LABIATAE. Perennial herbs and shrubs of Europe and western Asia. Sometimes grown for medicine.
NEW—Ballota pseudodictamnus. (e,h) BALL-19. Packet: $2.50
White 1/2" flowers with purple markings, in long leafy spikes, with large green calyces. Evergreen subshrub to 1 foot or more, with grey-woolly 2" leaves. Turkey to N. Africa. Zone 5 or 6. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
BANKSIA (BANK-see-a)
PROTEACEAE. Spectacular Australian evergreen trees and shrubs, noted for their striking foliage and large, bizarre flowers in magnificent spikes. Best in the cool greenhouse as they do not stand frost well. Needs perfect drainage but constant moisture. In warm climates a sheltered place among shrubs is best. Most germinate readily, but some like light nicking or hot water and a 24 hour soak. Sow in sandy soil. In California some are sown in fall to germinate in spring. Seed viable 4 - 5 years. Smoke treatment may help germination.
—Banksia coccinea. (10,v) BANK-12. Packet: $3.00
'SCARLET BANKSIA'. Brilliant red flat spikes 2"across, with rows of curved scarlet stamens. Oval leaves. Shrub to 15 feet. West Australia. Does well in light acid soil and stands high winter rainfall. "One of the most spectacular Banksias." —Heyne.
—Banksia violacea. (10,1) BANK-92. Packet: $3.00
'VIOLET BANKSIA'. Distinctive deep metallic violet flowers in round spikes. Dwarf shrub with grey heath-like foliage. Western Australia. Prefers slightly acid soil and constant moisture. Germinates in 3-4 weeks.
BAPTISIA (bap-TEE-zee-a)
LEGUMINOSAE. 'WILD INDIGO'. Sturdy, hardy perennials with attractive deep green foliage and lupine-like flowers in racemes. In late fall the pods turn dark and are quite ornamental. Excellent in the border and makes nice cut flowers. Easy in any ordinary soil and a sunny position. Sow in fall or early spring outdoors, or nick seed and sow in pots to germinate in 2 - 3 weeks. Some were used as dye plants, medicinal antiseptics and for edible shoots.
—Baptisia australis. (c,h) BAPT-2. Packet: $2.00 Click for photo »
Germination: 84% Tested: 11/07, 1/4 Oz: $6.00, Oz: $15.00
'BLUE WILD INDIGO', 'RATTLEBUSH'. Inch-long, deep indigo-blue flowers in long terminal racemes in June and July. Stout hardy perennial to 4 - 6 feet, with attractive blue-green, clover-like 2 1/2" leaves. Racemes up to 10" long. E. U.S. "Handsome. Probably the best species for cultivation." —L.H. Bailey.
—Baptisia leucantha. (d,h) BAPT-28. Packet: $2.00
'WHITE FALSE INDIGO'. White inch-long flowers with standard marked purple, in foot-long spikes in June & July. Hardy perennial to 3 - 5 feet with attractive blue green trifoliate 2" leaves. Ontario & Wisconsin to the Gulf states. Long-lived & showy. Medicinal. "Very striking... good dye plant, ornamental seedpods." —S. Adams. Nick seed, germinates in 2 - 4 weeks.
NEW—Baptisia pendula (=alba) (10,h) BAPT-42. Packet: $5.00
Pure white 1/2" flowers in spikes in summer, followed by nodding pods. Hardy perennial to 2 - 4 feet, with blue-green 2" leaves. New growth black-red. SE U.S. Zone 3 - 9. Choice! Nick seed to germinate in 2 - 4 weeks.
BARBAREA (bar-BAR-ee-a)
CRUCIFERAE. About a dozen species of hardy biennial & perennial herbs, grown for cress & ornament.
NEW—Barbarea vulgaris Variegata. (c,h) BARB-25V. Packet: $3.00
'WINTER CREAM'. An absolutely stunning variety of winter cress, with large rounded leaves splashed with light creamy-yellow variegation. Hardy biennial to 2 feet. Eurasia. Easily grown in rich soil, and if the flowering stems are cut before they open, it is practically perennial. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
"Better no rule than cruel rule." —Aesop.
BELAMCANDA (bell-am-KAN-da)
IRIDACEAE. Two E. Asian hardy perennials. Easily grown, preferring full sun and good drainage. Germinates in 2 - 12 weeks at warm temperatures.
—Belamcanda chinensis. (d,h) BELA-6. Packet: $2.00
'BLACKBERRY LILY', 'SHE GAN'. Deep orange 2" flowers with red spots, blooming in early summer, followed by ornamental clusters of black seeds. Hardy perennial to 1 - 4 feet, with iris-like leaves. China, Japan. Zone 5. The rhizome is an important Chinese medicine, and has been shown to be antifungal and antiviral. Young leaves have been eaten.
BELLIS (BELL-is)
COMPOSITAE. 'ENGLISH DAISY'. Attractive annuals, biennials and perennials growing in tufts. Favorites for edging, rock gardens, and colonizing in lawns. May be sown in early spring for bloom the first year in harsh climates, or up to late summer for bloom the following year. Germinates in 10 - 15 days. Space 6" apart. Best in cool climates & moist soil. Good carpeting in shady areas, and for winter flowering pot plants in the cool greenhouse. Good cut flowers. Seed viable 6 - 7 years.
—Bellis perennis White. (a!,h) BELL-3. Packet: $2.00
Germination: 99% Tested: 12/07, 5 grams: $12.00 New Price
'ENGLISH DAISY'. Single white 1 - 2" daisies in spring and early summer. Hardy perennial to 6", with rosettes of 1 - 2" leaves. Europe. Excellent for sowing in lawns, good with moisture and stands shade. This is the original daisy used in the classic love-divination "He loves me, he loves me not..."
BERGENIA (ber-JEN-ee-a)
SAXIFRAGACEAE. Vigorous creeping Asian perennials, with handsome foliage and attractive flowers in early spring. Best in humusy soil and part shade. Makes nice blooming plants in 2 - 3 years. Sometimes called 'pigsqueak'.
—Bergenia cordifolia Red Beauty. (b,h) BERG-6R. Packet: $2.00
'HEARTLEAF BERGENIA'. Bright red flowers in nodding clusters, March to May. Hardy perennial to 2 feet, with large roundish heart-shaped evergreen bronzy 10" leaves. Siberia & Mongolia. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks warm.
BETULA (BE-tu-la)
BETULACEAE. 'BIRCH'. Hardy ornamental N. Hemisphere trees and shrubs, most preferring moist sandy soils. Valued for their graceful habit, & some for timber. They range to 70° N. latitude.
Best from seed sown in fall. If given light, they do not need cold treatment.
—Betula lenta. (a,g) BETU-14. Packet: $2.00
'SWEET or CHERRY BIRCH'. Tree to 15 - 70 feet, with dark reddish brown aromatic bark, and 2 - 5" leaves. Round headed when young, pendulous with age. E. U.S. The bark and twigs have a strong wintergreen flavor, containing methylsalicylate, and are an official source of Oil of Wintergreen. The leaves have been used for tea and the sap fermented for 'birch beer'. The inner bark has been eaten, and the richly marked wood valued for cabinetry. Sow on the surface, germination irregular.
—Betula platyphylla japonica. (a!,f) BETU-38J. Packet: $2.00
'JAPANESE WHITE BIRCH'. Fast-growing white-barked tree with 3" glossy green leaves that turn yellow in fall. To 40 - 50 feet, hardy and adaptable, doing well in all zones except hot desert and tropics. Japan. Needs light or cold to germinate in 2 - 10 weeks.
BEAUCARNEA (BO-kar-nee-a)
AGAVACEAE. Evergreen Yucca-like plants with thick trunks and heads of narrow leaves. Sometimes included in Nolina. Easily grown in warm dry regions—cold wet winters cause rot.
NEW—Beaucarnea recurvata. (d,g) BEAU-20. Packet: $2.00
'ELEPHANT FOOT', 'PONYTAIL PALM'. Striking plant with a funnel-shaped trunk with a bulbous base up to 6 feet across, tapering to a thin trunk topped with a head of drooping, narrow, grass-like leaves, each up to 6 feet long. To 25 feet. Panicles of tiny white flowers. SE México. Zone 9. Stands more moisture than stricta. Germinates in 4 - 8 weeks.
BERGENIA
NEW—Bergenia cordifolia Winterglow. (b,h) BERG-6W. Packet: $3.50
'HEART -LEAF BERGENIA'. Striking red-colored fall and winter foliage. Bright red flowers in nodding clusters, March to May. Hardy perennial to 16", with large, rounded, heart-shaped evergreen leaves. Siberia & Mongolia. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
BILLARDIERA (bill-ar-dee-ER-a)
PITTOSPORACEAE. Small Australian twining shrubs grown for ornament in California and the South. Nice in hanging baskets in the greenhouse. Most soils. Stands full sun, but best in part shade. Smoke treatment or GA-3 may help germination.
NEW—Billardiera bicolor. (d,v) BILL-2 Packet: $2.00
'PAINTED BILLARDIERA'. Cream 1/2" flowers, each petal striped purple. Twining, viny shrub to 6 feet, with dark red stems. Australia. Germinates in 4 - 12 weeks; improved by smoke or GA-3.
BIXA (BI-ha)
BIXACEAE. A single species. Good in the far South or in the greenhouse. Seed irregular in germination, coming up in 2 - 15 weeks or more warm.
—Bixa Orellana. (c,h) BIXA-1. Packet: $1.50
Oz: $4.00
'ANNATO', 'ACHIOTE', 'URUCU', 'LIPSTICK TREE'. Large, five-petaled rose, pink or white flowers with yellow stamens, followed by striking, maroon to vivid scarlet 2" spiny pods. Amazon Basin. For millennia Amazonian Indians have used the red dye obtained from the seedcoat as face and body paint. Cultivated throughout the tropics for food coloring and dye for cheese, soap, cloth, paint, lipstick, margarine, etc. A few seeds can be added to rice, soups, or to flavor chocolate and meats. Seeds eaten cooked in butter. Bark provides fiber. Good hedge and honey plant. Used medicinally.
BOMAREA: See Reserved Access page.
BORAGO (bo-RA-go)
BORAGINACEAE. Robust annuals and perennials with showy blue or white saucer-shaped 5-petaled flowers and downy foliage. Grown in the flower and herb garden, and they are good bee plants. Drought resistant and free-flowering. Sow seed in spring or fall where they are to flower. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks. Space 9 - 15" apart. Seed viable 8 - 10 years.
—Borago officinalis. (c,h) BORA-3. Packet: $1.50 OUT OF STOCK
Oz: $6.00 OUT OF STOCK
'BORAGE'. Easily grown showy annual with blue or purplish star-shaped 1 1/2" wide flowers in nodding clusters in summer, on branched 2 foot stems. Silvery, downy leaves. Mediterranean. The young fresh leaves have a refreshing cucumber-like flavor and are used in salads, summer drinks and cooked greens. The flowers are a colorful addition to salads, can be floated on cool drinks, and are candied. Pliny called it ephrosynon, believing it made men merry and joyful who drank wine flavored with it.
—Borago officinalis var. alba. (d,h) BORA-3A. Packet: $2.00
'WHITE-FLOWERED BORAGE'. The lovely white-flowered form, so rarely seen. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
"Wherefore I will not rule, and also ruled I will not be!" —J. H. Mackay.
BRACHYCHITON (bra-kee-KI-ton)
STERCULIACEAE. Australian trees with swollen trunks. Grown in warm regions for their masses of showy flowers.
—Brachychiton discolor. (e,g) BRAC-10. Packet: $2.00 Click for photo »
Germination: 90% Tested 3/08, Oz: $8.00 (about 100 seed)
'LACEBARK BOTTLE-TREE', 'HAT TREE'. Large bell-shaped pink 2" long flowers in masses. Tree to 100 feet, with palmate 4 - 8" leaves and a swollen trunk, which appears even in seedlings. NW Australia. Soak seed in hot water, rub covering off, then it germinates over about 1 - 5 months. Easy.
BRACHYCOME (BRA-kee-KO-me)
COMPOSITAE. Mostly showy Australian half-hardy annuals and perennials. Easily grown, giving a good display in deep rich soil and full sun. Good in masses in the border, or singly in pots in the greenhouse or windowsill. Germinates in about 1 - 4 weeks. Sow in March, or in September for winter bloom.
—Brachycome iberidifolia Bravo Deep Blue With Black. (b,h) BRAK-10B. Packet: $2.00
Deep blue flowers with black centers. Compact hardy annual to 8 - 10", selected for a longer bloom time. Good in pots and baskets. Germinates in a week.
—Brachycome iberidifolia Mixed. (a!,h) BRAK-10. Packet: $2.00
Germination: 90% Tested: 9/07, 7100/g, 10 grams: $6.00, 25 grams: $10.00
'SWAN RIVER DAISY'. Blue, pink, violet and white inch-wide daisies borne in profusion on a compact annual to 10 - 12". Ferny, divided foliage. Australia. A beautiful little plant, forming a carpet of color. The flowers are sweetly scented. Blooms about 13 weeks from seed. Germinates in a week at warm temperatures, up to 4 weeks at 40°F.
BRASSICA (BRASS-i-ka)
CRUCIFERAE. 'MUSTARD', 'COLE'. Tall yellow-flowered plants, including many valuable edibles like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, rape, rutabaga, turnip, etc. Easily grown, mostly cool season crops. The seed is viable 4 to 15 years or more.
—Brassica nigra. (b,h) BRAS-19. Packet: $2.00
Germination: 82% Tested: 9/07, 25 grams: $6.00
'BLACK MUSTARD'. Tall hardy annual to 3 - 10 feet or more, with abundant 1/4" yellow flowers on large, wide spreading branches, followed by narrow 3/4" pods filled with the 'Mustard Seed' of commerce. Eurasia. The ground seeds are the main source of table mustard, mixed with water & vinegar. Cultivated since ancient times as a medicine and condiment, it was popular with the Greeks and Romans. The young leaves are used as a pungent addition to salads and greens. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
BRIZA (BREE-za)
GRAMINEAE. 'RATTLESNAKE GRASS'. Attractive ornamental grasses grown for their panicles of nodding spikelets resembling rattlesnake rattles, which gracefully hang from thread-like stems. Easily grown in ordinary soil with good drainage in full sun. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks, and is viable for 3 years or more. Sow in early spring.
—Briza maxima. (b,h) BRIZ-1. Packet: $2.00
Germination: 95% Tested: 6/07, 10 grams: $6.00 BULK OUT OF STOCK - PACKETS ARE AVAILABLE
'LARGE RATTLESNAKE GRASS'. Large, graceful nodding 1/2" long spikes, sometimes bronzy, in 5" clusters. Hardy annual ornamental grass to 2 feet. Mediterranean. An excellent ornamental and prized in dried arrangements. Good for naturalizing.
BROWALLIA (bro-WAL-ee-a)
SOLANACEAE. Free-flowering half hardy tropical American annuals grown for their abundant bloom, mostly in shades of blue and violet. Easily grown in ordinary well-drained soil. The species and old-fashioned varieties would grow and bloom profusely in poor dry soil and full sun, but the modern types require moisture and part shade. Good in borders, hanging baskets, and excellent as an everblooming house plant. Start seed early indoors for summer bloom, or in July & August for winter pot plants. Sow on the surface or cover lightly, to germinate in 12 - 21 days at 60 - 75°F. Plant out 6 - 12" apart or 3 to a 4" pot. Flowers in 12 weeks.
—Browallia americana. (b,h) BROW-1. Packet: $2.00
Beautiful blue 1/2 - 1" wide flowers from July to October. Annual to about 2 feet. Self-sows, but never a pest. Tropical America. A nice, old-fashioned annual. "The flowers... are borne in great profusion over the entire plant. It is the best of the species..." —Booth. Germinates in 2 - 3 weeks.
BRUGMANSIA (brug-MAN-zee-a)
SOLANACEAE. 'ANGEL'S TRUMPET TREE'. Small South American trees with spectacular pendulous trumpet shaped blooms, most fragrant in the evening. Excellent ornamentals for the greenhouse California and the South, never failing to provoke comment when in bloom. May stand some frost, and will often renew themselves from the roots if cut to the ground. Good in tubs, which can be overwintered in a cellar. Will often bloom in small 10" pots. Formerly included in Datura, which see for the herbaceous Angel's Trumpets, and for their medicinal and poisonous properties. Some are grown for commercial production of medicinal tropanes.
—Brugmansia suaveolens. (e,h) BRUG-22. Packet: $2.50
'ANGEL'S TRUMPET'. Large nodding white trumpets to 8 - 12" long, on a large shrub to 15 feet with large leaves. Brazil. Spectacular ornamental, good in warm regions or as a tub plant. Soak seed and peel off husk, or use GA-3, to germinate in 1 - 4 weeks.
BUDDLEJA (bud-LEE-a)
LOGANIACEAE. 'BUTTERFLY BUSH', 'SUMMER LILAC'. Showy deciduous or evergreen shrubs of great value for the garden. Their handsome flowers are profusely produced in round heads or spike-like panicles, and are attractive to butterflies, who congregate to feed on the nectar. Handsome large leaves. Best in full sun and well-drained soil. Many will survive in the North if the base is protected. Easy from seed sown on the surface or lightly covered. Keep warm to germinate in 2 - 12 weeks. Give ventilation to prevent damping off. Try using GA-3.
—Buddleja Davidii (=variabilis). (a!,h) BUDD-6. Packet: $2.00
'ORANGEYE BUTTERFLY BUSH'. Lilac flowers with orange throats, in dense 4 - 10" spikes in late summer. Shrub to 6 - 15 feet, with large, narrow, dark green leaves that are white underneath. China. If cut to the ground by a freeze, it will sprout from the base and reach 7 feet by fall. "A very handsome species with showy and fragrant flowers appearing in great profusion in late summer." —L.H. Bailey. Germinates in 2 - 12 weeks.
BUPHTHALMUM (buf-THAL-mum)
COMPOSITAE. Showy, easily grown Eurasian hardy perennials with large yellow daisies, resembling elecampane. Bold plants, blooming the first year.
—Buphthalmum speciosum (=Telekia). (a,h) BUPH-24. Packet: $3.00 Click for photo »
'HEARTLEAF OXEYE'. Large and showy yellow flowers on thick, 3 - 4 feet tall stalk in June. Hardy perennial with very large, heart-shaped, downy basal leaves. S. Europe, W. Asia. Produces a bold effect in the border. "The best of all, a bold free and showy perennial growing very close and making good mass effects." —L.H. Bailey. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.