Plant Seeds Wholesale | Roots, Leaves, Flowers & Fruits
LATIN NAME: General supply
COMMON NAME: Seeds, Roots, Flowers, Leaves, Bark, Fruits, Timber
Plant Profile
This page covers the supply side of the catalogue rather than a single species, and it is the place to start if you are buying in bulk. We handle seed and plant materials across the whole range of the trade: seeds of trees, shrubs, grasses, herbs and ornamentals, together with roots, leaves, flowers, bark, fruits and timber where a customer needs them. The material is sourced from growers, collectors and managed stands, and it is cleaned, tested and packed for dispatch.
Most of what we ship is seed, because seed is the part of a plant that travels well, stores well and carries the least risk of moving pests and diseases. But the same network of growers supplies dried roots for the herbal trade, leaves for tea and extraction, flowers for floristry and dye work, bark for tanning and medicine, and fruit and timber for specialist buyers. The common thread is that everything is identified to species, documented and packed to survive the journey.
Orders range from a few grams for a trial to consignments of many kilograms for a nursery or a processor. We work with retailers, plant companies, botanic gardens, research institutions and growers, and we are used to the paperwork that international plant movement requires: phytosanitary certificates, seed testing reports, import permits and the labelling that goes with them.
Nothing here is wild-collected without a second thought. Species that are protected, endangered or subject to trade restrictions are either not supplied or supplied only with the appropriate documentation, and we will say so plainly if a request cannot be met.
Science & Biotechnology
Quality in this trade is measured, not asserted. Seed lots are tested for germination percentage, for purity and, where it matters, for moisture content and thousand-seed weight, and the results travel with the lot. A germination figure is only meaningful alongside the date of the test and the conditions used, because seed of many species loses viability in storage and because dormancy can make a good lot look poor.
Dormancy is the technical issue that causes most disappointment. Seed of trees and shrubs often carries a physiological dormancy that needs cold, moist stratification, a physical dormancy that needs scarification, or a combination of both, and a lot that germinates poorly in a customer’s hands is frequently a lot that was sown without the pre-treatment the species requires. We publish the treatment for each species, and we will repeat it if asked.
Identification is the other technical service. Seed of closely related species can be almost impossible to separate by eye, and the trade has a long history of substitution, deliberate and accidental. Where a species is difficult, we rely on the provenance of the collection and on voucher material rather than on appearance, and we will always say when a lot is of uncertain identity rather than let a customer discover it at germination.
Phytosanitary status is part of the science as well. Seed and plant material can carry fungi, bacteria, nematodes and insects, and different countries regulate different hosts. We work to the requirements of the destination, and we will not ship material that cannot be certified for the country it is going to.
Uses & Benefits
Nurseries and plant companies buy seed in bulk to raise plants for the retail trade, and they need consistent germination, reliable identity and delivery on a schedule that fits their sowing calendar. Landscapers and restoration contractors buy seed of native species by the kilogram for direct sowing, and they need purity, weed-free status and a known provenance.
Botanic gardens and research institutions buy small quantities of unusual species for collections and for experiments, and they need documentation, voucher information and the willingness to deal with CITES and with import permits. Herbal and cosmetic businesses buy roots, leaves, flowers and bark, and they need consistency of grade, moisture content and, increasingly, traceability to the collection site.
Craft dyers, florists and woodworkers buy smaller quantities of dyestuffs, dried flowers and timber, and they value the same things on a smaller scale: correct identity, good preparation and honest grading. The catalogue exists to serve all of these buyers without pretending that they are the same.
For larger orders, or for a species that is not listed, the route is email rather than the shopping cart. We would rather discuss a consignment than have a customer guess at quantities, and we can usually say within a day whether a species is available, when it will be harvested and what documentation can be provided.
Growing from Seed
The handling advice that applies across the catalogue is simple and worth stating once. Store seed dry, cool and dark, in a sealed container, and keep it away from mice; most losses come from damp, heat or rodents. Check the moisture requirement for the species, because a few, such as oak, chestnut, maple and the tropical fleshy-fruited trees, are recalcitrant and must be kept moist and sown fresh.
Sow at the depth the species expects, which is usually about twice the seed’s own diameter, and use a mix that drains. Provide the pre-treatment the species needs, whether that is cold stratification, scarification, light for germination or simply warmth, and be patient: woody seed can take two seasons to come up, and a tray discarded in June may have been about to germinate.
Keep records. The date of sowing, the treatment applied, the temperature and the germination count are what turn a one-off result into knowledge that can be repeated,. We ask customers for that information when a lot performs unexpectedly, because it usually explains the outcome.
Our Take
This is a trade built on trust in small things: a germination percentage that holds, a name that is correct, a certificate that arrives with the box. We supply seed and plant materials in the quantities and grades that nurseries, gardens, researchers and processors actually need, and we would rather answer a difficult question before an order than explain a problem after one. For larger orders, write to order@seedk.com.
Related Reading
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