Bulb and seed sources/orders from Europe and faraway lands??

Hi, everybody---

Here's my question for today: Maybe someone has some 'hands on' experience to share....

Suppose I want to order some bulbs (or even a few seeds/plants) from Europe or Australia or other places abroad....does anyone have actual experience with doing this? And what are good sources?

This is the aphis site that explains the basic procedures and I know you have to start with filing something with our government

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/permits/plantproducts/nursery.html Fill out the form PPQ587

And then arrange for a photosanitary certificate from the originating country and this can range from $5 (latvia) to $100 (australia) which your supplier will take care of. (I picked up this information from another website...) And pay extra charges for shipping..

So, I'm wondering...how difficult is it now to order from Canada/UK/Latvia/Poland/South Africa/Asia?

For instance from the Lily Nook (Canada) or Hadeco Amaryllis in SA?

And what has been your experience....kind of a 'lessons learned' question....

And then, what are some good sources?

Thanks. t.

Tabasco,
I have traded many seeds and even some bulbs with US DGers with no problem. I know others have done this too. Not sure of the legality - I thought seeds were alright. A great source for seeds from the UK is the Thompson and Morgan website. Also the Chiltern website, especially for unusual seeds and even more unusual commentary. Both will send a catalogue or you can order online. Good luck.
Maggi xxxx

If you want to try a great British bulb company try Paul Christian Rare Plants at www.rareplants.co.uk

I have been tempted to get from the lily nook, but my "cheapness" gets the best of me and I can't get myself to pay the $15 phyto certif. surcharge. I am sure the price is fair and justified, it's just that I feel that if I am patient enough, I should wait til the plant is in cultivation in the US and not spend that premium.

However, if you are thinking about buying somewhere international, let me know. maybe I can split phyto. expenses with you. Something thrilling about having a plant from a far away place.

I have noticed, however, that those international places never talk about "zones". Wonder what would be the best way to determine if one of those plants would be suitable for my zone.

Thanks for all the comments...I noticed, though, that T & M UK and Chiltern won't ship to the US now. Thompson and Morgan will take US orders through their US subsidiary.

Thanks, Galanthophile for the Paul Christian site link. They have a very interesting range of plants and don't say they won't ship to the US, so that's good!

Voss, I first became interested in ordering a few plants when I saw a clematis site from Poland...and then Lily Nook seemed interesting and I thought perhaps a better deal depending on the exchange rate and the fees. Of course, it would be more affordable if several customers went in together on a shipment, which I would be willing to do, too,if something really interesting came up...

Vossner only your part of the world has USDA hardiness zones, the best way to find out the hardiness of a plant is to look in the PlantFiles :)

Tabasco, I've hesitated to answer this one as what I want to say seems a bit wet blanket but here goes anyway :) One of the big benefits of buying plants/bulbs in your own country and particularly those that have been grown for at least a year in your region usually have a much better chance of surviving than those from another region or country with a different climate.

Please be careful when dealing with other countries though not all have the high standards and customer service/comback protection your country might offer. I'm not trying to put you off if you really want to buy in something extra special from elsewhere then I wish you all the best.

I've been looking into sending seed to the US (in a business sense), it is nigh on impossibly expensive as you have to pay for a phyto for each address. Some companies got around this by having a trusted person in the US they can send the seed to be divided into the separate orders and distributed, the phyto certs from the UK costs around $40-60/address, each country has different prices and still no guarentee they will make it to the customer!

I am aware the USDA hardiness zones are "our thing". But if a new or exotic plant is not listed in the PF or doing a google leads to sketchy info at best, it is certainly a risky venture to buy overseas, at least for the average gardener. I guess this should be left to the pros, or those who have experience with a plant in the same genus, etc. or those with oodles of money to experiment.

T, what are we buying????remember, has to be hardy for z6a and Z9a, LOL

You don't necessarily need experience with the genus but it's helpful for most plants if you can find information on the genus's cultivation.

This may not be possible with new to cultivation genera but those kind of plants really do need a study of the wild state growing and climate situation. That's no reason not to have a go at growing them if you want to, there's nothing wrong with being adventurous it doesn't always end in tears.

LOL--thanks, Baa, lots of good points, and exactly why I asked the question about importing plants!

It's interesting though, that many of the UK sites and some of the European growers/breeders who do a lot of business with the US list USDA zones on their sites.

I did read somewhere that central Europe's climate was much more akin to our mid atlantic/midwest area here in zone 6a Ohio (a wide range of hot to cold)...and that the UK was more like the Northwest...although when I lived in London it got awfully hot in summer, too.

I asked the question about importing initially because I am interested in some hippeastrum from Hadeco in South Africa that are not yet introduced into the US. And then there is a lot of clematis breeding going on in Poland and it looks interesting, too. I'm just thinking about it for next year, not really ready to buy anything, yet, Voss!

Baa--what kind of seeds/materials were you thinking of exporting? Maybe I could help you with it to get started... t.

Thanks for the offer Tabasco, it's much appreciated. It's not going to be cost effective at the moment, the phyto certs notwithstanding, whoever was in the US would need payment and the strength of the £ would mean the prices were high anyway. Even if those details weren't such a problem, which in themselves they aren't that big a deal, my business insurance premiums would double for coverage for sales in the US. Since I've no intention of making it a main business, the chance of it being worthwhile in the long run is not very good the way things stand.

I've ordered seeds from S. Africa for the past two years and so far they have been good although I've not come across Hadeco before so I couldn't comment from personal experience.

I didn't notice that Chiltern Seeds has stopped sending to the US, last time I looked they were still sending everywhere. I know Secret Seeds stopped sending to the US.

Last year I ordered a white hippeastrum from a site on daves garden and it was shipped from France with no question or extra forms.

Sabelgel, what website did you order from - would you post it for me? I am getting bored with the offerings of USA sites. Thanks.