When going on vacation to distant countries, every gardener and florist pays attention not only to local attractions, but also to unique plants. Colorful or unusual, bright, large or not so, exotic flowers, shrubs and trees attract us at first sight. And the desire to bring a small gift not only for loved ones, but also for your garden or home is very great. In the process of chasing exotics, the main thing is not to forget about legal norms and restrictions and to use a rational approach in this matter. After all, in order to grow an exotic, most often there is no need to carry their fruits or seeds in suitcases.
The desire to take a few seeds of a magnificent tree or exotic flower with you is sometimes difficult to overcome. But to ensure that bright plants from abroad do not become the cause of additional troubles and disappointments, it is necessary to take into account the purely practical nuances of searching for seeds and planting material during vacation. As in the matter of growing absolutely any garden or indoor plant, here you should rely not on desire, but on common sense. Momentary impulses are not the best motivation for searching for new green pets. Only after finding answers to all the important questions, decide to act.
Experiences are more important than luggage
The main thing you should get from a usefully spent vacation is not new seeds or plants that you can use to replenish your collection, but vivid impressions. Unusual crops or ways of planting plants, landscape design and decoration techniques, new and unfamiliar trends in the use of materials or plants, characteristic features of garden zoning or bright motifs of urban landscaping, unusual mixing of colors and unexpected images – take pictures, remember and write down, make sketches, trying to get as much information as possible about the development of landscape design in the country where you are a guest. After all, noticing individual techniques or ideas for yourself, upon returning home you will be able to look for options for their implementation in your own area or house.
A new look at familiar things, unforgettable bright images and colorful panoramas; plants that make you take a new look at the familiar range of crops and absolutely new species and varieties for you – this is what you need to hunt for first of all during your vacation.
Take a closer look at the plant itself.
If you notice an amazing green or blooming miracle during your vacation, don’t be lazy and take photos, ask what kind of plant it is and how it grows. Find out how hardy this crop is, or, on the contrary, how capricious it is, whether it can be found anywhere else besides your travel destination.
Take notes on the spot and, at the first opportunity, try to learn as much about the plant as possible from any available sources, including studying its propagation methods and growing forms. Search the Internet for information and clarify the species name and all the main characteristics. Even if there is no one to ask, a photo search will easily allow you to find information about the culture.
The law is above all
First of all, you need to think about the restrictions set by law, the rules for importing into your country, and study the regulations that apply where you are traveling. It is strictly forbidden to transport plants or planting material with soil across the border. As well as to transport seeds, bulbs, tubers, and cuttings without special quarantine and sanitary permits.
When passing control and attempting to import seeds, they can be confiscated and sent to a long quarantine without controlled conditions (or even destroyed altogether). And this is not to mention the responsibility and fines that will be yours. When planning to buy any planting material abroad, it is better to study the rules for export and import in each individual case and evaluate whether it is worth the risk.
And whether it is necessary?
Having studied the legal framework and obtained basic knowledge about the plant, you should ask yourself the main question: is there any need to bring this plant from anywhere or can you buy it at home? In a word, evaluate whether this plant is so rare in principle.
All plants that are considered highly decorative and promising for landscape design or floriculture have long attracted the attention of breeders, have been transferred to the lists of cultivated plants and are grown in garden centers and flower companies. Truly valuable crops can be considered international, they are grown not only in their homeland and are actively used and distributed throughout the globe.
Therefore, once you have studied the basics, check whether the plant is so unusual, whether it is really unavailable in your homeland; whether it is available in garden centers and their price lists, which are easy to find online, whether there are ads or articles about it. After all, many crops of outlandish appearance can be ordered not only from a catalog, but also found at exhibitions or in nurseries, along with “native” ones. Not to mention that specialized enterprises will be happy to bring planting material upon request and save you from trouble.
There are many plants that seem inseparable from the landscapes of distant countries, but in fact have long been grown here. Thus, exotic plants have long become common in our climate – magnificent African representatives of tuberous and bulbous plants, which are grown for cutting and not only. Captivated by the beauty of blooming streets covered with sakura petals, it is not at all necessary to bring seeds or cuttings of this plant from Japan, because it has long been adapted to our climate. In the same way, colorful walls of blooming rhododendrons in Chinese gardens or Italian Tuscany can be recreated from domestic planting material.
The best crops that seem most attractive to us during vacation, if they have even the slightest prospect of growing in regions with severe winters at least in indoor form, have long been “tested”. And they can be found, if not at every step, then in highly specialized catalogs of exotics – for sure. Therefore, it is best to study the market for the presence of a particular plant, and not immediately look for a seed store in their homeland.
Professional seeds are always preferred
If you still want to become the owner of seeds or other planting material in the plant’s homeland, then during excursions and walks, also visit numerous flower or garden shops. After all, you will only be able to use the seeds from the fruit if we are talking about plants that are usually grown this way. But in most cases, it is better to buy certified seeds with an appropriate quality guarantee.
At your local garden centre or nursery (if you have a free day), you can also find out more information about the plant and whether it is exported through official channels or if they have an international delivery service.
You can collect seeds of such simple plants as olives or other fruit and horticultural crops yourself from ripe fruits (or bring a whole fruit home to ripen). But it is still better to give preference to special planting material (which, by the way, can be freely purchased from us for these plants).
Leave your vacation not for searching for plants, but for relaxation and bright adventures. Pay close attention to everything that happens around you and do not ignore those plants that evoke special emotions in you. And it does not matter where exactly you manage to buy planting material. The main thing is to expand your horizons, find inspiration that will help make changes in your garden life.
Attention! Tell us in the comments to this material what exotic plants you brought back from vacation, how you managed to adapt the plant at home, what difficulties you encountered?
