COMPOSITAE. Showy Eurasian hardy perennials grown for their bold foliage and bright summer flowers. Easily grown in moist soil and full sun or part shade. Germinates in about 2 - 3 weeks.
—Ligularia dentata (=clivorum). (e,h) LIGU-7. Packet: $2.50
Showy orange gold daisy-like 2 - 5" wide flowers in clusters in August, held above the large, rhubarb-like, foot-wide leaves. Hardy perennial to 4 - 5 feet. China, Japan. Zone 4. Good ground cover for shade.
—Ligularia dentata Dark Beauty. (e,h) LIGU-7D. Packet: $3.00
Large dark leaved form. Vivid light orange 2 - 5" flowers in spikes, and dark, rhubarb-like leaves. Hardy perennial to 3 feet. Zone 4. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks.
LIGUSTICUM (li-GUS-ti-kum)
UMBELLIFERAE. Circumboreal perennials with white flowers in umbels.
—Ligusticum Canbyi. LIGT-6. Packet: $2.50 OUT OF STOCK
1/4 Oz: $18.00 BULK OUT OF STOCK
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Ethnobotanical uses
'NORTHWEST OSHA'. White flowers in umbels above feathery green foliage. Hardy perennial to 2 - 4 feet. Pacific Northwest to Montana. Zone 5. The fragrant root is used medicinally by many Indian peoples, and are burned as incense and added to tobacco.
LILIUM (LI-lee-um)
LILIACEAE. 'LILY'. Noble flowers, unequalled in their beauty, grace, and magnificence. Native to widely varying conditions, most are easily grown in a light or sandy soil, and only a few species have strict requirements. Most dislike lime, and like good drainage. They do best if mulched heavily in cold climates. Growing lilies from seed is a rewarding undertaking, and are easy if the correct germination method is followed. Most will bloom in 3 - 4 years. Seed viable 2 years; 5 years if kept very dry.
—Lilium nepalense. LILY-70. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $18.00
'NEPAL LILY', Large fragrant nodding trumpet-shaped 6" yellow flowers, blotched rich purple-brown in the throat. To 1 1/2 - 3 feet, the stem running horizontally underground for 1 - 2 feet. Himalayas, to 8500 feet. Zone 5. Germinates in 3 - 6 weeks without pretreatment. The bulbs are edible.
—Lilium regale, (d,h) LILY-95. Packet: $2.50
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'ROYAL or REGAL LILY'. Large fragrant trumpet shaped 6" white flowers with canary-yellow throat, and flushed lilac to purple outside. One to 7 per plant, in July to August. To 2 - 6 feet tall. W. China. Zone 4. Germinates in 2 - 11 weeks without pretreatment. "Have had them bloom in 18 months from seed started in late December."—Bertrand. "Deliciously fragrant... One of the most beautiful of all known lilies, the exquisite blending of tints and colors forming a charming contrast with the rich, deep green foliage. Highly recommended... hardy, strong growing and permanent as far North as Boston."—J. H. Tilton.
LIMNANTHES (lim-NAN-theez)
LIMNANTHACEAE. Small, delicate Western North American annuals from moist areas. Easily grown and showy.
—Limnanthes Douglasii. (b,h) LIMN-1. Packet: $2.50
10 grams: $10.00
'MEADOWFOAM'. Showy, fragrant, inch-wide flowers with yellow centers. Hardy annual to 12", with finely divided, lacy, yellow-green foliage. California to Oregon. Good bee plant, blooming quickly from seed, and covering the ground with masses of its sweetly-scented flowers. "This is a beautiful little plant and one of the most free-flowering annuals in cultivation."—Booth. Germinates in a week.
LIMONIUM (li-MO-nee-um)
PLUMBAGINACEAE. Perennials with showy sprays of flowers held over basal leaves. Worldwide, and many are seaside plants standing salty soil. Tough, adaptable plants. Excellent for dried flowers.
Limonium sinuatum Varieties: 'Statice'
A popular and well known perennial or biennial, best grown as a hardy annual. To 2 - 3 feet. They form low rosettes of pinnately divided lyrate 8" leaves, the angular, winged flower stem rising from the center. They are excellent for cut flowers and may be dried for everlastings. Best in full sun in deep sandy loam. Sow indoors for early crop, or outdoors in April. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks. Space 1 1/2 - 2 feet apart. Introduced into cultivation in 1629. Zone 9.
We offer clean (rubbed) seed only of these varieties. You will appreciate their superiority in ease of sowing and quickness and evenness of germination.
—Limonium sinuatum Midnight Blue. (c,h) LIMO-32M. Packet: $2.50
Dark blue flowers. To 3 feet.
—Limonium sinuatum Pacific Mixed. (c,h) LIMO-32X. Packet: $2.50
An excellent formula blend.
LINARIA (li-NAR-ee-a)
SCROPHULARICEAE. Easily grown annuals and perennials with snapdragon-like flowers in many colors. Good for cutting. Full sun to part shade, making the best display planted in masses.
—Linaria maroccana Northern Lights. (a!!,h) LINA-22N. Packet: $2.00 OUT OF STOCK
Oz: $6.00, 1/4 lb: $18.00 BULK OUT OF STOCK
A fine mixture of bright 1/2" flowers in more red shades than 'Fairy Bouquet', and also taller, reaching 2 feet tall. Good for cutting. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Linaria purpurea Canon J. Went. (a,h) LINA-30C. Packet: $2.50
Clear rose-pink 1/3" flowers in long spikes in July to October. Hardy perennial to 2 1/2 feet, with narrow leaves. S. Europe. Zone 5. The flowers last well in water. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Linaria reticulata Flamenco. (a!,h) LINA-36F. Packet: $2.50
Oz: $7.50
Brilliant deep red and yellow bicolored spurred flowers in late spring to summer. Hardy annual to 1 foot or so, with narrow grassy leaves. N. Africa, Portugal. Very free flowering when sown direct. Germinates in a week. "I love these. I haven't been able to save enough seed... They are like little jewels here and there among the bigger plants."—Sharon Flower, Maine, 5/2005.
—Linaria vulgaris. (a!,f) LINA-48. Packet: $2.50
CANNOT BE SHIPPED TO MONTANA
'BRIDEWEED', 'BUTTER and EGGS'. Large yellow 1 1/4" flowers with an orange beard and long spurs. Hardy perennial to 1 - 3 feet, with long, very narrow leaves. Eurasia, N. America. Zone 3. Good in dry sandy soil. The flowers yield a yellow dye. The herb, boiled in milk, was used as a fly poison, attracting and killing them. Medicinal, acting on the liver. Germinates in 1 - 24 weeks.
"The junk way to more junk."—W. Burroughs.
LINUM (LI-num or LYE-num)
LINACEAE. Annuals, perennials, and shrubs, with attractive five-petaled flowers in various colors. Easily grown in full sun, the perennials often blooming the first season. Most soils, good to naturalize. All germinate in 1 - 3 weeks unless noted.
—Linum flavum. (b,h) LINM-14. Packet: $2.50
'GOLDEN FLAX'. Large bright clear yellow inch wide flowers borne profusely in summer. Hardy perennial to 1 foot. Europe. Zone 4. Germinates in 1 - 8 weeks.
—Lilium grandiflorum 'Charmer Mix'. (50) LINM-16C. Packet: $2.50
Inch-wide cup-shaped flowers in a brilliant mix of red, rosy, salmon, and white, each with a large dark eye. Easily grown hardy annual to 18", blooming over a long period. Nice! Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
—Linum grandiflorum 'Rubrum'. (500) LINM-16. Packet $2.00
Oz: $6.00
'SCARLET FLAX'. Brilliant scarlet inch-wide flowers with a silky sheen, blooming all summer till frost. Hardy annual to 14", with narrow leaves. N. Africa. Easily grown, producing a nice effect in masses. Self sows but not weedy. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
—Linum perenne (=sibirica). (a,h) LINM-26. Packet: $2.50
10 grams: $8.00
'PERENNIAL FLAX'. Profuse pale blue inch-wide flowers in gracefully arching clusters from May to August. Hardy perennial to 2 feet. Europe. Zone 4. A beautiful, self-sowing border plant.
—Linum usitatissimum. (a!,h) LINM-39. Packet: $1.00 ORGANIC
lb: $4.00 ORGANIC
'COMMON FLAX', 'LINSEED'. Beautiful slender annual with brilliant sky-blue 1/2" flowers on graceful stems, June to August, followed by attractive round pods. To 2 - 5 feet. Eurasia. Easily grown and especially good sown thickly in masses in any unused area. An ancient plant, long grown for fiber and oil. Linen cloth has been found in Egyptian tombs, and it is mentioned in the bible, by Homer, Pliny and others. The seeds are expressed to produce linseed oil, were roasted and eaten by Africans, and are added to breads, etc. to this day. Used medicinally in many ways. Separate fiber and oil types exist.
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. Germinates in 2 - 12 weeks, and GA-3 helps.
LIQUIDAMBAR (lik-wid-AM-bar)
HAMAMELIDACEAE. 'SWEET GUM'. Highly ornamental deciduous trees of N. America and Asia. Valued for their brilliant autumn coloring, timber and aromatic gum. Easy from seed.
—Liquidambar Styraciflua. (c,h) LIQU-2. Packet: $2.50
'SWEET GUM'. Large, star-shaped 5 - 7 lobed 7" leaves turn brilliant crimson in fall. Tall tree to 50 - 150 feet. Inch wide spiky fruit balls. Connecticut to Nicaragua. Valued street and shade tree. Germinates readily in 2 - 4 weeks, stragglers up to 10 weeks. The sweet aromatic gum is chewed and used medicinally. Produces a fine wood and the seeds are eaten by birds. "Unsurpassed in the brilliancy of autumnal colors..."—Sargent. Zone 5.
LITHOPS (LITH-ops)
AIZOACEAE. 'LIVING STONES'. Weird stemless African succulents with small round bodies resembling stones. Large showy flowers appear from a slit in the body. Grow in well-drained infertile sandy soil, keep dry in winter. Full sun. Surface sow.
NEW—Lithops bella. (25) LITP-6. Packet: $2.50
Grey-green inch-wide bodies with olive-green marbling. Large white inch-wide fragrant flowers in fall. Namibia. Zone 9. Forms nice clumps. "Very beautiful species."—Jacobsen.
NEW—Lithops Lesliei var. Lesliei. (25) LITP-52L. Packet: $2.50
Olive-green bodies with rusty brown mottling. Large golden-yellow flowers in September. S. Africa. Zone 9. Forms nice clumps.
—Lithops otzeniana. (e,g) LITP-68. Packet: $2.50
Dark greenish-olive inch-wide bodies with lighter markings around the edges. Large yellow 1 - 2" flowers with white centers. S. Africa. Forms clumps 6" across. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks or so.