The Hardy Plant Society of Oregon

Seed Sales

Seed Sales are run by the Seed and Propagation (SAP)Interest Group, an informal work group dedicated to encouraging seed saving and the process of growing plants from seed. Our mission is to take the seeds donated by HPSO members and get them ready for sale at HPSO events.

Current Seed List

The committee meets at the HPSO office on four or five bleak, rainy, winter Saturdays. If you can come even just once, welcome and thank you. We know how precious weekends are and greatly appreciate any time that can be contributed.

The payoff? First, it's really a lot of fun, and informative as well. As we, garden enthusiasts all, fill those little seed packets with seeds and label them, we're talking about anything and everything related to gardening. We often go out to lunch together because the morning has flown by, and we still have more to talk about!

Secondly, our volunteers get first dibs on the seeds, a sort of thank-you for helping out.

Finally, there's the knowledge that you've done your bit for the Hardy Plant Society and the seed-starting program. The world is a more beautiful place because of our efforts!

The Pacific Northwest has some great gardens and nurseries, and we are really fortunate that some of the best of these collect seeds for us. One such nursery is Joy Creek Nursery in Scapoose, Oregon, which has been very generous in sharing its seeds. Then there are the many HPSO members, some of whom are well-known gardeners with unusual plants, who are kind spirited enough to share their bounty with the rest of us. The quality and diversity of the seeds these gardeners donate is really outstanding. We thank them so much for taking the time and effort to get these seeds to us. But, of course, we'd always like more.

It's always a delight to receive seeds that have already been cleaned, but we happily accept any seed, cleaned or not. If you don't have time to clean the seed, simply collect it in a brown paper bag and write the name of the seed on the bag. The botanical name is preferred, of course. Then, either put it in an envelope and mail it to the HPSO office at 1930 NW Lovejoy Street, Portland, OR, 97209, or drop it off at the office in person. You could also give your seeds to anyone working at the Seed Table at any HPSO lecture.

One of the goals of the Seed and Propagation Group is to get photographs of the plants whose seeds we sell, so people who aren't familiar with them can tell what they are. What color is the flower? How tall does the plant get? What does the foliage look like? Many of the seeds are for unusual plants that you simply can't find at the average local garden center. If you collectors have catalog or seed packet photos, or if you can take your own pictures of the plants whose seeds you donate, we would put the photo on a card in front of the seed packages in the display boxes.

In the year 2000 we had seeds to more than 200 varieties of perennials available for sale. Most are not all that difficult to grow - seed starting is not rocket science! - and the rewards are terrific. Of course you save money: we sell our seeds to HPSO members for 25 cents a packet! You also grow many plants that are unusual or hard to find. But best of all, you experience the mini-miracle of actually helping those specks of dust grow into beautiful plants.

Our mantra: "I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders." Henry David Thoreau

If you would like to hear more about the committee or are interested in joining the fun, contact the office. We'd be glad to help you get connected.