PAPAVERACEAE. Showy annuals and perennials of western N. America, providing an abundance of brilliant bloom in sunny dry areas.
Eschscholzia californica: 'CALIFORNIA POPPY'.
'CALIFORNIA POPPY', 'COPA DE ORO'. Brilliant orange to yellow 2 - 3" wide glossy flowers followed by narrow 3 - 4" pods. Perennial to 2 feet, with lacy, blue-green leaves. California. Grown as an annual in cold regions. "During the summer, they form a dense carpet of finely cut, blue-green foliage, smothered with a profusion of vivid, glossy flowers."—Booth. The leaves were eaten as a potherb by Indians, and the root used as a pain-killer. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks warm.
—Eschscholzia californica Orange. (a!,h) ESCH-1OR. Packet: $2.00
Germination: 99% Tested: 8/09
Oz: $6.00
1/4 lb: $15.00
lb: $30.00
Click for photo »
The classic single buttery orange California flower.
—Eschscholzia californica Ballerina. (a!,g) ESCH-IB. Packet: $2.50
Germination: 76% Tested: 8/09, Oz: $12.00, 1/4 lb: $36.00
Double and semi-double flowers with fluted petals. A good range of color and bicolors. To 12".
—Eschscholzia californica Mikado. (a!,h) ESCH-1K. Packet: $2.50
Germination: 81% Tested: 9/09, Oz: $7.50
Mahogany-red single flowers. Showy annual.
—Eschscholzia californica Mission Bells. (a!,h) ESCH-1MB. Packet: $2.50
Germination: 84% Tested: 8/09, Oz: $7.50
Double and semi-double flowers in a wide range of colors including white, rose, coppery, pink, yellow and orange. Popular for easy color. To 12".
—Eschscholzia californica White Linen. (a!,h) ESCH-1W. Packet: $2.50
Germination: 64% Tested: 8/09, Oz: $7.50
Creamy white single flowers. Showy hardy annual.
ESPOSTOA (es-PO-sto-a)
CACTACEAE. Woolly columnar Andean cacti. Easy in well-drained soil. Germinates in 2 - 3 weeks, best with GA-3.
—Espostoa lanata. (d,g) ESPO-15. Packet: $2.50
'PERUVIAN OLD MAN', 'COTTONBALL'. Woolly columnar cactus to 10 - 18 feet, with 20 - 30 ribs & 3" spines. Densely woolly, and forms an even woollier strip (lateral cephalium) near the top from which the white to purple 2 1/2" flowers and smooth red fruits emerge. Peru & Ecuador. The fruits are sweet & edible, called 'piscol colorado' or 'soroco'. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks.
EUCALYPTUS (you-ka-LIP-tus)
MYRTACEAE. Over 500 species of aromatic evergreen Australian trees and shrubs with puff-like flowers. Fast growing, the young plants having very different leaves from the usually sickle-shaped adult leaves. A variety of forms, from forest giant to gnarled shrub, makes them adapted to many landscaping situations. The foliage can be dried for arrangements—stand ends in glycerin a few days. Dwarf kinds good in tubs. Excellent firewood crop, and they produce abundant honey and pollen. Easy from seed, germinating in 1 - 4 weeks warm unless noted. A few kinds need cold or GA-3. Smoke treatment may help germination of some. Seed has a beneficial mycorrhizal relationship with the chaff, so it is usually supplied as a seed/chaff mixture.
'Gums' are tall with smooth or peeling bark, 'ironbarks' have persistent bark, 'mallees' are shrubby, with several stems from a ligno-tuber, and the 'marlocks' are dwarf kinds.
In California Eucalyptus trees are being destroyed in great numbers by anti-exotics extremists who claim they suppress native vegetation. On the contrary, studies have shown greater coverage and increasing diversity of natives under Eucalyptus canopies! Also, Eucalyptus groves are the preferred overwintering habitat of native monarch butterflies.
—Eucalyptus caesia. (d,h) EUCA-26. Packet: $2.50
'GUNGURRU'. Spectacular weeping tree to 20 feet. Small silvery grey leaves contrast with the reddish stems. Lovely deep pink flowers are nearly ever-blooming. Mallee-type. Needs good drainage and stands high wind. Drought-resistant, to 12" rain per year. Hardy to 22 - 25°F. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Eucalyptus camaldulensis. (b,v) EUCA-30. Packet: $2.50
'RIVER RED GUM'. To 60 - 200 feet, with a spreading crown and white flowers. A mighty tree for deep soils. Takes more heat and cold than E. globulus, and is widely planted. Exceedingly hard, durable timber. Hardy to 12 - 15°F. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Eucalyptus cinerea. (b,h) EUCA-38 Packet: $2.50
'SILVER DOLLAR GUM', 'ARGYLE APPLE'. Beautiful shining round silvery-grey juvenile leaves. Fast-growing tree-6 feet per year, to 20 - 50 feet. Hardy to 14 - 17°F. Stands wind and drought. Makes excellent cut foliage. Cut back hard. Choice!
—Eucalyptus citriodora. (c,h) EUCA-40. Packet: $2.50
'LEMON-SCENTED GUM'. Very fast growing slender graceful tree to 50 - 75 feet. Narrow, golden-green leaves are strongly lemon-scented. Good pot plant. Hardy to 24 - 28°F. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Eucalyptus coccifera. (a,v) EUCA-52. Packet: $2.50 OUT OF STOCK
'TASMANIAN SNOW GUM'. Frost hardy small tree to 20 feet or so, standing some snow. Attractive blue juvenile foliage. Peeling bark and smooth white trunk. Narrow adult leaves with fine hooked tip. Tasmania. Give seed two weeks cold treatment.
—Eucalyptus ficifolia. (e,h) EUCA-81. Packet: $2.50 OUT OF STOCK
'SCARLET-FLOWERED GUM'. Spectacular scarlet 1 1/2" flowers in foot-long clusters. Flowers may range through white, pink, or orange. Dense, round-headed tree to 12 - 40 feet, with handsome foliage resembling rubber plant leaves. Large, unusual woody pods. Hardy to 25 - 30 degrees F. Germinates in 1 - 4 weeks.
—Eucalyptus globulus. (e,v) EUCA-110. Packet: $2.50
'TASMANIAN BLUE GUM'. Mighty forest giant to 150 - 300 feet, with aromatic, dark green, sickle-shaped 6 - 10" leaves. Oval, silvery juvenile leaves. Creamy white 1 1/2" flowers followed by warty pods. Peeling bark. Needs deep soil and room. Good timber tree or fuelwood, growing 8 feet per year and reaching 50 feet in 6 years. Very strong wood—a 2" cube supported 27 million pounds before crushing. Yields an antiseptic medicinal oil. Hardy to 17 - 22°F. Can be grown as an annual bedding plant for the foliage. Germinates in about 2 weeks warm.
—Eucalyptus leucoxylon. (c,h) EUCA-154. Packet: $2.50
'WHITE IRONBARK'. Very fast growing slender tree to 20 - 80 feet, with white flowers, pendulous branches, and grey-green leaves. Free-flowering and tolerant of adverse conditions. Hardy to 14 - 18F. One of the hardest and heaviest Australian woods.
—Eucalyptus macrocarpa. (c,h) EUCA-166. Packet: $2.50
'COOLGARDIE ROSE', 'MOTTLECAH'. The largest-flowered of all Eucalyptus, with golf-ball-sized greyish buds opening into 4 - 7" wide flowers ranging from pink to red or white. The huge, 3" pods are highly decorative, with a beautifully marked disk. A sprawling, almost vine-like shrub to 4 - 15 feet, with grey-blue 4" leaves. Hardy to 8 - 12°F. Shelter from wind. Needs dry soil or leaves will blacken. Choice! Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks.
—Eucalyptus nutans Red Flowered. (b,h) EUCA-199. Packet: $2.50
'RED FLOWERED 'MOORT', 'NODDING GUM'. Small dense shrub to 6 - 8 feet, with large crimson. white-tipped flowers in spring. Grey mottled bark and shining foliage. W. Australia. Buds and pods usually nodding and red colored. Good in small gardens. Germinates in 1 - 8 weeks warm.
—Eucalyptus torquata. (d,h) EUCA-302. Packet: $2.50
'CORAL GUM', 'COOLGARDIE GUM'. Small tree to 15 - 25 feet, producing masses of large coral red flowers tipped with yellow anthers. Excellent for cut flowers, blooming in 3 to 4 years. Rough flaking bark and light green foliage. W Australia. Very ornamental, the branches droop under the weight of the flowers and pods. Sometimes blooms in pots when only 12 - 24" tall. Good in arid areas.
EUPATORIUM (you-pa-TOR-ee-um)
COMPOSITAE. Mostly herbaceous perennials (but ranging to tropical trees) grown in the border or wild garden for ornament, medicine and to attract butterflies. Valued for their late summer & fall bloom. Sow on the surface; irregular germination.
—Eupatorium fistulosum atropurpureum. (b,f) EUPT-9A. Packet: $2.50
Pink to wine-red flowers in large rounded clusters on a striking tall perennial to 7 feet, with red stems. E. U.S. An excellent selection. Germinates in 1 - 6 weeks.
EUPHORBIA (you-FOR-bee-a)
EUPHORBIACEAE. A huge genus (second largest) of 1600 species, nearly world-wide and ranging from tiny prostrate annuals to shrubs, trees and succulent cactus-like plants. Their cultivation is as varied as their habitats. A rewarding genus to specialize in, the varied forms demonstrating evolution. The sap of some species may cause skin rash and is extremely irritating to the eyes.
—Euphorbia Cyparissias. (c,g) EUPH-32. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $10.00
'CYPRESS SPURGE'. Nice yellow-green flower clusters turn purplish to reddish. Hardy creeping perennial to 1 foot, with narrow, inch-long blue-green leaves, giving it a feathery effect. Europe. Zone 4. Good ground cover. GA-3 to germinate in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Euphorbia enopla: See Reserved Access page.
—Euphorbia inermis: See Reserved Access page.
—Euphorbia Lathyris. (e,g-h) EUPH-75. Packet: $2.50
1/4 Oz: $7.50
'MOLE PLANT', 'GOPHER PURGE'. Narrow, blue-green, pointed 6" leaves set at right angles to the stem, forming a perfect "X" when seen from above. Hardy biennial to 5 feet, with a cluster of small flowers the second season, followed by round pods. Europe. The milky juice is irritating, and the plants repel certain species of moles and gophers under some conditions, and is also used to remove moles and warts. Germinates in 2 weeks or irregular. Nicking may help.
—Euphorbia marginata (=variegata). (d,h) EUPH-82. Packet: $2.50
'SNOW-ON-THE-MOUNTAIN'. Upper leaves and bracts are an attractive white with a green stripe, August to October. Bushy half-hardy annual to 3 1/2 feet or so. Minnesota to Texas. Prechill seed 4 weeks.
—Euphorbia marginata Icicle. (d,h) EUPH-82I. Packet: $2.50
Germination: 80% Tested: 8/09, 10 grams: $7.50 BULK OUT OF STOCK - PACKETS ARE AVAILABLE
'DWARF SNOW-ON-THE-MOUNTAIN'. Extra large bracts turn white early, July and August, good for cut-flower production. Earlier and more dwarf, to only 2 1/2 feet. Excellent. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
—Euphorbia Myrsinites. (d,h) EUPH-90. Packet: $3.00
'BLUE MYRTLE SPURGE'. Choice hardy perennial trailer with bluish, fleshy, diamond-shaped leaves arranged in close spirals on the stems. Yellow-green flowers in flat 4" umbels at the branch tips. Mts. of Europe. Attractive. Germinates in 1 - 4 weeks.
—Euphorbia polychroma. (d,g) EUPH-115. Packet: $2.50
'CUSHION SPURGE'. Showy bright yellow flowers at the branch-tips, almost covering the plant. Round, mound-shaped hardy perennial to 16", blooming in April and May. Turns crimson in fall. E. Europe. Easy in borders or rockery. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks.
—Euphorbia schoenlandii: See Reserved Access page.
"Any excuse will serve a tyrant."—Aesop, 550 BCE.