Several years ago I looked into ordering a book from Silverhill, but the postage to the US was prohibitive. Has anyone in the US ordered seeds from them, to give me an idea of what to expect. I would be ordering 10-20 packets.
I can't remember what postage I had to pay from Silverhill.
I do know how much I pay from the U.S. to Canada - $15, and that is just for a few packets of seed.
Why don't you organize a joint order as we did for the EU-BX?
The postage and the cost of the phytosanitary certificate was shared according to the percentages of the individual orders. The seed took a long time to get to Europe but the final outcome was very satisfying.
To throw in a few numbers: we've had a seed value of 773€, 35€ phyto, 145€ postage (UPS international courier) and 111€ import tax. US$ and € are of similar value. Sounds bad, but the phyto&postage overhead melted down 11,25€ per person, making it bearable. Tax was proportional to seed value, so different for every one.
As we've had VERY bad experiences with the Gladiolus books on standard shipping ( took about 5 months, I think), we decided on the courier - which was fast until the German border, and then took weeks at the customs office. hooray!
Thanks, that's really helpful. Is the phyto only needed if bulbs are ordered?
Is there a limit on packets of seeds for the US small lots permit?
for EU, the phyto is needed for seeds as well - the other questions need to be answered by an American, I'd guess.
Hi Ron, My most recent Silverhill order was back in 2013. It went smoothly, although not speedy. And I also ordered from Gordon Summerfield, which also went well. I had an active APHIS Small Lots permit back then.
I looked just now at the Silverhill website, which is more sophisticated than it was 10 years ago. They have seed import info for the USA. It still requires a Small Lot Seed Permit from the USDA and they provide a link for that. That process is not too complex once you've done it before. There are some gotchas to look out for, such as the method of post from the inspection station to your home. Luckily, PBS members have experience to share.
Small Lots LINK (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/import-information/permits/plants-and-plant-products-permits/plants-for-planting/small-lots-seed)
I might be interested in participating in a group order. But unfortunately at this time I cannot volunteer to coordinate that. And I'm not 100% sure it is an ok thing to do. There might be something in the permit saying you cannot forward the seed on. And there is a limit to the number of packets (or, used to be.)
Even if I do not order, just browsing their catalog is fun. At 25 per page there are 26 pages and that is just seed of bulb plants. Do not select the show-all. It swamps their website. If I can find a pdf version of the catalog that is probably less of a load on their web server.
Default is (or certainly was) for Silverhill to use post. Two problems - it takes for ever, and, it only takes for ever if the item isn't stolen. You can get them to send via courier.
The SA PO is shambolic and no-one uses it - it no longer operates at all in large parts of RSA. Most people who want to send or receive stuff use DHL or another courier.
Prices are pretty horrible once you do not use the PO, but at least you receive things. Minimum charge RSA/UK, either way, is around US$30.
Within the UK (and presumably the EU, as our laws are still pretty much as the EU), to run a joint order, the person organising has to register as a dealer so that they can then register to issue plant passports that travel with the items that they themselves do not keep.
It is, in theory, not essential, but within the UK, imports should be pre-notified to DEFRA via what was PEACH, and is now transferring to IPAFFS. PEACH cannot cope with anything that is posted - it only functions with an AWB no. and port of entry details. I have not yet waded through IPAFFS.
(I have been organising joint orders from RSA for a year or so and imports for myself for a couple of years before that.
There are masses of instances of conflicting information on the DEFRA website and having asked DEFRA,PEACH and PlantHealth people various questions, I have yet to get any categoric answer about anything at all. It is more shambolic that the SA PO, but at least nothing goes missing.)
I am also wanting to hear recent experiences with silverhill. I'm filling out the form online for my small lots permit and going from there.
Depending on how much I end up getting I might be willing to add others onto my order.
Thanks to all for the additional details. The link to the US small lots states, among other details:
- maximum of 50 seeds of 1 taxon (taxonomic category such as genus, species, cultivar, etc.) per packet; or a maximum weight not to exceed 10 grams of seed of 1 taxon per packet;
- There are a maximum of 50 seed packets per shipment;
Somewhere in the Silverhill site I found shipping cost information. Shipment by courier (DHL) seems best and starts at $45. Elsewhere I learned that you also have to pay separately for shipping from USDA to final destination if you use a courier.
I don't have 50 packets I want to order (yet!) but I'm somewhere near a dozen. Certainly have room to have others on the order to split the shipping etc.
Hi Brenna,
I am from Aptos, and I might be interested in some seeds. I have a permit but I dont know how long it lasts.
Peter
Hi Brenna,
I had considered just ordering a few packets but it would have been crazy expensive for that. So if you are still looking for cost-share, I'm in. Although I'm farther down the coast in Santa Barbara, not as convenient as Peter. Small Lots green/yellow labels last for 3 years.
Question:
RSA is just now at the end of their spring. The species I grow ripen seed in late spring or early summer. So if I order now, their stock is likely from November 2022 not this month. So if I receive it in January, then I should plant the following September I think, right? So is it better to order in January and get the November 2023 seed?
Gastil
Just a few hints for ordering from Silverhill: if you manage to get a joint order set up you can save on the number of packets. When Martin did the EU joint order Silverhill made bigger portions of seed instead of several envelopes when several people ordered the same seed. For Martin it meant that he had to split the one big portion into several ones which was not intended this way. But if the number of packets is an issue because of the permit, this is an advantage. It definitely is a good idea to clearly communicate with Silverhill before you order. But even doing so has not avoided some minor issues like for example the multiple packets for the EU. To me it looks as if several people are working on the orders and communication might not always be passed on.
Your thoughts about ordering in our late winter are right, your choice might be wider. On the other hand I never had an issue with dead seed from Silverhill, the quality has been consistently good. If properly stored in a fridge (not freezer) most South African bulb seed is very long lived. Making fire dependent seed germinate is another issue..... they also sell smoke impregnated paper.
I am sowing my winter growers (not only bulbs) every day right now. I had to let mid October pass because it was still hot and very dry. Only now has the balmy moist winter weather arrived. I must say that the portions of Silverhill seed are relatively small, still enough for a not overcrowded seed pot but less than I remember from the past. I think they run more and more into difficulty collecting the seed. Another reason to order from them. I don't think that even multiple portions in one envelope will collide with the permit rules.
By all means do not sow seed of winter growing bulbs in late winter. I had to learn the hard way that anything sown after Christmas will not survive the first dormancy (under my growing conditions) simply because the bulblets do not have enough time to build up reserves before the first dormancy.
Hope that helps
I have been ordering seed from Silverhill for something like 20 years and have had the occasional mis-identified seeds and I would probably never buy certain genera again (from Silverhill or anywhere else) - Gasteria and Tylecodon have very, very seldom germinated for me, although one pkt. of Tylecodon from Silverhill did come up like cress. Even back some years, some batches of aloe seed, when inspected with a lens, were empty husk, complete with a hole where the weevil or whatever exited.
I hear rumours of a higher than reasonable number of misidentified species, but that apart, sad to tell, seed from Lifestyle has much to recommend it over Silverhill - standard pkts. are 100 seeds, (though plenty of rarer spp. are offered in smaller quantities), locations and harvest dates are given and their website is updated whenever anything new arrives in stock. They also stock lots of ephemeral species (which usually sell-out fast).
As I'd largely be ordering wet-winter, dry-summer species, I wouldn't be placing an order until after Silverhill takes their holiday break, so January, possibly even February. I wouldn't expect to get seeds in time to plant this season even if I ordered today.
Uli: thanks for mentioning that Silverhill combined packets. I will need to make sure they *don't* do this if multiple people want the same seed, as the USDA limits the seeds per packet on a small lots permit. Such a weird limit, 50 seeds or 10 grams, and no clarification if it's the larger or smaller of the two or either are fine. (I'm trying to imagine 10 grams of Lachenalia seed!)
Gastil, Ron: I'll keep you in the loop. If I go ahead I'll start a new thread.
Brenna
Hi
@Brenna Green,
Good plan. And that reminded me to also look at Gordon Summerfield's seed list that comes out this time of year.
I was re-potting 7 trays of seed pots this past few weeks, dumping out the contents and examining the bulbs grown from seed from NARGS and a PBS SX back in 2020. Tedious work, but fun. Some species grew really well and were ready to move up to a bigger pot. Some were empty. So now I have more of an idea what species I want to try again. Some of those species have already had their first flower and subsequently a positive ID.
The seed lists, PBS included, are long and can easily overwhelm my patience to look up each one to determine if it is something I both want to grow and my climate makes possible to grow. So, if I were smart, I would start from my Wish List and then find those in the offered lists.
Here are some seed pots' contents:
I just got an email from Silverhill mailing list, here is an extract for international customers.
2023 Christmas Closure – International
We will be applying for the last Phytosanitary Certificates on the 20th of November and the latest postage will be on the 5th of December. Please make sure you have placed your order and paid before these dates.
If your payment hasn't reached us by the cut off date, your parcel will be kept in our air-conditioned room until the New Year. We will start sending parcels again from 8th of January 2024.
A CAUTIONARY Silverhill Seeds ORDERING HEADS UP... a friend (a long-time SH customer) and I placed a larger order (almost $400 US) with Nina @ SilverHill seeds in May 2023. Per Nina's recommendation, we had our order go via S.A. Post. After about 3 months of trying to track our order, we corresponded with Nina and found out it was stuck at the S.A. PO. Then after a couple more emails, Nina told us the PO is now defunct and going under. Our order along with many others sent via their PO are now stuck in limbo at their PO. After MANY correspondence back n forth with Nina, she recently stated they're now making efforts to try and retrieve their stuck customer orders. We continue to hope and cross our fingers... :(
I'm a bit surprised to read about encouraging the use of S.A. Post - In my experience, both the Website and the personal communication dis-encourage the usage of S.A.Post for international shipping,and that fits our own experience with the Gladiolus book. See above.
PS:I've removed your other topic - let's keep all Silverhill Info in one topic - Organizing info is one big benefit of the forum over the list....
Hi Martin, my friend had ordered from Silverhill many times over a couple of decades I believe. He and his family were going through some tough times, so with his blessing, I took the lead in doing an order we were splitting. This was my first-time ordering from SH, and I ran things by him before finalizing, as well as asked many questions via email to Nina. She never cautioned me about concerns of not getting our order at all, or having it go MIA at the SA PO. As well as my friend saying they had always used SA Post and received their orders, all be it they took a while, and some orders longer than others. So, I had no idea this was a concern, and based on MANY emails with Nina, this situation sounds completely new, separate, and final.
The SAPO has been totally unreliable and riddled with thieves for several years. Apart from Silverhill, I buy from 3 other supliers in RSA, and they haven't used the SAPO for at least 4-5 years, which is when I first bought from them, so quite probably longer.
I have tried sending seed to RSA in ordinary envelopes and even they were stolen.
Another minor glitch is with the RSA issuing of phyto' cert's - the exporter selects what is to be shipped from a list, and with a flora like RSA has, that list is , not surprisingly, not comprehensive. The exporter has two options if something is not on the list - apply for it to be added and then sit and wait, or declare the item as a species that is on the list. Any hybrids - several hybrid bulbs are well-known in horticulture in RSA - will travel as one or other parent as hybrids are not listed.
It looks like Silverhill may be having problems.................
I placed an order about 2 weeks ago and have been waiting for a postage quote, which appeared on the order on the wesite towards the end of last week.
I contacted them twice via their online form, once to ask about the delay in a quote for postage and once to ask why the total cost, including postage, had not been raised as an invoice and sent via email.
Neither was answered.
Today, the order has completely disappeared from my account, replaced by one that I placed nearly three years ago. I have now sent an email direct, rather than via the website.
They sent a notice out several weeks ago that they would close for the holiday season. I'd try again in January.
Mark Mazer
Hertford, NC
Quote from: MarkMazer on November 27, 2023, 11:08:54 AMThey sent a notice out several weeks ago that they would close for the holiday season. I'd try again in January.
Yes, I received it here and the last date for shipping orders was/is 1st? 2nd? week in December (I can't be bothered looking it up, although Uli's post above contains all anyone needs..). Closing for Christmas in the 1st/2nd week of November would be very odd indeed.
I am also unsure why that would lead to deletion of my order from the website after it had sat there and been updated with postage costs for around 2 weeks, and been replaced by an ancient order that was not there in my order history previously....................
With the order deleted, I can't be sure when I placed it, but I looked up dates beforehand and had plenty of time.
Well, it took over a day for Ondine to answer, but it looks like the Silverhill website has been compromised or somehow failed again.
I have to resubmit the order via the webiste and as insurance, by email as well.
Bang goes plans for receiving the seeds before December/Christmas.
Ondine is usually very good at replying as soon as she can. Sometimes she is just overwhelmed.
Closing for holidays is often very different in other parts of the world. Don't expect anything to happen in August in Spain and a fair part of Europe, and December/early January here is packed with holidays and long closures. Even my wife's quarterly self employment tax submission deadline is later than normal for the fourth quarter as they factor in the fact that no one is working. It is actually a pleasant change, one just has to accept it and get used to it.
As above, the problem is with the website - it is always falling over.
This time it "lost" my order and two messages, all sent different times.
A quick look back through emails and it has done similar things before........................
Everybody, just beware.