POLEMONIACEAE. Rampant vining shrubs grown for their large, bell-shaped violet or white flowers. Easily grown outdoors as annuals, or in the greenhouse. Rich, moist, well-drained soil in full sun or light shade. Plant seed edgewise indoors in 4" pots, or outdoors when soil is warm. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks and flowers in 12 weeks. Viable 4 years or more.
—Cobaea scandens. (10) COBA-2. Packet: $2.50
10 grams: $7.50, 25 grams: $12.00, 100 grams: $40.00
'CATHEDRAL BELLS', 'CUP AND SAUCER VINE'. Large, bell-shaped purple 2" long flowers open green, then darken, from June to October. Fast growing vine to 25 feet, with dark green leaves. México. Zone 9. An old-fashioned garden favorite.
COCCINIA (kok-SIN-ee-a)
CUCURBITACEAE. Tropical African and Asian vines grown for ornament or food. Attractive and easy.
—Coccinia megarrhiza. (10) COCI-14. Packet: $2.50
Light orange flowers followed by attractive oblong 3 1/2" green fruits striped and spotted white and dark green. Vine with palmate leaves and violet stems and tendrils. Forms a large caudex under ground. East Africa. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
CODONOPSIS (co-do-NOP-sis)
CAMPANULACEAE. East Asian often twining perennials grown for their attractive bell-shaped flowers. Some need winter protection in the North. Best in well-drained soil; grow like Campanula.
—Codonopsis ovata. (100) COD-18. Packet: $2.50
'KASHMIR BELLFLOWER'. Pale blue nodding flowers with darker veins, in summer. Himalayas. Zone 3 or 4. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks.
—Codonopsis pilosula. (50) COD-20. Packet: $2.50
'TANG SHEN'. Large pale blue to greenish inch long bell-shaped flowers flushed purple at the base. Hardy perennial twiner to 6 feet, with 1 1/2" leaves. NE Asia. The thick roots are an important 'Qi tonic' in Chinese medicine, placed in the same class as ginseng, astragalus, and eleuthero. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
COIX (KO-ix or KOY)
GRAMINEAE. Tall ornamental tropical grasses grown for their bead-like seeds. Easily grown in rich sandy, well-drained soil, in full sun or light shade. Start very early in pots, as it needs a long season. Germinates in 2 - 8 weeks. Seed viable 5 years or more.
—Coix Lacryma-Jobi. (10) COIX-1. Packet: $2.50
Ounce: $10.00, 1/4 Pound: $30.00
Click for photo »
'JOB'S TEARS'. To 3 - 6 feet, with reed-like 1 1/2" wide leaves, bearing unusual, teardrop-shaped, bead-like seeds ranging from pearly white to shiny grey. Tropical Asia. Tender perennial grown as an annual. Plant out May 1st in Zone 5. Cut stems for dried arrangements before seeds fall. The seeds are widely used as beads in rosaries, etc., to which marvelous properties are attributed. They are edible and are ground for bread and made into beer.
COLCHICUM autumnale: See Reserved Access page.
COLLINSIA (ko-LIN-see-a)
SCROPHULARIACEAE. Showy and free-flowering hardy annuals, mostly from California and western North America. Easily grown and much used in borders, bedding and for edging. Will bloom mid-summer till frost with succession sowings. Best in well-drained soil and they stand part shade. Sow seed in spring or fall, 1/4" deep, to germinate in about 14 days. They make long-lasting cut flowers.
—Collinsia heterophylla. (=bicolor) (1000) COLL-3. Packet: $1.50
Ounce: $6.00, 1/4 Pound: $14.00
Click for photo »
'CHINESE HOUSES', 'INNOCENCE'. Large, inch-long flowers in stacked whorls, resembling a pagoda in form, with a white upper lip, and a rosy purple lower lip. Hardy annual to 1 - 2 feet, with slender stems. California. Sow thinly in groups. Best in part shade Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks at cool temperatures.
COLLOMIA ko-LO-mee-a)
POLEMONIACEAE. Showy American Gilia-like plants.
—Collomia grandiflora. (200) COL-10. Packet: $2.50
5 grams: $7.50
Trumpet-shaped white to salmon inch-long flowers in dense balls. Annual to 3 feet, with narrow leaves. W. U.S. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at cold temperatures.
"The means are the end."—U. K. LeGuin.
CONVOLVULUS (kon-VOLV-you-lus)
CONVOLVULACEAE. 'GLORY BIND'. Showy twining vines or upright herbs grown for their funnel-shaped morning-glory-like flowers. Easily grown in most soils and full sun with little care. Free flowering and good for covering fences or allowed to clamber among shrubs, the bushy types in the flower and rock garden. Some are excellent in hanging baskets. Vigorous growers, only a few are invasive or weedy. Soak seed till swollen, nick if needed. Sow in early spring 1/4" deep, to germinate in about 5 - 14 days at 60 - 65°F. The hardy perennials may be sown in September for early flowers. Many are medicinal. Seed has grown well up to 26 years old.
Convolvulus tricolor Varieties:
'DWARF MORNING GLORY'. Beautiful and floriferous hardy annual in various colors. Upright and bushy, forming a mound about a foot tall and 2 feet wide, with the showy 1 1/2" wide flowers borne in profusion above the narrow leaves. Good in hanging baskets. Blooms continuously all summer. S. Europe. Cultivated since 1629. "A splendid plant for the border."—Booth. Soak seed, nick unswollen ones. Germinates in 1 - 4 weeks at warm temperatures.
—Convolvulus tricolor 'Blue Flash'. (250) CONV-22B. Packet: $2.00
25 grams: $7.50, 100 grams: $14.00
Light or deep blue flowers with white center and yellow eye. Dwarf compact plants to 6" or so. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
COOPERIA (KOO-per-EE-a)
LILIACEAE. Several tender bulbs, sometimes classed in Zephyranthes. Good in dry areas, coming up and blooming a few days after a rain. Easily grown, seed germinates readily. Lift bulbs in the North.
—Cooperia Drummondii. (=Zephyranthes Drummondii and Z. brazoensis) (10) COOP-7. Packet: $2.50
Flower Photo
Info and pictures
'RAIN LILY', 'FAIRY LILY'. Fragrant white 1 - 2" wide flowers open at dusk and stay open a day or two. To 9 - 12", with narrow, grass-like leaves. Blooms spring through fall after rainfall. Texas. Zone 7. Does well in gardens. Germinates in a week.
CORALLOCARPUS (ko-ra-lo-KAR-pus)
CUCURBITACEAE. Tuberous tropical perennials.
—Corallocarpus welwitschii. (10) CORA-26. Packet: $2.50
'!OAQUA!A'I' (Namibian name). Caudex-forming monoecious vine to 6 feet, with pale yellow flowers followed by small red fruits. Ashy grey to green leaves. Southern Africa. Prized by caudex collectors. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
CORCHORUS (KOR-chor-us)
TILIACEAE. Tropical herbs, sometimes shrubby, long grown for food and fiber. Needs warm moist soil; treat like eggplant. Sow in spring for crop in 3 months. They are major crops throughout the tropics. Seed viable 5 to 10 years.
—Corchorus olitorius. (100) CORCH-18. Packet: $2.50
10 grams: $6.00, 50 grams: $25.00
Video of making traditional Nigerian Jute Mallow Soup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RQ-6eYmAiw
'TOSSA JUTE', 'MELUKHIE'. Annual to 6 feet with large pointed 2 - 6" leaves and yellow 1/2" flowers. India. Widely cultivated for fiber and food. The young shoots and leaves are an ancient vegetable, eaten by the Egyptians, mentioned by Pliny, and are now widely eaten in the Middle East, India, Africa, and the Americas. The leaves are an excellent potherb, can be eaten as a salad when young, and can be dried for winter use in soups, etc. Germinates in a week or two.
COREOPSIS (ko-ree-OP-sis)
COMPOSITAE. Hardy North American annuals and perennials grown for their showy flowers. The annuals were formerly classed as Calliopsis. Beautiful in the border, rock garden and for bedding. They make a fine display in any garden soil in sun. Tolerates smog and poor soil. Makes good cut flowers. Sow outdoors from early spring to fall, on the surface to 1/4" deep, to germinate in 1 - 4 weeks, depending on temperature. Succession sowings from March to June will provide continuous bloom. Often self-sows. Seed viable 3 - 8 years or more.
—Coreopsis tinctoria 'Dwarf Red'. (1000) CORE-6DR. Packet: $2.00
Ounce: $6.00, 1/4 Pound: $18.00 BULK OUT OF STOCK - packets are still available
'DWARF RED PLAINS COREPSIS'. Bright red flowers on dwarf plants. Hardy annual. Good in meadows and for naturalizing. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Coreopsis tinctoria Tall. (1000) CORE-6T. Packet: $1.50
Ounce: $6.00, 1/4 Pound: $15.00
'TALL PLAINS COREOPSIS'. Vivid single yellow flowers with wine-red centers. Hardy annual to 3 feet. SW U.S. Excellent for naturalizing along roadsides, in meadows, etc. Stands poor dry soil and part shade, blooming abundantly in summer and fall, reseeding readily. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks warm.
CORIANDRUM (ko-ree-AN-drum)
UMBELLIFERAE. Easily grown aromatic annuals grown in the herb garden for their flavorful leaves and seeds. Sow where they are to grow, 1/4" deep, to germinate in 1 - 2 weeks. Sow in fall in the South, early spring in the North. Seed viable 6 - 8 years.
—Coriandrum sativum. (100) CORI-5. Packet: $2.00
Ounce: $5.00, 1/4 Pound: $9.00 BULK OUT OF STOCK - packets are still available
'CORIANDER', 'CILANTRO'. Annual herb to 1 - 3 feet, with divided leaves and small white or pinkish flowers in umbels, followed by clusters of round aromatic seed. S. Europe. Cultivated since ancient times, the seeds have been found in Egyptian tombs, and they are mentioned by Pliny, Cato, Palladius, and Hippocrates. The young leaves are picked at any time for use in salads, soups, etc. They are very popular in Latin America and China. The ripe seed are used for flavoring breads and cakes, liqueurs, curries, etc. Little clusters coated with sugar were a favorite treat of children. In China they were believed to confer immortality. Harvest the seed clusters when they begin to turn brown. Their flavor improves with age. The roots are powdered for seasoning by Southwest Indians.
—Coriandrum sativum 'Long Standing'. (100) CORI-5LS. Packet: $2.00
Ounce: $5.00, 1/4 Pound: $9.00
'CILANTRO CORIANDER'. This variety is slow to bolt, making it the best for leaf production. Gives a longer season of harvest of the spicy leaves, which are used in Latin American and Asian dishes.
—Coriandrum sativum 'Typ Dwarf Lemon'. (50) CORI-5T. Packet: $2.50
10 grams: $7.50
'LEMON CORIANDER'. Lemony scent in both leaves and seed. Compact, early blooming, fast fruiting. White to soft pink flowers. EU Organic.
CORNUS (KOR-nus)
CORNACEAE. Well-known ornamental shrubs and small trees with handsome foliage, flowers, and fruits. They include some of our most striking native trees, often with brilliant fall color. Good in both sun and shade, easy in almost any soil. The name 'dogwood' is said to come from the use of a bark tea to wash mangy dogs in old England, though children enjoy being told 'its because of their bark'. Sow in fall; often germinates the second spring. Or try giving 60 days warm, then 60 -120 days cold, or nick seed then give cold. Summer sowing often works, for germination the next spring. Seed viable 2 - 4 years, but is best fresh.
NEW—Cornus florida. (25) CORS-17. Packet: $2.50
1/4 Ounce: $7.50, Ounce: $18.00 BULK OUT OF STOCK - packets are still available
'FLOWERING DOGWOOD'. White 2 - 4" flowers in late spring, followed by scarlet fruits that last into winter. Small tree to 20 - 40 feet, with oval 6" leaves that turn glowing red in fall. E. U.S. Zone 5. Fruits attract birds, and the hard wood is used for tool handles. Medicinal.
CORYDALIS (ko-RID-a-lis or ko-ree-DAL-is)
PAPAVERACEAE (formerly FUMARIACEAE). Easily grown mostly hardy perennials and some annuals, freely blooming in poor soil and full sun or part shade. Some slow to germinate and best sown in fall, the annuals best sown in spring or fall.
—Corydalis Scouleri. (25) CORY-26. Packet: $2.50
Abundant inch-long rosy pink flowers in spikes in May and June, held above the ferny foliage. Hardy spreading perennial to 3 feet. Pacific NW. Likes moist shady spots.
—Corydalis sempervirens. (50) CORY-27. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $7.50, 5 grams: $15.00
Click for photo »
'ROCK HARLEQUIN', 'ROMAN WORMWOOD' (Note: This is not the true Roman Wormwood, which is Artemisia pontica). Pink to purple 3/4" yellow-tipped, short-spurred flowers in spikes. Attractive annual or biennial to 2 feet. Space 9". E. U.S. Zone 5. About 1/3 germinate readily in 2 - 4 weeks without pre-treatment, the rest are dormant and need cold. Gives high germination in 3 - 4 weeks with GA-3. Seed several years old germinates readily.
COSMOS (KOZ-mos)
COMPOSITAE. 'MEXICAN ASTER'. Showy, easily grown annuals and perennials planted for their graceful, feathery foliage and abundant mid-summer to fall bloom. Best in poor dry soil, as rich soil will give abundant growth, but little bloom. Sow outdoors after danger of frost or for early bloom, sow indoors 6 weeks earlier. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks. Good cut flowers if picked when first opened. Seed viable 6 years or more. Old garden favorites.
Cosmos bipinnatus Varieties:
Showy annual to 2 - 10 feet, with feathery foliage and large daisy-like 2 - 6" wide flowers in shades of red, rose, white and pink. Cultivated since 1799. México. The 'Sensation' strain are about 4 feet tall, early blooming, with large, single 4 - 6" flowers.
—Cosmos 'Candy Stripe'. (50) COS-1CS. Packet: $2.00
Ounce: $5.00, 1/4 Pound: $15.00
Click for photos »
White, rose and red flowers with petals edged and striped darker. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Cosmos bipinnatus 'Daydream'. (250) COS-1DY. Packet: $2.00
Ounce: $5.00, 1/4 Pound: $15.00
Click for photos »
Pale pink flowers shading to deeper rose at the center. Good for cutting. Hardy annual to 3 - 5 feet.
—Cosmos bipinnatus 'Picotee'. (500) COS-1PC. Packet: $2.00
Ounce: $5.00, 1/4 Pound: $15.00
White flowers with petals edged red, ranging to pure red. Nice. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Cosmos 'Sensation Purity'. (100) COS-1W. Packet: $2.00
Ounce: $6.00, 1/4 Pound: $15.00
A wonderful, large-flowered snowy white.
—Cosmos 'Sensation Radiance'. (100) COS-1R. Packet: $2.00
Ounce: $6.00, 1/4 Pound: $15.00 BULK OUT OF STOCK - packets are still available
Deep rose with a crimson zone.
Cosmos sulphureus Varieties:
Showy annual to 1 - 7 feet, resembling C. bipinnatus, but in yellow, orange and red shades. Large, 2 - 3" wide, long-stemmed flowers on bushy plants. México. The 'Klondyke' strain has large, early, semi-double blooms, and is about 1 - 3 feet tall.
—Cosmos sulphureus 'Bright Lights'. (50) COS-3B. Packet: $2.00
Ounce: $6.00, 1/4 Pound: $15.00
Bright mixture of yellow and orange shades, developed for cut-flowers. Hardy annual to 2 feet.
"Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not. Either way, it's a mighty sobering thought."—Walt Kelley.
CRITHMUM (KRITH-mum)
UMBELLIFERAE. 'SAMPHIRE'. A single species.
—Crithmum maritimum. (100) CRIT-4. Packet: $2.50
10 grams: $15.00, 50 grams: $35.00 BULK OUT OF STOCK - packets are still available
'SAMPHIRE', 'SEA FENNEL'. Perennial to 1 - 2 feet, with fleshy divided leaves and white or yellowish flowers. Seacoasts of Europe, but thrives in sunny places. This warm, aromatic, spicy medieval herb is used in salads, with meat, as a potherb, and the leaves were salted, boiled, and covered with vinegar and spice as a pickle. Culpepper & Gerard believed that its regular consumption would prevent digestive disturbances. Its habitat on sea cliffs prompted Shakespeare to write: "Half way down hangs one that gathers Samphire; dreadful trade!"—Shakespeare, King Lear. Prechill 6 - 8 weeks to germinate in 1 - 2 weeks.
CUPRESSUS (koo-PRESS-us)
CUPRESSACEAE. Handsome evergreen trees and shrubs with scale-like leaves and round woody cones. Native to warm-temperate N. Hemisphere. For mild climates. The durable wood was used for Egyptian mummy caskets, and the doors of St. Peter's in Rome, made of cypress wood, have lasted 1200 years. Varies in percentage of filled seed, but is viable 20 years. Germinates in 2 - 8 weeks or so.
NEW—Cupressus cashmeriana. (=darjeelingensis) (100) CUPR-4. Packet: $2.50
1/4 Ounce: $7.50, Ounce: $14.00
'KASHMIR CYPRESS'. Striking tree with weeping branchlets of a conspicuous vivid blue-grey color. Fast growing small tree with 1/2" cones. Kashmir, Tibet. Good in California and mild climates. Zone 9. "One of the most graceful and beautiful of all conifers."—Hilliers. Germinates in 1 - 2 months warm, no prechill needed.
"You've got to read between the lies."—J.L.H.
CYCLAMEN (SIK-la-men)
PRIMULACEAE. Tuberous-rooted herbs with heart-shaped leaves and beautiful flowers. Popular florist subjects. Most are grown in the greenhouse; some of the species are hardy in the North. They do best in a rich moist soil with plenty of leaf-mold and sand. Seed is variable in germination, so space them widely in flats so that the seedlings can be pricked out singly. Cover seed well. Seed sown in fall and carried over in a protected place will flower in 6 - 18 months. An important point is to keep them growing when young. Hardy species are good in shady, woodsy spots. Cyclamens may live 100 years.
—Cyclamen persicum. (20) CYCL-19. Packet: $2.50
Pink to white flowers in early spring. Heart-shaped leaves are marbled. Large flat tuber.
CYMBALARIA (sim-ba-LAR-ee-a)
SCROPHULARIACEAE. Trailing European perennials with spurred Linaria-like flowers, grown as groundcover in moist part shade, or cascading down rock walls. Good in hanging baskets. Easy from seed.
—Cymbalaria muralis. (500) CYMB-3. Packet: $2.50
'KENILWORTH IVY', 'WANDERING SAILOR'. Lilac-blue 1/2" flowers with yellowish centers, held above the dainty, round, 5 - 7-lobed leaves. Slender trailing perennial. S. Europe, widely naturalized. Zone 3. Once pollinated, the flowers turn away from the light to ripen their seed in crevices. Eaten as salad greens in Europe, and is slightly pungent, like cress. Seed needs light, surface sow. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
"Roads betook themselves into the forest, like great serpents devouring as they went. And one day behold! the forest was gone."—L. H. Bailey.
CYNOGLOSSUM (si-no-GLOSS-um)
BORAGINACEAE, Hardy herbaceous plants grown for their forget-me-not-like flowers. Sun or part shade. Easily grown and attractive, sow direct.
—Cynoglossum creticum. (20) CYNO-6. Packet: $3.50
5 grams: $14.00
'BLUE HOUND'S TONGUE'. Flowers rosy changing to blue, with dark blue veins. Hardy, spring-blooming biennial to 1 - 2 feet, with downy leaves. Eurasia. Zone 6.
CYPERUS (SI-per-us)
CYPERACEAE. 'GALINGALE', 'FLAT-SEDGE'. A huge genus of sedges, 600 or more species, ranging from the tropics to temperate regions. Many are highly ornamental, as pot plants grown indoors for their tropical effect, or outdoors in ponds, bog gardens, and moist places. Some species produce tubers, many are nut-like and edible, others are fragrant and used in perfumery, and in the Amazon Basin exist many species with highly valued medicinal tubers. One species produced the first paper, papyrus in ancient Egypt. Most are easy from seed, giving high germination within a month.
—Cyperus esculentus var. sativus. (50 tubers) CYPE-14. Packet: $2.50
Tubers: 1/4 Pound: $6.00, Pound: $12.00
'CHUFA', 'EARTH ALMOND', 'TIGER-NUTS'. Ornamental perennial to 8" - 3 feet. Worldwide. Zone 8. Sow tubers in spring in moist places, harvest in October or November. Cultivated for thousands of years for the sweet, nutritious, nutty tubers. They are eaten raw, ground with water for a drink, in porridge, toasted, dried, or roasted and ground as a coffee or chocolate substitute. They become sweeter and more agreeable when dried, They contain 12 - 20% sucrose, 25 - 30% starch, and 27 - 29% of a sweet oil which can be pressed and used in fine cooking. They are greatly esteemed in Europe, China and Africa, and have been found in Egyptian tombs dating to 2400 BCE. The Zulu chew them to relieve indigestion and bad breath. Excellent in swampy waste areas for pig forage. This is a distinct cultivar, and does not become weedy at all, and as such is NOT regulated by weed laws . This is because it is sterile, and does not produce seed, is not freeze-hardy (Zone 8), and also does not produce runners—the tubers are held right below the plant. The weedy form is hardy to Zone 2. Soak tubers until swollen, to germinate in 1 - 4 weeks or so.