I've ordered from Park many times, not violet seeds, though. It sounds intriguing.

Linda

You won't know unless you try them ;-)
and 50 seeds sounds manageable....
(Looking forward to pictures)

I am still debating on buying seeds too, but can't make up my mind between variegated or mini... Or maybe they have trailers... I'd buy one of each, but have no space to grow them...

Karin and Linda,
When you have a free moment, you might want to read their description in full of what they send, very detailed and enticing.
Joanne

I always thought that Park just got their seeds from Nadeau. They sell very similar violet seed mixes.

Shhhhh, don't go giving me ideas :-p

I found a place on eBay that looks like they are selling the nadeau seeds from somewhere in Montreal. It would save me some shipping, but I still wouldn't have anywhere to put the new plants - I just had to decide on a few runts to get rid of because I went NOID crazy for a while there - I have some 10 new ones since we moved, plus an assorted bunch of 13 or so suckers rooting as we speak... (Don't even mention the leaves I put down for 'backup')...
No room for a bunch of seedlings just now :-)

Karin

My club did Nadeau seeds, I thought it was too cold and would have been better to wait til spring to sow them, but they went ahead, so I got a few trailer seeds and standards. I didn't do the minis.
I have had to keep them on a heating pad, but they did sprout. They are still very tiny. Its fun, but I also have no place to put them.

Joanne,

I just read the descriptions, and for what it's worth, I like nadeau better - they actually appear like they know what they are talking about. Park seeds was plainly written for marketing purposes, which makes me wonder what of it is true vs embellished.... And their facts are a bit off: plant height 8-16", width 4"(for real?)
That's just my impression from reading their websites though - I haven't dealt with either company yet. And the presentation may not reflect on the actual quality of the seeds....

Years ago I got a package of AV seeds from a garden catalog. I got many lovely plants out of it but most were plain pink or blue or purple flowers. I don't remember a single unusual one. No doubles or variegated. It was a neat experience but Nadeau seeds might be more interesting.

The chances of getting an unusual violet from a cross is very small and I would guess from a mix from a catalog the chances would be about nil. Genetics plays its role in these crosses and the dominant genes express themselves. Beautiful hybrids are made by experienced, knowledgeable growers who know genetics and know the ins-and-outs of back-crossing, line-crossing and out-crossing to obtain unusual varieties and even then, it's a shot in the dark.

Linda

First off, 50 seeds is the maximum number of seeds allowed to be sent within the US to avoid needing a phyto certificate.

Nadeau also puts a LOT of work in calculating and coming up with mixes of seeds that have a high germination rate, They also have worked out how to get specific traits people are wanting to purchase in their seedlings.

From personal experience, 50 seedlings grow into 50 plants which can be quite space-consuming. You may want to only put down in batches of 10 or share/go in together with other people.

Thanks, All! Joanne

Keep the rest of the seeds in a fridge. they last longer. Yep =- Nadeau plants are more interesting. The viability of the seeds is not bred in - it is how you store them and how fresh they are. If you keep them in a fridge - they stay fresh, if not - 6 months - and the percent of seedlings decreases tremendously. In a year - barely anything if you keep them at a room temperature.