Is shipping of plants illegal to europe?

13 years ago

Hello everybody,

I am a new member and a new amateur of gardening. I post this message here because i didn't know where else to post it.

I live in greece and on my search to find unusual plants to grow in my garden i noticed that the subject of shiping plants or seeds is very vague and unclear. I always watched in american tv series or movies how they mentioned cranberry sauce or blueberry muffin and i was drooling!!! I've never tasted these fruit before nor anyone else in greece. We don't grow such plants and it is not very easy to find a nursery that has, well maybe in athens, but i don't live there.

Anyway, i wanted to order some small bushes of different kinds of berries but from what i see, it is very unlikely to find a US breeder who ships internationaly. Being new to this i have no idea why. I searched a lot within the forum but still i didn't get a clue.

Is it for some reason illegal to send plants? And mostly, why??? What on earth is so dangerous about plants? The only illegal plant i can imagine is canabis but all the others?

I would really appreciate it if you could enlighten me on this subject because i really really want to grow my own and apparently delicious berries.

Can i order plants or seeds from US and are there any trustworthy breeders who send them?

Thank you in advance!

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Comments (3)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
13 years ago
Plants are closely regulated so that noxious weeds, insects, and/or pathogens don't get shipped, too. You are right in understanding that many mail order nurseries don't want to deal with the regulations of international shipping, but you should be able to find a source somewhere! I'd look at European sources, rather than American.

Also, have you researched the cultural conditions of cranberries and blueberries? Will they survive in your climate? I really and truly doubt that cranberries could exist.

But I'll bet that you can find a source for the berries. Cranberries would ship fairly easily, are light in weight, and have become (from what I read) very popular in Europe.
vetivert8
13 years ago
Check out Vaccinium (the 'proper' name for blueberries) to see where they are grown in the EU.

Depending on your climate, you could be looking for varieties that have a low chill requirement. If you live quite high in the hills then you may have the microclimate needed for happy Vacciniums.

Possible sources might be found in Britain, Scandinavia, Romania, Ukraine.

If you cannot grow cranberries, you might want to consider growing Ugni which are more edible fresh.

A local-to-me website that gives useful plant information is IncredibleEdibles.co.nz who supply garden centres from north to south here. They probably won't export, for the very reasons that rhizo has given, but they do talk about the different needs of the plants you are craving.
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soredix
13 years ago
Hello toeraki, i live in Greece as well and i am planning to start a blueberry farm next year.

Northern Highbush varieties need low temperatures in order to bloom which can be accommodated by the north Greek climate. If you live at the south of Greece then you should consider other varieties like Southern or Rabbiteye.

As for the cranberries there are native to Greece, they are called "Krana" in our language, so you might find this plant easier. If you cannot then i might be able to send you some wild cranberry bushes from the hill.

Now about the transport, it is not illegal as stated before but they have to be checked for diseases and viruses and be in specific condition, in dormancy for example in order to be able to be sent from USA. From Europe there is no problem. Of course this apply to big orders, you can get plants from USA through post without any problem, if you get bushes from ebay for example.