Thompson & Morgan

I did not see this company listed in Garden WatchDog, which surprised as it is a big old company. What is your experience with them? I saw some petunias, morning glories and stock that I am interested in.

How strange Woodspirit, perhaps there was a slight glitch when you looked, is this the one you mean? http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/56/

Thompson & Morgan is over there, one listing for the U S and another for England.
They publish an excellent catalog. I've personally been more satisfied than not whenever I order from them. Sometimes the germination rates are low.

Thanks, Baa and jr. I don't know why it didn't come up when I typed it into the garden watchdog. The ratings don't look too great, that's for sure.
I wanted a Flambe Salmon petunia, a Mini Sky-blue morning glory, Star of Yelta Morning glory and a stock called Aple blossom. Does anyone know a better company where I can purchase these seeds?

wood,
I have NEVER been able to get a company by typing the name in the search box. I have to go to the alphabet list and click on the letter I want. I dont know why it is that way for me, but it always has been.

As for any Flambe petunia: save your money!! I grew all the flambe series last year and they were the most washed-out, dull, drab, colorless things I have ever saw in my life. [Did I use enough adjectives?] Apparently a lot of other folks had the same opinion from what I have heard.

I have not had great luck with T&M seeds. Seeds are not my forte to begin with but I only had about a 10% success rate which is not too good when there are only 9 or 10 seeds in the package.

Well, I'm down to ordering only 2 kinds of morning glory from them. All the rest I can get at Pine Tree.

I ordered a lot of seeds from them this winter, so I'll be able to tell you about the germination rate soon enough. They had some amazing varieties of things that are difficult to find elsewhere. I was a little dismayed at the low number of seeds in some of the packets. I'm used to getting a large number of seeds, so if one sowing doesn't work, it could be tried again.

Here is a thread on the Flambes;

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/526816/

Here is a thread on the Flambes;

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/526816/

Here is a thread on the Flambes;

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/526816/

So, has anyone tried "Value Seeds"--I understand they are an 'outlet' for T & M?

http://www.valueseeds.com/

I heard about them on another forum--and they seem very cheap--

I ordered 20 packets for about 10 dollars--so I hope they are fresh enough to germinate, but at those prices--who knows?!!

Tabsco i've now placed 4 orders with them this season... i've already had about 100% germ rate on some alyssum and carnations I've ordered, and several others are popping up, too. They seem excellent so far!

They send their stuff in plain packets, labelled only with the name of the item - sometimes its the latin name and sometimes the common name, and it may be different from what the site said. No sowing instructions so you will have to look that up, but for the prices, its worth it to me!

That's great to know, almcfaria! Maybe I'll order some more!

I have tons of mini sky blue morning glory if you want to send an sase. email me thru DG.

Sandy

I just ordered from Valueseeds. For the price- excellent! I would have spent 100 dollars at T&M.

T&M has a wonderful (arguably the best) catalog, a lot of varieties you can't find elsewhere, and are very expensive. For the money, they should have 100% germination, or close. Unfortunately, I also have had some problems with germination. I have never called back to tell them, but I bet they would try to correct the problem. I still continue to buy from them, but this year, I am keeping my orders to items I can't get anywhere else. They have a huge selection of Sweet Peas.

I will always love these people for their expert information on propagating seeds. I feel a certain sense of loyalty to them. When I started gardening, my mentor gave me one of their cataogs and said I would learn more from that than from any other source. He was right. But of course, there was no DG back then!

I've ordered from T&M for years. In the US, it is hard to find catalogs that offer as much info and lovely pics as this company does. I have had excellent germination from some of their seeds and complete failure with others. Although they do offer a key that lets you know the degree of difficulty in germination, I believe many of the seeds they offer (those rare and unusual) are often difficult to start, or are just likely to have a low or slow germination rate. Most of us are unwilling to wait two years for a seedling to appear!

If I have any real complaint with T&M, it would be that they have such wonderful photographers, and some of the images are far too flattering. Some of their image of green or blue flowers, upon inspection, have been tinted a bit. You can tell by the colors of the foliage. T&M is the perfect winter dream book. I think we all read it and make out $500 orders, then begin the task of trimming it down to $50! Some of us look elsewhere, once we've read their info, and some of us hope to find the seeds in trade.

Many of their seeds that are listed as 'rare' are hardly rare, but rather, not seen often in catalogs. with a bit of effort, you can find them in trades. There is also an issue with the names they give the plants. Many cannot be found in reference books, so one must assume they are a pet name given to them by T&M.

As for Value Seeds, I purchased quite a few earlier this winter, and they look like the same inner packets that one gets from T&M without the pretty outer packets. I would suggest that you download the pics and some info to attach to the packets if you are planning to plant them later on. There is only a vague name printed on their packages, and it would be difficult to recall what the resulting plant would look like later on.

That's a great idea, Wezingreens! I will go and have a look at the germinating instructions and copy them.

I too have had germination problems with seeds I bought from T&M. I used to buy more seeds from them, but because of the greater selection available on the web from niche companies and from places in Europe, I don't much anymore. Their prices have come down, but there isn't anything that T&M has that I can't get somewhere else for less. I too have noticed the touched-up photos.

I have not found their germination instructions to be very helpful. Sometimes they are just plain wrong, like recommending warmth when the seed needs cold stratification. For germination info, I usually look around the web (Tom Clothier's site is great, also Plants for a Future) and compare the different germination info I get from various sources. Also, Norm Deno's book on seed germination and the American Horticultural Society's book on propagation are great sources for germination info.

I have looked at a site called The Seed Site. I found it helpful in the past for determining seedlings or seeds that have been mis-labeled or found without any description at all. It gives a description of germination processes but is not very specific.

Well, after I said I would only order a little from T & M, I put in a hundred dollar order and got the mini-greenhouse for half price. What was I thinking? I was trying to save money. I just can't resist those beautiful sweet peas and delphs and campanulas....and after I already bought 40$ worth from Valueseeds! I am truly a sucker when it comes to plants. Anyone can sell me anything.

Oh, Ivy, you are too funny. Well, you'll have plenty to trade! And I'll just Dmail you for germination instructions on all my seeds from Value. --The print on Clothier's and The Seed Site is too tiny for this old gal--but they do have lots of great information about every seed, it seems!

I was trying to look on DG 'search' for more info on Deno--I know there are two really good threads on his method, but I can't find them... (when are they going to get the search fixed?)

paracelsus--are you able to buy seeds from Europe? I thought that was pretty impossible these days? Just wondering....

I am a true klutz on seed starting but that hasn't stopped me from going nuts on trying--
My valueseeds arrived, as did my orders from Diane's Seeds, Select seeds and Johnny's Selected Seeds. I'm going to try to start my butterfly garden and HB garden from scratch this year... but I'm totally confused already.

BTW, everybody--I am totally impressed when I hear all of your discussions on propagation--and look at the pics posted of your seedlings--weezingreens--you have posted some great info in the past! thanks. t.

Hey, tabasco, here's some info about Norm Deno:
http://www.rps.psu.edu/mar96/seed.html
I couldn't find Deno's site with a quick search, but Tom Clothier's site tells how to get his books:
http://tomclothier.hort.net/page15.html
He popularized sowing in paper towels and invented using GA3 for germinating non-agricultural seeds. I've used his books for several years. This year I am trying his "outdoor method," which combines sowing in paper towels with putting seeds outside (in a shed) for cold stratification instead of the fridge. So far our winter here hasn't been very cold, though, so I'm not sure how well it will work.

I order seeds from Europe frequently. Many of the smaller companies don't do the phyto thing and seeds get through fine. This winter I got seeds from rareplants.de in Germany, and Plant World of Devon and Chiltern's in the UK. Last year I got some nice ipomoea seeds from shop.sunshine-seeds.de - they have a great selection of morning glories, but their site is all in German.

The big companies like Jelitto insist on a phyto, which is $25-$35, and Jelitto also sends everything by FedEx, so you need to order a lot from them to make it worthwhile. Their packets are good sized and can easily be split with other people, though. The European companies often have things that turn up over here several years later, and they also have a lot of seeds for plants that are European or Near Eastern natives, or things that are popular in Japan. Next I want to start exploring the Japanese seed companies. Like I need more seeds.:)

I know - don't get me started ordering overseas or I'll have to sell my house! :)

Interesting about the European seeds. I thought Chiltern's quit sending to the US so I am excited again.

Haven't tried the german companies because I can't read german, but maybe they have English translations... not that I need seeds, but I am looking for Austrian pumpkin seed. I love to look at all the varieties available in Europe. And my sister orders peonies and seeds from Asia all the time.

Thanks for doing the search for Deno's information. I am having lots of trouble with DG Search engine...Tom Clothier's site has some good Deno info. I will add those links to my Diary so I don't lose them again.

Yes, Valueseeds is pretty skimpy on labeling info on the seed packets, but luckily I saved the invoice/packing e-mail and all the labeling was clear there. Then went to Clothiers or T & M for germination info. Worth the savings to do the extra work.

Thanks everybody for the good tips. t.

If you are looking for a particular cucurbit, tabasco, check out this place:
http://www.kuerbis.net/shop/index-kuerbis.html
They have more cucurbit seeds than anywhere else I have ever seen. The first long drop-down menu will display all the types of squash, pumpkins, gourds, and cucumbers they have, or just scroll down on the left hand side to the pictures of types. They also have them listed by color (Farbe). "Samen" means seeds. "Warenkorbe" is cart. Prices are displayed in Euros.

I studied German a long time ago and don't remember much. I use an online translator to hack my way through these sites. Here's one:
http://babelfish.altavista.com/

Just copy the text and paste it in the form.

thanks for the links, para. I will get busy with my German dictionary. I wanted austrian pumpkin seeds because they are supposed to make the best oil....

Ordered Morning Glory seeds from France. Beautiful lemon yellow. I read about them on the MG forum. I also saw the VC poppies on a Canadian website, but they were sold out.

http://www.baobabs.com/nbga_IN.htm

Wow, they have some nice morning glories!

very beautiful offerings on that Baobab's site! And it's translated into English so I didn't have to brush up my highschool french! Very enticing website! Thanks for posting.

For anyone who used "Messenger" last year I started a new thread, under annuals, for their newest product to treat seeds (in the packet), called "The Puffer".

Pirl--I can't find the thread in Annuals but I am most interested in the discussion. Can you give us a link? t.

Just got home. I'll try.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/574097/

It's called "Messenger and a new product for seeds".

This message was edited Feb 5, 2006 8:16 PM

I have ordered for a few years from Thompson and Morgan and must say, I have always been very happy with them. They have a wonderful range of seeds - many rare and unusual and some great information in their germination guides etc. I haven't had a problem with germination rates - touch wood. The price may SEEM a little expensive, but if you're "canny" (and I am!) you can get some good deals. For instance - the most expensive packet goes free, so you can get top stuff and pay nothing for it.

I ordered my Simba marigolds from them this year. We shall see what happens germination wise.
Also, just because a seed is tiny, does not mean the coat is soft. I soak just about every seed before I sow it. It helps soften the hard outer covering in some and also seems to help germination along.
With Thompson and Morgan, it seems like you get free packets of seeds for a lot of offerings. In my
order I got three packets of seeds for free. Don't know exactly what they were for. Some were the usual most expensive is free, some were for spending a certain amount on the order etc. I figured that at an average I spent the usual amount for a packet of seed somewhere else, just because it figured in with the amount of packets divided by the amount I actually spent.
Some of their seeds are rare, so do take some effort to get to germinate differently. I also order from JLhudson and his seed germination is good if you follow the directions for the harder to germinate seeds. It is mostly due to lack of the right temps and soil etc. that leads to low germination in SOME cases, not all.

I want soooo much so I try to spread my catalog purchases around:) The only place I've been able to find a couple of my favorites is T&M. I usually buy Cosmos, Versailles Tetra,
Chrysanthemum Primrose Gem and Linanthus French Hybrids. Then I allow myself 3 more wish list packs. I'm not sure why but I think T&M is trying to break me...I received 3 2006 catalogs in 3 months:)

I think I may place a small order with Chiltern this year. The email I got after asking if they shipped here on the one hand sort of rambled out the "legalese" and then led me to believe they have no problem shipping small, "discrete" orders. We'll see:)

dmac, I order from Chiltern every year and haven't had any problems. This year I ordered 40 packets from them and they came through fine.

Thank you paracelsus, that definitely makes me feel alot better. The general tone of the email was "we'll send it but we have to tell you all the other stuff." I requested a print catalog too. Even though I have begun to order from the web I cannot resist my print catalogs.

Once you order from them, they will send you a print catalog. It is a weird shape. It has no pics, but there are so many seeds who cares?

Got my Chiltern catalog today...I'm in for a little heavy reading:) I can see the future...another wish list I've got to whittle down to a reasonable amount.