The scoop on 'The Fragrant Path'

I have ordered from this little company for many years.
Seeds cost from $1.50 to 2.00 a packet, with $1.00 for
shipping..They offer some unique seeds not found anywhere
else...Germination rates on these seeds have been at least
80%, and I am satisfied with that...sometimes little bonuses
are sent...New seed choices are added each year...they have a great selection of rose seeds,something hard to find
in other companies... Shipment is done quickly...maybe if
they had an expensive website, their seeds would cost more... who knows....will continue to order from them...

The Fragrant Path does have a website now. There is a seed list, and you can print an order form. I have ordered from them for 10 years, and it has been a pleasure. I like the catalogs with the quotes, and drawings, but don't know if they still print them. The last few years, I received pamphlets of just the new items. They also provide a sheet of growing instructions, that's comprehensive.

Reasonable to very generous amounts of seed at very reasonable prices, quick shipment of my order and a bonus packet of seed from my substitutes list. I can't ask for more.

I have been buying seeds from The Fragrant Path for about 10 years. My favorite is the singled colored stocks. I must say this is one of the best persons I have dealt with be it gardening related or otherwise!

David Goodgame
Gardening, Alaksan Style
[HYPERLINK@home.gci.net]

I have been ordering from Fragrant Path for over 20 years. The catalogue is a pleasure to read, prices are reasonable, the seed grows well, and from when we order here in Pennsylvania to when the seed arrives is usually only a week. For anyone interested in open-pollenated and unusual ornamentals this is a catalogue to have.

my WHOLE garden experience began because i found this catalog while looking for 'pinks' that smell good.........the catalogs always had water stains from the hrs. i spent in the bubble bath reading the evocative descriptions i then grew to discover the most fascinating plants..wonderful tips for germination and culture.........i love the fragrant path ........ Ed is down to earth and honest.............thanks..Dave....(just found mention of them here...after a long time without a catalog)

I've ordered from Fragrant Path several times & theirs is one catalogue that I always keep nearby to refer to & make wish lists from!

Nice selection of old-fashioned plants & their prices are more than fair. Shipping to Canada was extremely reasonable & they have always been very easy & reliable to deal with.

Sure, they're maybe a little behind-the-times with no website etc. but perhaps they feel that staying small & family-run is Ok, too?

Anyway - go to the effort - use a stamp & send for a catalogue. You'll be pleasantly surprised. Lots of good stuff growing in my garden from these folks.

(All of it is open-pollinated/seed-saver-friendly, too!)

Count me as a Fragrant Path convert! The catalog descriptions of many less than commonly encountered garden plants are often opinionated but never overstated like so many marketing-driven hyperbole written by seed corporations. The catalog offerings appear to be grown by the proprietor. Unlike a previous poster, I would prefer to think of Mr. Rasmussen busy attending to the many loves of his life rather than slaving away answering telephones, tied to the fax machine or trying to update a website. My little suburban lot may have no chance of looking much like the postcards of paradise in FC, NE but thanks to The Fragrant Path it will definitely not look like a Home Depot inspired manicured lawn that too many yards around here are falling victim too.

May this be the start of a long and beautiful gardening relationship!

Every year I wait for this catalog, I love ordering from Ed Rasmussen's home-style, straightforward seed company. There is nothing modern about this company, you have to sit down and read the catalog, no pictures, no website etc. The list of plants is wonderful, the discriptions spark my imagination every winter, and convince me to try something new. Along with fragrant (and non-fragrant) annuals, he lists perennials, shrubs and trees, vines I've never heard of...a very unusual mix of things. The prices are very reasonable--way below the hotshot seed companies...many of the seeds are collected from his garden. All listings he has had personal experience with. Contact with this company is by mail only!!-send 2 dollars for a catalog. If you're the seed collector type, you will not regret it.

I've been growing FP seeds for probably 15 years now, with complete and total satisfaction. Given that many items are unusual and some have unusual germination requirements, germination of FP seeds is probably the best of any ornamental seeds I ever buy. AND some selections and mixtures are so good I keep returning to them year after year --the Black morning glory, blacker than any I've tried, and the nasturtiums you can hardly find anywhere else now.

And the catalogue! If you never buy a seed you should have it. Complete and utter charm and literacy with a touch of dry humour, information and advice you'll find nowhere else; no hype or glitz unless you count lovely line drawings (which change with every edition) as glitz. Sensible if serious arrangement: within sections, alphabetical by generic names. You'll get an excellent germination guide with your order, coded to codes on packets. Oh yes --packets are almost all one price and it's always a very good price!

The prices are excellent, and the selection very good. It doesn't pretend to be a general-purpose catalogue, and you won't find all the latest hybrids. You will, however, find a great many seeds of fragrant and heirloom garden plants. The proprietor knows his subject and is very helpful. I agree with other commenters that a telephone number or even an email address to request a catalogue would be a great convenience.

I found the address in the back of an old gardening book and
decided to get a catalog. Yeah, its not very flashy but had
a bunch of good descriptions and info. The seed count is
smaller than what you might be used to in retail packs, but
most seed doesn't have great shelf life. What I received was
more than enough for one season, and at their prices and
low S&H, I could afford to try some varieties that I couldn't
afford to from the more well known catalogs. I love this
company and who cares about online or phone access if
the product and current customer service is good.

Although they have a wide array of seeds, I haven't had the best luck with them. Two types of four o'clocks had very low germination; two types of what were supposed to be un-mixed morning glories had two different types of morning glories mixed together and one morning glory they call 'black' appears to me to be Star of Yelta. On top of all this, they make it extremely difficult to contact them - no web page, no email, not even a phone number - the only way to contact them is to write them a letter.

I was very dissapointed.

Great diverse selection of seeds. The catalog is entertaining, with great descriptions. Prices also great and shipping too, with good quantities per seed packet.
Have had excellent germination with seeds planted. But I do wish they had a website!

I have been ordering seeds from them for 6-7 years, and have had excellent results. The various plants are described completely with candid comments; largely from personal experience, I assume. The prices can't be beat. Excellent planting and care instructions. I use the Internet a lot, but agree with other comments about a website being unnecessary in this case. I'm sure it would increase the cost and we would lose the personal touch of this company. Shipping is FAST, and 100% accurate. Many hard-to-find seeds that I would not have tried otherwise.

I've bought from Fragrant Path for several years, and have been more than pleased each time. He provides a generous amount of seed for very inexpensive price, (I don't think anything is over $2 and most are $1 to $1.50.) germination rates are excellent, and he has so far always thrown in a bonus packet even though I've not seen it in the catalog that that's part of the deal. It isn't always something I would have thought to choose, but so far I've always been pleased with the results!

I have ordered from Ed for the last 5 or 6 years and have had very, very good service. If I mail my order on a Monday I usually have it by the following Monday. Very fast service.

Most people don't realize how much work is involved with having a web site to maintain, not to mention the added business that would result. The Fragrant Path is a one man operation and Ed offers many seeds that are available no where else. And at a cost that just about no other company can match.

Order from The Fragrant Path with complete confidence.

Just to add to the most recent comment - I recently requested a catalog (cost - $2) and received it within about 10 days. Interesting offerings.
I can live without web accessibility.

I'm torn on this company. The seeds are great and they have lots of variety, but they make it very hard to get the catalogue. There is no phone listed and you have to send away to an address since there isn't even a web address. This company needs to get with the times and at least have a web site.

Great company; one of my all time favorites. Fabulous treasure-stuffed catalogue written from the personal experience of the owner, Ed Rasmussen; my only cavil with it is the lack of an index. But the seed is cheap, plentiful, and of very high quality. No cottage gardener can afford to go without this catalogue.

Nice selection of unusual seeds. I like this company very much. Everything ordered has been successful.

My all time favorite seed company and where I do most of my ordering. The initial $2 for the catalog is well worth it just for the entertaining reading. Although it specializes in fragrant flowers there are many unusual plants that can’t be found elsewhere. Seeds packs are inexpensive & and germination has been great. The Fragrant Path gets my thumbs up!

I've planted seeds from Fragrant Path for ten years and more now, and enjoy the (accurate, literate, and amusing) catalogue more as the years wear on. The line drawings (by the owner's sister) that adorn it are totally charming. The seeds are very inexpensive and germinate as well and better than packets of the same varieties costing 5 times as much. The owner, Ed Rasmussen, has provided my favorite gardening aphorism of all time: "One cultural detail is certain, if not planted, they won't grow" (following a discussion of necessary procedures heading the shrub and tree section).

I would like to praise this company, along with Select Seeds, as being really excellent. I have ordered from them successfully for three years. While lacking pictures, this wonderful catalogue has excellent script describing annuals, vines, heirlooms, perennials, and so on. The catalogue producers attempt to draw your attention to wonderful seeds that you might not have considered. You have to use your imagination to follow the descriptions, but I started using this catalogue when I had very little experience and the information helped me to become a better gardener. The writer also is excellent about pointing out the differences between plants that are commonly confused (scarlet starglory vs. cardinal climber vs. cypress vine) and sold interchangeably. The seeds have a germination rate in excess of 95% even if you don't know what you are doing, and they always throw in wonderful and imaginative free seeds with some thought to your order and location. Some of these freebies have become annual favorites of mine. Please give this wonderful catalogue a whirl!

I just love The Fragrant Path! Every January, I convince myself that they have gone out of business since no catalog has arrived. It usually shows up in mid-to-late February. I love their sweet peas and poppies.

The Fragrant Path is a great catalog for those looking for scented plants, old fashioned plants, and some native plants (especially prairie wild flowers). I ordered seeds and they were very vigorous and had good germination rates. I'm a beginner so I figure it must be the seeds not my skill. I even added up things wrong and they were nice about it. They don't take phone orders. The catalog has no color pictures. There are a few line drawings and descriptions of the plants. Hardiness zones are given for many plants but not all. Also gives pretty good idea of growing conditions.