Your favorite seed and plant sources

12 years ago

Good morning all!

I recently cleaned out my seed box for a swap that Bonnie turned me on to. Now that I have some room, I need to restock.

My favorite local nursery, Picadilly, in Brighton Colorado recently closed their doors and are switching their operation to tomato growing for Whole Foods.

I would love to learn about new sources that you use for seeds and plants.

I was wondering if everyone would be willing to list their favorite sources for seeds and plants, both mail order and local. Since we have such a diverse group, both in what we like to grow and geographically it'll be beneficial for all of us to add some sources. It'd also be nice to send some business to our favorites. Home Depot and Lowe's are local and reliable, but I'd like to send some business to mom and pop operations as well. Tell us a little bit about each source if you know, like where they are located, their method of operation and any specialties they focus on.

I'll start:

Seeds:

Gurney's online and mail order. Big and reliable. I use them to order more common things.

Paulino Gardens - North Denver retail location. I'll go into more detail on them under plants. They devote a small section to seeds and always seem to have what I'm looking for.

Sand Hill Preservation - in Iowa and don't do internet sales. Their catalog is on the net, but you print the order form and mail it in with a check or money order.

They specialize in heirloom non-hybrid vegetables and sell poultry as well. Very small operation and done as a side business in their spare time.

Plants:

forestfarm - Williams Oregon. They have a retail nursery, do phone orders and internet sales. They carry a huge selection of ornamentals, perennials, grasses, shrubs, conifer and deciduous trees and fruits. They take great care in packing their plants and I've had good experiences with customer service in changing plants in an order. Shipping costs have gotten expensive. I received a conifer order from them last spring, 4 trees which are small but doing well. I tripled my order with them for this spring.

Harlequin's Gardens - retail location in Boulder Colorado. They specialize in native plants, bulbs, perennials, xeriscape, edibles and roses. I've spotted a few choice conifers there as well. No mail order and only take cash and checks. They also offer various classes throughout the year. The roses I've bought from them have done very well.

High Country Roses - located in Vernal Utah. They have a retail location, but since it's far I've ordered band roses (small pots) mail order from them for 5 years or so now. Since the plants are small, they require a little care at first, but they offer roses I can't seem to find locally. I've received most orders 2 - 3 days after they've shipped them, which is important to me. I don't want my babies banging around in a box for 2 weeks!

Paulino Gardens - North denver retail location. They sell houseplants, seeds, perennials, annuals, cacti and succulents, conifer and deciduous trees, ornamental grasses, water plants, pots, fountains, statuary, soils, garden tools and supplies. They do classes and have special sales. I love to visit their clearance center a few times a year.

The Tree Farm - retail location north of Denver near Longmont Colorado. They specialize in conifers and deciduous trees but also carry annuals, perennials, roses and ornamental grasses, pots and soils. They have a buy one, get one for a penny sale on trees every fall, usually starts in late August, early September. The place is huge and the employees will drive you around in a golf cart to look at trees. Bring your walking shoes!

Let me know who you buy from!

Barb

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Comments (27)

windwhipped
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Well, I don't think my local suppliers will do much good, but just in case there are some Wyomingites lurking, we have a new nursery in Casper owned by a former UW extension agent (any of you who get WY TV might remember "This is Tom Heald, from the ground up." Anyway, excellent plants including xeric and an expanding range of classes and landscape services. www.wyomingplantcompany.com

Seeds - I like www.seedstrust.com for their high altitude seeds. They are a family business located in Idaho and now also in Arizona. I've always had good service and good germination from this company.

Plants - Hallson Gardens www.perennialnursery.com offers great bare root plants for good prices. Huge roots, good service. Now offering 5% off for early ordering and another 5% if you let them charge your card now instead of at shipping time. You can go ahead and do that without worries, they are very reliable.

Like you, Barb, I occasionally get plants from Forest Farm - good plants, expensive shipping so I only get the tubes.

And, of course, High Country Gardens, especially for agastaches that I desperately want to grow, but which don't do well here generally.

My question is, does anyone know The Natural Gardening Company? Got a nice catalog this year from this organic nursery, but I am not familiar with it and the reviews of GWD are older and mixed. Anybody order from these guys?
highalttransplant
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Okay, I'll play : )

I think I've ordered from just about ALL of the seed companies at one time or another, but here some of my favorite places to order from:

Veggies:
Seed Saver's Exchange
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Seeds of Change
Tomato Growers Supply Co.
Fedco
Trade Wind Fruits
High Mowing Organic Seeds - fairly new, selection growing each year.

Flowers:
Summer Hill Seeds
Diane's Flower Seeds
Select Seeds
Swallowtail Garden Seeds

Plants:
High Country Gardens (of course)
Bluestone Perennials

Fruit trees:
Stark Bros.

Local:
Sunshine Farm (New Castle) - family run, organic, nice selection of tomatoes, peppers, and herbs
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Many of the nurseries you listed and others suggested are the same vendors I use. And I look forward to investigating some of the other ones that are new to me. Swallowtail is my primary seed source (I start hundreds of seeds every winter and spring in trays. I also like direct sowing in the fall.) I love Swallowtail and have always had good results with their seeds. I also like to order from Renee's Seeds (the Angel's Choir shirley poppy mix is very charming). And am trying a new vendor called Outside Pride because they seem to be more generous with the amount of seed they send and have some unique offerings I haven't seen elsewhere. Van Engelen is the wholesale side of John Scheepers and that is where I go for bulbs. They offer a small selection of peonies as well. C&T Iris Patch for iris. I'm trying a couple of new plant vendors this spring. Digging Dog is the one I remember off-hand. They have an interesting selection of plants. I was drawn in by the geranium, campanula, and monkshood.
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One of my favorites is Willhite Seed, based in Poolville, TX, about an hour west of Fort Worth. It is one of the few, smallish, regionally-oriented seed suppliers left in this country. Since Willhite began decades ago as a supplier for farmers, market growers and home gardeners in Texas and surrounding states, and that still is their primary customer, every single variety they offer is well-adapted to this part of the country and produces well in our climate. They also give you a lot of seeds for your money. They do a lot of their own melon breeding too and have bred and released many wonderful melon varieties over the decades. They ship really quickly too. I usually get my orders from them in 3 or 4 days after ordering. I've linked them below. For other seed varieties well-adapted to southern climates, I order from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (www.southernexposure.com). You can order online or request a catalog from their website. I'd request a catalog soon because they ran out of catalogs last year pretty early in spring. This is an employee-owned company that strives to please. They mostly offer heirlooms and a few of the best-adapted hybrids. For heirloom varieties, you cannot go wrong with Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (www.rareseeds.com). You can request a catalog at their website. Like SESE, their catalogs go fast, so request one sooner rather than later. Victory Seeds is a small, family-owned seed company that offers heirloom varieties (and maybe an occasional hybrid)and has very reasonable prices. They dropped their printed catalog a couple of years ago but their website is great. They really strive to provide accurate info in their variety descriptions and do not endlessly hype the varieties like some seed sellers do. Their website is Victoryseeds.com. For tomato and pepper seeds, you cannot go wrong with Tomato Growers Supply Company (www.tomatogrowers.com) or with Totally Tomatoes (www.totallytomato.com). Their variety selection is incredible. Johnny's Selected Seed is a favorite of mine and I have ordered seeds from them since the 1980s. Their catalog is one of the best "how to" guides around, so I certainly would request one. (www.johnnyseeds.com). Renee's Garden Seeds (www.reneesgarden.com) is another long-time favorite of mine. She sells single-variety seed packs of veggies, herbs and flowers and has some multi-variety packs as well. With her multi-variety packs, each specific variety is dyed with a non-toxic food-grade dye so you can make sure to plant some seeds of each variety. She doesn't have a catalog but her website is fantastic. Many of my favorite flower varieties are ones which I purchased from her, and I've never had bad results from any veggie seeds I've bought from her either. Botanical Interests (www.botanicalinterests.com) offers a great variety of seeds for veggies, herbs and flowers, and their seed packets are second to none. (Renee's Garden seed packets are a close second.) They include very detailed variety growing info on the inside of their beautifully-illustrated seed packets. For years I bought Botanical Interests' seeds from seed racks in stores, but they finally put together a catalog and retail website a couple of years ago so now I just order online. Their catalog is beautiful and even includes some veggie recipes scattered throughout. Nichols Garden Nursery (www.nicholsgardennursery.com) also has dropped their catalog (just this year) as a tree-saving move. They offer a huge selection of veggie, herb and flower seeds, plants, bulbs and other tubers, gardening supplies, books and much more, including soap-making supplies. Their seeds always germinate well for me and often I find varieties there that cannot be found elsewhere. Finally, with regards to heirloom seeds, you cannot go wrong with Seed Savers Exchange (www.seedsavers.org). I think a huge amount of credit for the resurgence of heirlooms in this county belongs to SSE. There are two ways to obtain seeds from SSE--as a member, which gives you access to thousands of varieties not offered in their public catalog, or as a regular retail customer. This was one of the first places I found heirloom seeds when I started growing heirlooms in the 1990s. I am sure others will add their favorites to this thread and you'll get lots of ideas. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Willhite Seed Company
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digit
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Who I ordered from in 2011:

Veggies & Flowers:
Johnny's
Stokes
Jung's (incl. subsidiaries, order thru egardenersplace.com)
Fedco
Harris
Tomato Growers Supply
Kitazawa
Osborne

Plants:
Richters
Dixondale Farms (for onions ;o)
Swan Island (for dahlias :o)

Who I'd like to order from & have ordered from in the past but too large of gardens/too small of seed packets:
Pinetree
Sample Seeds

Steve
Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hi Barb,

I had been planning to do a Catalogs thread for this year for a good month now but hadn't gotten it done, so when I saw your post I got my behind in gear and got it done! For "my" info on seed companies, see my new thread!

I never buy live plants online, so I don't have any opinion on mail order plant companies. I'm just too persnickety in my opinion of what constitutes a "good" plant, so I want to see them, touch them, and decide for myself if it's good enough to pay for rather than deferring to someone else's opinion of what I should get!

With LOCAL companies, a lot of people around here already know who I recommend, but it hasn't come up in quite a while, so here's my info!

PAULINO'S, as you said, is always good! For anyone looking for the best selection of houseplants in Denver, Paulino's is it! If anyone ever gets in the Doldrums when the weather is cold and dreary outside, a slow, peaceful walk in the houseplant jungle at Paulino's will definitely get you a good Green Blood Transfusion--even if you don't plan to, and don't, buy anything! Stoping to sniff the gardenias and citrus can't help but cheer you up in the middle of winter! All the other things Barb said, too, about the statuary, gardening supplies, etc. Especially in summer they have a great selection of ornamental pots inside, tho in my opinion they're pretty pricey! And Paulino's is where you can buy several different "types" of Sunshine potting soil in bales--much cheaper than the loose packed bags if you use a lot of it! They also have different mixes in bulk--by the half or full yard. They have a good selection of books, and some gift items and baskets and stuff like that! They also have a very good selection of "hydroponic supplies," if you know what I mean--since the recent introduction of one particular Medicinal Herb to Denver! They also have a VERY good selection of "chemicals"--and John inside for advice if you need it!

Their "nursery" (trees/bushes) in summer probably has the most complete selection outside of a tree nursery that carries nothing but trees and bushes. The "quality" of the help in the nursery in recent years has apparently deteriorated, so if anyone's planning to buy trees/bushes there I strongly recommend educating yourself online before you go, so all you need to do is find what you want and buy it! I wouldn't count on getting a lot of info from the person helping you to answer detailed questions (or, more accurately, I wouldn't count on the accuracy of the answers you'd get!), and finding help at all when they're really busy in spring/early summer used to be difficult at best, and I understand the help is getting stretched thinner and thinner! If you have questions and can't find help outside you can always go in to the "front desk" inside and John can answer most basic nursery questions, and can call for help and send you outside to the gazebo to wait for it to show up! (Of have them find you as you walk around, but waiting at the gazebo is usually quicker, 'cause if somebody's driving around looking for you, they're very likely to get "grabbed" by somebody else who's looking for help!) [I used to get people literally standing in front of my bus/cart to keep me from driving away!]

Their perennial selection, since Kelly Grummons left--in '97 or '98 I think--has decreased, tho they will continue to have a pretty good selection as long as Cheryl's still there. It's just that the Paulino's don't seem to understand how important having the more "unusual" perennials is, and they keep trying to cut her back to pretty much the basic type things--the same things you can get at HD or Lowe's--tho the quality of the plants would be superior even if they ever did cut the selection way down. So for now their selection remains fairly good, with most things in both large (gallon) and small sizes. The situation with the perennial help is pretty much the same as in the nursery, so finding help in the perennial department can be difficult! They keep cutting back to fewer and fewer people each summer! If you're shopping for perennials and have a "serious" question, have whoever is up there call for Cheryl and she can answer pretty much any question you may have! No telling who they'll find to help her in the coming summer! Ornamental grasses selection is still pretty good, with sizes up to 2 and 5 gallon pots in the "nursery," smaller sizes in perennials. Water plant selection continues to be good, especially in summer, and they have a GOOD selection of both tropical and hardy water lilies.

Their website is somewhat limited, with no lists of what they specifically carry/grow, but it does list the classes in spring, and basic info about the types of things they carry and their hours and stuff. Wednesday (not in spring/summer) is Senior Day, 55+, 20% off!

TIMBERLINE GARDENS. I'm surprised you didn't mention them, Barb! For the most complete selection of perennials in the Denver area, Timberline is it! When Kelly left Paulino's he went to Timberline as part owner, and perennials is Kelly's Thing--he started the perennial department at Paulino's. He has an amazing number of different species and varieties of things like Penstemon. Anything perennial that he hears about, he has to try--and sell if it's something that works in this area. He also sometimes has things that are very marginal around here--I've tried, and lost, a couple of them, so if you're questioning the hardiness of something, ask before you pay for it! If you have questions about ANYTHING at Timberline, ask for Kelly, and if he's there, you won't find better advice anywhere in Denver. He's the most knowledgable hort person I've ever met!

In spring and summer he has detailed lists of the nursery stock and perennials he "carries" (which is not the same as "in stock"), so you can check to see if he carries something before you bother to call to ask if they have any in stock. The lists seems to be down on his site now--he's probably working on the 2012 lists.

Timberlines' nursery (trees/bushes) is considerably smaller than Paulino's, but he has a nice selection, and, again, probably has some more unusual things than Paulino's. He has a great water plant selection, very few houseplants, and not very many roses. In spring he carries a pretty good selection of veggie and bedding plants. He also has classes in his Little Red Schoolhouse, and while you'd want to chose which classes you go to anywhere based on what they're about, if both Timberline and Paulino's have similar classes, I highly recommend going to Timberline over Paulino's.

Kelly loves cacti, and in about June he has the most phenomenal display gardens of blooming cactus! It really is spectacular!

Timberline is also the ONLY place in Denver where you can locally buy High Country Gardens plants! That way you can get most of the same things in their catalog, not pay the shipping, and get to do the touchy-feely thing before you pay for it!

He carries a selection of stuff like statuary, fountains pots, etc. but not as much as Paulino's, mostly, I think, because of more limited space--and--it's the plants he's really interested in!

Kelly carries bulk soils and a wide selection of bulk stone/rocks/gravel and wood mulches, and he also carries a wide selection of firewood, available in small and large quantities.

Barb, I've never been to Harlequin's, but I've heard good things about them, and I'd love to accompany you on an excursion over there sometime in spring to do a look-see of my own!

A word about the big box stores! All the plant material they have is grown in and trucked in from warmer climates, mostly SoCal. If you're lucky enough to be shopping within a few days of the arrival of the plants, you should be finding some pretty high quality stuff, but, if it's been in the hands of the plant-illiterate help for more than a week, caveat emptor! I recommend ALWAYS checking the roots on anything you buy at a BB store (I even do that at the "real" garden centers), and if the TOP is looking bad there's a 99% chance the roots are deteriorating, since the top won't look bad as long as the roots are ok, so if something doesn't look good, I recommend passing on it--unless it's REALLY cheap and you're willing to take a chance on it! If you get there as they're unloading a truck, GO FOR IT! One other thing, since the stuff is grown in warmer climes, it is NOT hardened off when it arrives here, so when buying things in spring, be ready to cover or somehow protect it in case the temps go DOWN after you plant it!

I'm sure I've missed something, but that's all I can think of right now, and I need to find something to eat so I can get all comfy and settled down before Episode 2 of Downton Abbey starts!

Happy shopping,
Skybird
elkwc
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I posted under Skybirds thread but will post here also as I didn't list the online sources in the previous post. I have bought from 35 plus sources over the last few years. Some of my favorites are:
Amishland - Small seed quantities but good germination and a source of seeds hard to find many times.
Baker Creek
Chile Pepper Institute - NMSU
DV Burrell Seeds - Rocky Ford, CO. An old CO company with some hard to find varieties
Irish Eyes - Potatoes and other seeds. I received their catalog also and left them off the previous post.
J&L Seeds - NM company
Marianna's Seeds
Native Seeds - Good prices, good cause along with good service, prices and germination
Tomato Growers Supply
Victory Seeds
Ronniger's Potato Farm
Skyfire - Small KS company

What I call commercial sources
Harris
Osborne
Totally Tomatoes
treebarb Z5 Denver
Original Author
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
windwhipped,
I'm so glad you chimed in for the Wyoming crowd, who mostly lurk, but we know you're there! In re-rereading my post I did say new sources, but I meant to say new sources to me. My bad! Tom Heald sounds like the kind of guy you want in the trade, so I wish Wyomingplantcompany many happy customers.

Bonnie, Steve, Skybird and elkwc, you've come through in spades! I knew you would ;0)

Skybird, I've never been to Timberline Gardens, can you believe it? I will surely be making the trip now! I'd love to go to Harlequin's with you this spring. To be honest with you I didn't walk around much. It was a busy day for me, so I stayed in the front, grabbed a Banshee and a Gruss an Aachen rose and went!

Now, I need to narrow down all these choices and pick a few to order from!

Thank you for taking the time to share this info. I appreciate it and bet others will, too!

Barb
gardengal_co
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I have never been to Paulinos. I guess I should check it out. I live in SE Aurora. I work at Tagawa's garden center. The customers have some positive comments about our store. Because I work there I really don't shop any where else. Comments from our guests tell us that we have a great perennial, roses, houseplants, and annuals department. I know that we try to provide thorough answers and guidance in Colorado growing. We also have hydroponics, statuary, bird feed, and nursery. Would like to hear some feedback on Tagawa's from others as I know my input might be a bit one sided and biased! As for online I like gurneys and burpees. Not to buy from but just to browse. Also, high country gardens for plant ideas. I have never ordered from them, cause I get all my plants local.

Here's to a great season.
treebarb Z5 Denver
Original Author
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
gardengal,

I've never been to Tagawa's but have heard good things. Rob Proctor does a gardening segment Sunday mornings on channel 9. Whatever he brings in usually comes from Tagawa's. Aurora is a bit far for me, but I'll have to check it out.

I'm looking for pine bark fines for a potted soil mix I'm going to make for conifers this spring and Nick's garden center is supposed to carry it. I think they are in Aurora, too. Might be time for a trip that direction one of these weekends.

Thanks, gardengal!
colokid
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I don't do any thing large like the rest of you, just tomatoes and a few veges.
So my 2 cents:
Black list is tomato fest-Gary. I am still mad at him for too many wrong varieties.
One I just found and I am going to like is Ohio Heirloom. Mike is well know on TVille and I think grows his own seed. I think he sells on E-bay too. So much better than "off the shelve" at the box stores.
conace55
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Gardengal, I also live in SE Aurora and have shopped at Tagawa. They're very informative/helpful there. Their selection is great. I've purchased shrubs, trees, and perennials there. I must admit that I bought more from there when my daughter worked there about 5 years ago and had a good discount. I think their prices are a bit high, but it's where I go if I want something I don't see elsewhere. I would recommend.

Connie
gardengal_co
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Has anyone bought from or been to Iris4U. It is here in Denver.
pcan
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
As far local places go I like Glover Nursery and Wasatch Shadows another good one is Millcreek Gardens.

Online I have had very good experiences with Forestfarms and Soonerplantfarm.

I love Dave's Garden watchdogs list to pre-check places online. Always a good idea if you have never done business with them before. I have thrown away a lot of money on bad plants from bad online stores.
treebarb Z5 Denver
Original Author
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Based on your recommendations and perusing their web sites, I've ordered seed from Seed Savers Exchange and 3 fruit trees from Stark Brothers. I think I'll be ordering from fedco, baker creek and a few others in the future.

Kenny, thanks for chiming in. We know you know tomatoes!
Connie and pcan, thanks for your input, too. Dave's Garden Watchdog is a great resource.

I'm glad to see activity and new posts on the site. I think we were all stuck in the winter doldrums, well, at least I was. Spring is in sight and it's time to start gathering supplies to get going, yeah!
highalttransplant
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Elkwc, I ordered from a new-to-me pepper seed source, and thought you might be interested. It's Peppermania. The ordered arrived in 4 business days! She also threw in a couple of extras. Very nice selection as well. The only drawback to the website is that the peppers aren't just listed in alphabetical order, they are separated by the different species, such as annuum, chinense, etc. There doesn't seem to be a search function, so it takes a little time to find a specific variety, if you don't already know which species it is.

Let me know what you think.

Bonnie

Here is a link that might be useful: Peppermania
amester
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Gardengal - I LOVE Iris4U! The grounds are truly mind boggling. I swear if I were willing to live in a borderline dicey Lakewood neighborhood I'd buy him out (he told me to make an offer and he meant it!). It's so nice to see the iris in person, plus nothing beats getting a gorgeous iris with a killer fragrance (can't get that in a catalog!). And it's supporting a local with really fair prices.

I do Tagawa only for special plants as they really are pricey (fortunately the Entertainment book coupons help out there!). But the knowledge level and service are wonderful. They got my tomatoes on a good fertilizer this year and I actually GREW SOME! (This is huge for me, people...HUGE.)

I've catalog ordered from:
Digging Dog
Forestfarm
Oakes Daylilies (HUGE plants - mine always bloom the year I put them in! But Karen has ruined me for mail order daylilies.)
David Austin roses - my favorite weakness
Raintree Nursery
Bluestone
Big Dipper Farm

I was happy with Bluestone but their prices have taken a huge jump this year - used to be around $15 for three of most perennials, now they run about $7-$8 EACH. No thanks!

I am still mourning the loss of Arapahoe Acres...
elkwc
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Bonnie,
I have visited that site several times but never ordered from them. The same can be said about many others like Peppergal. I like her site but just never bought anything from it. Both of those sites are look very good. And I've never heard anything bad about them. And if I needed something they had I wouldn't hesitate to order from them. It is just that I have a narrow range of peppers that I like to grow that does well here also and I tend to buy from those that specialize in them. Like I've said I tend to grow mostly NM Chile types and Jalapenos. Although I have acquired seeds from many sources including individuals I've bought many from Native Seeds, The Chile Institute - NMSU, Enchanted seeds and Sandia Seed Company.
highalttransplant
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I checked out the Native Seeds site, and they do have some nice varieties. I like all the background information they give you, such as the altitude the variety was grown at. It looks like a lot of them would do real well for me here. However, my seed budget for this year has been spent. I'm planning to order from them the next time though.
Zinnia1
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Ooooh, I love this post. I recently moved to Colorado (Littleton) in late August from my home state of Michigan and was wondering where all the good nurseries were! There a few small ones by me.

As for seeds, I like to order from Jung's, Baker Seeds, and Burpee (their catalogs, like most seed catalogs, have much more variety than what is sold in stores). I will also order from an odd catalog or two I get, but the ones I named are where I order the most.

For live plants, I like High Country Gardens and David Austin. Four years ago I ordered one of Jung's perennial gardens for sun. They came in 3 inch pots and I wasn't sure they would make it through the Michigan winter. Three summers in, I had the most lush, beautiful perennial garden I could hope for. I will definitely take the gamble on Jung's perennial garden again once I find a permanent home in CO. At least I am in same zone here as I was in MI so hopefully I will have the same success!
treebarb Z5 Denver
Original Author
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Welcome, Zinnia1!
We're glad you found us and chimed in. FYI, a number of us get together twice a year to do a plant swap. It'll be a month or two before we start posting for the spring swap, but stay tuned. It's always nice to recruit a few new faces to the group! It'd be good for you to come and see what grows here as our soil and climate is so very different from Michigan.
treebarb Z5 Denver
Original Author
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
With the storm, I didn't have to work today, so I was net surfing and perused the University of Idaho Center for Forest Nursery and Seedling Research.

If you're in the market for seedlings and if you've never visited their site, I recommend taking a look. I've ordered seedling trees from CSU 3 different times, have visited their nursery in Fort Collins and just love them. The only drawback is that you have to have 2 acres of land and they only sell in quantities of 30 - 50. That's way more than most of us want or need.

Univ. of Idaho sells minimum quantities of 5 trees and seem to have a much wider variety of conifers, hardwood trees and shrubs. It's $2.25 per plant in a 20 cubic inch plug. Just be careful to check for hardiness and soil type adaptability where you are. Shipping was reasonable, $25 UPS ground for 55 plants. Yes, I was naughty!

I hope you're enjoying our storm from the warmth of your house!
mtny
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Lawyers nursery....wide selection of bare root trees and shrubs...and regionally gathered tree and shrub seed seeds...with source location specified.
Pickering Nurseries....roses of far far superior quality and selection to that offered by high country roses.i order hundreds of bareroots for my landscape design firm annually...simply the source for hardy roses....not your best source for austins or meidilands
Glacier nursery for a pretty decent regional source of potted shrubs trees and perennials.
amazed anyone purchases plants from bluestone
Bailey's...my go to source for northern grown trees and shrubs ...early season
jll0306
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Tatiana's Tomatobase and the Sample Seed Shop are my standard sources for tomatoes, but Knapps Veggies also has some unusual dehybridized varieties

I like CherryGal online for the ability to order small packets of seeds I want to try.

SeedsTrust is my goto source for plants tested in the Southwest and high altitude.

Jan
jll0306
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
'scuse me, I meant Seeds Trust is my favorite for SEEDS of plants tested...
digit
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Anyone else dragging their feet like I am?

I've sent in a half dozen orders and received one shipment - surprised that Tomato Growers got their seed to me so quickly from the far corner of the country!

This will be the least amount of seed that I've bought in years and years. In 2010 & 2011, the seed orders were embarrassingly LARGE! The first sheet of paper tells me what I've already got, downstairs. It is in 2 columns and printed on both sides! Some of the seed is a little dated and it's now or never! Quite a bit of it is saved seed and I've got a reasonable amount of faith in it.

Buckets of seed! Can't find what I'm looking for locally & I've made 2 special trips trying so will go for 1 more order - for some zucchini, zinnias, etc. I'm down to the "z's" & et ceteras!

Steve

{{gwi:1188068}}
david52 Zone 6
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
This year I thought I'd be able to avoid seed purchases entirely. But then, THE DEBEL on my left shoulder forced me to pick up the Sandhill Preservation catalog, and then he forced me to consider trying sweet potatoes, and since I was ordering those anyway, forced me to order some tomato and pepper seeds.

And I need some more Cha Cha and Confection squash seed from Johnny's, because last year's seed packets, half of which I saved, the germination was lousy.

In the fall, the Good Seed Fairy comes and sits on my right shoulder, nudging me to save seeds, and I get to feel virtuous for a couple of months, until the first catalogues arrive.
billie_ladybug
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
My favorite is still Pinetree. I look at everyone else's catalogs, then I open Pinetree find most of the seed in more reasonable quantity and price. What is left on my list I purchase from where ever or forgo it for another year.

Billie
jnfr
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I usually buy seed from Johnny's. I supplement with Botanical Interest seeds that I can pick up locally at O'Tooles or Echters.

This year I'm swamped with some house renovation projects, and so there will be very little seed-starting from me. And last year the heirloom tomatoes I bought locally developed a virus and didn't do so well. So I ordered tomato plants from an organic place, Laurel's Heirlooms. We shall see. I also ordered peppers and eggplants as plants from Tasteful Garden. These are both new sources for me, so I'll report back on how the plants are.

I love High Country for perennials. I used to buy from Bluestone a lot but my last two orders arrived in terrible shape so I'm wary of them now.

Your favorite seed and plant sources

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