I purchased some sanguinea seeds from Earl Matthews of Valleygrow.com The price included $1.00 shipping. They just arrived in a plain business size envelope with one stamp! I've never received seeds that weren't sent in a bubblewrap envelope.
Is this normal for sending brugmansia seeds? The envelope wasn't even marked hand cancel or seeds within or anything that would let the post office know they shouldn't run it through their machines. I don't know if the seeds are damaged or not since I've only seen brug seeds once before and they didn't look like these.
Thanks,
MollyD
Is this normal for brug seed dealers?
I've never received seeds without a protective cushion either. To find out if the seed is damaged, peel the corky material off to look at the seed itself. Use a magnifying lens to look at the seed itself. Broken or cracked seed may or may not germinate, depending on the amount of damage. I like to peel off the dry cork. I have too many accidents if I soak the cork first. Some prefer to soak first. I hope your seeds are OK.
Okay I just looked at them with a magnifying glass. Two seeds are cracked in half (out of 10 paid for). One seed has the end chipped off and there is one that seems to have the seed falling out of the "shell" intact.
I can't say that I can recommed anyone buy from this person!
MollyD
When people buy seed from me on ebay i always ship the seed in a bubble envelope. On the envelope I write "Do Not Crush" and "Perishable". A plain white envelope just doesn't cut it in my opinion.
A size "00" bubble envelope requires two first class postage stamps.
This message was edited Apr 30, 2007 12:11 PM
Thanks X. I was puzzeled cause I knew these were thicker than anything I had bought before but still those post office machines are brutal. I guess I won't know for months if they're capable of germinating and about a year or two to find out if I got what I ordered (if they germinate!)
Wish I hadn't bought from this person.
MollyD
You will know,when they germinate,if you have the real Sanguinea.The leaves are deeply serrated and very unlike the normal run of brugs.That said,while I don't care for his mailing envelopes,you can be sure you got the right seed from Earl.He has been selling Sang seed for years.
Thanks Gonegardening. I'll keep that in mind if and when they germinate. I've heard others say he's sent them the wrong plants at times so his length of experience is no guarantee I'm afraid. Of course anyone can make a mistake when dealing with seeds or even an unbloomed plant. But how an expereinced seller can send seeds in a regular envelope is beyond me!
MollyD
I'm sure it was an honest mistake but I ordered Bamboo from valley grow and I received a large Charles Grimaldi!! At the time I was a newbie and I was thrilled to get the plant. Earl quickly sent a replacement, and I got to keep the brug. He seems like a really nice guy and a reputable dealer. Mistakes happen and as long as the seller rectifies the situation quickly he deserves due credit.
My experience with Valleygrow was not a good one. I ordered Dr Suess (in the pic below) and Jean Pasco cuttings. The cuttings ended up being Frosty Pink... Of course I didn't find out till I grew them out for 9 months. Earl didn't think anything was wrong with my purchase, so he didn't replace anything, or respond to my emails when "Jean Pasco" bloomed as pink.
And my experience with Earl has always been a positive one. Last year I ordered a few rooted cuttings from him and they did well.
i would give him bad mark in ratings.. couple if got wrong plants geez...
MollyD:
You have dmail!
Jan
Thanks Jan!
MollyD
I bought brugs from him years ago and the plants were just terrible. Like pencil thin and one had half the stem gone. I still have pictures somewhere. He never even answered me when I emailed.
I guess I was just lucky!
Sandy
I acutally have been to Earl's place which is about 45 minutes from my house. I was a newbie a couple of years ago and bought a couple of brugs from him that did terribly. The place was so disorganized and nasty that I don't think he really has a clue as to which ones are which. After going there, I would never buy from him again!
ZZ that looks awful. I got much better plants from Kendal for postage than that. I wouldn't like getting something like that for my money.
This message was edited May 6, 2007 9:59 AM