Dear Growing Friends:

Welcome to our 20th annual seed catalog!

In early April, I returned to the eastern seaboard to give three more talks about the flora of the western United States.  During the 10-day tour, I was hosted by several families and visited many private and botanical gardens.  I was also fortunate to spend a day in New York City.  Only the earliest-blooming bulbs, Corydalis, Helleborus and Magnolias were in bloom but I was amazed at their beauty.  I look forward to repeating the experience, perhaps later in the season to view an even richer display of eastern flora.  Many thanks to the various NARGS chapters who made the trip possible!

In late April, I returned to central Texas to visit friends and do another botanical tour of the area.  Because my camera store (who shall remain nameless) lost a roll of film containing almost all of my 2007 pictures of Texas flora, I was determined to return to key sites with my new digital camera to again take pictures of Penstemon triflorus, Callirhoe spp., Phlox pilosa ssp. riparia and Argemone sanguinea, for example.  South of Kerrville, drought conditions prevailed and stayed that way all across western Texas, southern New Mexico and Arizona and into southern California.  The situation improved somewhat by the time I reached northern California and southern Oregon, although the area was still abnormally dry.  I concentrated on obtaining pictures of many species I had not yet taken: Viola hallii, Erythronium californicum, Dudleya spp., Allium spp., Phlox hirsuta and Asarum marmoratum, to name just a few.  By the second week of May I was traveling through eastern Nevada where the flora was responding with great enthusiasm to abundant spring rains.

Phlox tumulosa, Lepidium nanum, Cryptantha abata, Astragalus spp., Scutellaria nana v. sapphirina, and many others were glorious.  Curiously, the rains stopped at the border, leaving western Utah desolate.  From Boulder, Utah south and west down to the corner of the state, I re-collected many old favorites as the year progressed: Amsonia eastwoodiana, Poliomintha incana, Calochortus aureus, Astragalus zionis, Penstemon petiolatus,

Arctostaphylos pungens, and some new ones: Xylorhiza confertifolia and Garrya flavescens, the latter another spectacular shrub with blue leaves and grape-like berry clusters.  I also visited a few areas in the Pacific Northwest to re-collect Lewisia tweedyi and Douglasia nivalis.  My timing was perfect this year (unlike 2008) to secure a superb collection of Phlox albomarginata in Idaho.  In northern Idaho, Dasynotus daubenmirei was in fine form.  By late July, Erigeron uncialis was blooming on the limestone ridges east of Ely, Nevada.  In August, after re-collecting Douglasia idahoensis for the first time in over 10 years, troubles with my Toyota truck started.  It has been well maintained but after all, I have logged over 320,000 miles on it.  Fuses were blowing out and although the truck ran, the dash panel was dead and the alternator was no longer charging the battery.  It took me a day and a half and several battery jump-starts to drive 200 miles to Boise where there was a Toyota dealership.  After initial repairs, I limped 1000 miles home and spent the next two weeks at the local dealership fixing numerous other problems.  As a result of the delays, I lost many key collections because I could not return to the Pacific Northwest in time.  So I spent early September collecting in Colorado and Utah.  Snow came earlier than usual, not just in the mountains but down on the plains, pretty much curtailing the collecting season.  Overall, the number of new collections (over 100) amounted to half of usual.  Nonetheless, I believe we have one of the finest selections of seed of western U.S. flora available.

We also continue to offer seed from the extensive cactus and Yucca collections of Jeff Thompson, an expert in this area for over 30 years.  Now numbering almost 100 different kinds, they can be identified by the JRT numbers in the listings.

Once again, we sincerely thank you for your continual support and encouragement as we look forward to many more years of service.  Happy growing!

-- Alan D. Bradshaw, Proprietor

NOTE:

The twelve main seed catalog pages list ALL collections that are available for sale.

The collections listed on the "New Items" pages show only the new collections acquired since the publication of the 2009 ALPLAINS seed catalog.  Returning customers may find these helpful.

Items listed on the "Archives" pages are NOT AVAILABLE but are listed there for your reference. When a collection sells out, it will be moved to the "Archives" pages.

We are expecting many more collections to arrive shortly so keep checking our website for updates.

The printed 2010 Catalog will be available by mid-December.  If you are already a customer of ours, you will be sent a copy automatically.  If you are not on our mailing list, you may request a free copy (includes over 40 color photos) by writing or faxing us, or sending us an e-mail.

Our Photo Gallery continues to grow. We will be uploading many more photos in the weeks and months to come. Stay tuned and watch our website grow!

To Contact Us:

Fax:       303-621-2864

E-mail:   alandean7@msn.com

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Last Major Update:   November 16, 2009

Minor Update:      December 6, 2009