members' seed exchange
How it works
The exchange exists to provide members with a source of seed of many species and varieties of Fritillaria, at a cost very much lower than commercial prices. Most of the material donated to the exchange is rarely, if ever, offered commercially.
As postal costs have risen, and the use of email has become more widespread, the exchange has become email orientated. This is cheaper and quicker (especially for overseas members), and allows us to distribute the seed according to demand.
Donations of seed, bulblets (including “seedlings”), and larger bulbs are the essence of the exchange. We no longer purchase seed for the exchange, partly because of cost, and partly because some seed offered commercially is wild collected, and commercial scale collection inevitably depletes wild stocks.
We request that all donors of wild collected seed comply with the conservation laws of the countries they visit. For more information about the Nagoya Protocol, CITES and the CBD, please see the Conservation section on the AGS website: http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/plants/conservation/
Donors are asked to separate viable seed from chaff, grit etc. There is quite enough work involved in packing and dispatching seed, without the additional burden of separating viable seed, and we try to avoid sending out material that will not germinate or grow.
A deadline is set each year for receipt of donations (usually near the end of August), and a few days after this a list is compiled, and sent out by email to all members for whom we have an email address. However, printed lists will be sent to any member who has requested one for the current year.
Members may request up to 25 packets from the list as first choices, and are asked to identify a similar number of second choices. There is a charge of 50p per packet, but donors of 5 or more taxa (other than acmopetala, meleagris and pontica) receive 5 packets free of charge. Overseas members must ensure that they comply with import regulations – some countries prescribe which species are acceptable, others (notably USA) require import permits, and imports may be restricted to seed only (i.e. no bulblets are permitted).
When packing has been completed, seed is allocated. Donors are given priority, and other requests are processed in order of receipt. Members are notified of the cost of their seed request, based on the number of packets available to them plus an additional charge to cover postage and packing (probably £1 in the UK and £3 overseas). Payment can be by sterling cheque, cash (GBP or Euros) or online via the AGS website Special Payments page. Once payment has been received, the seed is dispatched.
We try to complete the process by the end of September, so that seed is available for optimal autumn planting. Any surplus seed is incorporated into the AGS seed exchange.
To make the above arrangements work, please:
1. Donate seed and/or bulblets if you can – no quantity is too small!
2. Note, and adhere to the deadlines for donations and requests.
3. If you want to receive the list, provide the Seed Manager with your current email address, or request a printed list.
The Seed Manager can be contacted by email, post or phone:
Pat Craven
24 Leven Road
Yarm
TS15 9JE
Tel 01642 780109
mailto:patcraven24@gmail.com
The exchange exists to provide members with a source of seed of many species and varieties of Fritillaria, at a cost very much lower than commercial prices. Most of the material donated to the exchange is rarely, if ever, offered commercially.
As postal costs have risen, and the use of email has become more widespread, the exchange has become email orientated. This is cheaper and quicker (especially for overseas members), and allows us to distribute the seed according to demand.
Donations of seed, bulblets (including “seedlings”), and larger bulbs are the essence of the exchange. We no longer purchase seed for the exchange, partly because of cost, and partly because some seed offered commercially is wild collected, and commercial scale collection inevitably depletes wild stocks.
We request that all donors of wild collected seed comply with the conservation laws of the countries they visit. For more information about the Nagoya Protocol, CITES and the CBD, please see the Conservation section on the AGS website: http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/plants/conservation/
Donors are asked to separate viable seed from chaff, grit etc. There is quite enough work involved in packing and dispatching seed, without the additional burden of separating viable seed, and we try to avoid sending out material that will not germinate or grow.
A deadline is set each year for receipt of donations (usually near the end of August), and a few days after this a list is compiled, and sent out by email to all members for whom we have an email address. However, printed lists will be sent to any member who has requested one for the current year.
Members may request up to 25 packets from the list as first choices, and are asked to identify a similar number of second choices. There is a charge of 50p per packet, but donors of 5 or more taxa (other than acmopetala, meleagris and pontica) receive 5 packets free of charge. Overseas members must ensure that they comply with import regulations – some countries prescribe which species are acceptable, others (notably USA) require import permits, and imports may be restricted to seed only (i.e. no bulblets are permitted).
When packing has been completed, seed is allocated. Donors are given priority, and other requests are processed in order of receipt. Members are notified of the cost of their seed request, based on the number of packets available to them plus an additional charge to cover postage and packing (probably £1 in the UK and £3 overseas). Payment can be by sterling cheque, cash (GBP or Euros) or online via the AGS website Special Payments page. Once payment has been received, the seed is dispatched.
We try to complete the process by the end of September, so that seed is available for optimal autumn planting. Any surplus seed is incorporated into the AGS seed exchange.
To make the above arrangements work, please:
1. Donate seed and/or bulblets if you can – no quantity is too small!
2. Note, and adhere to the deadlines for donations and requests.
3. If you want to receive the list, provide the Seed Manager with your current email address, or request a printed list.
The Seed Manager can be contacted by email, post or phone:
Pat Craven
24 Leven Road
Yarm
TS15 9JE
Tel 01642 780109
mailto:patcraven24@gmail.com
The Seed Distribution for 2017 is now closed
