to quote the same stated girth or height and root format. Then compare condition, branching and replacement terms, not price per tree alone.

Does a landscape plants request include soil and mulch?

Only if the schedule lists those materials with the plant item. Otherwise raise growing media and mulch separately to keep the supply boundaries clear.

07 / Your next step

Turn your material schedule into a request.

Create a Matravo account to prepare your request. For account or sourcing-flow questions, visit support.