Seed Availability
Number of seeds per packet
Cultivation Leaflet
Seed Storage
Delivery
Delivery and Packing Charges
Methods of Payment
Open Pollination
Email correspondence
Poisonous Plants/Seeds
Publication of New Catalogue
Complaints & Contact Details
Abbreviations
We operate a twelve months season, all our seed stocks being changed over on a harvest to harvest basis as and when available, and availability on our website is usually updated at least once a day. We would normally expect to have in stock fresh seeds of over 96% of the items offered in our Catalogue at any one time. Customers will be informed immediately of any delay in delivery.
Unlike most other seed companies nowadays, you will note that we generally do not indicate the number of seeds we put in each packet (other than the majority of those containing 15 seeds or less).
There are several reasons for this omission. The vast majority of our seeds are packed by volume, not by weight. Unfortunately the number of seeds per unit volume changes from one harvest to the next, sometimes only very slightly, others quite considerably. Thus to give a reasonably accurate figure would require checking and recording each new harvest; with the 4,500+ items we list you will appreciate this would be an impossible task.
The other main reason is simply one of availability: although a good number of our seeds come from commercial growers who produce seed in unbelievably large quantities, the others come from folk who only harvest seed in very small quantities. In the latter case, the number of seeds we can put in a packet will depend on the harvest we obtain each year.
However, that said, the number of seeds we put in a packet will nearly always be more than adequate for the average garden/household. In any case, we try to ensure that the number is competitive when compared like for like with other suppliers. Not only that, but if you receive a packet from us that contains appreciably fewer seeds than, considering the above, you expected, just let us have details and we will send you free and post-free another packet to make up the difference.
A leaflet giving full details of the cultivation of your seeds will be enclosed with all orders and this is also viewable on our Home Page. Where we know for certain that a certain species may benefit from some form of special treatment, a separate note is always included with the packets concerned. Otherwise, if you follow the recommendations in our cultivation leaflet, particularly relating to Damping Off, excellent results should be achieved from all of our seeds.
Please bear in mind that, unlike modern "improved" named plant varieties which have been specially bred to germinate quickly, without undue difficulty, germination of some of the more unusual species that we offer may well be slow and irregular and they may benefit from alternating periods of warmth and cold (stratification) which could take several months or more. During the autumn and winter months, seed pots can be left outdoors to allow the weather to work on them naturally. At other times, an ordinary domestic 'fridge can be utilised for this purpose.
It must be appreciated that any temperatures and recommended periods of warmth and cold suggested on our packets are intended as guidelines and it is necessary to view them with a certain amount of latitude. Once is sometimes not sufficient and it may be necessary to repeat the process. It is therefore essential not to discard seed pots too soon and, where necessary, we always recommend persevering with the stratification process until germination is achieved. Having said that, we must also make the point that such cold treatments are not always necessary, and seeds often considered problematical may well emerge without undue difficulty after just an initial period of warmth.
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The majority of seeds can be sown at virtually any time of the year provided adequate conditions of heat and light are maintained. Any seeds not sown immediately should be stored in a moisture-proof container in the main body of a refrigerator (not in a freezer, greenhouse or potting shed) where they should remain viable for some considerable time.
All seed orders are normally despatched within seven working days or less of receipt but, although we like to think we give an excellent service for most of the year, we hope you will appreciate that despatch of orders during our very busy period (January - April inclusive) may sometimes take a little longer.
£1.85 will automatically be added to all
orders from the United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland,
Isle of Man and Channel Islands). This is a contribution towards
the cost of postage and packing and includes the cost of protective
packing to safeguard your seeds in transit.
£2.50 will be added to all orders from Europe (including
Irish Republic). This is a contribution towards the cost of airmail
postage and packing and includes the cost of a sturdy carton to protect
your seeds in transit.
£3.50 will be added to all orders from Outside Europe
(Rest of the World). This is a contribution towards the cost
of airmail post and packing and includes the cost of a sturdy carton
to protect your seeds in transit.
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Secure credit and debit card facilities are available to all major credit and debit cardholders such as Visa, Mastercard/Eurocard, American Express, Maestro, Delta, Solo, and some Visa Electron cards. Just provide your card type and number, expiry date (including Issue No. or Valid From date for Maestro), and the three digit security code found on the back of the card in the signature strip.
Alternatively, customers may wish to order by fax, 'phone or post using credit/debit card, cheque or postal order. All prices are in pounds sterling (GBP£) and credit/debit card transactions for orders outside the UK will be converted by the card company at their current exchange rates. Prices quoted in Euros (€) and US Dollars (US$) are guide prices for information only. Cheques and postal orders should always be in pounds sterling (GBP£), made payable to Chiltern Seeds, and posted to Chiltern Seeds, Bortree Stile, Ulverston, Cumbria, LA12 7PB, England. Alternative options such as Bankers Draft, International Money Order, or payment in Euros, etc. may also be available on request.
Please email Customer Services at info@chilternseeds.co.uk for further information.
"It is a wise father that knows his own child". We should like to point out that, except where indicated, all seeds offered are the result of open pollination, and it must therefore be appreciated that occasionally hybridisation will take place and the resultant seedlings may not be true to type. As always, to increase the chance of variation in the final plants, when pricking out, it is necessary to select seedlings both large and small, and strong and weak.
Would our customers please note that the modern miracle of email does have its disadvantages - in brief, it is now becoming almost impossible to find the time to answer all of your comments and plant queries, particularly as regards germination, subsequent cultivation, identification, probable hardiness, suitability, and the like! We do, however, take careful note of all you say and respond accordingly as quickly as possible, where possible. In the meantime, there's the world-wide web with a huge number of excellent websites and pages to answer any type of query on any type of plant!
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Our attitude to the problem of poisonous plants/seeds, about which subject a lot has appeared in the press in recent years, is quite simple:- To be safe, unless it is known with complete confidence that a plant (or part of it) is edible, it must, without exception, be assumed to be poisonous. Before attempting to eat a previously unknown plant thought to be edible, regardless of source, it is essential that (a) the plant's true identity be verified and (b) in case you are unlucky enough to be allergic to that plant, in the first instance only a small sample be tried. In the case of seeds, it is simpler still:- any seeds bought for the production of plants must, without exception, be (a) treated like medicines and kept out of the reach of children and pets and (b) never be eaten; this in particular applies to edible seeds which might possibly have been treated say, with a fungicide or otherwise rendered inedible.
On a more cheerful note we should point out that not only are the vast majority of plants not poisonous, but a great number (we in fact only mention only a small proportion of them) are actually edible. Furthermore, apart from those plants whose poisonous qualities are household knowledge (such as Foxgloves, Yew and Rhubarb leaves) there are others the average gardener is quite happy to handle in perfect safety unaware of their poisonous potential (in part or whole) such as Lily-of-the-Valley, Iris, Daffodils and Runner Beans. Whilst on this subject, this might be the place to suggest that, although many will scoff, wherever possible all plants be handled wearing gloves - somewhere there will be someone allergic to almost every plant we list; likewise to everyone reading these lines, there will be a plant somewhere to which they will be allergic.
All customers who place an online order can, at the same time, request a complimentary copy of our 2010 Catalogue via the Special Instructions box in the check-out area. As soon as it is published around mid-December 2010, a copy of the 2011 edition will be sent automatically to all customers ordering from us during 2010. Otherwise, our current Catalogue can be purchased for a nominal £2.00 by clicking on the Catalogue Request facility on the top right-hand side of the Home Page.
In the event of complaint, these should be made in writing to the above address, providing full details of the purchaser of the seeds, date of ordering, cultivation details and, where possible, returning any remaining seeds in their packet. All complaints are dealt with as quickly and fairly as possible and, excluding particularly busy periods, we would normally expect to respond within less than a month. Please also see our comments under 'Number of seeds per packet'.
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A key to the abbreviations we have used in our paper Catalogue is given below:-
KEY
| A = Annual |
Cl = Climber |
| H = Hardy |
Bb = Bulb (or similar) |
| HH = Half-Hardy |
G = Greenhouse |
| B = Biennial |
Sh = Shrub |
| P = Perennial |
T = Tree |
Similarly, in our paper Catalogue, bee, bonsai, butterfly, cut-flower and first-year flowering plants are marked with representative symbols, as indicated below but, on our website, this information is printed under 'Classification'.
The bee symbol denotes pages on which plants for bees can be found. The actual species is indicated thus:- 
The bonsai symbol denotes pages on which plants suitable for bonsai can be found. The actual species is indicated thus:- 
The butterfly symbol denotes pages on which plants attractive and supportive to butterflies and moths can be found. The actual species is indicated thus:- 
The cut flower symbol denotes pages on which plants suitable for cut flowers can be found. The actual species is indicated thus:- 
The flower symbol denotes pages on which can be found perennials and shrubs which flower in the first year from seed. The actual species is indicated thus:- *
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| Tel. No: |
01229 581137 (answer phone out of U.K. office hours)
(International: + 44
1229 581137)
(All calls are charged at standard rates) |
| Fax. No: |
01229 584549 (24 hours)
(International: + 44 1229 584549) |
| e-mail: |
info@chilternseeds.co.uk |
Customer support and services are available on the above phone/fax numbers and e-mail address
Company Registration Number: 1967585
