Comments regarding Thompson and Morgan (US)

I am disappointed to add to the list of complaints, but the seed I bought from them this year (Zaluzianskya capensis "Night Phlox") was quite expensive - and it ended up having dismal germination rates of less than 20%. Those plants that did survive have not thrived well, and I doubt they'll make it out into the garden.

...I'm fairly certain it's the seeds and not my technique, as (a) after the first batch failed, I did further research on the plant's germination requirements, then tried different depths, light exposure, temperatures, etc. with no success; and (b) I grew several other seeds with near-identical instructions/requirements to those provided by T&M, and met with great success.

I'll eventually get around to contacting T&M - I can only hope their customer service is better than these seeds.

I put in an online order and it showed up five days later. The seeds were exactly as I ordered. The website was simple to use. Seeds are a bit on the expensive side, though.

I carried back two free packets of T&M seeds that came in a gardening magazine I bought while in the UK. It's probably illegal to do that, but eh--it wasn't C4 or plutonium...I haven't tried the Laurentia yet, but the Achillea 'Summer Pastels' have germinated nicely in spite of my cheerful neglect method of seed starting (put jiffy mix in pot, moisten, add seeds, sprinkle decomposed granite on top, put pot(s) outside where it's cold and wait for results). Based on this experience, I think I'll try T&M seeds off the retail racks here before trying mail order and see how things go.

I find something I like in T&M's beautiful cataloque & then I look for it elsewhere. I do not buy from them. They are too expensive and the seed doesn't germinate well at all. But I love looking through their catalogue & they are a good source of info on growing certain plants.

I have been buying from T&M for close to 20 years now. The first time was at the Chicago Frank's store. Franks is now history but thankfully T&M is still going strong. The one time I had dificulty with germination I have to wonder now, if it was due to delivery in a massive ice storm in Wisconsin. No matter, the company replaced the seeds when I requested it. I think I recall in the catalog where you can choose a substitution if they are out of something or refuse it. My only complaint is that sometimes what English growers really like is not to US taste. I try to check the databases to see if some of the uncommon ones are what I expect them to be or if the British outlook is affecting the discription. In the past I have been surprised and pleased to find additional packets and a note saying they found germination rates were not up to expectation. The Germination Times is a gem but I miss being able to get copies of Successful Seed Raising. My copy has had to be laminated and I fear losing it. Jessamine

Thompson and Morgan has so much going for it. A great catalogue, great website and good customer service. But the point of ordering from them is to get viable seed. This is where I am disappointed. I ordered seed from four international suppliers this year (December 2004) and T& M 's seed provided by far the most variable germination. A few varieties (2) germinated very well, some varieties of seed had mediocre germination rates (4), and a significant number of varieties (7) had very poor or no germination at all (some varieties have not yet been seeded [vegetables]). I did contact their horticulturist and she has offered to send me seed from other batches (good customer service) but suggested that the seed meets USDA germination standards (What does that mean... are USDA germination expectations extremely low or...its my fault? - I don't think so...seed of the same species from suppliers in Germany and the US, in germination cells beside the T&M seed, planted the same day, in the same propagator, came up like weeds).

I purchased Coleus seeds in December. The germination percentage was very poor. I did contact the company for a replacement and received it very promptly. I think they should offer more seeds in the packets to offset the poor germination.

I have ordered several times and have been pleased with all aspects of each experience.

*Selection: Outstanding, and they'll even try to find things for you if they don't happen to have them.
*Prices: A little high, but arguably worth it for the service and selection, which have in my experience been better than well-known US competitors. You also get gobs of free seed packets if you happen to order the right combination of varieties. You can't tell in advance if you only use the website, but if you have a paper catalog you can see which selections will yield a free offer.
*Catalog: Stellar! Very informative, with good pictures.
*Website: Very good -- Good pictures, well-described plant info, and detailed germination instructions. Be sure to check out the fact sheets for additional info. Could use a better search feature, however.
*Service: Superb -- Pleasant sales people on the phone, who instantly connected me to the staff horticulturalist who spoke to me at length! Prompt email responses (usually). The horticulturalist even searched for a plant I wanted that they didn't carry, and when she couldn't get it through their suppliers, she suggested that I order from another place that did sell it retail! I once forgot to add something to my order, and emailed them to see if I could add it. They told me that my order had already been processed, but they'd send me the desired packet separately with NO shipping charge.
*Shipping: Reasonable prices, and quite fast, with the exception of an order I placed just before thanksgiving -- that one took awhile, but understandably so perhaps.
*Quality: Great so far. I've only started some orange geraniums, black/white dianthus, and asarina so far, but I've had a 90-95% germination rate on those, and the asarina seeds were from 2001!

I have purchased seeds from this company for a long time and have found them to be very good. The seeds sprout well and produce beautiful plants. I like the huge variety of hard to find flowers and plants. Its like no other seed company in the US. I highly recommend them.

Their germination rates are often mediocre, at best, for me. For instance, approx. 50% germination on pansies and violas, when I usually get 80-100% from other companies. This is not a problem when I'm ordering perennial seeds - I rarely want the number of plants I could get from a seed packet - but a disappointment when I'm planting annuals. They're also very expensive. What keeps me from rating them negative is their excellent selection of varieties, something that's getting harder and harder to find among seed catalogs. They also provide a lot of information about the seeds and their germination requirements in the catalog, another big plus.

I have ordered from this company twice. Both times my orders have arrived within a few days after placing the order. I have had great results with their seeds and would surely order from them again.

Fast shipping, great catalog. Lots of free seeds with purchase. Not the best germination rate, but most of the seeds I bought were rated at a more experienced level. Of the ones that failed, the company cheerfully and quickly sent replacement packets. Very pleased and will order from again.

A favorite for many years, T & M sure let me down this spring. I ordered two packets of Petunias. Both not available elsewhere. Each contained about 6 or 7 seeds a piece. For what they cost, I will never buy from them again. And I now remember last spring having the same problem, and ordered 4 more packets then. Next year I won't forget!

Another disappointed customer. I had zero germination on the majority of seeds that I ordered, and one of the few that germinated at all do not seem to be true to type. (Aquilegia Woodside, which is supposed to have variegated leaves, doesn't. Not on a single plant.)

I bought a number of seeds last year from Thompson & Morgan--campanulas and campanula-like seeds--and got zero germination. Also, one package had no seeds at all in it, and while I know campanula seeds are tiny, they certainly aren't invisible. This year, I decided to try the hollyhock seeds I had ordered last year and have had fair germination with one packet and hardly any with the other. Last year, using seeds from another company, several years old, I had a higher germination rate overall and successfully added those plants to my garden. I would not try Thompson & Morgan again, tempting though their catalog is.

For some stupid reason, I keep going back to this company to order seeds. I have bought from them for about 6 or 8 years and every year I say I won't do it again. The catalog is inviting, but the seeds I've received over the years have rarely been worth the price of admission. This year I ordered many kinds of seeds and a good estimate of NO germination would be 50% of the varieties and of those that did germinate, only one kind came up well and that was Knautia Melton Pastels. I can't, in all honesty, recommend this company to anyone. I will also say that I've bought their products at nurseries that carry their line of seeds and they are no better. It is sad that a company that puts out such a nice catalog can't also send viable seeds, especially for the price paid. I'm done buying from them even tho it took a long time for me to admit that it wasn't my fault the seeds didn't grow...it was their's.

I bought seeds that were supposed to be Brugmansia from this company. They are Datura seeds. Getting my money back is not a problem, but for me that's not the whole issue. Apparently this is a problem that has been on-going for a few seasons for this company and they just don't get it. The picture on the seed packet, catalogue and website still represents the wrong plant, and the seeds are named incorrectly.

they stick by their products. They will replace or refund after refering you to their hort expert.

i had 30% germination rate on abutilon. they replaced it with another lot. same results. the hort lady worked with me and we determined that this is what can be expected.
I lost my first batch of Mimulis due to dampening off. no problem they replaced no charge

the extra expense is worth it

I've ordered from T & M many times, and assumed the low germination rate I got was my fault. Apparently, there are quite a few others who have had the same problems. I usually order annual seeds, many of them supposedly "easy", only to find less than 20% germination rate. I love their catalogue, but I guess I'll have to buy my seeds elsewhere.

I've ordered seeds from this company for the past two years. Their catalog is great as is their web site. The seeds arrived very quickly. My germination rate was about the same as seeds I got from different companies. They have more varieties than most other seed companies. I will continue to order from them in the future.

I am familiar with T-M from numerous trips to the UK where their catalog is the Bible for gardeners. So I ordered from them in 2003.

(2003)The number of seeds in each packet was fewer than from other US suppliers, but the incredible variety of seeds offered and superior plant and planting information made them worth it for me (having limited terrace space, I could afford to sacrifice seed count).

(2004) They promise more seeds per packet this year which is good. Based on 2003, I ordered more seeds than I can possibly use (friends will get gifts).

Major complaint: Their website is awful. They do not have -and need- a "search" button. Finding flowers, especially by common name or characteristic (ie Fragrance) is nearly impossible.

Additionally, many of their plants use Latin nomenclature or names more typical for Britain than in the USA. Given the size of the company, they can afford to rectify this and to improve their site.

So what is my recommendation? Easy. Order their free PRINTED catalog. Spend some time with it and note your selections. ONLY then go to their website and place an order.

You will be pleased with the results (and when you place your order, tell T-M to make their site user friendly).

I've ordered from them for the first time this year and I am very pleased with the service I received. There was one type of seed that I could not find so i contacted customer service by e-mail to which I received not only a prompt response but also a link to the seed I wanted. Even though it was currently unavailable I was placed on a "waiting list" so that when the seed becomes available it will be sent to me so that I don't need to check regularly.

All seeds arrived quickly and quickly they germinated, with strong and healthy looking seedlings. I am very pleased with this experience and shall return for new orders - as soon as I work on some new flower nedsin my garden. With the germination rate I had this year I am not sure how much space will be left for new garden beds

I have placed several orders during the last couple of years. Every order came through without any problems. Now T&M pay the GST (Canadian tax) on all orders and I love the freebies as well. In my experience, germination is on par with other companies (considering the 10 million and 1 variables from seed to flower and the general degenerative tendency of everything in this world, I'm surprised that anyone could have such high expectations from any seed company). Most of all I love the information given on each variety, color pictures, planting suggestions, germinating instructions, hardiness rating, and seed count. Their's is the Catalogue of Seed Catalogues and when I buy I am definitely making a well informed decision. When it comes to variety - a delectable smorgasbord from all over the world. Have placed 1 order from their 2004 catalogue and now off to place another.

I've only ordered once. But not a single seed that was planted germinated. These seeds were from different packets. I am not likely to order again based on this experience.

Despite all of the negative posts regarding poor germination rates, this year I ordered two varities of seed from them for my container gardens: "Viola x williamsiana Four Seasons Golden Yellow F1 Hybrid" and "Osteospermum sinuata Pastel Yellow." (The only other place I know of that had the Viola Four Seasons Yellow was Park, and they no longer had them at the time I ordered. I looked everywhere for all yellow Osteospermums and Thompson & Morgan were the only ones who carried it.)

I direct sowed these seeds outdoors and got near 100% germination. I may try more from them next year and see if I experience the poor germination others have reported; it may be too expensive a risk however.

I ordered from them for several years each time hoping that the results would live up to their catalog (which is gorgeous). Occasionally I got great germination. But more often, I got poor germination, seeds are expensive, very few per packet. Yes, they replace the seeds that don't germinate. But who wants to keep ordering and reordering lousy seeds! I didn't order this year. Quite honestly, I have had better germination with seeds I receive in swaps with other gardeners.

I'm somewhere in between with this company. There orders always arrive quickly. I have never had a back order. They offer some items that are hard to find elsewhere.

Once one of the packages of seed I ordered was empty, but they promptly sent me a package with seed in it.

However, they seem expensive. Sometimes the amount of seed you receive is small. A few things have not germinated.

I was drawn by the glossy catalog and ordered $60.00 worth of seeds this spring from Thompson Morgan. I have been very disappointed with the germination rate with most of the seeds that I have started indoors. I followed the instructions, providing a heat mat for those seeds requiring heat. I can only hope the seeds I direct sow will perform better. The quantity of seeds in each packet was very dissapointing as well. In the future I will spend my money elsewhere.

Pat

I am a glutton for punishment. Every year I am seduced by their catalogue...always the first one to arrive and I am desperate for flowers. I ordered a bunch of aster seed exclusive to them and several packs of salmon scabiosa seed. None of these are challenging to grow. Whole packages of the asters didn't germinate, and the ones that did were spotty. I probably got 25% germ on the scabiosa. I am an experienced grower using sterile mix and containers and proper lighting. T&M needs to test their product better. The prices are very high and to have such miserable germination is ridiculous.

I have ordered from T&M for several years and have found their catalog and their service to be quite good. While I have had some failures from seeds ordered from them, I consider my successes far more in number. They always get a nice sized order from me.

Called and filled out request for catalog. Also placed order on their website for both seeds and catalog. Never heard from them at all. Forget this company. I can buy somewhere else.

excellent germination of seeds, and many varieties not available otherwise. Their "easiness" ratings for germination and growing very useful.

I ordered several of their "weird" items, and my order came quickly. I emailed them with several questions about each variety and rec'd a reply within 48 hours. I haven't planted yet, but I will post another note about my success. I am a novice gardener so the free booklet will come in handy. I wonder if the low germination rates others are having, might be due to how the mail is handled. I heard rumors that since 9-11-02 some of the mail has been irradiated, and that this might kill the seeds, but just rumors remember.
I have purchased T&M's alpine strawberry seeds off the rack and EVERY seed I planted grew.

I have had now 3 positive experiences with T&M. I have never had trouble with their seeds germinating. I think most folks order from them to get rare exotic seeds, like tropicals, trees, succulents and others. They tell you in the catalog which ones are hard to germinate. But then people come back to this site complaining the seeds don't sprout or sprout poorly. I had a friend who ordered exotic seeds from them (the "upside down tree"), and her seeds wouldn't sprout. I looked at how she planted them and told her why they wouldn't germinate- she just simply covered them with dirt disreagrding the special instructions on the packet. I have only ordered more common types of seeds from them (cool varieties of marigolds, carnations & such), which all have had great germination. I have always recieved my order quickly, too. I will be sure to order from T&M again.

A little pricey, but they have some seeds that aren't available elsewhere. Most of the time the seeds are fine, but at least on 2 or 3 occasions an entire pack failed to germinate. And the Cambridge Blue lobelia I ordered last year looked a lot like Riviera Blue Splash.

I absolutely love Thompson and Morgan. The catalog itself is immensely informative; I actually use it as a resource. It gives you all the information you need to know about what conditions are necessary for growth and ease of germination and maintainance. Almost all items in the catalog are pictured and featured with scientific nomenclature. The horitculturists at T&M are very friendly and knowledgable and return phone calls promptly. I have had occasion to talk with them several times. While it is true that many of the seeds in the catalog are a bit pricy, you will find most of them aren't to be found elsewhere. There is nothing standard (ie Burpee) about the items you will find in this catalog. I have read many comments here and elsewhere about frustration with germination rates. However, the catalog clearly states that many of their seeds do have low germ rates inherent to the type of plant. This is a specialty catalog of sorts and in most cases is not an appropriate choice for a novice gardener. Many of the plants offered are extremely difficult to start, so don't set your self up for disappointment if you aren't prepared to be follow directions for germination and be patient- some of these seeds take over 1 year to germ. I have been very pleased with my purchases and the plants I have subsequently grown. I recommend this catalog to any serious gardener.

My experience has been that when they are good they are very good and when they are bad they are lousy. About 5 years ago I bought flowering cactus seed, which had 90% germination, and have grown and produced several flowers per season. But I bought lily seeds at $6 per 20 seeds, that had poor germination and the plants that grew were genetically strange. After suffering with them for several seasons I threw them out. Overall I have bought herbs, vegetables and annuals that have done well, but I have noticed a trend of poorer results from their seed in recent years

I have ordered from these folks for about 5 years...overall very pleased! When and if I had problems they were willing to replace seed in a timely manner. A bit pricey but a good source for hard to find plants. Of the 50+ catalogs that I recieve each winter I buy most of my seeds from T & M.

On the positive side, T&M offers new and interesting hybrids and varieties that are difficult or impossible to find anywhere else. Shipping is fast and germination has been average to good for me.
The major downside is the cost. T&M is one of the most expensive seed houses. There seems to be a minimum price per packet policy (around $2, though most seeds cost more) and it is annoying to have to spend $3 for 800 seeds of a variety when they could easily sell you 100 seed for $1.50.
The expense of that flashy color catalog undoubtedly adds to the price of their seeds.