Hi,

Last year I checked out this company's web site, since it hadn't been on my (very acute!) seed radar. I thought it looked too "corporate" and didn't have anything really interesting. Having read your post I did a little research:

http://www.saveseeds.org/biography/field/index.html

Here are the last two paragraphs of the page linked above:
In 1991, Field's was purchased by a private direct marketing firm own by Don Krumel. The business was then sold to Foster & Gallagher, Inc., of Illinois in 1999. Foster & Gallagher, Inc. purchased a lot of the old, well established company names - Breck's Bulbs, Gurney's, Michigan Bulb Company, New Holland Bulbs, Spring Hill Nursery, Stark Brothers, Garden Solutions (an online storefront featuring Brecks, Spring Hill, Henry Fields, Gurney's, and Stark Bros. brand names).

In July of 2001, Foster & Gallagher, Inc. filed for bankruptcy. On October 26, 2001, a new company, Scarlet Tanager Holdings, LLC, owned by Niles Kinerk, located in Greendale, Indiana, emerged as the owner of the registered trade name of Henry Fields (as well as the other Foster & Gallagher, Inc. holdings).

Thanks for the info Bev.

Very interesting to get the true factual background of some of these fancy catalogue producers. I was always leery of ordering from Breck's Bulbs or Spring Hill Nursery. Now I know why.

Speaking of catalogues, I received one from Richter's in Goodwood, Ontario and am very tempted to order a few things from them. They specialize in herbs, but have some other plants, seeds, books, etc. I went there once, a few years ago, to shop in person, but it is a two hour drive for me, so cheaper to use mail-order. For any of you in the area (sort of northeast of Toronto) it is well worth the drive. My friend and I also went to Marjorie Mason's well-run nursery which is nearby, so it made it worth the trip for us.