If you’re a passionate gardener who wants to try new flower varieties, you need to find new sources for plants and seeds, sources beyond your local nursery. Not that we don’t love our local nurseries, but they have to stock what sells well locally, and not all gardeners are as mad as we are.
When Don and I started Tiny Footprint Flowers I quickly learned where to find the largest variety of seeds and plants that we need for cut flowers. Here’s a list of sources I rely on – you can find all of them online.
Johnny’s Seeds - A wide selection of seeds and valuable section on growing information.
Floret - Education and seeds, and the place that trained so many flower farmers.
Select Seeds - Beautiful packages and catalog, great seeds
Swallowtail Seeds - A California company with excellent seed selection
Annie’s Annuals - Plants only, but the selection is unbelievable. A plant from Annie’s is a good way to test a new variety, and a good way to find obscure things.
Farmer Bailey - A good source for small flower farmers. Most suppliers of plugs have minimum order quantities that are impossible for a small grower, but Farmer Bailey’s minimum is lower. It’s manageable, especially if you can share with another grower.
Colorblends - Their quality and their customer service are excellent, and they sell to small growers like me. They don’t have many individual varieties, but for small flower farmers that may not matter. I recommend their ‘Merry Go Round’ mix and their ‘Parrot Blend.’
Swan Island Dahlias - One of the oldest suppliers of dahlias, with a very large selection
Midwest Dahlias - A smaller company with great service
