LEGUMINOSAE. Spectacular hardy small trees and shrubs valued for their pendulous yellow racemes and graceful habit. Hardy to at least Massachusetts (Zone 4) and standing poor rock soil. Pest free. Nick and soak seed to germinate in about 3 weeks.
—Laburnum alpinum. (b,h) LABN-2. Packet: $2.00
Oz: $7.00 (about 1100 seed) BULK OUT OF STOCK - PACKETS ARE AVAILABLE
'SCOTCH LABURNUM'. Bright yellow 1/2" flowers in long slender pendulous 15" racemes in summer. Hardy tree to 30 feet, with shiny deep green foliage. Mts. of S. Europe. Zone 3. Nick seed to germinate in 1 - 3 weeks.
—Laburnum anagyroides. (100) LABN-4. Packet: $2.50
Oz: $9.00, 1/4 lb: $27.00
'GOLDENCHAIN TREE'. Yellow, pea-like 3/4" flowers in pendulous 4 - 12" racemes resembling a yellow Wisteria, in May and June, followed by 2" pods. Graceful small tree to 20 feet or more, with trifoliate 3" leaves. Central and South Europe. Long-lived; one planted in 1601 was 56 feet tall in 1937. Very hard durable wood used as an ebony substitute. Leaves used as a no doubt dangerous tobacco substitute, and the seeds are rich in the poisonous insecticidal alkaloids cytisine and others.
LAGENARIA (la-je-NAR-ee-a)
CUCURBITACEAE. 'GOURD'. Tender long-running tropical vines. Easily grown musky-scented plants. Give warm rich soil and full sun. Start indoors early in the North, and grow like squash. Pantropical and independently domesticated in both hemispheres. Includes the hard-shelled, white flowered Calabash Gourds, Cucuzzi Squash, Snake Gourd, and New Guinea Bean. Some lots more or less dormant. Warmth and GA-3 improves germination.
—Lagenaria siceraria Bushel Gourd. (10,h) LAGS-6B. Packet: $3.00 OUT OF STOCK
Very large round gourds, sometimes up to 4 - 5 gallon capacity. Used for containers, drums, etc.
LAPEIROUSIA (la-pay-i-ROO-zee-a)
IRIDACEAE. Easily grown African cormous plants hardy in the North with winter protection. Showy Watsonia-like flowers. Grow like Gladiolus in light soil and full sun. Good for forcing in the greenhouse. Named in honor of the unfortunate French navigator, La Peyrouse. Germinates readily.
—Lapeirousia laxa (=Anamotheca laxa) LAPE-24. Packet: $2.50
10 grams: $12.00
Info and photos
Info and photos
Info and photos
Salmon-pink 1 1/2" flowers with red eyes, in one-sided spikes of 6 - 12. Rare plant with narrow, foot-long leaves. To 4 - 10" tall. S. Africa. Hardy to Zone 4. Good to naturalize in California among shrubs where it is summer dormant. Germinates in 4 - 12 weeks. Now classed as Freesia laxa.
LATHYRUS (LATH-ee-rus or la-THY-rus)
LEGUMINOSAE. 'PEAVINE'. Showy climbing and upright annuals and perennials, including the familiar 'Sweet Pea'. Grown for their lovely, often fragrant flowers of many shades of blue, violet, red, white or yellow. Excellent, quick-growing plants, perfectly adapted to trellises, fences, or allowed to sprawl as a colorful groundcover on sunny slopes. The perennials are easily grown in any garden soil, giving a good display year after year without attention. The annuals need a deep, rich moist soil and full sun. Pick pods to prolong bloom. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
—Lathyrus odoratus Cappucino Mixed. (e,h) LATH-36CX. Packet: $3.00
Highly scented flowers in various coffee-colored shades. To 6 feet. Unusual and attractive.
—Lathyrus odoratus Old Spice Mix. (d,h) LATH-36SX. Packet $2.00
Oz: $6.00, 1/4 lb: $15.00
'SWEET PEA'. A mix of classic, old-fashioned varieties whose intense, spicy fragrance will not be found in the newer types, where it has been sacrificed to color and size. Vigorous hardy annual, with red, rose, blue, violet and white flowers, smaller than the modern types. Italy. Introduced into cultivation over 250 years ago. Amazingly strong, sweet and long-lasting scent. Excellent cut-flowers, their color and fragrance will fill a room for a week or more. Needs a rich, deep soil, plenty of water, and full sun. Sow in spring when the soil is still cool. Will bloom from June to September if pods are picked. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
—Lathyrus odoratus Royal Family. (c,h) LATH-36RF. Packet: $2.00
Oz: $6.00
'SWEET PEAS'. Lovely mix of fragrant large flowers in bright colors- reds, pinks, oranges, whites and purples. Withstands heat. Long-lasting cut flowers. This mixture is now difficult to find.
—Lathyrus odoratus Wiltshire Ripple. (e,h) LATH-36WR. Packet: $3.00
White fragrant flowers, mottled, striped, and flushed with burgundy and chocolate, often edged.
"Live as if you are going to die tomorrow, garden as if you are going to live forever."—Joan Kipling
LAVANDULA (la-VAN-du-la)
LABIATAE. 'LAVENDER'. Aromatic perennials and shrubs grown for their attractive bloom, handsome foliage and delightful fragrance. They prefer full sun, and light, dry, limey soil, rich soil reducing yield. South facing slopes are best. Clip frequently to induce bushiness. Hardy to about zone 5. Sow in fall or spring, as they germinate best at cool temperatures. Or prechill 6 - 12 weeks to germinate in 1 - 12 weeks. Seed viable 5 years. Cut flowers in morning or evening, and dry in a cool, shaded place.
—Lavandula officinalis (=vera). (b,g) LAVA-7. Packet: $2.50
10 grams: $8.00
'TRUE or ENGLISH LAVENDER'. Lavender 1/2" flowers with purplish calyces, in long-stemmed spikes. Narrow grey green 2" leaves. Rounded shrub to 1 - 3 feet. Mediterranean region. An ancient herb, used by the Romans in their baths, and in their salads. It is mentioned by Shakespeare, and is much used to this day for strewing, perfume, scenting clothes, medicine, etc. A good honey source. Good cut flowers. The flowers were candied in former times, and they are good in salads, wine, and vinegar. Germinates best with 6 weeks prechill.
—Lavandula officinalis rosea. (c,f) LAVA-7R. Packet: $2.50
'PINK LAVENDER'. A nice variety with light pink flowers, To 14" tall. Prechill 6 weeks.
NEW—Lavandula viridis. LAVA-25. Packet: $3.00
Gram: $6.00, 10 grams: $30.00
'YELLOW FLOWERED' or 'CANARY ISLAND LAVENDER'. Small yellow flowers, fragrant leaves. Perennial to 2 feet. Canary Islands. Use GA-3 to germinate in 1 - 2 weeks.
LAVATERA (la-va-TER-a)
MALVACEAE. Easily grown herbs and shrubs with showy Hibiscus-like flowers, and often maple-like leaves. Best in full sun and average soil, giving profuse bloom all summer. Curious disjunct range.
—Lavatera arborea. (20) LAVT-3. Packet: $2.50
'TREE MALLOW'. Purple-red 2" flowers with darker veins, in clusters from June to September. Small tree to 10 feet, with 3 - 9" downy lobed leaves. S. Europe. Zone 7. Short-lived but very attractive. Nick through both outer husk and inner seed coat to germinate in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Lavatera arborea variegata. LAVT-3V. Packet: $3.00
5 grams: $15.00
'VARIEGATED TREE MALLOW'. Clustered purple-red 2" flowers with darker veins in the center. Small tree to 10 feet, with 3 - 9" five- to nine-lobed marbled downy leaves. Europe. Very attractive in both foliage and flower, good in the greenhouse or on the coast. Fairly hardy. Nick seed through both outer husk and inner coat, to germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Lavatera cachmeriana. (c,h) LAVT-6. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $7.50
Click for photo »
'KASHMIR TREE MALLOW'. Bright pink 2" flowers with darker veins, July to September. Tall branching perennial to 8 feet. Endemic to the Kashmir Himalayas, 7500 to 10,000 feet. Medicinal. Hardy to Wisconsin. Nick seed to germinate in 1 - 3 weeks.
—Lavatera trimestris Silver Cup. (c,h) LAVT-15C. Packet: $2.50
5 grams: $6.00, 25 grams: $12.00, 100 grams: $25.00
Salmon rose flowers with dark rose veins. Hardy annual to 2 feet. Fleuroselect Silver Medal. Excellent annual. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
LEONOTIS (lee-o-NO-tis)
LABIATAE. Showy tropical African annual and perennial herbs and shrubs with tubular flowers in whorls. Easy from seed or cuttings. The perennials are nice in California and the South. Full sun.
—Leonotis nepetaefolia Staircase. LEON-17S. Packet: $2.50
5 grams: $24.00 NEW PRICE
Click for photo »
'LION'S EAR', 'PRINCE'S FLAG', 'THIEF'S HEAD'. Showy, inch-long, bright yellow to orange-red flowers in large heads. Annual to 4 feet, with broad, catnip-like leaves. The flowers are followed by attractive spiny seedheads that are useful in dried arrangements. Africa. Flowers well in a 6" pot. In Africa, night thieves would put the spiny seedheads in their hair to prevent being grabbed when fleeing. The flowers are eaten in Tanzania and the plant has many medicinal uses. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
"All civilization does is hide the blood and cover up the hate with pretty words!"—U. K. LeGuin.
LEONTOPODIUM (le-on-to-PO-de-um)
COMPOSITAE. Low woolly hardy alpine perennials of Eurasia and the Andes, with star-like floral bracts. Best in light, well-drained soil and full sun.
—Leonotpodium alpinum. (a,h) LEOT-1. Packet: $2.50
'EDELWEISS'. White woolly flowers on a creeping hardy perennial to 12". High Alps. Germinates in 2 - 8 weeks.
LEPTOSPERMUM (lep-to-SPER-mum)
MYRTACEAE. Valued for their profusion of flowers, these mostly Australian evergreen shrubs and trees are easily grown if given good drainage. Good outdoors in mild climates (some are hardy to 10°F or more), or in the cool greenhouse. Good on dunes. Sow on the surface of a peaty, sandy mix, to germinate in 1 - 12 weeks. Smoke treatment may help germination.
—Leptospermum scoparium var. scoparium. (a!,v) LEPT-40S. Packet: $2.50
'MANUKA', 'NEW ZEALAND TEA-TREE'. White 1/2" wide five-petaled flowers abundantly produced in spring and summer. Compact shrub to 3 - 12 feet. with needle-like 1/2" leaves. SE Australia to New Zealand. Easily grown and one of the hardiest. A tea of the aromatic leaves was drunk by Captain Cook to prevent scurvy, and is medicinal.
LESPEDEZA (les-pe-DEE-za)
LEGUMINOSAE. 'BUSH CLOVER'. Floriferous shrubs and herbs which are easily grown in full sun and almost any soil, best in uplands. Most are fairly hardy in the North, and they are extensively planted here and abroad for ornament and reclamation. Drought resistant. Sow in early spring, 1/4" deep, to germinate in 1 - 6 weeks. About 25% are hard and need nicking. Best inoculated with group 4 or garden bean inoculant. Seed viable 20 years or more.
—Lespedeza bicolor (=Desmodium bicolor). (b,h) LESP-2. Packet $2.00
Oz: $6.00, 1/4 lb: $15.00, lb: $30.00
Bright rose-purple flowers profusely borne in racemes along the branches, bending them with their abundance from July to October. Graceful shrub to 4 - 10 feet, with slender arching branches and oval trifoliate leaves. Japan, introduced in 1856. Hardy to Boston. Excellent ornamental, erosion control, and the seeds are good quail food. Extensively grown in Korea, where it is called the 'miracle plant' since it controls erosion, enriches the soil with its prolific nodules, provides protein-rich livestock feed, and especially for the stems which are a high quality firewood. Yields 2.9 metric tons of fuelwood per hectare cut one year after planting, and 6.1 mt/ha after 2 years (= 11,000 lb/acre). The blooms give high quality honey. Good deer browse. Young leaves and flowers eaten boiled or fried, seeds occasionally boiled with rice, and mature leaves used as a tea substitute. Leaves and root used in Japanese medicine. Germinates in 2 - 6 weeks.
"Busy, curious, thirsty fly, Drink with me, and drink as I."—William Oldys, On a Fly Drinking out of a Cup of Ale, (1696 - 1761).
LEUCHTENBERGIA: See Reserved Access page.
LEVISTICUM (le-VIS-ti-kum)
UMBELLIFERAE. 'LOVAGE'. A single species of hardy perennial herb grown for the seeds used as flavoring. Best in rich moist soil and full sun. Sow in fall or early spring to germinate in 2 - 3 weeks. Space 1 - 3 feet apart. Seed viable 3 years.
—Levisticum officinale. (b,h) LEVI-1. Packet: $2.50
10 grams: $7.50, 25 grams: $15.00
'LOVAGE'. Tall perennial with shining dark green leaves in mounds to 2 - 3 feet. Tall 6 foot flower stalks topped with umbels of small yellow flowers in June and July, followed by strongly aromatic seeds. Alpine Europe. The fresh chopped leaves are an excellent addition to salads, stews and soups. The thick leafstalks can be eaten fresh like celery or candied like Angelica. Dried leaves make a nice tea. Seeds and root used for flavoring cordials and in perfumery. Germinates in 2 - 3 weeks warm.
LEYCESTERIA (lay-ses-TER-ee-a)
CAPRIFOLIACEAE. 'HIMALAYAN HONEYSUCKLE.' Himalayan shrubs with funnel-shaped flowers in nodding spikes. Easily grown outdoors in the South and in sheltered places in the North. Easy from seed, flowers in 3 - 4 years. Interesting plants.
—Leycesteria formosa. LEYC-9. Packet: $2.50
'FLOWERING NUTMEG', 'HIMALAYAN HONEYSUCKLE', 'PHEASANT BERRY'. White 3/4" flowers in pendant 4" spikes, with claret-red bracts, in August - September. Shiny purple-black berries, Strong growing deciduous shrub to 6 feet, with 7" leaves. Himalayas. "Berries bitter but delicious with sugar and milk. Diluted with water, they make a refreshing drink, sweetened to taste. Unique flavor. My favorite soft fruit."—J.L. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.