My Favorite Seed, Bulb and Cuttings Sources
Photo by Emily Winiker
Share the Knowledge
I love the art of sharing knowledge in community. Without all of the friends and mentors who opened up their worlds to me, my paths in herbalism, gardening, floral design and medicine making would have been littered with a lot more struggle and confusion. Communities are powerful for individual action and I am so gracious for those who have endowed me with advice and knowledge.
With that said, I’ve received a lot of questions about my sources for seeds, bulbs and cuttings in my garden. Here is a brief list of some of my favorite sources for herbs, flowers and vegetables. I encourage you to please share your go-to sources in the comment section below to strengthen our community here!
Support Local Farms
When I purchase seeds, I try to support small farms and businesses first and foremost. I would advise researching the local farms in your area — google search, ask around, give them a call and see if they sell seeds, bulbs or cuttings. Using seeds sourced from the same area you grow in provides a more acclimated seed, meaning strong and thriving plants in your garden. Seed exchanges are also an excellent opportunity to share seeds within a community, something I am personally very drawn to. Outside of your local friends and farms, here are a list of my go-to farms and businesses, some small and others larger scale.
Seeds, Bulbs, Cuttings
Siskiyou Seeds - “Siskiyou Seeds is a bio-regional seed hub that produces most of the open-pollinated & heirloom seeds we sell on our home farm in SW Oregon using organic practices and Biodynamic methods.” I love this farm and was lucky enough to visit a few times when I spent some time in Oregon. This is my go-to source for herb, flower and vegetable seeds as well as dahlia bulbs.
Johnny's Seeds - Johnny’s is a large company that offers and assortment of seeds and gardening/farming equipment. They have a massive amount of flower and vegetable seeds (some herbs too!) to choose from, many organic and disease resistant varieties. Though this source is not local or small scale, they deliver very high-quality and trusted products that I appreciate greatly.
Strictly Medicinal Seeds - An incredible source for organic medicinal seeds! This seed company and nursery located in Southern Oregon was started by Richo Cech, an expert on cultivation, processing and use of medicinal plants. This is my GO TO source for herbal seeds and dried products, especially those more elusive and hard to find varieties. Richo’s blog is a wonderful source of wisdom for medicine making and growing herbs. His book Making Plant Medicine is a must read.
Richters - From culinary herbs to Chinese medicinals, Richter’s has a wonderful selection of herb seeds, plugs and dried plants. I order all of my difficult-to-grow medicinal herb plugs from Richter’s such as white sage, lavender, lemon verbena… etc. The plugs are generally affordable and always thrive.
Hudson Valley Seeds Local to my area in the Hudson Valley, this is a great source for “heirloom and open-pollinated garden seeds and beautiful garden-themed contemporary art”. Each packet is designed by a local artist (love!) and the quality of seed is top notch. This is my GO TO source for beautiful dahlia bulbs, fun heirloom tomatoes and unique zinnia varieties.
Floret A farmer-florist collective with online classes and workshops, this is an incredible source for all things flower growing and design. The founder is a personal hero of mine who worked her way up from a small plot and not much else to a thriving business; she is someone I greatly respect. The flower seeds Floret offers are gorgeous, high quality and current with color trends and varieties. They sell out QUICK. I always set an alarm the day seeds go on sale in January to be sure I can snag a few distinct and special varieties for my garden.
Colorblends - I found a massive variety of fall-planted bulbs like tulips, daffodils and hyacinths from Colorblends.
Plant Gem - A small, Boulder-based plant source for growers and farmer-florists, Plant Gem carries desirable, seasonal and trendy options of some of my favorite flowers. They are a bit on the pricey side for large scale gardens, but definitely worth a peek! Explore and get inspired.
Etsy - Yep, Etsy has saved my ass during many seed-ordering oversights. Not only can you find just about any seed, but you can also find small farms and businesses that you may want to connect with. For the past 2 years I have bought my anemone and ranunculus bulbs from Etsy. I generally bookmark the Etsy sources that yield good results for me. Sometimes this can be a very expensive route, but not always. I find certain bulbs on Etsy are less expensive than major distributors.
American Meadows - I don’t personally vouch for the quality of their plants, but I have ordered from them in the past. This can be a good last resort for dahlias and other flowering bulbs. Pay attention to the customer reviews and purchase accordingly. I have ordered large quantities of their wildflower meadow seeds for pollinators specifically in my zone and have been very happy with the result!
Save your own seeds, make your own cuttings!
About half of my seeds come from the plants I have grown year after year in my own garden. The ritual of collecting, drying and cleaning my own seeds is a magical experience like nothing else. Do some research, watch some youtube videos, or send me a message to learn how to harvest your own seeds! Seeds collected from your own garden will grow stronger plants year after year as they become more adapted to your environment. Offering seeds to friends and family and exchanging with other gardeners is a pleasure all on its own.
Photo by Emily Winiker