bug of the day by urtica
Most catalogs have a limited area they can ship seeds or plants because of all the different countries’ rules and regulations regarding seeds and plant material coming into their country. In the United States some seeds or plants cannot even be shipped into certain states.
With all the international movement of people and things, countries fear invasive plants being brought in that will take over the native habitat or they worry about diseases or insects which, while being contained in the country of origin, destroy crops in their new “adopted” country. In the US we have many such problems caused by unwelcome pests coming in and it is a major economic problem. For example, one problem is an insect called the Asian Longhorned Beetle (see photo above) which came to the United states from China and is now decimating our hardwood trees like the Maple tree, the willow tree and the Elm tree (see here).
When a country gets these pests, it takes a long time for scientists to learn the best method of controlling the problem; and by the time they do get a control usually the pest has caused a great deal of destruction. So in the US we have to be careful that everything we bring into our country is declared (see here), because “Agricultural pests and diseases are a threat to U.S. food crops and livestock. Some of these organisms are highly contagious animal diseases that could cause severe economic damage to the livestock industry and losses in production, which would mean increased costs for meat and dairy products. Other pests can affect property values by damaging lawns, ornamental plants, trees, and even homes.”
All countries have these concerns and have their rules and regulations. So if you have friends or family abroad and you would like them to have some of the seeds you love, you have to be very careful about sending them seeds. Seeds have to be declared when sent through the mail.
There are few seed catalogs that have the licensing or ability to ship their seeds to places around the world. And even they are not allowed to ship everywhere. One excellent catalog that sells seeds around the world is Thompson & Morgan. They are a British company that ships seeds to the US and Canada as well as many other countries around the world. But even they are not allowed to ship seeds to certain countries because those countries restrict the shipment. For a list of the countries that do NOT allow the shipment of seeds even from Thompson & Morgan, check out this page.
If TheGardenLady readers know of any other excellent seed sources that sell internationally, let the readers know about them.