Members' Annual Seed Request

Once each calendar year, members of the North Carolina Botanical Garden Foundation may request free packets of seed from approximately 30 native species. This year, members at the Individual level and above may receive up to four free seed packets.

Not a member or need to renew? Join or renew your membership now to receive free native seeds. If you have questions about membership benefits or want to join or renew over the phone, please contact our membership coordinator at 919-962-0642 or ncbgmembership@unc.edu.

Join or Renew Now

Orders are processed on a first-come, first-served basis and take a few weeks to be filled. You may choose to pick up your order at the Garden, which reduces shipping costs, or have it mailed to you. Seed distribution will run through October or until supplies last.

Explore the species online here (click on “Common” to sort alphabetically by common name, and click on “detail” to the right of a plant’s photo to read a longer description). Note: Some species on the list may be out of stock. Those species are removed from the drop-down selections below.

Many native seeds require a period of cold stratification before they’ll germinate: you can let nature do the work in late fall, or you can start now by stratifying them in the fridge. Read more in our Growing Instructions.

  • Member Information

  • To make sure our seeds stay within their native range, we are only able to send seeds to the following states:
    North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware.
  • Do you live locally? Selecting "Pick up in person at the North Carolina Botanical Garden" makes your membership support go further by reducing our shipping costs.
  • Seed Selections

    You may select the same species more than once. If you want fewer than four seed packs, you can leave the selection for the remaining packs blank.

    Want to review the options? See images and descriptions of each of the species on the list here. Click on "Common" to sort alphabetically by common name, and click on "detail" to the right of a plant's photo to read a full description. Note: If a species is missing from the drop-down options below, it is out of stock.

  • Alternates

    You may select up to two alternate seed pack options in case one or more of your selected species is out of stock.

  • Wildflower of the Year

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.