The scoop on 'Gardens North'

Excellent service. Wonderful selection of hard to find seeds. Very responsive to questions. The owner seems to be right on top of everything; I don't know how she does it! I highly recommend this company.

I order seeds every year from this company for several years now. The owner Kristl Walek makes sure that seeds are fresh and arrive safely every time I order. Communication is excellent. Very recommendable and trustworthy! It is one of my favourite seed selling companies.

John Aipassa
Aalten, The Netherlands

In it to year the first time did the order and I am very happy! All was remarkable! Seeds have come to Russia very quickly! I hope for long friendship with this company!

Lots of interesting species at reasonable prices. Have ordered from them every year since I discovered them some years ago.

I recently received my first seed order from them, I can say only positive about this experience with the company - nice webpage, easy ordering, seeds from very interesting plants. Also very detailed germination instructions on every seed package. Seeds arrived safely and in good time taking into consideration the distance. They looks healthy and some are even starting to germinate! I particulary highly evaluate the possibility to obtain efemeral seeds packed moist to keep their viability. I will certainly order seeds from this company again!

This was my first year ordering from Gardens North, and I must say that I am very pleased.

They have a fantastic selection of seed from all over, the germination instructions are very detailed, the germination rate is very high when you follow those instructions, and shipping is fast and reliable.

I would recommend Gardens North to anyone, and will definitely be ordering from them again.

My first experience ordering from Gardens North was a good one. Shipping was super fast and very courteous emails were sent to me. I have noted very good germination with the seeds I have sowed thus far. Their website is very easy to navigate and ordering was no problem....my only gripe is that the pages loaded rather slowly and I'm on high speed.
I would buy from them again.

This is my new favorite company! I came across their website through a gardening magazine. Browsing through the site I could not believe the variety of plants that can be grown in this area. I ordered a few varieties, expecting them to be difficult to get started - once planted they all nearly jumped out of the soil! The germination was outstanding! I can't wait until next year - I have been growing plants from seed for years, but this catalogue has opened a new world for me. The growing instructions provided are excellent, as is shipping time, and the online catalog could keep me occupied for hours at a time, I'm in love!

Wonderful choice of hard to find seeds, I like that some spp that die if dried out are available "moist packed", seeds of high quality and generous quantity. Highly recommended!

Fast service, outstanding selection of native and hard to find species. Detailed, concise and clear germination instructions for each species clearly labeled on packets. Super website which is fun just to browse.

Have placed my first order for seeds late fall 2005 - was extremely happy with the manner in which the order was received - and more importantly - in the midst of germination time - am very happy with the success rates of my seed germinations. I liked the web site listing the seeds, and have a copy of the print catalogue - lots of information and more importantly this company offers so many great seed choices out of the ordinary.. Would not hesitate for a moment to recommend this company. Will certainly order from them again.

Ordered seeds for the first time this year online. Seeds came quickly, well packed. I won't have germination for quite some time on most of the seeds because they need stratification, but the seed all looked good. Nice selection of uncommon species that I can offer my customers. Will be ordering more when the ephemeral seed is ready.

I have been ordering seed from Kristl for years now and not once have I ever ran into a problem either with service or merchandise. Black and white catalogue that comes out every year of the most impressive, hardy, hard to find seeds. Now these are not your average seeds that you’ll find on the seed rack or in other perennial/woody catalogues out there, this seed company always have a diversity of new species and something exciting to try each season! Website is trouble-free, easy to use with splendid photos, which is always updated. Excellent sowing instructions and excellent germination %. I highly recommend Gardens North for the amateur gardener or pro!

Sharon

I have dealt with this company for 10 years+.

Large, interesting, & ever-changing selection of HARDY perennial seed. Germination instructions which come with the seeds are detailed, accurate & helpful.

I operate a perennial & herb nursery & Gardens North has been a consistently useful supplier for me in my never-ending quest for "different" hardy perennials. (I garden in Zone 4 & many of my customers are in Zones 3 & even 2.)

The website is up & running & is very well done & quite user friendly.

The service can be a bit slower (but never excessively slow - I think 4 weeks from order time to delivery has been the longest I've experienced which isn't bad at all) during "busy time" in January-March but the website is updated in the fall & you can order in November/December & get your seeds quickly & be ready to get those seeds started in January under grow lights.

My only "complaint" (& it's not really a complaint at that, because there is always a legitmate reason for it) is that the paper catalogue is sometimes late in arriving (I think I got mine in March last year), & I still like to use paper catalogues for my main referencing & ordering tool versus websites.

Overall, EXCELLENT seed company. My "negative" comments above were made in the interests of reflecting my experience accurately & in no way are meant to discourage anyone from dealing with Kristl who is providing a wonderful seed source of hardy perennials to northern gardeners.

I will have to wait for my experience with the plants-to-be that I hope will germinate and thrive, but I am very happy with the service I have had. I ordered some things in December, got an e-mail when they were mailed. Then I decided to order one more thing. When the packet came, it was short of the number promised. I e-mailed them, got an immediate apology with promise of a new pack, and even better quite a long message with advice on something I'd enquired about. I'd say their service is great. More in a few months on the plants!

I can't speak to germination rates yet, because this is my first year growing perennials from seed. In for a penny, in for a pound, I suppose. When my seeds were late in arriving, I was pleased to receive an e-mail on the very day I planned to e-mail Gardens North with an inquiry. Quite understandably, the holidays had slowed everything down. The seeds arrived on the day I expected based on the information in that e-mail, and they seem just fine. In at least one case, I simply couldn't find the seed anywhere else. If I get even one or two to germinate, I'll be thrilled.

Placed an on-line order in the 1st week of december. Web page says orders are processed in 7 days. I have not received the seeds. I have e-mailed them twice with no response. Not good business practices!

Have been ordering from Gardens North for 7 years. Wonderful personal attention, handwritten notes and comments about germination techniques for each individual seed packet is an outstanding approach. Have several times requested they fill a wish list of rare perennials and alpines, which they have filled on the following years order. I feel like they are part of my garden. Wonderful seed and results. 5 Stars.

I would have tend to disagree with the above comment regarding their seeds having a HIGH germination rate ... at least with some. Have been very disappointed with the acer, clematis and hollyhock seeds in which I have recently received. Upon close inspection many appear to have been harvested immature with ever so many NOT containing viable seed! I had soaked in water (for a few hours) and VERY CAREFULLY removed the seed coats from the acer mandschuricum and clematis Lake Baikal only to find they were completely void of any seed! ... and at best contained only a few immature and very shrivled up seed coats. Last year the hollyhocks "Fiesta Time" germinated most poorly BUT, fortunatly did get two plants which when bloomed were totally STUNNING!
I'm a gardener of much experience and can say for certain these seeds in which I have received were definitely duds! ... and shall be contacting them regarding this matter.
On the other hand they do have many interesting and unusal seed varieties! And because of this will be giving them another try and hoping for better things! Terry

I have ordered from Gardens North for about the past three years, and never a year goes by now that don't order at least two or more times. Their catalog is wonderful, as well as their selection, and their service is very quick.
They will always contact you if you have put in a special order for seeds that need to be sent later in the year ( because of having to sew only freshly harvested seeds, etc. ) I fully recommend them.

I have been ordering seed from this company since 1995 and have never had a bad experience. They carry a wide variety of perrennial seed, hardy in northern regions, with great germination tips and information. All the seed is tested and the germination rates are very high. I usually only wait about a week for my order to arrive. I think what impressed me most was the fact that if I write with a question I get a handwritten letter in return.

A must for the cold season perennial gardener. Quality is high, germination instructions are excellent and the company provides great cultural information. Seed count per package provided. Plant descriptions are exquisite, worth reading again and again. Lots and lots of unusual varieties. I look forward to the arrival of my Gardens North catalogue each year. Even if you never ordered a seed from them, the catalogue is more than worth the $4.00 charge. I find myself consulting it during growing season again and again.

They are a perennial seed house specializing in hardy perennials for Canadian (and other colder) areas - zone 5 and colder. I really enjoy reading their catalogue and appreciate their explicit germination directions. They have a good selection of seeds to chose from, including some really unusual plants. I believe a web site is in development. I really recommend them.