Favorite Seed & Bulb Sources
Mary Sue Ittner (Mon, 10 Mar 2003 22:19:20 PST)

Dear All,

I'd like to second Diana's comments about sources of seed. She has
mentioned my two favorite sources, Northwest Native Seed for native seed
and Silverhill Seeds for seed from South Africa.
The url for the latter is: http://www.silverhillseeds.co.za/
I've had good luck with the seed from both.

I sometimes end up with treasures from seed exchanges, but am very often
very disappointed when the plant finally blooms to find it so misnamed that
there is no question it is wrong. I have learned to look at who is donating
the seed and so look for people I know are interested enough in bulbs to
figure out what they have. The Indigenous Bulb Society of South Africa
sells left over seed after their annual meeting. I have ordered seed from
then and have had wonderful success with it and it mostly seems to be
correctly named.

Before the phyto requirements stopped the easy shipment of seeds I ordered
and traded seed with Dirk Wallace in Australia which was also very viable.
I don't know if Dirk is still selling seed.

Bulbs--I haven't been buying very much lately as I grow more and more
things from seed. Diana Chapman from Telos Rare Bulbs has wonderful things
you can't find elsewhere. The service is great and the information she
includes really helpful as well. And I know Diana is really careful about
virus and grows most things from seed. I have always thought her offer to
send you a mystery bulb if you found the typo in her catalog very clever as
it has always meant I read every word in her catalog. I am sure she will
send anyone in this group a catalog who doesn't get one because they
ordered in the past. mailto:rarebulbs@earthlink.net

Last fall I ordered some surplus bulbs from Jane McGary for the first time
and was very pleased with what I received including some wonderful crocus.
I have a pot of Hyacinthus italica that has been in bloom for a long time
which is very attractive. Her prices were reasonable and the quality good.
She will no doubt announce on our list if she has a surplus bulb list again
in 2003 and then you can write her privately to see what she is selling.

When I was visiting in France I bought a number of things from Lauw de
Jager http://www.bulbargence.com/ and they were of good quality and good sized.

And items Bill Dijk has shared from New Zealand with the BX and he brought
with a phyto to California last spring were really first rate as well. All
of the Moraeas I purchased then and held for fall planting have bloomed or
have spikes now. Hopefully they will return in future years and get used to
this hemisphere. I mention him even though he is probably only a resource
for people in New Zealand.

Mary Sue

Mary Sue Ittner
California's North Coast
Wet mild winters with occasional frost
Dry mild summers