Nursery and Garden Centers Insurance

America’s nursery, greenhouse, and garden center industry generates over $20 billion in sales revenue annually, supplying vital plant products to retail and commercial clients. 

As a nursery owner, you nurture living products that bring beauty and life to residential and business properties.

However, owning a planting business comes with substantial risks, ranging from liability claims to fire damage, crop loss, employee injuries and delivery mishaps that could harm your company’s finances. Proper insurance creates a safety net, allowing you to manage risks and continue growing your operation confidently.

General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance provides the first line of protection against customer and third-party injury lawsuits – one of your business’s most significant risks. Situations including slip-and-fall accidents on your premises, plant products injuring customers, or delivery vehicle accidents could all lead to substantial claims. 

Liability coverage covers the possible legal expenses and payouts if your business is deemed responsible for property damage, bodily injuries, or other harms. 

Typical policy inclusions are:

• Premises liability – Covers injury claims occurring on your business property. 
• Product liability – Protects against injuries/damage caused by plants you grow and sell.
• Personal and advertising injury – Covers claims arising from misprints, copyright issues, or false advertising.

Even with strict safety protocols, accidents still happen. It is here that liability insurance coverage applies an extra layer of security.

Commercial Auto Insurance

Nurseries using a vehicle to pick up plant shipments from vendors, deliver materials to landscaping contractors and retail customers and accomplish other business transportation needs need this type of coverage.  

Commercial auto insurance can help provide essential protection by covering third-party damage/injury liability and damage to your own vehicles in use for business purposes. 

Commercial Property Insurance

From growing equipment to greenhouses to inventory, nurseries have substantial property exposures at risk in their operations. Fire, extreme weather, theft, and accidents could cause significant damage.

Property insurance pays repair or replacement costs for insured assets damaged by covered losses, such as fire, smoke, wind, winter storms, theft, and vandalism.

Typical coverages include:

• Buildings – Greenhouse structure repairs/reconstruction.
• Business personal property – Covers growing equipment, supplies, irrigation systems, and inventory.
• Business income – Replaces income lost while shut down after a covered loss.

Having adequate property insurance can help your nursery recover after a devastating event.

Equipment Breakdown Insurance

Nurseries rely on climate control systems, irrigation equipment, and other specialized machinery to nurture growing plants. Just when you think you’ve protected your equipment, electrical surges or mechanical breakdowns could cause major disruptions.

Equipment breakdown insurance is one of the most important plant nursery insurance options that covers repair or replacement costs for damaged equipment due to:

– Short circuit
– Power surge
– Boiler explosion
– Mechanical failure

It also covers business income lost while your operations are interrupted after a breakdown of equipment. This coverage is crucial for nurseries relying on integrated growing systems.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Between lifting heavy loads, operating power machinery, and exposure to chemicals, employee injuries remain an ever-present risk during nursery operations.

Workplace accidents resulting in claims like strains, fractures, burns, cuts, or exposure issues could result in costly workers’ compensation claims. 

Most states require nurseries to carry workers’ compensation coverage.

It covers lost wages, medical expenses, and rehabilitation costs related to job injuries.

Errors and Omissions Liability Insurance

Providing faulty growing instructions or guidance to customers could lead to losses if plants get damaged.

Even simple issues like mislabeling a tree variety could open your business to an error and omissions claim.

E&O coverage protects against financial harm resulting from professional mistakes or negligent advice that damages a client’s property or interests.

It covers legal expenses and financial judgments from covered claims.

For example, you mistakenly label an apple tree and your customer spends money and time to grow it.

At the end, they find that they have been wasting time and money on the wrong tree.

You could be held liable for the financial expenses and the time spent on growing the wrong tree.

Luckily, this is where E&O liability coverage can come to your rescue and help protect your future investments.