Please remember that the Seed Exchange cannot survive without donations from members. During the late summer and fall don’t forget to collect seed to donate to our seed exchange, as donors receive certain privileges! Click here for instructions on how to donate seed.
We offer mostly Primulas and a small selection of other Primulaceae. We depend on donations, most of them private. As a rule, we indicate the source of all the seeds in the list and also on each individual packet you receive. When seeds with identical descriptions come from several sources, we do not always specify the origins in the list, but a unique source is always indicated on each packet; we never mix seed of different origins.
Seeds are listed using the names given by the donors. Only on rare occasions do we replace them with more currently accepted synonyms. We make no attempt to verify the authenticity of the seeds. Obviously, seeds from named forms and hybrids do not necessarily come true; “ex” is always implied.
There is a main distribution and a surplus distribution. Orders are filled in order of arrival with donors processed first. The main distribution usually starts in mid-December to the end of January (maybe early February) and the surplus distribution (‘Lucky Dip’) about one to two months later (depending on seed supplies). The seed exchange is usually closed by late February to sometime in March.
The main seed exchange is open to all APS members in good standing. For ordering instructions click here. If you would like to join our main seed exchange and you are not a member, please join our society. You will find information and an application form in the ‘Join Us’ section of this website. The ‘Lucky Dip’ stage which follows the main distribution sometime in early February is open to everyone, members and non-members alike.
Members are advised to send their orders as soon as possible after the list of donated seed has been compiled. The website will be updated as soon as that list is available. For the main distribution, members who donated seeds to the exchange may order up to 30 packets; non-donors are entitled to 20 packets. You can order up to 3 packets of any given seed. However some seeds are in very short supply: in such cases, we shall impose a limit of 1 packet per order. We encourage members to indicate substitutes and second choices. Please understand that this is a seed exchange, not a mail order business. One of our primary goals is to allow many members to have a chance to obtain and try rare or unusual seeds. We try to match as many requests as possible with existing supplies. Therefore, while following the rule “first come, first served,” we also take pending orders into account.
Please note that there are no refunds for any selection that cannot be filled. We shall provide the total number of packets that you have ordered using our own judgment when the supply of what you have selected is exhausted. The seed list will be updated at regular intervals to indicate new and/or sold out entries.
Currently, the price of each packet of seeds is $1.00 US in the main exchange, and $4.00 per 10 packets during the surplus exchange ($8.00 per ten packets to non-members). You can order either 10, 20 or 30 packets of seed during the surplus exchange. There is a minimum order of 10 seed packets. Beginning with the 2023-24 Seed Exchange, there is a fixed postage fee of $4.00 per order. If an order is less than ten seed packets, your order will be placed at the bottom of the list.
Payment through the mail can be made by check (on a USA bank) or by money order ($US funds only). We regret we cannot accept Canadian dollars.. Alternatively, you can pay with your credit card by using the Store page on this website. Note: Choose “Seed Exchange Seed Packets” or “Seed Exchange Seed Packets – Donor” (if you are a Seed Donor). Enter the number of packets you are purchasing, and click Add to Cart.
Please help! Postage costs have increased. Beginning with the 2023-24 Seed Exchange, there is a fixed postage fee of $4.00 per order. Our cost for shipping has increased dramatically for Canadian and International orders. Canadian orders will now cost us $10 or more to mail out, and overseas orders will cost between $13.75 and $14.25 and could be higher, depending on the country. We are asking for your help. Please consider adding a donation on the first checkout page to help us cover this added cost. Thank you for your continued support of the Seed Exchange and the APS!
Please note that we no longer accept credit card payments through the mail.