Where to find incredible flower seeds

My favorite online shops for seeds (and a few small plants)

Let me just cut to the chase: 

As someone who has a really hard time picking favorites of anything in the plant world for fear of ostracizing something I don’t quite know exists, please know that there are many, many wonderful seed companies out there. And, as often is the case, some of the very best ones are tiny and maybe haven’t run across my radar just yet. 

However, the feeling of overwhelm that I felt when becoming serious about growing flowers is still very fresh. The options for where to source are vast, and often I’ve found that it’s the quieter companies (i.e. those not always ranking #1 in your search) that are the best.

So, if you’re looking for where to begin the hunt for seeds, this list is here to help.

Included in it are companies and flower farms that ship and check off the following boxes:

They offer healthy seeds with a high germination rate and no GMOs.

They provide excellent value for the investment.

Shopping with them is easy.

Their communication + customer service is top notch. 

Some may have a couple of quirks I’ll point out, but I promise any one on this list will get you going in the right direction on your growing journey!

Johnny's Selected Seeds

Located on a research farm in Maine, this company is serious about providing you with the very best seeds and bulbs.  They explain their offerings in extreme detail online or via print catalogue, and their seed packets offer the same explicit instructions. I’ve also appreciated their recent addition of imbedded videos into their shop, especially the ones they’ve trialed for overwintering in warmer zones like ours.  Johnny’s also offers wonderful tools and supplies, including frost cloth and raised beds.  The only thing you may find to be not-so-great is that their shipping costs are high. However, shipping is free for orders over $200, and they send coupons for free shipping on $50 from time to time if you sign up for their email list.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

Known as the largest heirloom seed company in North America, this company offers unique varieties with the mission of saving them for generations to come. Their packaging makes me smile when the seeds arrive in the mail, and every order ships for free within the US! Sunflower Astra Rose Cream is an offering you can only find here that I’d highly recommend.

Select Seeds

Another company offering unique heirloom varieties that are hard to find anywhere else. I love that they say they specialize in “old fashioned” flowers, and it’s fun to read the history in many of their seed’s descriptions.  They also offer plants, including vines such as Purple Bell Vine that can often be difficult to germinate (after 2 years of failing, I’ve already got a couple of those plants on the way to enjoy this upcoming season). They sometimes take a few weeks to ship, but they always let you know ahead of time if that’s going to be the case.

Everwilde Farms

This is my go to seed company for ordering flowers in bulk to create my own flower mixes to cover large areas of ground. Their prices are low, but their quality isn’t, and I really appreciate how easy they make it to locate native flowers and grasses.  They are also the only company that I’m aware of that ship their seeds in what they call “gold vault” mylar packets. Those packets are water proof, which is wonderful for storing seeds if you don’t use them all at once. My favorite purchases from them have been Monarda, Milkweed, Phacelia, the single Poppy mix, and Money Plant (Lunaria).  

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

A company based out of Virginia that focuses on offering seeds that thrive in the Southeast, so shopping with them gives you the confidence that what you’re purchasing will most likely grow well. Their catalog is slightly limited when it comes to flower offerings (i.e. you’re not going to find the most recent variety of flowers or newest shades here), but I personally find that it can be refreshing to have a shorter menu to sort through. It’s also charming that they ship seeds wrapped in pages of their timelessly classic printed seed catalog, and the packets are little works of art unto themselves.

3 Porch Farm

A micro flower farm located in Comer, Georgia, owned and operated by a husband and wife team that are wonderful about taking you along on the ins and outs of operating a flower farm. They offer seeds they harvest and package themselves, and my absolute favorites are forget-me-not Ms. Marilyn (bred by them!), and formosa lily seeds.  They also offer dahlias tubers (available now!) and heirloom mum cuttings (later in the spring).

I hope this helps you get a strong start on your seed sourcing for the growing season ahead, and check back next week for a post on where to source amazing perennial plants- including web shops and local central Virginia nurseries.