SEED DISTRIBUTION
This year Seed Ordering will open online on 30th November 2024. The last date for Main Orders will be 6th January 2025 and the last date for Surplus orders will be 13th January 2025. The method of ordering seed online will be similar to the system used for the last few years. We strongly request that as many members as possible help us out by using the online ordering system which will save us time and reduce administration. This year we will only send out a print copy of the seed list if you request one from Diane Clement or the Pershore office. This year's seed list will be available to consult and print off as usual from the website from 30th November 2024. For any queries about the seed exchange, please contact Diane, preferably by email at diane.clement@agsgroups.org
Important Information
You must be a member of the AGS to order seed.
There are 3 ways to order seed
If at all possible, please order online. First, log in to the main site here then go to Online Orders for all information and instructions on how to order and pay
If you cannot order online and need a print copy, there are two other ways to order seed:
Click here to view a pdf copy of this year's and previous years' Seed Lists
If you have joined recently, you may experience a problem the first time you log in to the seed site, in which case please contact Diane Clement diane.clement@agsgroups.org
If you are not a member and would like to order seeds, please click here Join the Alpine Garden Society
Please read carefully through these notes and also the notes about your Main Order.
Orders will be accepted from 30 November to early January. Orders will be made up from December to January and most seed orders will be posted out in December and January. Orders cannot be accepted by email, please use the on-line ordering system or send your order by post. Please be patient when you are waiting for your order and do not enquire about missing orders until the middle of January.
The seeds offered originate from various sources and cannot be guaranteed true to name. Neither the Alpine Garden Society nor any official of the Society can be held responsible for what is supplied. Members are reminded that named cultivars and hybrids cannot be relied upon to come true, and plants raised from seed from cultivars should not be labelled with the names of those cultivars.
Seeds of many species are in short supply and we can never have enough to meet all requests. If you request very rare or scarce species you may be disappointed and we advise you to spread your requests throughout a variety of seeds on the list. We do limit the allocation of rare and sought after species in order to be fair to all members, especially those members who have donated the rare seed.
Surplus seeds are those remaining after all applications for main distribution seeds have been met and we make up these orders in January. They will be posted separately to your Main Order or we may combine your orders.
Damp Packed seed: We are grateful to all donors who send in damp packed seed. This way of storing seed is important for some seed with limited viability, and for some seed which germinates early. We store this seed carefully after we receive it, then repack it with damp vermiculite in individual zip lock bags. This year we are offering damp packed seed of Anemone, Anemonella, Anemonopsis, Corydalis, Dicentra, Eranthis, Hepatica, Jeffersonia and Nerine. These packets are labelled (D) in the printed list and annotated as Damp packed in the online list. If you receive damp packed seed, the seed may already have germinated, so handle carefully. It is best to carefully cut the plastic ziplock envelope and tip the whole contents into prepared compost in a pot and cover with grit. Keep in a shady place outside and do not allow to dry out. Do not cover the pots, but allow them to be exposed to the weather. They should germinate next spring but if there are no signs of germination, leave outside as sometimes germination can take a year longer. If sowing is delayed, do not put the packets in the fridge.
Damp-packed seed is extremely time-consuming to store and pack in appropriate conditions, and we have limited quantities. We find it is greatly in demand, so we try and share it out as fairly as we can, according to demand. Please do not include a large number of damp-packed seed in your choices or you will be disappointed.
Overseas Members
We are sorry that we cannot send seed to EU countries, Australia or Japan this year due to the requirement from those countries for Phytosanitary certificates which are very expensive to acquire. We can send seed to all countries outside the EU, including Northern Ireland and Norway. We remind members outside the UK that many countries restrict the importation of some species of seed. It is the responsibility of members from overseas to check the laws covering seed importation before ordering to make sure that anything they request is not on their country’s list of banned imports. Overseas members should pre-check the list of approved species by contacting their local Ministry of Agriculture. We can only send damp-packed seed, bulbils, corms etc to the UK.
Members in the USA and New Zealand
For orders from the USA and New Zealand we will include a printed list of your seeds to meet your country’s requirements, and we will do what we can to ensure we do not send banned species. However, it remains the responsibility of overseas members to ensure that the seed they are ordering does comply with their country’s import regulations.
New Zealand: Please consult the following MPI database before ordering:
New Zealand Plants Biosecurity Index
USA: Members will need a permit to import small lots of seed which needs to be sent by email or post. Please see additional information on the website. Banned species may be found by referring to the following list: Seeds Prohibited Entry into the U.S.
Nagoya Protocol: Genetic material collected from the wild since October 12th 2014 is covered by the Nagoya Protocol, which is legally binding in the EU, including the UK. For material from signatory countries, ‘utilisation’ is not permitted unless there is written consent from the country of origin. This includes development of new named cultivars and hybrids as well as production of new drugs and other products. Cultivation, privately or commercially, is permitted. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, you should assume that seeds in this list do not have consent for utilisation, as described above.
Plant Breeders’ Rights: Where plant varieties are covered by Plant Breeders’ Rights, it means that there is a restriction on the use of that variety for production, reproduction or selling. These rights only apply if the plants are being used for commercial purposes. Since our seed list is only available to members of our society on a non-commercial basis, this is covered by the non-commercial use exemption. Our seed exchange can therefore offer seed which is otherwise covered by Plant Breeders’ Rights but members should be aware that plants raised from these seeds may not be used for commercial purposes. To check whether a plant has Plant Breeders’ Rights, please consult a current copy of The Plantfinder, or the RHS online Database:
RHS Horticultural Database