PALMAE. Two species of palms from the arid SW. Sow 1/4" deep in sandy soil to germinate in 4 - 15 weeks.
—Washingtonia filifera. (d,h) WASH-1. Packet: $2.00
Oz: $6.00, 1/4 lb: $15.00
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'CALIFORNIA FAN PALM'. Stout-trunked fan palm to 20 - 70 feet, with 3 - 6 foot-wide leaves. Flower-stalks to 8 - 10 feet long. Small black fruit. Canyons & washes of California deserts. The thin, sweetish pulp of the fruits was eaten by the Indians. Seed was ground for a coconut-like meal.
"Good men refuse to govern..."—Plato.
WISTERIA (wis-TER-ee-a)
LEGUMINOSAE. Large woody east Asian & North American vines with showy pendant racemes of flowers. Long-lived and often reaching great size, the huge trunk needing firm support. They can also be trained into graceful weeping trees. Spectacular in spring. Prefers deep rich soil. Easy from seed. Germinates in 2 - 6 weeks. Takes some years to come to flower.
—Wisteria floribunda. (e,h) WIST-2. Packet: $2.00
Oz: $4.00, lb: $50.00
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'JAPANESE WISTERIA'. Lavender-blue and white fragrant flowers in dense clusters to 12 - 18" long, appearing in April & May. Large pinnate leaves turn golden in fall. Hardy woody twiner to 40 feet. Japan. Stunning in bloom. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks or so.
WITHANIA (wi-THAN-ee-a)
SOLANACEAE. Ornamental woolly or hoary shrubs with clustered flowers and Chinese-lantern-like fruits. Named in honor of H. Witham, a British paleobotanist. Germinates best with GA-3.
—Withania somnifera. (b,g-h) WITH-4. Packet: $2.50 Photo
'ASHVAGANDA', 'CLUSTERED WINTERCHERRY'. Small whitish to yellow flowers followed by attractive scarlet berries enclosed in an inflated, lantern-like calyx. Bushy shrub to 1 - 7 feet, with downy leaves. India to South Africa & Australia. The fruiting branches are attractive in dried arrangements. The seeds are used as vegetable rennet to coagulate milk, and the berries are used as soap. A valuable medicinal plant, the leaves & roots have marked antibiotic, anti-viral & insecticidal properties. Extensively used in India as a tonic, aphrodisiac, hypnotic, diuretic, memory improver, against rheumatism, fevers, sores, senile debility, asthma, etc. Germinates in 2 - 8 weeks. GA-3 helps.
XANTHOCERAS (zan-tho-SER-as)
SAPINDACEAE. A single Chinese ornamental shrub.
—Xanthoceras sorbifolium. (e,g-h) XANTH-4. Packet: $3.00
1/4 lb: $15.00
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'CHINESE FLOWERING CHESTNUT'. Large white 1" flowers with a red or yellow blotch at the base. To 15 feet, with dark green leaflets. China. Hardy in the North. The flowers, leaves and fruit are said to have been used as food. Germinates best with 4 weeks cold, to sprout in 2 - 4 weeks.
XANTHORRHOEA (ZAN-tho-REE-a)
XANTHORRHOEACEAE. Unusual, long-lived Australian plants with thick stems topped by a tuft of narrow leaves. Good in dry, desert areas. Grow like Yucca. Smoke treatment may help germination, and there are 'right-' and 'left-handed' seedlings.
—Xanthorrhoea australis. (e,h) XANT-4. Packet: $2.50
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'AUSTRALIAN GRASS TREE'. Striking round head of long, narrow, 3 - 4 foot leaves, and tall dense spikes of white flowers. Reaches 10 feet tall with age. Australia. Though the leaves grow quickly, the trunk forms slowly—a 6 foot tall plant may be 100 years old. Flowers every few years. Exudes a resin collected by Australian bees. Germinates in 2 - 8 weeks.
"It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are 20 gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."—Thomas Jefferson.
XERANTHEMUM (ze-RAN-the-mum)
COMPOSITAE, 'IMMORTELLE'. One of the oldest and best-known everlastings. Easily grown hardy annuals with long-stalked solitary flowers consisting of papery, colored bracts. Showy plants for the border, they are sown in April or early spring in the open. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks. Thin to 6" apart. Flowers in about 11 weeks; at its peak in July to September. For everlastings, cut when fully open and dry upside-down in a cool place.
—Xeranthemum annuum Double Choice Mix. (b,h) XERN-1X. Packet: $2.50
25 grams: $9.00, 100 grams: $25.00
'IMMORTELLE'. Long-stemmed 1 1/2" wide flowers in shades of purple, lilac and white. Easily grown bushy hardy annual to 20" or so, with woolly 2" leaves. Southern Europe to Iran. First cultivated about 1570. A wonderful old everlasting.
YUCCA (YUK-a)
AGAVACEAE. North American perennials and trees, with narrow, sword-shaped leaves, and large clusters of large, night-scented, bell-shaped flowers. Best in dry, well-drained soil. Good specimen plants.
Seed usually germinates in 1 - 4 weeks, but stragglers will come up each year for 2 - 3 years. Seed long-lived; a 6 year old lot gave 95% germination. Some types have hard-shelled seed, and will benefit from a light scarification.
NEW—Yucca aloifolia. (e,h) YUCC-1. Packet: $2.50
'SPANISH BAYONET', 'IZOTE'. Large beautiful 4" wide bell-shaped nodding creamy flowers often tinged purple, in upright 2 foot long spikes in summer and fall. Tree to 25 feet, with heads of sword-shaped 2 1/2 foot leaves. Fruit with purple edible pulp. SE U.S. The flower petals are eaten in salads, or battered and fried. Fairly hardy. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks or so. A nice plant.
—Yucca baccata. (10,h) YUCC-4. Packet: $3.00
Germination: 56% Tested: 10/08, 1/2 Oz: $6.00, Oz: $10.00
'DATIL', 'BANANA YUCCA', 'BLUE YUCCA'. Pale blue-green sword-shaped 2 foot leaves, 2 1/4" wide, with curly fibers on the edges. Large, nodding, 3" bell-shaped creamy flowers, sometimes tinged purple, in large 2 foot spikes up to 5 feet tall, May and June. Fruits to almost 10" long, banana-like. California to Texas. Very hardy. The fleshy fruits have sweet edible pulp, eaten by the Indians and made into pies. Flowers also eaten. Germinates in 1 - 4 weeks.
NEW—Yucca elata. (d,h) YUCC-8. Packet: $2.00
Germination: 80% Tested: 4/08, 10 grams: $8.00
'SOAPTREE YUCCA', 'PALMILLA'. Tall 6 foot spikes of creamy white 2" bells, often tinged pink or green. Round heads of stiff, narrow 3 - 4 foot leaves. Forms a trunk to 20 feet with age. Southwest. The flowers are eaten raw or cooked, and the young fruits are said to be eaten. Roots used as soap. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks, and the seedlings grow rapidly, forming nice plants.
—Yucca glauca (=angustifolia). (c,h) YUCC-14. Packet: $2.50
Germination: 80% Tested: 10/08, Oz: $7.50
'SPANISH BAYONET', 'ADAM'S NEEDLE', 'PLAINS YUCCA'. Fragrant greenish white 2 1/2" globose flowers often tinged purple, in large spikes to 3 - 5 feet long, May to July. Stemless clump-forming shrub with narrow grey green sword-shaped white margined leaves. Very hardy, ranging from South Dakota to New Mexico. Stands dense, clayey and saline soils. May flower in 5 years. The leaves produce a strong fiber. The young spikes have been eaten like cabbage, the flowers eaten raw or cooked, and the pods boiled for food. Valuable landscape material. Germinates in 2 - 3 weeks.
NEW—Yucca rupicola. (d,h) YUCC-26. Packet: $2.50
'TWISTED-LEAF YUCCA'. White 2 3/4" bells in large 3 foot clusters in autumn. Stemless, with a round head of twisted, stiff sword-like 2 foot leaves with undulating margins. S. central Texas. Forms nice clumps of heads with age. Flowers eaten cooked by the Indians. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
NEW—Yucca Whipplei. (d,h) YUCC-36. Packet: $2.50
Germination: 72% Tested: 5/08, Oz: $9.00
'SPANISH BAYONET'. Fast growing small species with 2" long, creamy white, fragrant, nodding flowers in huge spikes up to 12 feet high with up to 6000 blossoms. Sword-like 1 1/2 - 4 foot long leaves. S. California. The Indians ground the seeds for food, ate the stem-centers and heads raw or roasted in pits and obtained a fine fiber from the leaves. Soak seed in water overnight. Germinates at warm temperatures in as little as 3 days. Will flower in as little as 7 years. Some forms die after flowering, others form clumps which will flower for years.
"The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread."—A. France.
ZEPHYRANTHES (ze-fir-AN-theez)
AMARYLLIDACEAE. Attractive bulbs with Colchicum-like flowers. Warm regions of the Americas. They are fairly hardy with protection; lift bulbs in severe climates. Germinates readily in about 2 weeks. Lovely plants, they are good in pots.
—Zephyranthes Traubii. (b,h) ZEPH-80. Packet: $2.50
Germination: 99% Tested: 10/08, Gram: $6.00, 5 grams: $12.00
'TRAUB'S RAINLILY'. Star-like white 1 1/2" fragrant flowers, often with rose streaks, on 6" stems. Tender bulb with 5 - 10" leaves. Rare, endemic to coastal Texas. Best in sandy, well-drained soil and full sun. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
ZINNIA (ZIN-ya)
COMPOSITAE. About 20 species of the Americas. Popular, easily grown flowers thriving in any good soil and full sun. Excellent for cutting and a brilliant display in the border. Best sown direct and not transplanted. Pinch to keep bushy. Good in pots. Thrives in hot dry places. Germinates in about 1 - 3 weeks at warm temperatures.
—Zinnia elegans Benary's Giant Lime. (c,h) ZIN-4L. Packet: $2.50
Germination: 72% Tested: 10/08, 10 grams: $12.00
Large lime green flowers. Half hardy annual to 34". Nice.
—Zinnia elegans California Giant Mix. (b,h) ZIN-4CX. Packet: $2.00
Oz: $6.00
Beautiful mix of crimson, orange, yellow, white and pink 4 1/2" flowers on 2 - 3 foot tall plants. Half hardy annual. Classic large zinnias for cutting. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Zinnia elegans Dream. (b,h) ZIN-4D. Packet: $2.50
10 grams: $9.00
Large bright lilac double dahlia-type flowers. Half hardy annual to 40".
—Zinnia elegans Giant Orange. (c,h) ZIN-4GO. Packet: $2.50
10 grams: $9.00
Large orange fully double blooms. Half hardy annual to 40".
—Zinnia elegans Purple Prince. (b,h) ZIN-4P. Packet: $2.50 OUT OF STOCK
10 grams: $9.00 BULK OUT OF STOCK
Large bright rosy purple double dahlia-type flowers. Half hardy annual.
—Zinnia Haageana Persian Carpet. (b,h) ZIN-15P. Packet: $2.00
Germination: 94% Tested: 10/08, 10 grams: $5.00, 25 grams: $10.00
Beautiful old-fashioned type of this favorite garden flower, with 2" double bicolor and variegated blooms in maroon, gold, red, chocolate, cream, pink and purple. Gives a brilliant, continuous display even under heat and adverse conditions. Half hardy annual to 16". Good in containers, for borders, edging.
"The more corrupt the republic, the more numerous the laws."—Tacitus, Roman historian, 110 CE.
ZIZIA (ZI-zee-a or zi-ZEE-a)
UMBELLIFERAE. Four North American perennials, good for the wild garden and naturalizing in woodlands and meadows, Stands part shade. Germinates in about 2 - 3 weeks with GA-3 or 8 weeks cold.
—Zizia aurea. (b,v) ZIZIA-4. Packet: $2.50
'GOLDEN ALEXANDERS'. Yellow flowers in umbels in spring & early summer. Hardy branched perennial to 32" tall, with compound oval leaves. Eastern North America. Used medicinally as a febrifuge, vulnerary, and for syphilis. The Fox Indians snuffed a stem decoction for headaches. Flower good in salads or cooked like broccoli.
ZIZYPHUS (ZI-zi-fus)
RHAMNACEAE. Warm-region deciduous or evergreen trees and shrubs grown for the edible fruits. Seed germinates best if soaked 2 days or given cold. Either 3 months warm, then 3 months cold, or just 3 months cold has worked. Or, the stones can be cracked open and the seeds removed and germinated. Tropical kinds sometimes germinate readily.
—Zizyphus Jujuba. (e,v) ZIZI-1. Packet: $3.00
Oz: $9.00
'JUJUBE', 'CHINESE DATE', 'DA-ZAO'. Egg-shaped reddish brown 1 - 2" fruits have a sweet, apple-like flavor eaten fresh, or if dried, they become date-like. Deciduous gnarled tree to 20 - 50 feet, with somewhat pendulous branches. Ovate 1 - 2" leaves, and small, yellowish flowers in May & June. SE Europe to China. Hardy to Zone 5 with protection. Can bear in 3 years from seed. Good in deserts. Deep rooted, stands drought and alkaline & saline soils. Used in Chinese & Ayurvedic medicine.
—Zizyphus Spina-Christi. (e,v) ZIZI-22. Packet: $3.00
Oz: $6.00
'NUBK-TREE', 'CHRIST'S THORN'. Pale yellow flowers followed by yellow-brown or red fruits. Small prickly tree or shrub to 30 feet. N. Africa & W. Asia. Said by some to be the "Lotus" of the ancients, and to have furnished the 'crown-of-thorns'. The fruits are sweet, mealy and edible. Moslem rosaries are made from the seeds. Leaves browsed by stock & used medicinally. The wood is hard and heavy, good for cabinetry. Powdered leaves in water used to darken & lengthen hair.
"The secret of Happiness is Freedom, and the secret of Freedom is Courage."—Thucydides, 400 BCE.