All my favorite seed sources updated February 2025

Seed ordering is my favorite winter past time. I enjoy spending hours scrolling through webpages with a cup of matcha in my hand or sitting by a sunny window with the rare paper catalog that still arrives in the mail. Dreaming about new plants is the fun part of seed shopping. It’s become more serious for me since I first wrote this blog article three years ago so I knew it needed an update. I know more now about how threatened our seed supply is. I’m more interested in buying certified organic seed and in supporting farmers who are seed growers. Two thirds of the seed sold in the world is owned by 4 mega corporations: BASF, Bayer/Monsanto/ChemChina-Syngenta, and Corteva Agriscience. Anyone selling seed who doesn’t also call themselves a seed grower is reselling seed from these corporations. Small farms who are dedicated to producing open pollinated seed are keeping plants in production that would otherwise disappear. Many are also breeding their own varieties. These are the folks I’m most interested in supporting these days. My list of sources has expanded to reflect that. Businesses and farms devoted to this important task are spread across the world and many are right here in Canada. My list is not exhaustive, because I am only recommending companies I have personally bought from and can vouch for their quality and service. I have noted which companies are seed producers, not just resellers.

A note on ordering seeds from outside Canada: your parcel may be held at customs and charged with import duties, or even rejected by the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency). Although outright rejection hasn’t ever happened to me, larger orders of seeds are definitely stopped and subject to charges when coming from outside the country. This is something to consider if you are planning a large vegetable and flower garden, as the costs add up quickly with import fees and duty.

With that in mind, my list starts with my favorite sources right here!

CANADA

West Coast seeds- based in British Columbia with a good variety of flower and vegetable seeds, I appreciate West Coast specifically for their cover crop seeds and focus on organic seeds. I buy cover seeds to sow and add organic matter to my soil and use a weed suppression. West Coast is also the only place I’ve found in Canada that carries the full line of Ladbrooke soil blockers, my preferred method of seed starting.

Hawthorne Farm Organic Seeds- has been in the seed business since 1996. This Ontario based seed company produces certified organic flower and vegetable seeds on their farm and in collaboration with other Canadian growers. Finding flower seed that is certified organic and Canadian is not an easy task. I just discovered this company last year while looking for giant poppy seed and was impressed by their selection.

Heritage Harvest Seeds- based in Manitoba this is my go to when I want trusted, open pollinated seeds adapted to the Prairies. Heritage Harvest has made it their mission to save those seeds your Grandma grew and kept in an envelope every year. Open pollinated seeds are more suited to the conditions they are grown in year after year and are as such, more resistant to things like climate change. I love that they have seeds for things like short season watermelon and corn. If you are an heirloom tomato lover, grab a cup of coffee and settle in before you start to browse their 254 varieties. You’ve been warned! :)

Richter’s Herbs- based in Ontario, Richter’s supplies seeds and live plants of a huge variety of herbs, way beyond the basics of parsley, mint and basil. Each herb is accompanied by a detailed description of it’s uses, both culinary and medicinal. This company is where I bought herbs for my very first garden in my PMQ where Scott and I lived for the first 9 years in Cold Lake. I have learned so much from just reading their catalogue over the years!

Prairie Garden Seeds- based in Saskatchewan, this is my favorite source for grains like barley and wheat. I admire the commitment to organic growing and producing 95% of the seed they sell themselves. If you dig a little into the business of selling seeds, you’ll understand this is a rare accomplishment. Most seed companies are just resellers, buying seed from one of the big four seed companies in the world and putting their own packaging on it. A small family business that grows what it sells always gets my vote. Once you grow your own wheat in your garden, you’ll be hooked. All the pioneer woman feels!

Blazing Star Wildflower Seed Company have been carefully saving and selling native wildflower seeds since 1992. They specialize in flowers native to the prairie provinces and grow out their own seed in Saskatchewan. I knew about them many years ago, but my recent interest in adding more native plants to my garden turned me into a customer for the first time last year. They are doing important work to get more native plants into the hands of home gardeners. More native plants means more pollinators and we need that desperately.

William Dam Seeds- based in southern Ontario, this company carries a lot of flower varieties that are hard to find for the home gardener like tweedia, eucalypytus, and craspedia. They have expanded their flower selections in recent years to cater to home gardeners and flower farmers alike. A great resource for Canadians.

USA

Baker Creek Heirloom seeds- based in Missouri and California, Baker Creek has a huge collection of rare seeds from Asia and Europe. Their paper catalogue is known for it’s gorgeous photos and inspires a long sit-down to browse and dream. Check out their pumpkin and poppy selection, it’s dreamy!

Johnny’s Selected Seeds- based in Maine, Johnny’s has a reputation for excellent customer service and high quality seeds. Everything they sell is tested to check germination rates, a rarity among seed companies. They do grow some of their own seeds and have trial gardens to evaluate the performance of new varieties before selling to the public. In 2025, they have several varieties for sale that come from their own breeding program, including some beautiful zinnias and celosias. I know whatever seeds I buy from Johnny’s each year will be top quality. Their website is a wealth of information on growing, backed by their years of research on the home farm in Albion, Maine. I refer to it countless times during the year when I’m looking for variety specifics.

Renee’s Garden Seeds and Swallowtail Seeds- both based in California, these two smaller companies cater more to home gardeners but still carry a nice variety of flowers. Swallowtail seeds has 121 selections of zinnias, one of the biggest I’ve seen. Renee of Renee’s garden writes extensively for her website and blog, with hundreds of articles on starting flowers, vegetables and herbs from seed.

Adaptive Seeds and Uprising Seeds-based in Oregon and Washington State respectively, check these companies out for their commitment to certified organic seeds. An ongoing challenge to the organic flower farmer is finding certified organic seeds. Thankfully some companies that were previously devoted to vegetables have begun offering more flower seeds for those of us who want to support organic agriculture with our dollars. Both companies grow the majority of their own seeds and hire other local organic farms to grow the rest. I’m so thankful for small companies like these who strive to keep a seed supply alive in North America.

Peace Seedlings is based in Oregon and grows all the seeds it offers. Everything is grown organically and harvested and cleaned by their small family team. They have beautiful varieties of marigolds they’ve bred themselves, and an interesting selection of other flowers and vegetables

Dawn Creek Farm is the flower breeding operation of Cori in the mountains of California. You may have seen her beautiful zinnia varieties through Erin Benzakein and Floret. Cori is continuing to breed zinnias in colours that wedding florists dream of. I grew her original pastel mix of zinnias two years ago and they were icredibly beautiful. I’m excited to try her newest colors this summer. The catch for Canadians is that she doesn’t ship to Canada. You need an American friend or a forwarding address to get her seeds. They are worth the extra hassle.

Putnam Hill Nursery in Maryland carries a small selection of unusual seeds for perennial plants. I stumbled on them when I wanted seeds for Caryopteris Incana and they were the only source in my long search.

UK

Green & Gorgeous seeds are the work of Rachel Siegfried in Little Stoke, England. She specializes in unusual perennial seed that show grows out herself on her farm. It was her seed that finally gave me viable German Statice plants. I had tried for 5 years, getting seed from every company that had it, and nothing germinated. Once I got my hands on fresh seed from Rachel, I had 100% germ. You need a UK address for shipping, but if you’ve got a connection, you’ll be able to try her wonderful seeds.

Roger Parsons Sweet Peas- are the life’s work of Roger, a talented grower who has amassed the largest collection of sweet pea varieties in the UK. He has now retired and sold his business to another sweet pea fanatic who is carrying on Roger’s vision. They ship to Canada and I have always had excellent germination with their seeds.

Chiltern Seeds-based in Oxfordshire, England this little gem of a company is where I go for hard to find colors and unusual flowers. England has such a huge culture of gardening and the diverse offerings in Chiltern’s catalogue reflect that. I was broken hearted in 2021 when Brexit put a stop to overseas shipping but now it’s back! I am anxiously awaiting the return of their handwritten paper mailers with UK stamps in my mail box.

GERMANY-

Jelitto- based in Schwarmstedt near Hanover, Jelitto is where serious plant addicts go to find unusual perennials. They specialize in perennial plant breeding and have over 3700 cultivars on their website. It’s a long rabbit hole! Jelitto has improved germination rates on some of the trickiest seeds with their Gold Nugget treatment. This allows those seeds which normally need a long cold treatment to germinate without that, in only 2-4 weeks. I am absolutely addicted to their website. I spend many evenings looking through their different collections and always find plants that no one else is carrying because they have their own breeding program. Be prepared to spend hours browsing!

NEW ZEALAND-

New Zealand Delphiniums was originally Dowdeswell Delphiniums, named for the family that began breeding unique delphiniums back in 1995. The family sold the business to Katrina Hindmarsh who has continued their work and sells seeds to growers aroudn the world. I’ve grown almost all the colours they offer and the seed has excellent germination: not something you get in delphinium seed unless it is fresh.

One important thing to keep in mind is invasive species. I see seeds available on websites that are considered invasive here in Alberta so before you order anything, especially seeds listed as “wildflowers”, check out the Canadian list of invasive species here. For my American friends, a list for each state can be found here.

Happy seed shopping!