Want to have seeds of Centaurea montana 'Amathyst in Snow'

I would really like to have these seeds. I can't trade or buy it in Europe. If someone can send me seeds, one can choose as many seeds from my have list as he or she wants.

Jonna

Jonna,
I have Centaurea Montana "Mountain bluet" . I don't know if you are interested , but let me know. These are fresh seeds, just completed drying.

Carol

Hi Carol,

Thanks, but I have those plants and seeds too. I'm really looking for the cultivar 'Amathyst in snow'. But thanks anyway.

Jonna

Sorry I couldn't help, but I will watch out for the "Amathyst in Snow" (sounds pretty). If I find some, I will let you know.

Carol

Hi Carol,

Thanks that you will look for these seeds. I really want to have them. The 'mountain blue' gives me flowers 3 times a year. Strange I can't find the seeds of 'amathyst in snow', maybe it's not so good in producing seed as the 'mountain blue'. If you ever can buy seeds, please do it. I will return you the costs or you can choose as many as you want from my have list.

Hi Jonna,

So far I haven't found C. montana "Amethyst in the snow", but I found the following: C. dealbata, C. jacea, C. macrocephela, C. nigra, C. ruthenica, C. scabiosa and C. uniflora nervosa. These are all similar lookiing and I thought you might be interested.

Carol

Hi Carol,

How nice of you to make so many investigations for me. Thanks!!!!
C. jacea I have, and the C dealbata, C. nigra and C. scabiosa look a lot like that.
But the C. macrocephala (yellow) and the C. Ruthenica (yellow) are very nice. Do you have them? On DG I saw a few people having the C. macrocephala seeds, but I could not find anyone with the C. Ruthenica seeds (found the pictures on the internet).
The C. uniflora nervosa looks interesting too. On DG there is only a C. uniflora (without the 'nervosa'). Do you know the difference?

Warm regards,
Jonna

Hi, Jonna,
I would love to help you as well, so that's what I have so far:
I tried to google this particular cultivar, and there was one hit that said it does not produce seed. I tried to open that hit/link, but it only gave me an abstract of a "scientific paper", and no info about seeds anymore.
On the other hand, I saw this plant (as plant) last night in one of my browsings thru the top30GWD companies, I have to remember which. I can retrace my steps from last night, and try ask them if they seed and if they have seeds. They only listed it as a plant sale.it wasn't expensive, as I remember, but there might be issues with sending live plants. I can also check and tell you if they send overseas.
I'll be back when I have any news. Good luck with your quest!
Alexandra

Hi Alexandra,

A lot of thanks for your help. Really wunderfull. A lot of cultivars are listed as giving no seed or giving seed with no germination. If the C. montana Amethyst in snow does have seeds, but they claim to be sterile or not true, I will try it anyway.
I found out that a lot of plants do give fertile seed, but the inventors want to protect them. And, ofcourse, there is a possibillity that the seed germinates not true (so, I'll have another species). C. montana Amathyst in snow is just a cultivar of C. montana. And that one is producing so much seed, that I hardly can believe that one does not set seed.
Shipping plants is a difficult item. Only specialised companies can deal with that. Sending overseas is very difficult, because it takes quite some time to arrive. But I'm really not aware of the possibillities.

Again: thanks for your help.

Kind regards,
Jonna

The company is Forestfarm, and here's the link to the plant:
http://www.forestfarm.com/search/closeup.asp?PlantID=ceam022
However, they don't say anything about shipping internationally (well, except Canada), not that they do and not that they don't. I tried putting a plant in the basket, and "checkout" and the only option given is zipcode (US shipping).
I will try writing a letter to them, to ask about shipping, or seeds. Who knows, they might be nice. They Are in top30, it should mean they are perfect in any way!

Hi Alexandra,

I'm very grateful that you are willing to make all these efforts for me. It's really very nice of you.
I took a look at the website of forestfarm, but I doubt if they will send plants overseas. But, as you said, they might be nice and send some seeds.

Warm regards,
Jonna

Hey, Jonna!
Sent email already, I'll let you know of the result. We are all entitled to a bit of flower happiness!
Hugs,
Alexandra

Hello, Jonna!
I got an answer, not the best expected though...
"I have checked our plants, and they are no longer blooming. I do not find any seeds
on them, so I'm sorry that I can not fulfill your request. You may be able to ship a
plant to her during the winter, when it is dormant and the soil can be washed from
the roots. It would not be legal, but might get through the postal system in a small
packet that might not be inspected. Best wishes, Ray"

I get it that they do not ship internationally... I can try buy one (but this would happen after Sept. 10th, because I'll be away until then) and either try send it to you or wait for it to flower and collect seeds. From Ray's answer, I assume that they at least would set seed.
I will send another email asking specifically about the setting seed issue.
Alexandra

Hi Alexandra,

Well, at least they were very fast in answering. The answer still make me doubt that the plants do no set seed. The answer was that he checked the plants and they did not bloom. That he did not find seed is not an evidence they do not set seed. It was maybe too late. Centaurea montana drops all the seeds within two weeks after flowering has stopped.
And he did not tell anything about how Forestfarm produces these plants. If he was really sure, he would have said they always divide the plants. But every plant wants to survive, so they must set seed (in nature plants are not divided) The seed may be not very fertile or untrue, but I hardly can believe they are not producing seed at all.
My suggestion is to ask them how they grow these plants. Maybe it will help if you tell them someone in Europe is interested. And that I am willing to send them seeds of plants that are common in Belgium or the Netherlands.
You buying a plant is an option, but I think it is a very expensive one. I prefer to receive seeds.
Thanks again for all your efforts,
Jonna

Jonna, I told them that they are for a friend of mine from Europe. here's my first message to them:

"Dear madam or Sir,
A gardening friend of mine from Europe is extremely interested in a
beautiful plant,
Centaurea 'Amethyst in Snow'. She cannot find it in Europe, either
as plant or as seed, and when I started to search for it, only your
company has it.
From the website I understand that you do not ship internationally. I
know your company from Dave's Garden, you have a wonderful reputation
there, and I am wondering if you can help me. As a private person, I
cannot ship a live plant to her, but only seed. Is this Centaurea
setting seed? Could you be so kind as to send me or her seed of the
plant? I really want to help this fellow gardener, so please, please
help me!

Best regards,
Alexandra"

So what I posted above is their answer. Right now, re-reading my first email, I'm thinking that maybe I wasn't too direct, in asking them to send you one. But still, he didn't offer to send one either. Anyway, I will write a second email. I never sent any live plants ever (well, a bulb doesn't count...) so first I'm not very confidant on my shipping skills, and second, I don't know the regulations. He said "it would not be legal", so there might be a chance of it being confiscated. I would hate this to happen.
The plant itself is not too expensive, and I would gladly buy it for you if I knew it gets to you. Anybody having an input on this would really help.
keep in touch,
Alexandra

Hi Alexandra,

Well, 'it would not be legal' is not really an issue in Europe for plants or seeds. And, as I discovered (with help of my daughter who is interested in the USA and has been there) Europeans are more used to do what they want, without having problems with authorities. We do not have so many laws as you have. So please let me know if I'm too willing to get something. I'm really not aware of the USA laws. I am just a gardener who loves to have new plants and will be happy to send seeds to other gardeners.

Jonna

Jonna, I am European born and raised (I'm from Romania), so I have no idea what the laws here are, I usually learn them as I go. For the most part, common-sense is what guides me, and this goes well with most laws in most countries LOL.
Now, when it comes to plants' rules and regulations, I have a lot to learn. I moved from Miami to El Paso, and I had to find out the laws for transporting plants interstate. Had to get a phyto-sanitary certificate. Had an inspector coming to check all my plants (84 pots). Had an inspection while traveling so they made sure I do not have citrus plants.
Nurseries and mail-order companies have restrictions on sending certain plants to certain states within US.
I am too, just a gardener (and not the most skilled one), and understand you very well. I am currently writing the second email, and depending on the answer, I'll see what it is to be done. As long as nobody comes to arrest me for sending a Centaurea to Belgium, I'm willing to do that as well.
Alexandra