Gene Milstein - Applewood Seed Company

December 2002

How does the wildflower seed sector differ from the flower seed sector, which deals with F1 hybrids and bedding plants? Is wildflower seed sold the same way and through the same channels of distribution as flower seed?
The wildflower sector is a much smaller industry than the bedding plant/F-1 hybrid sector. The seed is, in general, much less expensive and all of it is open-pollinated annual, biennial and perennial species. The wildflower industry seeks the original native species wherever they can be found. The goal is to produce them at the lowest cost with the highest quality possible. It takes 5 to 10 years to go from initial seed stock to having a commercial crop. This is similar to plant breeding and developing an F-1 hybrid. Finding the right climate to produce good seed can be a major challenge. Just because a crop is native in a certain climate is no guarantee that it will produce good seed or a high yield in that location.

The wildflower seed industry is made up of many small markets, whereas the bedding plant business is made up of fewer but larger markets. Because the markets are different, the channels of distribution are also different for the most part. Most wildflower seed is sold for direct seeding on the site. Therefore, very little of it goes to bedding plant growers. Highway department, re-vegetation and reclamation project contract directly with seed companies or their distributors which are different companies than those that sell bedding plant seed. Each industry has separate channels of distribution.

(to Jack Bodger's answer)

 

 

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