The scoop on 'Alplains'

I was excited to discover Alplains this winter as I was looking for sources of native and xeric seeds. Alplains offers seed from many plants that you can't find anywhere else. The number of seeds was generous for the price and germination rates have been very good so far.

I plan to order from Alplains again next year. I can't wait to see their selection.

Hi,

I know it was a long time ago, but I happened to be looking around and saw the negative post about Alplains seeds. I thought, since Alan has probably not seen this that I might explain the experiance this person had. .

I have ordered from Alan Bradshaw (the owner) for many years and have never had any problems, but there is something you need to be aware of. There are a few very special seed catalogs in the world and Alan has one of them. Almost all of the seeds in his catalog are seeds he collects himself from remote locations in the western USA. He is, gone 99 percent of the summer doing so. He has no employees, just his parents help him in cleaning and packaging seeds. He travels all over the west collecting seeds, from California to Washington, east to Montana and back down to New Mexico and Arizona. His paper catalog used to say something about orders being delayed during this period. I don't know if it still does, but I do know that Alan will never rip you off and I'm sure you got your order by now, but I'm not sure you got an explaination as to the delay.

There are a few other such wonderful people in the world, such as Panayoti Kelaidis and Joseph Halda. They are all gifts to us as they provide us with seeds for plants we would otherwise never see in our lifetimes.

In addition, Alplains seeds are perfectly cleaned, his germination advice is fantastic and his seeds are higher quality than average.

Just be aware that from June through October he may not be home to send orders and you shouldn't expect your order to be processed until fall. Besides, who wants to sow seedlings in the middle of the summer anyway :-)

Plantaholics

I sent in an order weeks ago, and haven't gotten anything yet. No seeds, no notification that they're out of the seeds I wanted, nothing. I've gotten no response to my emails asking if they received the order, and no one answers the phone. Communication with this company appears to be impossible. I'm left wondering if I should wait and see if they'll actually send my order, or attempt to acquire the seeds elsewhere.

I requested a catalog (and sent payment for same) and received it in a very timely manner. I placed an order not long ago, even though Alplains didn't have the seeds I wanted most. They did have many other things that caught my eye.

Alan, who personally guarantees your satisfaction, is still in business, and the Alplains catalog is as interesting as ever with unusual alpines and native American plants (and if you like Penstemons, you'll think for sure you've died and gone to heaven). Catalog lists, and seed packs are marked with, detailed & helpful info on seed germination. Have been doing business here for years and of all the sources I've ordered from it's been one of the most pleasant to do business with.

I've been buying seeds from Alplains for 4 years, and they are an outstanding seedhouse. The quality of the seed is excellent, I get a very high germination rate, the number of seeds per species is generous, and their catalogue is both informative and attractive. And their advice on how to sow their seeds is accurate and complete. Finally, their prices are competitive.
I've purchased alpine and rock garden seed from over a dozen domestic and European suppliers, and Alplains is one of my three favorites.

A rock gardener's dream catalogue. Great seed, very very unusual varieties, good descriptions, good quality, fast service. Highly recommended.

I've been ordering seed from them for three years now. Their variety is interesting and written descriptions are good. Alplains lists the number of seeds per package, information which I find useful. Germination is usually high and germination instructions quite good. Service has always been fast. Alplains is a good source for seeds of western North American flora. Recommended.

I have Alplains's catalog and also Colorado Alpines, and have ordered and grown seeds from both. Very satisfactory. The service was quick and very good. I will recommend Alplains to my friends.