Looking for Specific Inexpensive Flower Seed site

Last year I read on the forums about a site that had flower seeds for sale that were very inexpensive, no frills packaging, but good. The company got great reviews on the Watchdog list. People wrote that it was one of those best kept secrets. :) My computer got reformatted from last year, and for the life of me I cannot remember the name of the site. The Watchdog list is so long now that it would take me days to go through all the sites. Does anyone know of sites like these that I could try?
Thanks,
Dee

I don't know which site it was, but I like Pinetree Garden seeds. They are great and not pricey.

http://www.superseeds.com

You might also check Sample Seeds at http://www.sampleseeds.com/

Both they and Pinetree give you a little fewer seeds for a lower price, ideal for experiments.

Once you know what you want, also look at J.L.Hudson: http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net
While his prices are more than Pinetree or Sample, his seed quantities are usually much larger, leading to a lower price per seed. You must usually know the (Latin name of the flower to find it on his site.)

Agree that Pinetree and Sample Seed companies are great. I'd also add Dianeseeds. She has great prices, simple packaging, nice selection, interesting articles and very helpful germination/growing information. I think this may be the source you describe. Highly recommended.

Forgot to mention Fedco Seeds in my 8/25 post. Good selection with fewer seeds per pkt so great prices. Read their ordering info carefully as they are different than many other companies. They carry many organic seeds, organic fertilizers, soil amendments, supplies, bulbs, berries and trees. For the home gardener like me I hate having to spend several dollars for a pkt of many perennial seeds when I only need a small quantity.

JL Hudson:
http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/31/
Absolutely the best. Shipping for 1 pack to 40 packs is $2.75. They accept Paypal. Lots of organic seed. Extremely high germination rates. They give seed counts. They also make clear hoe easy or difficult germination can be. My go to for seeds since 1998.

The Fragrant Path:
http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/141/
They have incredibly cheap seeds and shipping, but you do have to go through their catalog.

Donna ~ That is really good information. I have been buying seeds from J.L. Hudson for many years now. A very good source of seeds which germinate well.

I also like Pinetree Seeds. The packages are smaller, but the initial outlay is a lot less.
http://www.superseeds.com I think the reason why we are trading so many seeds is that we can't possibly use them all that are in the packs. Of course, when we take the time and effort to trade, we get more than seeds...another gardening friend!

Another one that I like is Chiltern Seeds from the UK. They, also, will have seeds that you didn't know you were looking for! http://www.chilternseeds.co.uk

OK, they are not the cheapest, sorry! But if you are looking for something that you cannot find elsewhere....I guess I am a bit off topic...not the cheapest....

This message was edited Mar 24, 2017 3:00 PM

Just found Seeds.Now - a Watchdog 30 company and top 5 for seeds. They have a lot of 99 cent seed packs.

Reviews:
http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/8173/

Website:
https://www.seedsnow.com/

The germination on their seeds is superb. And getting as many as 200 seeds for 99 cents is amazing. And fast shipping. My orders this year are all SeedsNow, Fragrant Path and JL Hudson.

I am sorry to say that I canceled my Select Seed order when I tried to order seeds and plants. They insisted on shipping them separately. The two packs of $2.99 seeds (mirabilis and a morning glory) had $5 shipping, and the four plants $13 shipping, on top of the fact that they were $6.99 and $7.99. I wrote an email when the charge was so high to find that, yes, in fact they insist on sending the seeds and plants separately.

The plants and seeds cost $34.94 - plus $18 shipping? Over 50 dollars? No. I found the morning glory at JL Hudson - for $2.00. And they still have that delicious $2.75 shipping. When I order from them I almost feel as though I am taking shameless advantage of them.

Donna

Donna ~ Thanks for the tip. I have never heard of Seeds Now. I'll have to check them out...(like I actually need any seeds!!LOL!!) :-) I have been going through my seed box...that has boxes in them. An underbed storage box, with many other plastic boxes in it. So many seeds, and so little time. I am focusing on seed-starting now, since it has been impossible to garden due to the rain and snow. Actually, we did have a week of dry weather, but not warm. After a few days, I could do some work, but really, the soil was still rather damp. I just sliced the weeds off the top, then loosened the soil and dug in compost. I am reviving my White Flower Border. It was filled with lilac suckers...and weeds, of course. I am almost through moving the strawberries out of there. I really never planted them. A funny story, I just "temporarily" put them there, while I was doing other garden chores...and the rest is history. I had a strawberry bed!

I had a moon garden with a white rose - Madame Hardy, a damask non-recurrent rose from 1832. I surrounded her with white lilies, salvia cocinea snow, white borage, and feverfew tetra strain. Topped it off with the two Marie Pavie that I moved to my new house, because Madame Hardy only blooms once and most of the plants I listed are tender perennials that bloom through successive frosts and then reseed (less work).

Wonderful during the day - dazzling at night.

It's amazing how you take your maintenance down with plants like that. You just stand back and let them come back, and people marvel and think you must be a slave to your garden. I used to laugh when people looked at my garden and asked if I worked. I always told them that if you want color all season: nepeta, salvia, verbena. And borage, feverfew and some of the tender salvias only need to be planted once because they seed and come back every year. And they are all a piece of cake to grow from seed.

Donna ~ Will you please post some pictures of your white garden to the specialty garden forum? I know that others (besides myself) would enjoy looking at them.
Thank you so much!

Evelyn

Evelyn, I was just reading above. Can you fit your seeds into your refrigerator? I can germinate ten year old seed because keeping it at about 40 degrees and dry keeps it dormant. I recently germinated some scarlett runner beans and peppers from 2008, and some nasturtiums from 2001, all because they are in a box in my fridge.

I just germinated morning glories from 2004 and 2006, 100%. I have never refrigerated seeds. I have and underbed storage box, with individual boxes in there. They are sorted by categories, and then further. Now, I have been going through them, and I will eventually have to re-sort some categories. I used to sort them like so: hardy annuals, tender annuals, perennials, biennials. And the vegetables: one box for all the tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, eggplants and basil, another box for warm season larger seeds such as beans, squash, pumpkin and corn. Another box for cool-season veggies such as carrots, beets, spinach, lettuce, onions and chard.

I am changing some of the flower seeds priorities such as: Winter sow, sow early inside, then group by how many weeks before frost date. Now I have had to use some extra boxes to put in the flowers that MUST be sown this season, such as all the white flowers (that are practical!) Obviously I could not sow them all in quantity and some I just had to choose to sow or not to sow...that was the question!😁 Also I have germinated some very old tomato seeds. Since we don't have a lot of humidity here, they all seem to do pretty well. I just need to go through them and see what seeds that I have changed my mind about and then trade those out for more desirable seeds. Some are pretty obscure, and I found that some wouldn't be that practical here. I think that I have discarded most of the ones that were dated beyond 2000 unless they were something special. I do know that I have too many tomato seeds, as I don't grow all of them every year. I do not have the room. So some of those really old seed got tossed, mainly because it wasn't some that I would sow again. The newer seeds that I really don't need, I suppose that I will have to donate or trade them out. Sometimes, especially in spring, I need to be 3 or 4 people, as the work never seems to get done. Later, I may hire a helper this year. When you turn 75, things don't work as fast as they used to! 😀

This message was edited Mar 26, 2017 10:30 PM

I'm in awe! Way to go! You are so much more organized than I am. All my seeds are simply in containers in the fridge, in sort of alpha order. I keep promising myself to get as organized as you are.

I have a really time consuming way of knowing when to grow them, which I don't recommend. I'm rather on the compulsive side, so I record everything I do. What seed it is, from which company, when I started the germination process, how long before it germinated, when I potted it up, when I put it put it outside. The advantage is that I know from past experience when to do what, since I know how long it took, say, digitalis mertonensis to go from seed to bloom.

It's turned into hundreds of pages, so I use the search function to find what I did with a seed year after year. The most helpful thing is that you know which companies send you great seed, and which companies send you duds. Quite interesting. There are a couple of companies from which seed yield was 0. There are others in which it was actually 100%. It has nothing to do with cost. JL Hudson, which is one of the cheapest, is near 100% germination.

I also record on a second sheet, what seeds I bought, from whom I bought them.

This message was edited Mar 27, 2017 8:01 PM

I just got my order from Pinetree. I hadn't ordered from them for a while but they had some amazing things, like bacopa, and they were the source for Blue Star morning glory, which disappeared a year ago. Both Pinetree and JL Hudson had it, but I wanted to support both companies.

Thank you Carefreecynthia, irishmist and evelyn for reminding me how great they are at providing some quite unusual seeds at very low prices.

Off to germinate my bacopa!

Boy, I wish this was a Sticky! I could really use this advice, just not today while buried in seed and planting.

Donna ~ I have a notebook in which I record not only sowing dates, but how many sown, the source of seeds, date (if known),
inside, or outside, heat? and pre-soak date what kind of container used (cellpack, pots, etc). I don't use milk jugs.

I don't have a lot of room in the house, so only what has to be sown inside. I know that others have wintersown tomatoes, but I have not yet done that. I put hardy annuals and perennials outside, though I may pre-germinate them, especially older seeds. I can't believe that I was able to germinate morning glory seeds from 2006 and 2007 quite easily that way. The old ones get hot water, one drop of Superthrive and a dash of hydrogen peroxide. Of course, knowing this now, I will be more reluctant to part with any seeds that I *might* need. 😀

Believe it or not, I just started to try to germinate old seeds this year.

[quote="DonnaMack"]
I have a really time consuming way of knowing when to grow them, which I don't recommend.
I'm rather on the compulsive side, so I record everything I do. What seed it is, from which company, when I started the germination process, how long before it germinated, when I potted it up, when I put it put it outside. The advantage is that I know from past experience when to do what, since I know how long it took, say, digitalis mertonensis to go from seed to bloom.
Why would you not recommend this? It is a necessary part of the seed saving/sowing process. If one keeps all those seeds, how would you know which ones perform well and which companies sell, or traders trade more viable seeds?

It's turned into hundreds of pages, so I use the search function to find what I did with a seed year after year. The most helpful thing is that you know which companies send you great seed, and which companies send you duds. Quite interesting. There are a couple of companies from which seed yield was 0. There are others in which it was actually 100%. It has nothing to do with cost. JL Hudson, which is one of the cheapest, is near 100% germination.

I also record on a second sheet, what seeds I bought, from whom I bought them.

Donna, do you use your computer for this? If so, what program do you use? So far, I have only used notebooks.

In answer to your last inquiry, I absolutely use my computer. I actually use Microsoft Word documents, which gives you a search function - which is fabulous. I can find the plant I germinated each year and check the results, and therefore the timing. I don't recommend it because I don't want to guilt trip people just because I am compulsive. The one started in 2008 is 200 pages long. I have an older one starting in 2000. Between the two there must be 500 pages. I go do things in the yard and then come in and record them.

When I want to know how many seeds I germinated or from which company they came or how long they took from see to bloom I use the search function. The best thing about it is that you have recorded your mistakes. I no longer seed salvia viridis in February because it germinates overnight, and I have big plants long before I can put them out. But I can start salvia farinacea because it takes much longer. I can start salvia patens in January because it takes even longer.

For me it's great. But even I think it's a little nutty. I'm a completely over the top gardener.

And I do understand your hubbie. I bought a wine fridge for my husband (200 plus bottles) and he bought me a minifridge for my seeds because of the refrigerator issue. It's like the ones people buy for college kids. It maintains a 40 degree temperature. It really helped me when I moved, because I dug up a lot of lily bulbs. They never go dormant, and have to be chilled.

Donna ~ I love the idea of your database. I do not have Word, but I will check out and see if I can use what I have. I really love your idea, and yes, time-consuming, but it sure helps to learn by your mistakes if you can find them!!

I have been collecting a lot of seeds, but not necessarily sowing all of them. There is only so much time. I guess you could call me a seed-hoarder. I really want to sow more and collect less. What happens is that I join seed swaps thinking I can trade out many of my seeds, but seem to get more in return. I will figure out something as I cannot possibly sow them all. I may donate them to the Master Gardeners or something, but I would feel lost without them... :-) Silly? Yes! Usually it is winter, I sow a few seeds and then it is summer and I don't have all the weeds down, and all those fast growing seeds that I put off to start later, well, I don't start any more until the following winter.

This year I am doing better. I realize that some seeds do not keep as well as others. so far, I have been lucky as many old seeds have done very well for me, even tomato seeds! One can really get a much nicer variety of plants and for less money if one has the patience to grow flowers from seeds. That's why record-keeping is really important. Thank you for your good idea.

It's fun to go back and realize what a dummy you were. And to see that, Oh, that's how I successfully germinated that!

I know what you mean about old seeds. I have some red pepper seeds that were harvested by someone else and given to me in 2008. They still germinate!

I just botched some seeds through neglect and was able to look at my data and realize that they germinated within days. So I have time to redo them. That's the great part.

Now that I have pretty much completed my veggies, with "burpless" cucumbers, lemon cucumbers and several kinds of lettuce in the garden beds, I am germinating the ones I didn't get to (arugula and endive), seeding the next wave of lettuce, and also starting some easy to germinate plants like borage and parsley and starting some perennials so that I can get them into the ground later in the year (white platycodons, more heuchera Firefly, more thalictrum and more polemonium. I know exactly how long they will take to germinate, so I can plan.

I have plants coming from High Country Roses and Santa Rosa Gardens on the 27th or so - all containerized, thank goodness. And then I have contacted my garden center about a cornus alternifolia that they have in two sizes.

Because my new garden is less than five years old, a lot of things, especially big roses and peonies, have tripled in size. I have a lot of neighbors who, after 20 years, have bare lots - I have never understood that - and they look at me like I'm crazy. This early season is really great, because I did not realize how many daffodils I added, and because I have early, middle and late ones in clumps, and because they hang around for weeks, I am delighted to have more color than I realized. In the front yard, under trees, along the driveway. It was my intention, ala Pam Duthie's idea of a continual garden, to have much more in April, but I didn't anticipate so much, and its very cheering. I'm so grateful to her for her wisdom and guidance. I walk out my door every morning and smile, because there is something everywhere! I no longer miss my old garden, and that I didn't expect.

The biggest thrill is growing lilies that are out of commerce from seed! It can take a couple of years, but I have lights and timers indoors and it takes almost no work. I never thought I'd do that, but here I am.

What fun! (And how economical!)

I agree with you, about not understanding why everyone doesn't have gardens and a beautiful yard. I remember when I used to work in Beverly Hills and I would observe, as I was driving to work, why don't they all have beautiful gardens? I just could not understand why people with enough money couldn't just have gorgeous gardens. In fact I became surprised when I actually saw a fairly nice front yard.

I now realize that it just isn't a priority for everyone. That is what motivates me as even though it is a challenge for me, I really enjoy the creative aspect of garden design. Of course, there is weeding and digging, but in the long run, there is beauty to observe.

You are right about growing some plants from seed that are not commonly available.

I have "gone out on a limb" this year in renovating the White Flower Border. The weather, in one sense, has been helping me by being so miserable, with late snows, wind and rain, allowing me to focus on more seed-starting. It is really so much fun, all the challenges and hopes...sometimes even fulfilled that one can say that life is worth living.

For many years, I was a single parent, living in apartments with no yard whatsoever. So now I can show my gratitude for what is available to me at this time. We have 12 acres of mountain property, which is semi-cleared forest. It is at least 45 minutes to the nearest town. It was not so handy while I was working. Now that I am retired, I have no excuse.

Oh, my goodness! I just germinated Platycodon Perlemutter seed from 2000. J.L Hudson seed, which they do not have anymore. I'm over the moon! 9 days.

And this is a thalictrum I seeded last year. It grew last year and this year is producing tiny blue bell like flowers. It is supposed to rochebrunianum, but I could tell that it was not. The leaves are too big, the plant is blooming near the ground, the stems are not a frosted purple and the flowers are blue. I must contact the seller (Hazzards) and let them know of the possible discrepancy. I have two other thalictrum and compared the leaves.The third picture is the leaves of Thalictrum 'Black Stockings'. The fourth is 'Sparkler".

But I'm not unhappy. I can't find a blue thalictrum in commerce.

Donna ~ When you sowed your seeds of the platycodon, did you use heat, or room temperature? I have sowed a lot of "outdated" seed with good result, much to my surprise. Of course now, I am not inclined to throw any of them away! LOL!! :-)

SMART!

I start them under my shop lights, with a few exceptions like parsley that need room temperature, or heliotrope, that requires 80 degrees. If you are wondering about germination temps, you can always have a peek at Tom Clothier's site:

http://tomclothier.hort.net/

Whenever I was puzzled, I would go there.

I looked back at the history and found that I surface sowed the platys of my past under shop lights, which means 70 degrees or a bit more, since the lights are close to the seeds. 17 year old seed! NEVER throw it out!

And although I have lights from Gardeners Supply. I used to use old fashioned florescent lights and the results were great. I just no longer have rafters to screw the chains into that controlled the distance from the plants. If I could do that, I'd go back to that method.

Isn't this fun?

12 acres of mountain property. Great drainage. Wow! I grew up in condos and bought two condos didn't get my first garden until I was 45 and moved to my first single family home, which was on former farmland so I didn't have to correct anyone else's mistakes. The owner of 20 years was organic and mostly into fruts and veggies, so the ornamental aspect was non-existent. They did have the most incredible PJM Rhododendron, which had been there for over 30 years, uncared for. A little acidifying, a little water, and then it needed pruning, but wow! The only other thing was a burning bush, and I don't care for them, but the birds do. No billion boxwoods. I took the dead, thorny crimson pygmy barberries from under them and replaced them with a Deutzia Chardonnay Pearls, and then added a ton of stuff. Lots of plants means minimal weeds and a delicious lushness.

My biggest problem is weeds fro neighbors yards and parkways. But I am determined to get rid of them. It probably absorbs 50% of my time.

I have lots of roses and lilies on the way. and of course a bunch of the kinds of perennials I can't grow. And I keep adding shrubs. Passersby with their dogs are incredibly respectful. No poop in the yard in spring. And I have met the coolest dogs.

Donna

Donna ~ Yes, weeding takes up most of my gardening time. This year will be no exception. It has been raining since yesterday again. When it is raining, I am unable to weed, so I wait for the second clear day. I have some plants coming after May 1st, so I hope that I will be ready for them. Actually, most of them are for the White Flower Border, and I have that weeded. Of course, there will be more, but small and manageable. The rest of the borders in the enclosed garden area and the Square Foot Gardens need a thorough cleaning out as well. I did not do a lot in the last couple of years, focusing on beds and landscaped areas near the house and driveway, as we were contemplating moving to Oregon. We went to the Oregon coast a couple of years ago, from Brookings to Astoria, a near month-long trip.

We did not find anything that we really liked. It would really have to be exceptional to move us away from friends and family. It's the hot summers that we wanted to escape. Fortunately, it is not as hot as "down the hill"...nearby town Placerville, or Folsom and Sacramento....they are all much hotter. I think this year I will have a watering system put in. I water by hand all summer. I put the hoses on to soak, from 3 different areas. Then I go from one location to the next. Some things I have to hand water. A system in place will cut my workload, and I can focus on the weeding.

Sorry, everyone, this post is so far off-topic from finding inexpensive seed sources.

I am giving two clients Salvia Rose Queen I grew from Swallowtail seed I purchased in 2014. I used to buy the plant, but it petered away. This one is producing seedlings, so I am putting them into pots and giving them to any client who likes them. I do that with a few plants. My clients are really nice people, and it truly creates good will.

I got the seed from 2 companies, and the Swallowtail really rocks out. I suspect it to be an improved strain.

I find Swallowtail very cool. They grow things I have always wanted, like three kinds of myosotis. At at the bottom of each seed category, they tell you how to germinate it! I had never noticed this, but wow is it helpful. It often gives you a clue about whether you really want the seed.

I just potted up germinated platycodon perlemutter seeds from J.L. Hudson that I purchased in 2000. I started 12 seeds and got five plantlets. I put seed to soil 20 days ago.

The plant is completely out of commerce. JL Hudson had it a couple of times as a limited quantity seed (sold for the same cheap wonderful prices) but it says something that after 17 years and two moves the seed was till viable!

That balloon flower translates as 'Mother of Pearl, sold by Diane's Seeds.

Which is why I always use the proper names. And she should too. She says that it's "also" known as Perlemutterscale. No, actually it's also known as Mother of Pearl, although in all these years I have never heard anyone claim that to be the name of the plant.

Perlmutterschale does gives better search results than Mother of Pearl. Hope you post some pictures of those blooms.

Here is a pic from my old garden. Perlemutter is in the center. I wish that I had taken a closeup. It's funny - white platys are easy to germinate but I could never get the blue - until I moved to my new house. See the blue one in the second picture? That was the only one I could get then. Now I have several.

Look at the bottom of the third picture. That's Pam's double pink (Pfg from Connecticut and New York). She developed it and it's going to be named for her. She graciously sent seeds of it to me. I was thrilled and sowed them right away. And I finally grew some blues. I just keep forgetting to cut them back when they are about ten inches tall. It keeps them from flopping.

Next, the white! I love balloon flowers. I keep seeing astras and doubles but I really love the old tall ones.

I'm not a pink person per se but I love pink balloon flowers and your first combo is especially nice. Thanks for the cutting back advice. I have a tall balloon flower that always flops. I don't remember the name but it's a double and the flowers aren't that big. I think I prefer the singles. I should try to grow the seeds which I did collect.

Here is a shot of the double. I wonder if the seedlings would be the same.

Loretta, you are very sweet.

That picture (which is one of my personal favorites) is almost an essay in growing from seed. Salvia coccinea coral, salvia coccinea snow, white and pink balloon flowers, salvia rose queen - all from seed. I had a billion ornamental grasses then, and I used them as backdrops to groups of plants in a limited, and usually cool, color range. I love contrasting textures and heights and like to grow multiple colors of the same plant.

I prefer the singles too. I first became crazy about them when I asked for baptisia australis from a landscaper and got platycodon grandflorus. I was disappointed for about ten minutes! And when I really like a plant that comes in multiple colors I try to grow them all.

It's funny what you say about pink. I detest it as a color to wear but love it in the garden. My color scheme is pink, white, blue,and purple livened up with a shot of red or fuchsia to add some zing.

I can't say I'm so disciplined when it comes to color. I'm not oblivious to it at all but I try so many new things that I often have to go with the flow. If I were to do someone else's garden though, I would reign that in.
Sorry to be off topic. Back to cheap seeds...

Going with the flow is great!

I am getting the most incredible and fast germination from my 99 cent seed packs from SeedsNow! I am growing veggies I didn't think I could grow, like arugula and radicchio. Corn salad. Five kinds of lettuce. I am going to make a lot fewer trips to the farmer's markets, and everything is organic! I love this!