Comments regarding Sheffield's Seed Company

I've ordered from Sheffield's quite a bit over the past few years and never been disappointed.

Germination percentage varies but that's to be expected. Some plants are very difficult to germinate and some can take years. That's not the seller's fault. I've never had any packet completely fail to germinate. Some of the reviewers on here sound like they expect tree seeds to germinate like Pansies and that's just not how it works.

The packets list all the necessary information and are very detailed. I really appreciate that.

Sheffield's Seed Company is a wonderful resource with many hard-to-find types of seed. They always fill my orders quickly. Seed packets are well labeled and well packaged. I will definitely be ordering from them again!

I do wish they could provide just a little better provenance information. Knowing whether the seeds were wild collected or from a garden source and knowing the general area (city, region, etc) would be very useful for certain applications.

Posted on June 19, 2018, updated April 25, 2020
Look . . . this is the strangest seed company. They are esoteric. Their website is extremely user-unfriendly. When I use the site I feel shamed for not knowing the scientific name of the thing I'm searching for. Sometimes the product pictures are very candid and/or unflattering. I am almost always forced to learn something new when I visit the site.

In other words, I love this company.

Their selection is mind blowing. Tomato seeds? Yes. Hibicus? Sure. Japanese Maple? Choose from dozens of very specific types. You want opium poppies? Ok. How about poison ivy seeds? They got 'em!

It's truly one of the most fascinating websites I've come across, commerce based or not. I can overlook the somewhat high shipping costs for this level of weird and diverse, especially since the seeds themselves are very reasonably priced.

Also, I have always received my seeds promptly and the packets are VERY detailed with instructions. Sheffield's does not mess around. My seeds have always germinated (at various rates b/c I buy weird things) and I am overall a very pleased customer. I truly feel like this company has made me more knowledgeable about plants in general.

I ordered twice. They sent seeds accurately. Germination rates are good. Cost of Phytosanitary Certificate is expensive.

I placed several orders with this company in the last 3 years and their tree seeds have incredible germonation rates. Their prices are also very good and shipping is fast. No errors with orders so far or dead seeds.

I enjoy growing trees and shrubs from seed and came across this company when trying to grow some plants listed in edible landscaping species lists. They have some very rare seeds. I like how their website gives germination rates for their seeds and lists when and where they got their seeds. I ordered 18 different seeds from them and have had great success. Within weeks of cold stratifying the seeds, I had all of the American chestnut germinate. That first spring, the majority of the seeds species I purchased germinated, even things they said had a very low rate of germination, sprouted. There are a few things that have taken two years to sprout, like the black hawthorn I bought. Last month everyone of the seeds suddenly took off growing. The black viburum, sassafras, and swamp rose have yet to germinate, but I don't blame the company. I have some seeds that a couple will germinate almost each month, for the past two years, like the scotch rose and dwarf almond. Even when I go collecting my own seeds I can have mixed success germinating them depending on the year. I think the germination quality of this company is quite acceptable. I find their selection of seed species wonderful, and I highly recommend this company if you want to grow trees and shrubs from seed. I initially order from them because I wanted yellowhorn seeds. Every single yellowhorn sprouted. I call that a great success.

I have ordered 4 packs of seeds on the 25th of November and had them shipped to the Czech Republic. What was ordered was also delivered. It took 2 weeks for the delivery to come, which I find very reasonable. Cannot comment on the quality of the seeds as yet.

I have been ordering seeds from this company every winter for that last 3-4 years and recently purchased a number of tree seeds from them including quercus and pinus. I have always been pleased with the quality of their product and have had very good results. It is sometimes hard to reach them live if you have a question but they have always returned my phone messages promptly.

I emailed to get a shipping quote, rec'd reply very quickly, placed the order that afternoon and had the seeds within two days. Seeds will take up to two years to germinate on some, so can't speak to viabillity yet, but am very happy with the speed my order was shipped. The website is also a good source of info.

I placed an order for sassafras seeds and received them quickly. For a pack of seeds, the price was a bit more than I would normally pay. However, a good number of seeds were included and if they germinate the price will be worth it as every attempt I've made to grow sassafras has failed (too difficult to transplant). The web-site was very nice and the seed pack had great detailed instructions on germination. I would order from them again.

I have delalt with Sheffield Seed Company since 1986 !!!!!! Rick and Company have always been top shelf. He and his staff are very knowledgeable about seeds and the like. I have collected seed and sown it and bought the same same seed also from him and sown it ( various species) and had a few instances where the seed never came up. Only a few. My thoughts are that it was something that I was doing incorrectly ( i.e. poor drainage, lack of natural microbes, lack of a natural scarrifier etc.. The vagarities of seed propagation are enormous.See Norman Deno's work on this . Just this past year , I was given the knowlegge of how to germinate Stewartia malecodendron successfully. Up until then , I had just sown it in conventional medium. Little did I know about the 'other' requirements). I could have complained to someone about it in the past. But the point is that the problem was with in the way I was handling the seed not the purveyor ( it was a friend).
They have always shipped it as they said it would come. As for the handling fees, they are fair considering the cost of labor these days and the time it takes to put these orders together ( I know because I have done it too). They have been more than fair with me over the years. A great place to shop and a great place to find neat things. Rick you and your crew have my vote anyday. 19 years and counting !!!!

Jon A.

I ordered a packet decaisnea fargesii, (blue bean shrub) from them on April 15th, they arrived on April 19th. The seed cost 8.95 and the shipping and handling was 7.71. The seed count at the site said 13 seeds but they sent 20 in the packet. So, I would have to say their shipping is
a bit high but they are very prompt at sending out orders.
As far as germination, I can't say just yet. However, from what people have told me the seeds are tricky to get going, so if nothing grows, I certainly won't fault Sheffields Seeds. It will most likely be the fault of my inexperience and brown thumb.

I've ordered several times over the last few months from Sheffield's and have been impressed by the quality and selection of seeds they have sent. They have a great web site with numerous rare (as well as common) tree seeds, and give decent instructions on scarification and stratification, saving a lot of time on research. You can order a pound of tree seeds for an incredible price - many under 10 dollars per pound - and the germination rate is great. I sowed a quarter pound of rare Chinese pine seedlings and have so many I will have to give most away. The service at Sheffields is great, and the ability to "charge my existing account" on their web site makes it unnecessary for me to send my credit card information across the net each time I order. A great place to order seeds of trees you haven't heard about anywhere else, for tinkering in the back yard nursery.