MALVACEAE. Attractive tender shrubs grown for their beautiful flowers and handsome foliage. Good in the greenhouse or outdoors in California and the South. Best in loose well-drained soil. Treat like geraniums or fuchsias, they make nice pot plants.
—Abutilon Hybridum Mixed. (d,g) ABUT-10X. Packet: $2.50
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'FLOWERING MAPLE'. Nodding bell-shaped 2 - 3" flowers in pastels shades of orange, red, white, and pink. Arching shrub to 10 feet, with broad maple-like leaves. Main bloom period in spring, but some colors are almost everblooming. Makes a nice tub plant in the North, and can be pinched to keep compact. Easy from seed, germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Abutilon vitifolium. (d,h) ABUT-46. Packet: $3.50
Gram: $9.00, 5 grams: $25.00
Large blue and white mallow-like 2 - 3 1/2" wide flowers. Half hardy shrub or small tree to 1 1/2 - 3 feet in cultivation, to 25 feet in the wild. Lobed 6" leaves. Coastal Chile. Said to be hardy to Zone 7. Good in the cool greenhouse. Choice. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks.
ACACIA (a-KAY-sha)
LEGUMINOSAE. Some 1200 warm-region species of great ecological and evolutionary interest. Their earliest fossils are in North America, from where they expanded to worldwide, with an Australian center of diversity. Many species remain to be discovered. Some of the endangered endemics are now common in cultivation and are naturalized in safe new habitats. Highly ornamental, drought resistant, and should be grown by everyone living in warm climates. Excellent in pots in the cool greenhouse or on a sunny windowsill. They produce timber, fuelwood, dyes, tannins, medicinals, gums, forage, food, perfume, are nitrogen-fixing, soil stabilizing, diversifying, and have been used by man since the Neolithic. Elegant puff-like flowers and either feathery pinnate foliage or the leaves reduced to flat phyllodes. Fast growing, free blooming and ranging from tiny shrubs to tall trees. Best in areas with 18°F minimum temperature, though some stand some snow. Full sun and well-drained soil. Plant out early. Most have very long lived seed. Nick and soak to germinate in 1 - 4 weeks, unless noted otherwise. Smoke treatment may help germination.
For pushing the hardiness limits, try: boormannii, dealbata, melanoxylon, penninervis and pravissima. Other fairly hardy species: baileyana, decurrens, farnesiana, longifolia, and angustissima.
For growing in pots, try: baileyana, brachybotrya, burkitti, Drummondii, farnesiana, glaucoptera, granitica, Greggii, lineata, macradenia, longissima, complanata, mucronata, obtusifolia, Sophorae, suaveolens, triptera, uncinata, and victoriae.
For species closely related to the ever-popular but currently unavailable alpina and phlebophylla, why not try: floribunda, longifolia, longissima, mucronata, obtusifolia, Sophorae, and triptera.
—Acacia Baileyana. (d,h) ACAC-10. Packet: $2.00
1/2 Oz $9.00
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'COOTAMUNDRA WATTLE', 'GOLDEN MIMOSA'. Spectacular masses of fragrant golden flowers in January and February, almost covering the tree. Feathery blue-grey bipinnate foliage on a small compact tree with arching growth, to 30 feet. One of the hardiest, and tolerates most any soil and full sun to part shade. Native to only a few stands in New South Wales, Australia, and would be endangered if not in cultivation, a fine example of garden preservation. Nick seed.
NEW—Acacia Baileyana var. purpurea. ACAC-10P. Packet: $2.50
1/2 Oz $12.00, 1/4 lb: $50.00
'PURPLE-LEAVED COOTAMUNDRA WATTLE'. Young foliage tinged purple. Prized. Nick seed.
—Acacia complanata. (d,h) ACAC-25. Packet: $2.50
5 grams (about 100 seed): $7.50
'LONG-POD WATTLE'. Showy shrub to 3 - 9 feet, with abundant yellow flower balls in summer to autumn. Broad green 2 - 3" leaves and long straight 6" pods. E. Australia. Excellent in warm coastal areas and should be grown more. Rarely seen in cultivation, and much sought by collectors. Nick seed. Germinates in 1 - 6 weeks.
NEW—Acacia dealbata (=decurrens). ACAC-30. Packet: $2.50
1/4 Oz: $18.00, Oz: $36.00
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'SILVER WATTLE'. Profuse bloomer forming a mass of bright yellow fragrant flowers in late winter. Elegant silvery green feathery foliage. Fast growing adaptable tree to 50 - 100 feet. SE Australia. One of the hardiest, standing considerable snow and low temperatures. Grown for perfumery, fuelwood, tannin, gum production and florist material. Nick seed.
—Acacia Drummondii elegans. (c,h) ACAC-40E. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $7.50
'DRUMMOND'S WATTLE'. Golden flowers in inch-long spikes on a nice dwarf shrub to 3 - 6 feet. Dark green feathery bipinnate foliage. West Australia. Excellent pot plant in the greenhouse. "One of the most beautiful little shrubs imaginable."—H.E. Saier. Nick seed.
—Acacia dunnii. (10,h) ACAC-41. Packet: $3.00
10 grams: $12.00
'ELEPHANT EAR WATTLE'. A spectacular and unusual species, with huge silver-blue leaf-like phyllodes up to 14" long and a foot across, resembling elephant ears, quite unlike the feathery foliage or narrow phyllodes of other species. Rich golden flowers in round 3/4" heads. Small tree to 20 feet or so, from dry tropical Australia. Fast growing. "Gorgeously defined foliage, even when quite small, but very sensitive to drying out. Much misting when young is a must, and pays off as they grow the first year."—C. Malanowski, South Carolina, 6/2001. Nick seed.
—Acacia Farnesiana. (e,h) ACAC-48. Packet: $2.50 OUT OF STOCK
10 grams: $7.50 OUT OF STOCK
'PERFUME ACACIA', 'HUISACHE', 'CASSIE'. Highly fragrant deep yellow flowers on a small spiny tree to 10 - 20 feet. Feathery bipinnate foliage. Pantropical. Good in hot deserts. Grown in S. France for perfume manufacture. Bark used for tanning, pods for black ink and dye, yields a gum and has nard, tough wood. Medicinal, and the flowers are considered aphrodisiac and insecticidal. Excellent in the greenhouse, blooming most of the year. Nick seed.
—Acacia Greggii. (10,h) ACAC-54. Packet: $2.50
1/2 Oz: $7.50
Treated with Sevin, and then washed.
'CATSCLAW', 'TEXAS MIMOSA', 'SICHINGILY' (Cahuilla Indian name). Pale yellow flowers in 1 - 2" spikes, from August to September, followed by 4" twisted pods. Small tree with feathery bipinnate leaves. California to Texas. The pods were pounded into a coarse meal by the Indians. The seeds contain 34% protein and 25% oil, with trace alkaloids. If bitter, they were leached before eating.
—Acacia macradenia. (d,g) ACAC-86. Packet: $2.50
'ZIG-ZAG WATTLE', 'MYALL'. Beautiful weeping shrub with zigzag branches that change direction at each phyllode. Clustered bright yellow balls of flowers. Australia. Produces beautiful, hard blackish wood which takes a high polish. Excellent unusual specimen shrub for warm regions, reaching 30 to 50 feet in good areas. Nick seed to germinate in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Acacia Maidenii. (c,h) ACAC-88. Packet: $2.50
10 grams: $10.00, 100 grams: $70.00
'MAIDEN'S WATTLE'. Rare and beautiful upright shrub with pale yellow spikes of flowers. Narrow 3 - 8" leaves, coiled and twisted 5" pods. E. Australia. Blooms late summer to late autumn. Fast growing, becoming a dense-crowned small tree to 50 feet. Good landscape material for warm regions. Nick seed to germinate in 1 - 2 weeks warm.
—Acacia melanoxylon. (d,h) ACAC-90. Packet: $2.00
1/2 Oz: $8.00
'BLACKWOOD ACACIA', 'MOOEYANG' (aboriginal name). Creamy flowers in March and April. Tall evergreen tree to 40 to 120 feet, with 2 - 4" phyllodes. SE Australia. Hardy to 15°, fast growing. Good shade or street tree in California. Valuable timber tree. The hard, dark wood takes a fine polish and is used for furniture, veneers, and by the aborigines for war shields. Bark yields tannin and was used by the aborigines to stupefy fish. Nick, 1 - 2 weeks.
—Acacia obtusifolia. (10) ACAC-98. Packet: $5.00 Limit One Packet per Customer
'BLUNT-LEAF WATTLE'. Pale yellow to creamy flowers in 2" spikes in spring and summer. Shrub or small tree with 3 - 8" leaves. SE Australia. Good in coastal areas. Related to A. Maidenii. Nick seed to germinate in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Acacia simplicifolia: See Reserved Access Page.
—Acacia simplex: See Reserved Access Page.
ACCA Sellowiana: See Feijoa Sellowiana
ACHILLEA (a-KILL-ee-a)
COMPOSITAE. North temperate region perennials grown for their attractive flowers and often aromatic foliage. Easy in any soil and full sun, good in borders and rock gardens. Good for fresh or dried cut flowers, and if started early will bloom the first season. Hardy and easily grown favorites Some can be mown for a lawn substitute. Most kinds hardy to zone 2 or 3. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks warm.
—Achillea clypeolata. (500) ACH-8. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $7.50
Bright golden-yellow flowers in dense 2 - 3" clusters in June to August. Hardy perennial to 20" or so, with silvery-grey foliage. S.E. Europe. Zone 4.
—Achillea Millefolium White. (a!!,h) ACH-20. Packet: $2.00
Oz: $6.00, 1/4 lb: $12.00
'YARROW', MILFOIL', 'THOUSAND SEAL', 'KWAYU'HAYIPSNL' (Chehalis Indian name meaning "squirrel-tail"). White 1/4" flowers in flat 2 - 6" clusters in June to September. Aromatic hardy perennial to 2 - 3 feet, with delicate feathery 8" leaves. North Hemisphere. Easily grown old-fashioned flower, giving lots of bloom for little care. Forms nice clumps with age. Good for sowing in meadows. Highly valued as medicine in all parts of the world where it grows, used for coughs, colds, aches and pains, to stop bleeding, childbirth medicine, bronchitis, and as a tonic. Girls would put it under their pillows to dream of future lovers. Was used as a tobacco substitute, for snuff, and in place of hops for brewing beer to make it more intoxicating. Contrary to popular belief, this is a native North American plant. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks warm.
—Achillea Millefolium Colorado. (b,h) ACH-20C. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $10.00
Striking strain with flowers in shades of red, pink, apricot, yellow, pale yellow, beige, and an occasional white, May to October. Hardy perennial to 2 feet, with feathery leaves. Superior strain! Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Achillea Millefolium rubra. (a!,h) ACH-20R. Packet: $2.00
1/4 Oz: $7.00, Oz: $14.00
'ROSY RED YARROW'. Nice deep reddish-pink flowers in flat 2 - 6" clusters in June to September. Hardy perennial to 1 - 2 feet, with delicate feathery leaves. North Hemisphere. An old-fashioned carefree favorite, good for naturalizing in meadows. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks warm.
—Achillea sibirica var. camtschatica Love Parade. (b,h) ACH-76C. Packet: $3.00
Soft pink 3/8" flowers in large umbels from June to September. Hardy perennial to 2 feet, with odd, attractive sword-shaped leaves, pinnately divided on the edges. Kamchatka. Good cut-flower and often blooms the first year. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
ACHLYS (AK-leez)
BERBERlDACEAE. Hardy woodland perennials.
—Achlys triphylla. (50) ACHL-2. Packet: $3.00
1/4 Oz: $25.00
'VANILLA-LEAF', 'SWEET-LEAF', 'DEER-FOOT'. Dense spikes of tiny flowers held above the trifoliate fan-shaped leaves. Moist woods from B.C. to California. The sweetly fragrant leaves were highly valued by settlers, who hung bunches in their houses. Sow 1/4" deep in rich woodland soil, and keep moist. Slow to germinate.
"Man is the dream of a shadow."—Pindar, 500 BC.
ACINOS (a-KEE-nos or a-SEE-nos)
LABIATAE. Eurasian aromatic herbs, good in dry rocky soils. Often classed as Calamintha.
—Acinos alpinus (=Calamintha). (d,g) ACIN-4. Packet: $2.50
'ALPINE BASIL THYME'. Violet 1/2 - 3/4" flowers with white markings on the lip, in loose whorls, June to August. Hardy perennial to 10 - 18", with small leaves. Mountains of Europe and N. Africa. Good in full sun, dry rocky soil. Used for flavoring and tea. Germinates in 1 - 4 weeks with light or GA-3.
ACMELLA: See Spilanthes
ACONITUM (AK-o-ny-tum)
RANUNCULACEAE. Hardy herbaceous perennials and annuals valued for their showy summer to fall bloom. Though they stand full sun, they are at their best in part shade and cool, moist fertile soil in the back of the border. Divide roots in early spring or fall. Good for naturalizing in woodlands. Most are poisonous. Seed germinates best at cold temperatures- keep at 40°F for 3 months or more. Easy on damp paper towels in the refrigerator.
—Aconitum Carmichaelii (=Aconitum wilsonii) (d,h) ACD-10. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $9.00, 5 Grams: $35.00
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Large violet-blue 1 1/2" flowers in long panicles in mid to late summer. Vigorous hardy perennial to 5 - 6 feet, with dark green 3 - 5 lobed leaves. Central China. Zone 3. Germinates in 10 - 20 weeks at 40°F.
—Aconitum Napellus. (b,f) ACD-16. Packet: $2.50
5 grams: $15.00
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'TRUE MONKSHOOD'. Intense dark purple-blue helmet-shaped 1 1/2" flowers in dense 8" racemes in July and August. Hardy perennial to about 3 feet, with palmately divided leaves. Europe and N. America. The extremely poisonous roots were used as an arrow poison and medicinally. Germinates in 2 - 6 months cold.
—Aconitum orientale. (e,g) ACD-18. Packet: $2.50
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Large open panicles of large 1 1/2 - 2" light pink flowers in summer. Hardy perennial to 6 feet. Central Asia. "Very nice."—Bertrand. Germinates at 40 degrees F.
—Aconitum septentrionale Ivorine. (e,g) ACD-22I. Packet: $3.00
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Beautiful ivory-white 3/4" flowers in dense racemes in May and June. Hardy perennial to 18", with a bushy habit. Sweden. Germinates at 40°F.
—Aconitum Vulparia. (d,g) ACD-36. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $7.50
Pale yellow 3/4" flowers in open clusters. Hardy perennial to 3 feet, with large rounded basal leaves. Central Europe.
ADANSONIA (a-dan-SOW-nee-a)
BOMBACEAE. Tropical trees and shrubs with large pendulous flowers. They make nice foliage plants when young. Good in the greenhouse or outdoors in the far South. Likes sandy, clayey soil. Rest dry in winter. Hardy to at least 27°F. Easy from seed. Nick and soak till swollen, to germinate in 1 - 7 weeks at warm temperatures. Avoid high humidity.
—Adansonia digitata. (e,h) ADAN-7. Packet: $2.50
56 seeds/Oz, Oz: $9.00, lb: $90.00
'BAOBAB', 'LEMONADE' or 'MONKEYBREAD TREE'. The famous African tree with a huge swollen trunk up to 30 feet in diameter, and not more than 60 feet tall. The thickest trunk in the world. Large, white, hibiscus-like 6" flowers are pollinated by bats. The foot-long, gourd-like fruits are filled with refreshing, lemon-flavored pulp and edible seeds. Leaves are eaten like spinach. The trunk stores considerable water, and is used as a reservoir, sometimes being tapped for as much as 1000 gallons. Hollowed out, they are used as rooms. Worshipped as a fertility tree. Nick and soak to germinate in 1 - 7 weeks.
—Adansonia Gregorii. (5,h) ADAN-8. Packet: $3.00 OUT OF STOCK
'BOTTLE TREE', 'GOURD TREE'. Large tropical tree with swollen trunk similar to the African Baobab, but smaller. NW Australia. The seeds and pulp were eaten by aborigines, and the trunk used as an emergency water source. Nick and soak seed.
ADENIUM (a-DEN-ee-um)
APOCYNACEAE. Succulent shrubs resembling miniature baobabs. Sow in light, well-drained mix and keep warm. Give light shade when young, and use fungicide if rot or damping off is a problem.
—Adenium obesum. (10,g) ADNU-18. Packet: $4.00
100 seed: $20.00
'DESERT ROSE', 'MDAGU'. Thick swollen caudex/trunk to 3 - 15 feet, with thick, gnarled branches with 6" leaves clustered at the tips. Large red, pink, or white 2" flowers. South Africa to Arabia. The sap is used as an arrow poison. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks. Avoid sogginess and rot.
ADENOPHORA (a-de-NO-for-a)
CAMPANULACEAE. Hardy Eurasian perennials like Campanula, and as easily grown. Best in light well drained soil. Most germinate in 3 - 6 weeks at cool to warm temperatures.
—Adenophora lilifolia. (b,h) ADEN-26. Packet: $2.50
'LADYBELLS'. Sweet-scented light blue 1/2" wide bell-shaped nodding flowers borne profusely in summer. Very hardy perennial to 1 1/2 - 3 feet, with round, heart-shaped basal leaves. Eurasia. Cultivated in Japan for the thick, edible roots. Germinates in 2 weeks.
ADLUMIA (ad-LU-mee-a)
FUMARIACEAE. A single species.
—Adlumia fungosa. (25) ADLU-4. Packet: $2.50
'ALLEGHANY VINE'. Clusters of purplish-pink to white 1/2" Dicentra-like flowers in July to September. Clambering biennial vine to 16 feet or more, with fern-like blue-green foliage. Cool shady places, E. U.S. and perhaps Korea. Zone 5. Give 6 - 8 weeks warm, then 6 - 8 weeks cold, and hold pots for 2 years if there is no germination.
AGASTACHE (a-ga-STA-che)
LABIATAE. Delightful aromatic perennials from Asia and North America, with spikes of flowers much like Salvia. Easily grown.
—Agastache foeniculum (=anethiodora). (b,h) AGAS-4. Packet: $2.50 OUT OF STOCK
'ANISE HYSSOP', 'WONDER HONEY PLANT'. Lavender-blue flowers in large spikes from early June till frost. Hardy perennial to 3 - 4 feet with strongly anise scented leaves. N. Central U.S. The leaves are used fresh or dry as a tea or seasoning, especially by the Indians. The flowers produce abundant nectar and it is an excellent honey plant. Birds like the seed. Blooms the first year. Germinates best with GA-3. Year-old seed germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
—Agastache foeniculum Golden Jubilee. (b,h) AGAS-4G. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $6.00, 5 grams: 19.00
Attractive golden leaves and short purple spikes of flowers. Perennial to 20". Nice. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
AGAVE (ah-GA-vee)
AGAVACEAE or LILIACEAE. 'CENTURY PLANT'. Striking, mostly arid-region plants with dramatic rosettes of sword-shaped, succulent leaves. They range from tiny rosettes less than a foot wide, to gigantic species 20 feet wide, sending flower-spikes 40 feet into the air. Various species provide food - roasted hearts, leaves and nectar; fiber - henequen, sisal, and paper; drink - fermented juice for pulque and distilled for mescal. They provide thorns for needles, thatching, smoking and other uses. Easily grown outdoors in mild climates or in pots in the North. Set outdoors in summer. Best in a well-drained sandy loam and full sun. Sow on the surface to germinate in a few weeks to 3 months or so.
—Agave bracteosa. (d,g) AGAV-26. Packet: $2.50
Photo
'AMOLE DE CASTILLA'. Rosettes of graceful, curving, narrow, yellow-green 16" leaves. Inch-long white to pale yellow flowers in dense columns to 8" thick and 6 feet tall. NE México. Spectacular in bloom. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks warm.
—Agave Parryi. (e,h) AGAV-192. Packet: $2.50
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'MESCAL'. Small rosettes of 10 - 16" grey- or blue-green, sword-shaped, 4" wide leaves with spines along the edge and tip. Bright yellow 1 1/4" flowers from red buds, in 5 - 8 foot long clusters on stalks to 10 - 15 feet tall. Arizona to México. One of the hardiest agaves. The hearts were roasted in pits for mescal, a staple food of the Indians. Roasted flowerstalks eaten, and the leaves produce fiber. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks warm.
—Agave Victoriae-Reginae. (d,h) AGAV-302. Packet: $2.50 OUT OF STOCK
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'PINTILLO'. A beautiful tiny species forming foot-wide rosettes of dark green leaves attractively marked with white lines. Pale green 2" flowers in long spikes to 4 feet tall. NE México. Produces a fiber called 'noa'. Choice, slow-growing, lives 20 years, then flowers and dies. Does not make offsets, so only propagated by seed. CITES Appendix II species. Germinates in 1 - 6 weeks.
AGRIMONIA (ag-ri-MOE-nee-a)
ROSACEAE. 'AGRIMONY' Hardy perennial herbs with racemes of small yellow flowers. Grown for ornament and the fragrant medicinal leaves, which are a popular spring tea. Good in the shade.
—Agrimonia Eupatoria. (d,h) AGRI-4. Packet: $2.50
'AGRIMONY'. Golden-yellow apricot-scented flowers in dense, slender spikes. Deep green pinnate aromatic foliage. Hardy perennial to 3 - 5 feet. Europe. The fragrant leaves are used as a tea, and it produces a yellow dye. Germinates in 1 - 6 months.
AGROSTEMMA (a-gro-STEM-a)
CARYOPHYLLACEAE. Two showy annuals.
—Agrostemma Githago. (c,g) AGRS-4. Packet: $2.00
10 grams: $8.00
Beautiful Photos
Nice Flower Photo
Photo of Seed
'CORN COCKLE'. Large magenta-red to purple 2" wide flowers with darker veins, carried on graceful, willowy stems. Showy and easily grown hardy annual to 2 - 3 feet, with narrow, greyish 4 - 5" leaves. Europe. The flowers have a striking, downy, five-pointed calyx. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
AJUGA (a-JOO-ga)
LABIATAE. 'BUGLE-WEED'. Easily grown hardy herbaceous annuals and perennials with abundant, usually blue tubular flowers in spikes in summer. Low growing plants, the perennials creeping. Useful in the border, wild garden, and as groundcovers.
—Ajuga genevensis. (c,v) AJUG-10. Packet: $2.50
'BLUE BUGLE'. Bright blue 1/2 - 3/4" flowers in leafy spikes in May and June. Creeping hardy perennial to 4 - 16", with oblong leaves. Sunny dry areas, Europe and Asia. Zone 6. Nice ground cover.
—Ajuga pyramidalis. (d,g) AJUG-19. Packet: $2.50
Showy violet-blue 1/2" flowers in leafy heads with purple bracts. Evergreen pyramidal creeping hardy perennial to 2 - 10", with tight rosettes of dark green foliage, deep purple at the branch-tips. Europe. "The foliage alone is a killer."—Bertrand. Give GA-3 500ppm plus 6 - 8 weeks prechill.