Hi all! I've reached out to a couple of members who have P. mume growing, but I'd like to put it out into the arena to see if I can get some leads. Have tried to find seeds for these all over, very hard to find, I am in eastern Canada, and would like to try growing some of these in my sheltered microclimate. Mainly I'm interested in making umeboshi, the pickled plums. But also appreciate the beauty of these flowering small trees. Any leads on where I can find seeds, someone who has the trees and can scrounge seeds for me from fallen fruit, or nurseries that have specimens on offer. Even if in BC, the other side of the country, if they will ship. Have reached out to the BonsaiENR folks in Quebec, and am waiting for an answer. cheers, Carmel
Check with Rarexoticseeds in Quebec. Unfortunately, they appear to be currently out of stock: Buy Prunus Mume Seeds - Rarexoticseeds.
Yes, I did find them and noted out of stock. I will email them to LMK if they get more in. It's the time of year when people are getting in seeds from fruits, so they may have some later. Thanks!
You can find them at Amazon.ca; the best deal seems to be 5 seeds for $11, shipping included. It may be risky, but I've tried Amazon fot seeds a few times and have been lucky so far.
There are some live specimens of this tree at VanDusen Botanical Garden here in Vancouver. Inquire to see if it's possible to get some plant material from them.
Were they shipped from afar? What did you order? I am always wondering about the quality if it comes from China or somewhere, and the time it takes to ship! I've sent a message to my acupuncturist who gets material all the time from Taiwan and China, he knows the dealers who are good, and awaiting also if he can get me some. He is currently in Taiwan, too bad I didn't think of asking him before he left!
Yves at Bonsai ENR in Quebec recommended Canada Bonsai, and that site has a resource list of many groups and societies, so I'll go through those one by one!
CarmelRose, I couldn't find out where they were shipped from, but the last seeds that I ordered through Amazon.ca were Aleppo pepper seeds. They were not expensive and took about a month for delivery but proved to produce a good crop for at least 2 years. The seller was stated to be Inker Store, but I couldn't find any information about them via Google.
The following are some documents which may be of interest. The first is a discussion of growing from seed. The second is a website referenced in that thread. Prunus Mume, Japanese Apricot from Seed Evergreen Gardenworks Descriptive Catalog: Prunus Prunus mume Are you interested in any variety of Prunus mume? Is there no difference in the quality and quantity of fruit produced by the various cultivars?
Okay, thank you! I'm willing to try. I did buy some Acer palmatum seeds from a Chinese seller, they all sprouted, it was only a dozen, but the chipmunks actually attacked and ate the sprouting seeds in pots. A painful lesson. Now I have an unheated greenhouse with a concrete foundation!! Plus will put precious seeds in pots in a hardware-cloth cage. Life can be frustrating!
Thanks, @Junglekeeper, yes I am definitely interested in any kind of seed. One of my goals is to make umeboshi, the best ever was from someone's mom in Japan! It was very plummy and complex. There is a U.S. farm growing them and making it plus other foods with those fruits. I have reached out to them to see if they have any seeds from fruit they didn't use lying around somewhere! (Leaving NO STONE UNTURNED! I am following up on every lead I can possibly think of). From my understanding, there can be a difference in the fruit quality, and there are varieties which are mainly for the ume production in Japan. Now I've made contact with Derek from Bonsai Canada, he has stock from those as well as others which are more ornamental. But he is building up his "inventory" in order to be able to supply all those who need some. I do hope eventually to get some from him. He says they flower early and may well need greenhouse type protection and artificial pollination to make fruit. That's what he is doing. He was in Nova Scotia, and now is in Quebec. I used to live in the latter, it's cold there winter and into spring! Here in NS, it's variable. I would be willing to do that with the greenhouse idea. I have one greenhouse for in-ground plantings, and the other is concrete foundation for propagation of plants and seeds starting. But even apart from Umeboshi -making, I am interested in growing out from seed and seeing what they turn out like. Also, my belief is that we do well in these times to spread out valuable plant material, and put it in as many skilled hands as possible. One of my interests is permaculture, and trees are such an important element of healthy landscapes, and as many fruit trees and shrubs as possible. Not to mention the beauty of Prunus sp. in blossom. AND there's the bonsai crowd who need material! ;) I appreciate the links, I will save those in my Prunus mume file! Feeling the momentum and making some progress. Thanks to all for help and tips.
