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Those of us who have been gardening for a lifetime gradually discover which sellers we can count on, and they aren’t the ones who hawk seeds of blue strawberries or black bleeding hearts. Just keep in mind that any company’s reliability may vary over time should they come under new ownership.
If you obtain a “small lots of seeds” permit from the USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), you also can order from my favorite overseas companies such as Plant World Seeds in Great Britain and Silverhill Seeds in South Africa. Just do so at least a month earlier than you’ll need the seeds. Otherwise, look to some of these top American seed companies.
1. J. L. Hudson, Seedsman
Scoring high marks for both value and variety, this off-the-grid seed seller located in La Honda, California (whose name isn’t really Hudson) J.L. Hudson, Seedsman, believes in “Preservation through Dissemination.” For his public-access seed bank, he offers a catalog that resembles an old-fashioned herbal, containing scattered botanical prints and hints on germination and the plants’ varied uses.
The website includes a few photos instead of prints, and most of the seed packets offered go for only $2.50. The plants listed range from unusual tropical trees and succulents to cottage garden flowers to heirloom vegetables.
Must buy: Two of my favorite species from this catalog are Berkheya purpurea, a South African “thistle” that produces showy lavender daisy-like blooms, and Jaltomata sinuosa, a Peruvian species related to tomato, which produces unusual lavender and white blooms and orange fruits.
2. Trade Winds Fruit Rare and Heirloom Seeds
Another company that occasionally offers Jaltomatas is Trade Winds Fruit, a fellow California-based seed company in Santa Rosa. Specializing in unusual tropical fruits, it sells seeds of tropical ornamentals, vegetables, herbs, and some cold climate species as well.
Because many seeds of tropical fruits must be fresh to be viable, some are available only for a limited time. So, you’ll want to keep an eye on the website or subscribe to the company’s “new seeds” notifications via email, since there is no paper catalog.
Must buy: Plants from this site you’ll want to check out include the cork oak tree (Quercus suber), from which cork is made, and a type of monstera houseplant that produces edible fruit (Monstera deliciosa).
3. Victory Seed Company
Victory Seed Company in Irving, Texas, is owned by Dave Whitinger, who also serves as executive director of the National Gardening Association, and his family. “While Victory Seed Company has the usual full selection of all the modern vegetables, its focus has always been preserving rare heirloom varieties,” Whitinger says. “The best way to preserve varieties is to continue to produce and sell seeds of them.”
Whitinger adds that the company “also is the introducer of all the cultivars from the Dwarf Tomato Project, which are varieties of heirloom-type, open-pollinated tomatoes with heirloom flavors on dwarf plants.” The online catalog also includes flower seeds.
Must buy: Gardeners who are limited to small plots or containers but still want heirloom flavor should check out the aforementioned dwarf tomatoes, such as Awesome. Growers with more space to plant might prefer more sprawling family heirloom tomatoes, such as Shackelford Giant Pink.
“While Victory Seed Company has the usual full selection of all the modern vegetables, its focus has always been preserving rare heirloom varieties. The best way to preserve varieties is to continue to produce and sell seeds of them.”
—Dave whitinger, owner, Victory seed company
4. Select Seeds
Located in Union, Connecticut, Select Seeds specializes in antique flowers such as the old-fashioned climbing petunia, but the seed company carries more modern introductions, too, including a few of their own. Established by Marilyn Barlow after she ran across a “forgotten garden,” the company offers ornamental plants, including scented geraniums and Parma violets, as well as seeds.
According to their site, “the goal of Select Seeds is to make certain every generation can enjoy the blossoms that were grown yesterday and long before that.” The company also maintains a paper catalog.
Must buy: Be sure to check out the company’s own introductions, including Chocolate Chip Nicotiana and a heliotrope called Select Amaretto, so named for its strong almond fragrance.
5. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Originally started by teenager Jere Gettle as a hobby, Baker Creek has grown to be “North America’s largest heirloom seed company.” It is located in Mansfield, Missouri, and ships its seeds from Seymour, Missouri. Those include more than a thousand types of open-pollinated vegetables, flowers, and herbs.
Seeds saved from open-pollinated cultivars will come true, so you can harvest some from your plants to use the following year rather than having to purchase them again. In addition to the website, the company offers two paper catalogs, a free 164-page version and a more expansive—and expensive!—500-page catalog for $14.95.
Must buy: Flower lovers should take a look at the Petunia superbissima cultivars, with their huge ruffly and heavily veined blooms, while fanciers of unusual vegetables might consider the green-fleshed winter squash called Ayote.
6. Swallowtail Garden Seeds
Named for one of the most popular of butterflies, Swallowtail Seeds in Santa Rosa, California, offers more than 1,400 types of flower, vegetable, and herb seeds. The company especially touts its annual flowers, which include 120 cultivars of zinnias and 40 types of sunflowers.
Cosmos cultivators also might want to flutter by this online catalog to view its extensive collection. The website offers germination advice at the bottom of each page, which will help clue you in on whether your selections will be easy to grow.
Must buy: Don’t miss the miniature semi-double yellow sunflower called Lemon Cutie, or the Jim Baggett’s Choice Mix of large zinnias selected by an Oregon breeder.
7. GeoSeed
Located in Hodges, South Carolina, GeoSeed sells mostly to gardening businesses that produce large numbers of seedlings. However, since the company doesn’t have a minimum order for their seeds, which consist mostly of flowers or patio vegetables, some home gardeners like to buy large packets so they can swap or share the extra seeds.
To do that, you’ll need to print off and mail (or save and e-mail) a PDF order form. Keep in mind that there is a $12 handling charge for orders under $100. Also, since the online price list doesn’t include photos, you’ll need to look those up for yourself.
Must buy: If you’ve always wanted more of those opulent tuberous begonias offered in greenhouses but couldn’t afford many, choose a packet of pelleted seeds of Illumination or On Top Mix, which conceivably could provide you with 100 plants.
8. Summer Hill Seeds
Located in Benton, Illinois, Summer Hill Seeds offers “rare and unusual flower seeds,” along with a small number of edibles that gardeners can tuck in around the edges if there’s any space left for them.
“We’ve been in business for 18 years and have enjoyed meeting gardeners from around the world,” says owner Robin Bennett. “Our customers are more like friends that we hear from every winter during seed-sowing time. We are truly blessed to have met the nicest people and to offer them a selection of unusual perennials and annuals to add to their gardens.”
Must buy: For this company, check out a black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) named Sputnik, whose black eye is more spacious than most; and a dianthus called Spooky for its spidery petals.
9. Pinetree Garden Seeds
A family company in New Gloucester, Maine, Pinetree Garden Seeds reportedly “was founded with the simple mission of offering low prices on quality seeds to the home gardener” and still is based in an old farmhouse. At present, the company stocks more than 1,400 types of vegetable, flower, and herb seeds as well as live plants and gardening supplies via both online and paper catalogs.
Must buy: Those with a taste for international cuisine might want to try growing Pinetree’s South American vegetable jicama (Pachyrrhizus erosus) from seed, or the Mexican herb known as papalo (Porophyllum ruderale).
10. Strange Wonderful Things
Although there are eBay seed sellers you definitely should avoid, there also are reputable ones who offer seeds for unusual species. In fact, Strange Wonderful Things specializes in “rare and exotic plants.” Because it is an eBay “store,” you will need to bid and probably bid high, rather than purchasing the seeds or plants outright.
However, if you want something your neighbors haven’t got, this is the place to go. Or you can follow my example and sweet-talk one of your relatives into “winning” you something from this site as a gift.
Must buy: Look for a wide variety of unusual Impatiens, whose often hooded blooms don’t much resemble the typical “busy Lizzies” as well as many types of passion flowers.
About the Author
A former master gardener and author of the Thyme Will Tell mystery series as well as hundreds of online articles, Audrey Stallsmith has been hooked on horticulture for about 40 years.
