White Flower Farm is selling "Tomato Dona".

That's the heading on their page offering these plants at
$6.95 each.

http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/4918-product.html#

Their description includes the standard verbiage about
"pleasing fastidious customers" and "small French markets",
etc., etc. The same stuff you can find at any of the sellers
of fake OP Dona seeds. They also seem to be a bit cagey about the hybrid (or not) status of their plants by mentioning
that "This hybrid was bred" ...yada...yada...yada.

But they nowhere stipulate that what they are actually
selling is genuine or F1 or any other terminology that would
clearly identify their product as the real article.

They also have failed, after several days, to answer an
email to their customer service querying the nature of
what they have. To me it seems obvious if they have
genuine Dona F1 from a legitimate French source for
seed, that they would be proud to say so. After all, who
would doubt that White Flower Farm with the capacity to
obtain genuine seed in quantity and sell real F1 plants
when others probably wouldn't.

Interestingly, they also post on the same page two
"customer" reviews from people who extol the virtues
of the Dona tomato (see, I'm not the only one!) but neither of whom shows any indication of having bought these plants.

I'm not saying that I have seen White Flower Farm
misrepresent any of their plants but in the situation where
so much non-genuine material is being sold and
considering the cachet of their company, it just seems to
me that they would wish to distinguish themselves by
both having the genuine Dona F1 and by saying so. That
they don't do so leads me to, "um", question what they are
up to.

Lastly, I would be very pleased to see someone from
White Flower Farm or anyone with real knowledge
confirm that Dona F1 is actually what they have.

Lacking that, I would be suspicious of this product.

I have never referred anyone to WFF for tomato plants when there are much bette rplaces to buy plants.

And yes, I do understgand that yourconcern is about Dina asit being the F1 hybrid or an OP derivative.I fit were me, I just wouldn't bother with it b'c I don't think you're going to get a straight answer, similar to Burpee who also have problems giving straight answes about some tomato varieties they offer..

Carolyn

Dave

IMO, it's a destination place for those with money. I'm not saying they don't have some exclusive items and I'm not saying that the grounds are meticulously maintained, but what I am saying is that WFF has changed through the years, maintining the high price exclusivity but losing some integrity as to what they sell.

The wife of my orthopedic surgeon bought several tomato plants there two years ago and when Richard, my ortho person, told me, I said for heavens sake let me give you some seeds for some great vatrieties, I did, but couldn ' tkeep my appt for last summer b'c the big storm Sandy intervened, but when I see him this summer I'll have to ask if he ever sowed the seed or had one of his staff do so.

And yes, he knew I wrote a book about heirloom tomatoes and asked if I would autograph one for him, but that was back in 2004 when I fell.

Carolyn

Their focus seems to have shifted to their tourist attraction business and the gardening elite.

Personally, I have never dealt with them. No need to. But as with Burpee, given all the negative reviews, I am discouraged when some in the gardening community continue to regard them as some sort of superior source.

Dave

WFF certainly presents themselves as a "premium" nursery, so
I appreciate the counsel from both of you. Actually, I should
have known when they took over Shepherd Seeds.

Anyway, I now think that if they are not deliberately
misrepresenting this item, they are skating awfully close.
Mention of "This hybrid" for a plant that they will not confirm
really is the genuine hybrid is pretty sleazy.

Thanks for your responses.

A "premium" variety? Perhaps to some but equally as many find it only "good" or even "average". It isn't necessarily in the Top 100 on the hit parade.

Dave

But you'll notice how quickly Renee bailed out of there and went back, not to her old format, but still selling seeds, so there couldn't have been anything in any contract that forbade her from doing so.

Carolyn

@digdirt - Sorry, Dave, about that one but I do disagree. Not
about any "premium" status as I don't care about that but I
have been growing this variety for 15 years or more. If you
want to call it hype you might well call me the perp and I
wouldn't dispute you. I find the flavor superior to a number
of other fine varieties that I have compared it to. So do many
others.
What bothers me some though is that so many who rate
Dona F1 as 'only "good" or even "average"' turn out to have
tasted only one of the many OP versions and have no
awareness that there even is any other. The result of more
hype on the part of outfits like Tomatofest (and others).
Anyway, I staunchly defend your right to like something
else. If I have any objective in all this, it would be only that
I would like to see Dona F1 seeds and plants be more
readily available in this country so others could try them,
if they wish, and decide for themselves ( and incidentally so
I could get them more easily myself). Let's agree to disagree.

Actually I do like Dona so we can agree on that. But I also like hundreds of other OPs. I guess what I'm saying is that it isn't the "be all and end all" of tomatoes for me so if it wasn't available I'd still survive just fine. :)

Dave

At the time Ithought they were good, nothing special and since then there are several other hybrids that 've grown that I think are much better.

Since others are getting apparently true F1 seedsof Dona from France, it seems to me that WFF could do so as well.

But I know the frustrating part is that they don't get back to you and confirm that they bought the seeds in France

And so it goes. ( smile)

Carolyn

We apologize for the delay in responding to your posting and your email regarding the 'Dona' tomato. We have forwarded your comments to our Marketing Department and are waiting for their response.

Sincerely,
White Flower Farm Customer Service

Dunno, I did hit them pretty hard and in a couple of places.
We'll see what the MD answer is.

Oh well!

Carolyn, and then split the money with me for my dark chocolate budget since I am the first to suggest to you to tell them that. Wait, up it to $200 so be both get $100. LOL Wait a bit more, give them a wee hint by saying that you just love omlette avec jambon. ( smile)

FYI, the source I revealed is www.ducrettet.com

Oh, and if you like I could send you some dark chocolate!!
Too bad about the omelettes, though. I already get those
from eggs that I buy at one of the local farm markets.
Every time I go there the chickens tell me, "Those eggs
were mine. Enjoy, enjoy".