A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall Mail order plants and seeds?

I would like some input about if and where people buy live plants or seeds online or from catalogs, and your level of satisfaction associated with each these mail order sources.
Please let me know about your experiences, good and bad...

A couple of questions before I begin. Do you want links here or just names of places? How detailed and how far back are we going?

Just the names of the places will be good enough.
My reason for this topic is to explore the possibility of making seeds and plants available through TGH...
I'd like as many details as you think is necessary to help me make my decision. (quality, shipping, cost?) I only want to associate myself with the BEST!

I do flowers, not much in vegetables. I have always ordered out of catalogs before I got a computer. One of my favorites and cheapest was Henry Fields for plants. You get what you pay for but you can baby most of it along over that mail hump. And they honor their guarantee if things don't make it. The plants come in OK conditions.
Bulbs have been from whomever had them for the least, Van Bourgondien, Breck's, Henry Fields again,
For seeds I have been ordering from Wildflower Farms for many years. They do bulk seeds and I love that. A more recent love is Eden Brothers, they also do bulk.
I have been ordering online only for about the last year. But I have ordered a lot. I closed my eyes to prices, sort of, and ordered to my hearts content!
Tropicals:
Top Tropicals
Logees
Bulbs:
Von Bourgondien
Henry Fields
Breck's
Michegan Bulb Farm
Bulbs Direct
I also ordered a few plants here and there.
For seeds I ordered only from Wildseed Farms and Eden Brothers. I got
*** 1 lb. Blue flax

*** 1 lb. California bluebell

*** 1 lb. Sweet william

*** 1 lb. Rocket larkspur

*** 1 lb. Morning glory ,heavenly blue

*** 1/4 lb. Sky lupine

*** 1/4 lb. Toadflax

*** 1/4 lb. Blanketflower

*** 1/4 lb Mountain garland

*** 1/4 lb. Tahoka daisy

*** 1 oz. Globe gilia

***1 oz. Baby blue eyes
I also bought individual packages and ounces at local places. I am happy with all of these seeds. I have some spectacular color. I just have to stay on top of the weeds better.

Top Tropicals have some awesome plants and trees that arrive in the best conditions I have ever had plants arrive. But their shipping is very costly. No guarantees.
Logees is also tropical plants mostly and their shipping cost is slightly better. The plants arrive in very good condition. I don't remember any guarantees. Need to research that.
These bulb and plant places do guarantee and shipping is reasonable:
Henry Fields
Breck's
Michegan Bulb Farm
Bulbs Direct
Plants come in varying degrees of bare-root to wilted but most do recover. I have never imported any diseases or pests along with my plants.

I've always been scared to order by catalog, Never knowing what I'll get if it will be the right plant in the size they said it would be.
I'm more a "gotta physically see it first" type plant buyer.

I have ordered from Veseys here by catalog..only seeds though, they have much more than what is available in my stores.

I've ordered from spring Hill and was very pleased. Also, I don't recall the name of it, but Sheri Majors ordered from a company for Maxi & I, and we were delighted when the package came... I saved the paperwork (!) because I wanted to order from them again. She'll probably remember the name of the company. Also, I have ordered heritage seeds and wildflower seeds... things that are hard to come by in local stores. Sometimes Maxi's school will do bulbs as a fund-raiser & I will let him order for his Aunts & friends with gardens.

I have never been unhappy with anything I've ordered or have been sent from a company.

I like it when a company will say "your order will be shipped in time for planting in your area" then I know whatever is coming will be appropriate for that item to go in the ground.

my father orders his seeds from Burpee or Henry Fields.
he said they both are really high on shipping & handeling.
he prefers Henry Fields because he likes the idea that seeds he will buy from them to plant were grown in his area (I assume he means the same climate zone) so he knows they are more likley to germinate.

I have bought bulbs from Brecks in the past. they would have free shipping offers and they used to have specials where one could buy say 3 or 4 bulbs at a time---which if you were unsure was nice.

I was disapointed in size of plants that I bought from Bluestone perennials and Michigan bulb. BUT I did like the selection they offered. a large percentage of said plants also died.
they both had free shipping if you spent so much which was not a large amount so it was easy to do.

I have never been disappointed with anything we ever got from Stark Bros--

I will never buy another tree/shrub from Guerny. my clump birch came dead not dormant as describerd & we were not reimbursed.

Tina made me think.--& reminded me I forgot to say:

I also have never had any problems with infected plants or pests. they all came healthy in that way.
and I did not mean to imply that the plants were sub par and that is why thwe died. I think they were too small & because of that they either should have been given a bit more time in the green house, or they should have had more care than I gave them (a possibility).

like I said I really liked the selection both places afforded me.
and I LOVED getting bulbs from Brecks when they had their "sale pages". this enabled me to buy smaller amounts of a greater number of bulbs.

Any comments about Burpee seeds?

I just spoke to my dad.

he said he likes the seeds from just Burpee fine, but the shipping was so high.

he had said to me at one time the shipping on say 1 pkg of seed was more than the seeds themselves. That is what upset him.

I guess if one were ordering large quantities that would not be an issue ???

Their shipping does seem a little high to me too... on small orders of seeds at least.

SHIPPING INFORMATION

Orders Totaling: Please Add:


Up to $10.00 $4.95



$10.01 to $20.00 $6.95



$20.01 to $35.00 $8.95



$35.01 to $50.00 $9.95



$50.01 to $75.00 $11.95



$75.01 to $100.00 $13.95



$100.01 to $125.00 $15.95



$125.01 to $150.00 $17.95



$150.01 or more 12% of order total

yea he said if he was spending $50.00 or more well then he could see the shipping.

For example: the first rate---if you wanted one pkg. of seeds & they were $2.00, you would still be spending $5.00 on shipping.

But I guess if they have what you want, & the quality is there....
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I have a question--are the Burpee seeds that Wal-mart sometiems carries the same quality of seeds that one would get in Burpee's catalog

Should be...some corner stores(feed stores) carry Vesey seeds and they are the same as the Vesey catalog here.

I thought I would pull this up......