LABICHEA (la-BI-chee-a)
LEGUMINOSAE. Little-known Australian plants.
—Labichea lanceolata var. lanceolata. (10,h) LABI-15L. Packet: $3.00
'SPINY BUTTERFLY BUSH'. Yellow, four-petaled poinciana-like flowers with a red eye winter and spring. Dense rounded shrub to 3 - 10 feet with narrow, light-margined leaves. Coastal west Australia. Try it in California. Nick and soak.
LAMIUM (LA-mee-um)
LABIATAE. Eastern Hemisphere annuals & perennials grown in the rock and wild garden. Easy in part shade. The name comes from 'Lamis', a sea monster, from the shape of the flowers.
—Lamium galeobdolon. (d,v) LAMI-10. Packet: $2.00
'YELLOW ARCHANGEL'. Bright yellow 1/2 - 1" flowers with brown marks, in May to July. Hardy perennial to 2 feet, with marbled foliage splashed with streaks and spots of white. Eurasia. Zone 6.
LAPIDARIA (la-pi-DAR-ee-a)
AIZOACEAE. A single species.
—Lapidaria Margaretae. (d,h) LAPI-4. Packet: $2.00
Thick, chunky, succulent green leaves resembling chips of rock. Golden yellow flowers to 2" wide almost hiding the plant. Form smalls mats with age. SW Africa. Easy from seed, 1 - 2 weeks, GA-3 helps.
LATHYRUS
—Lathyrus odoratus America. (e,h) LATH-36A. Packet: $2.00
Red to near red flowers striped and streaked white. Very fragrant. To 4 - 5 feet tall. Nice.
—Lathyrus odoratus Black Knight. (d,h) LATH-36BK. Packet $3.00
Old-fashioned highly scented sweet pea, with dark maroon-purple blooms. Introduced in 1898, the flowers are smaller than the modern types, but are deliciously fragrant. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
—Lathyrus odoratus Blues Brothers. (e,h) LATH-36BB. Packet: $2.00
A collection of blue shades, scented flowers.
—Lathyrus odoratus Cappucino Mixed. (e,h) LATH-36CX. Packet: $2.00
Highly scented flowers in various coffee-colored shades. To 6 feet. Unusual and attractive.
—Lathyrus odoratus Painted Lady. (e,h) LATH-36PL. Packet $3.00
A lovely heirloom sweet pea with rose and white bicolored blooms. Introduced in 1737. Smaller flowers and intense fragrance. The modern types have sacrificed scent for large flowers, and the fragrance of these older varieties is beyond compare.
—Lathyrus odoratus Wild Italian. (e,h) LATH-36W. Packet: $3.00
Purple bicolored flowers, smaller than the modern types, but said to be incredibly fragrant. Small plants to only 32" tall.
—Lathyrus odoratus Wiltshire Ripple. (e,h) LATH-36WR. Packet: $3.00
White fragrant flowers, mottled, striped, and flushed with burgundy and chocolate, often edged.
LAVANDULA
—Lavandula viridis. (e,h) LAVA-25. Packet: $3.00
'YELLOW FLOWERED' or 'CANARY ISLAND LAVENDER'. Small yellow flowers, fragrant leaves. Perennial to 2 feet. Canary Islands. Use GA-3.
LEONURUS
—Leonurus Cardiaca. (b,h) LEOR-3. Packet: $2.00
Germination: 99% Tested: 2/08, 5 grams: $7.50, 10 grams: $12.00 OTC ORGANICALLY GROWN
'MOTHERWORT'. White-woolly flowers on a hardy perennial to 5 feet, with palmately divided lower leaves. Good bee plant. Medicinal. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
LEPTOSPERMUM
—Leptospermum polygalifolium. (a,h) LEPT-36. Packet: $2.00
'TANTOON TEA-TREE'. Masses of white five-petaled 1/2" flowers that range into pale yellow or pink, in summer. Rounded shrub to 6 feet, up to a small tree to 20 feet, with narrow, aromatic inch-long leaves. E. Australia. Used for tea. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
LEUCOPHYLLUM (loo-ko-FEE-lum)
SCROPHULARIACEAE. Showy Southwestern shrubs, good for landscaping in desert areas.
—Leucophyllum frutescens. (d,g) LECP-9. Packet: $2.00
'TEXAS RANGER', 'CENIZA', 'BAROMETER BUSH'. Abundant showy purple inch-wide flowers. Compact white-felty shrub to 8 feet, with inch-long leaves. Texas & Mexico. Hardy to about 10°F. A tea of the leaves was used by the Indians for fevers. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
LIBERTIA (li-BER-tee-a)
IRIDACEAE. Southern hemisphere perennials related to Sisyrhinchium, with iris-like leaves and white flowers. Good in moist areas in mild climates.
—Libertia ixioides. (d,g) LIBE-20. Packet: $3.00
'NEW ZEALAND IRIS', 'TUKAUKI'. Small white flowers in clusters, May to September. Grassy, iris-like leaves with a light band. Semi-hardy perennial to 20". New Zealand. Zone 7. Makes nice colonies. Germinates irregularly over a long period. Surface sow for light, move to cool or cold after a few months for more sprouts.
LIGUSTRUM (li-GUS-trum)
OLEACEAE. Well-known ornamental shrubs & trees valued for their profusion of white fragrant flowers. Much grown as hedges or street trees. Tolerant of pollution & easily grown. Usually germinates readily, though some need cold treatment.
—Quihoui. (b,g) LIG-36. Packet: $2.00
Oz: $6.00
Profuse small fragrant white flowers in clusters to 2 feet long in late summer. Rounded shrub to 6 - 8 feet, with arching branches and 2" leaves. China. Zone 5. "Elegant habit...one of the best of the genus." —Hilliers. Give seed 8 - 12 weeks cold.
LILIUM
—Lilium pumilum. (d,h) LILY-85. Packet: $2.50 Click for photo »
Gram: $10.00
'CORAL LILY'. Fragrant bright scarlet 2" flowers with reflexed petals, in racemes of up to 20, on stems to 1 1/2 feet. Siberia & E. China. Germinates in 2 - 5 weeks. Bulbs edible. "Another beautiful meadow lily, always first of our species to bloom." —Bertrand.
LIMNANTHES
—Limnanthes Douglasii ssp. sulphurea. (d,g) LIMN-1S. Packet: $2.00
'YELLOW MEADOWFOAM'. Lovely pale yellow flowers on a hardy annual to 6 - 12". Known only from two locations in coastal California, it is threatened or endangered in the wild, but is well established in cultivation. Germinates in 4 weeks.
LINARIA
—Linaria aeruginea Neon Lights. (c,h) LINA-4N. Packet: $2.00
Brilliant mix of bicolored 1" flowers—pink or violet with purple, yellow with orange, white with red, in clusters May to August. Hardy spreading perennial to 8", with attractive, narrow bluish-green foliage. Spain and Portugal. Zone 5. Blooms the first year. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
LINUM
—Linum elegans. (d,h) LINM-12. Packet: $3.50 Click for photo »
Bright yellow 3/4" flowers in clusters on 4" stems covering the plant. Hardy perennial forming a mound 8" across, made up of 2" rosettes of tiny leaves. "One of the awesome yellow high alpine Turkish flaxes. The name is a giveaway. Quite nice." —Bertrand. Use GA-3 at 500ppm to germinate in 2- 3 weeks.
LIPPIA (LIP-ee-a)
VERBENACEAE. Tropical African and American herbs, shrubs, and trees, with small tubular flowers in spikes. Some are popular aromatic herbs.
—Lippia dulcis. (=Phyla scaberrima) (b,g) LIPP-32. Packet: $3.00
'YERBA DULCE', 'AZTEC SWEET HERB', 'OROZUZ'. Tiny white flowers in daisy-like 1/2" heads. Small shrub to 1 - 2 feet, with 2" leaves. México. The leaves are intensely sweet when chewed, and are used as seasoning or tea. Roots licorice-flavored. "Much easier to grow than Stevia as it tolerates heat." —Baber. Needs warmth to germinate.
LIQUIDAMBAR
—Liquidambar formosana. (b,g) LIQU-1. Packet: $2.00
'CHINESE LIQUIDAMBAR', 'FORMOSAN GUM'. Attractive 3-lobed 6" leaves are red-tinted in spring and again in fall, downy underneath. Tall tree to 120 feet, with greyish bark. China. Zone 7. Beautiful fall color. Resin and seed-balls used in Chinese medicine. Silkworms that feed on it produce superior silk. Spirits are believed to inhabit the top of the tree. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks.
LITHOPS
—Lithops Lesliei var. albinica. (e,g) LITH-52A. Packet: $2.00
Dark green bodies with yellow-green patterning. Large white 1 1/4" flowers in September. S. Africa.
LOBELIA
—Lobelia erinus pendula Cascade Mix. (a!,h) LOB-10C. Packet: $2.50
Large 3/4" flowers in shades of blue, purple, violet, lilac, white, yellow, orange and crimson, many with white eyes. Trailing plants, ideal for hanging baskets. Annual or perennial. Germinates in 1 - 4 weeks.
LOLIUM (LOL-ee-um)
GRAMINEAE. Important Eurasian grasses grown for ornament, forage, lawns, and medicine.
—Lolium temulentum. (c,h) LOLI-23. Packet: $2.00
'DARNEL'. Annual grass to 2 - 3 feet, with typical 'rye-grass' spikes. Europe. Grown for medicine and historical interest in folklore and Bible gardens.
LOMATIUM (lo-MA-tee-um)
UMBELLIFERAE. Several W. North American perennials with yellow, white, or purple flowers. Good in the wild garden, and some have valuable medicinal properties. Germinates best at cool temperatures (40ºF). Sow in fall or very early spring.
—Lomatium nudicaule. (d,v) LOMA-32. Packet: $2.00
'PESTLE-PARSNIP', 'INDIAN CELERY'. Yellow flowers in abundant small umbels. Hardy perennial to 8 - 12", with blue-green celery-like foliage. Dry places, B.C. to California. The young leaves taste like celery, and were eaten by the Indians, and are still a popular spring green. The roots, called 'cous', were used as food, and the seeds widely used for medicine, flavoring, & incense. Germination irregular.
LUNARIA (loo-NAR-ee-a)
CRUCIFERAE. Old fashioned annuals and perennials grown for their attractive, sweet-scented flowers and the large, flat, silvery pods used in dried arrangements. Easily grown, standing poor soil, part shade, and drought. Reseeds well. Sow early in spring or fall in mild climates.
Lunaria annua Varieties: (=biennis)
'MONEY PLANT', 'SATIN FLOWER'. Well-known for the sprays of slivery moon-like 2" pods. Showy purple, red or white 1/2" wide, sweet-scented flowers in large clusters in spring and early summer. Good cut flowers. To 2 - 3 feet, with large, heart-shaped leaves. Easily grown and self-sows. An old-fashioned favorite for poor shady soils. The unripe seeds and the roots are said to have a hot, mustard-like flavor, and have been eaten in salads. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks. Seed viable 4 years or more.
—Lunaria annua Violet. (c,h) LUNA-1L. Packet: $2.00
Bright purple-violet flowers and large pods.
—Lunaria annua White. (c,g) LUNA-1W. Packet: $2.00
WHITE FLOWERED MONEY PLANT'.