2024 Spring Supplement Seedlist - A - C
ACHILLEA
—Achillea filipendulina 'Gold Plate'. (100) ACH-10G. Packet: $2.50
'FERN-LEAF YARROW.' Showy, bright yellow flowers in flat-topped 6" clusters in summer. Hardy perennial to 4 feet, with attractive, aromatic fern-like 8" leaves. Central Asia. Zone 3. Stands poor, dry soil. Flowers keep their color when dried. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks warm.
ADENIUM (a-DEN-ee-um)
APOCYNACEAE. Succulent shrubs resembling miniature baobabs. Sow in light, well-drained mix and keep warm. Give light shade when young, and use fungicide if rot or damping off is a problem.
—Adenium somalense. (10) ADNU-22. Packet: $4.50
100 seed: $30.00
'SOMALI DESERT ROSE.' Tall succulent to 16 feet, with thick conical trunk and large caudex. Narrow leaves and flowers ranging from pinkish to scarlet with white centers, almost ever-blooming. East Africa. Zone 9. Used as an arrow poison.
AGRIMONIA
—Agrimonia Eupatoria var. alba. (15) AGRI-4A. Packet: $3.00
'WHITE AGRIMONY'. White, apricot-scented flowers in dense spikes. Hardy perennial to 20", with deep green aromatic leaves. Europe. Zone 3.
ANDROSACAE (an-dro-SA-see)
PRIMULACEAE. Alpine tufted annuals and perennials for the rockery or low border. Pretty primrose-like flowers in clusters. Needs well-drained gritty soil but must not dry out. Likes part shade, sand & peatmoss. Sow on surface. Seed usually germinates in 2-5 weeks at cool (50s) temperatures but may hold over for a year. Try the plastic bag method and freeze for 2 weeks if slow.
—Androsace albana. (15) ANDR-4. Packet: $4.00
Tight balls of 1/3" pink flowers in spring, held above a dense rosette of 1" leaves. Hardy perennial to 4 - 6". Caucasus. Zone 4 or 6.
ANGELICA
—Angelica atropurpurea. (100) ANGE-4. Packet: $2.50
10 grams: $12.00
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'ALEXANDERS'. Dark wine-purple stems and white flowers in 10" wide umbels. Hardy perennial to 6 feet, with divided leaves. Wet areas, eastern North America. Hardy to Zone 4. Medicinal. Prechill seed.
—Angelica lucida. (50) ANGE-17. Packet: $2.50
5 grams: $12.00
'IKUUSUK' (Iñupiaq name), 'WILD CELERY'. Large umbels of white flowers on a very hardy perennial to 2 - 5 feet, with divided aromatic leaves. Coasts, Siberia to California and New York. Zone 1? Young stems and leaf-stalks peeled and eaten raw, and the leaves cooked. Root used as an amulet against polar bears in Siberia. Many medicinal uses.
ANTIGONON (an-TIG-o-non)
POLYGONACEAE. Showy tendril climbers from México and Central America, easily grown in warm regions and in the greenhouse. Blooms best in not-too-rich soil. Vines killed by frost, but re-sprouts from the tubers. Loves heat. In the greenhouse, rest dry in winter.
—Antigonon leptopus. (10) ANTI-1. Packet: $3.00
10 grams: 7.50, 100 grams: $60.00
'CORAL VINE', 'CORALLITA'. Bright rose-pink flowers in clusters from spring to fall. Climber to 40 feet with heart-shaped to triangular leaves. México. Zone 9. "One of the handsomest summer-blooming greenhouse climbers..."—L.H. Bailey. The tubers reach 15 pounds, are edible when cooked, and are said to have a nut-like flavor. The leaves and flowers are cooked and eaten in Thailand. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks.
AQUILEGIA
—Aquilegia vulgaris Dark Blue. (100) AQUI-48DB. Packet: $2.50
A nice dark blue form.
ARISTOLOCHIA
—Aristolochia debilis. (50) ARST-16. Packet: $3.00
5 grams: $14.00
'CHINESE PIPE VINE', 'MA DOU LING'. Small curved, purple-throated fragrant flowers in summer, followed by ornamental pods. Perennial vine to 15 feet, with heart- to arrow-shaped leaves. Young leaves purplish. China and Japan. Zone 6 or 7. Attracts butterflies. Germinates over a long period starting in a month, and 3 months prechill may help.
—Aristolochia manshuriensis. (25) ARST-48. Packet: $2.50
5 grams: $9.00
'MANCHURIAN PIPEVINE', 'GUAN MU LONG'. Peculiar pipe-shaped yellow flowers, sometimes purple-brown, in summer with 3-pointed 2 1/2" limb, in May and June, followed by 4" pods. Shrubby twiner to 20 feet, with large heart-shaped foot-wide leaves. Manchuria, Korea, SW Siberia. Zone 5. Best in well-drained soil. Give 3 months prechill to germinate over a long period.
ARNICA
—Arnica Parryi. (50) ARNI-19. Packet: $3.50
'NODDING ARNICA'. Nodding yellow petalless flowers in late summer. Hardy perennial to 12 - 20", with long basal leaves. Western North America, Yukon to Colorado. Zone 2?
ARTEMISIA
—Artemisia Absinthium 'Silverado'. (500) ARTE-2S. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $15.00
Grey-white aromatic ferny foliage on compact plants to 2 feet, with yellowish flowers. Hardy perennial to Zone 3. Nice!
ASCLEPIAS
—Asclepias curassavica. (25) ASCL-3. Packet: $2.50
CANNOT BE SENT TO CALIFORNIA
'BLOOD FLOWER'. Deep reddish purple flowers with orange hoods, in flat clusters. Tender perennial to 2 - 3 feet. Tropical America. Zone 8. A host to the Monarch butterfly. Used medicinally and the stem fiber has been spun, and the seed floss used in pillows. Germinates in 1 - 4 weeks warm.
ASTRAGALUS
—Astragalus membranaceus. (25) ASTR-30. Packet: $2.50
'HUANG QI'. Famous Chinese medicinal herb. Light yellow flowers in spikes, followed by semi-transparent pods. Hardy perennial to 2 feet, with pinnate leaves. Northeastern China, Mongolia. Zone 5. The long, flexible roots are in the same category as ginseng and Eleuthero. Highly valued as a 'Qi tonic' affecting many parts of the body. "Every sort of wasting or exhausting disease is thought to be benefited by it."—Pen-Tsao of Li Shi-chen. Soak, nick hard ones, to germinate in 1 - 2 weeks.
BAECKEA (BAY-kay-a)
MYRTACEAE. Small, free flowering often heath-like shrubs from Australia, Asia and the South Pacific. Easily grown in warm regions or in the cool greenhouse, hut are little-known. Some are used for tea.
—Baeckea virgata. (=Babingtonia pluriflora) (1000) BAEC-25. Packet: $2.50
'TALL HEATH-MYRTLE'. Tiny white-petaled star-like flowers held out from the twigs. Nice shrub to 12 feet, with soft, narrow, inch-long leaves which are scented when crushed. E. Australia. Good hedge or windbreak, and good in tubs. Good cut flowers as they are honey-scented. Zone 9. Germinates in 2 - 3 weeks.
BLETILLA (ble-TIL-a)
ORCHIDACEAE. Hardy east Asian terrestrial orchids, easily grown in rich, well-drained soil.
—Bletilla striata. (1000) BLET-10. Packet: $2.50
1/10 Gram: $7.50
Click for photo »
Light purple 1 - 2" flowers in spikes of up to 8, in early summer. Hardy terrestrial (ground dwelling) orchid to 1 - 2 feet, with narrow leaves. Japan to Tibet. Zone 6. Used in traditional Chinese medicine. Sow on the surface of either sterile chopped peatmoss, or well-aged compost, use a plastic bag and keep moist until seedlings appear. Germination info:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6522586/
CALAMINTHA
—Calamintha grandiflora. (50) CALA-10. Packet: $2.50
'ELFIN PURPLE CALAMINT'. Purple-rose 1 1/2" tubular flowers from May to July. Hardy aromatic perennial to 8", forming a nice mound of foliage. S. Europe. Zone 5. Good in part shade under trees. Prechill seed or sow in fall.
—Calamintha nepeta ssp. nepeta 'Blue Cloud'. (250) CALA-17B. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $18.00
A nice strain with bright light blue flowers June to October. Hardy perennial to 1 foot, with aromatic foliage. Zone 5. Good bee plant.
CALYSTEGIA (kal-ee-STEJ-ee-a)
CONVOLVULACEAE. Twining or scrambling perennial vines with morning glory-like flowers.
—Calystegia occidentalis ssp. occidentalis. (25) CALYS-18. Packet: $2.50
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'CHAPARRAL MORNING GLORY'. White funnel-shaped 1 - 2" flowers borne in profusion from April to July. Caudex-forming woody vine with arrow-head leaves. California. Zone 8. Allow it to clamber over a bush in a sunny corner. Nick seed to germinate in 1 - 6 weeks.
CAMASSIA
—Camassia Leichtlinii Light Blue. (25) CAMA-15B. Packet: $2.50
A nice form with light blue flowers.
CAMPANULA
—Campanula glomerata superba. (1000) CAMP-40S. Packet: $2.50
Click for photos »
Large clusters of rich, deep violet flowers in 3" across, globe-shaped clusters. Hardy perennial to 20". Hardy to Zone 2. Germinates in 1 - 4 weeks, needs light.
CARPENTERIA (kar-pen-ter-EE-a)
HYDRANGEACEAE. A single species.
—Carpenteria californica. (1000) CARP-4. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $7.50
'TREE ANEMONE'. Large white fragrant flowers with yellow centers, to 3" wide, borne abundantly May to August. Evergreen shrub to 7 feet with glossy 4" leaves and peeling bark. Known only from a few localities in the Sierra foothills. "It is one of the rarest of the endemic shrubs of California."—Howard McMinn, 1939. Zone 7. Germinates readily.
CATALPA
—Catalpa X Fargesii Ecos Strain. (10) CATL-9E. Packet: $2.50
Click for photos »
'ECOS CATALPA'. Developed by Ken Asmus of Oikos Tree Crops from a chance natural hybrid, this strain flowers when only 2 - 4 years old and 1 - 2 feet tall. Some even bloom when 6" tall! White 1 1/2" flowers with purple dots, in 6" clusters, followed by 12 - 18" bean-like pods. Small tree, the ultimate height still unknown, with heart-shaped 6" leaves. Pest and disease resistant, and hardy to at least –25°F. Germinates in 2 weeks or so.
—Catalpa speciosa. (20) CATL-22. Packet: $2.50
'WESTERN CATALPA', 'BOIS CHAVANON'. Large white, purple-spotted 2 1/2" wide bell-shaped flowers in 6" clusters in June, followed by bean-like pods to 22" long. Huge pyramidal tree to 100 feet, with foot-long heart-shaped leaves. Iowa to Texas. Zone 5. The soft wood is rot-resistant. Germinates in 1 - 4 weeks warm.
CHRYSANTHEMUM
—Chrysanthemum carinatum Mixed, (500) CHRY-12X. Packet: $2.50
Ounce: $7.50, 1/4 pound: $20.00
'PAINTED DAISY'. Colorful mix of red, yellow, orange, white and purple 2 1/2" daisies with dark centers and often banded with a darker ring. Popular hardy annual to 2 feet, with deeply cut leaves. Morocco. An old cottage garden favorite, good for cutting, and giving lots of bloom for little care.
CLEMATIS
—Clematis terniflora. (25) CLEM-108. Packet: $2.50
'SWEET AUTUMN CLEMATIS'. White, very sweetly fragrant flowers in late summer, on a vigorous hardy climber. Japan. Hardy to Zone 5 at least. Germinates in 2 - 5 months warm.
CLEOME
—Cleome spinosa 'Cherry Queen'. (250) CLEO-5C. Packet: $2.50
25 grams: $7.50
Click for photo »
Deep carmine-rose flowers. Hardy annual to 3 feet.
—Cleome spinosa 'Linde Armstrong'. (50) CLEO-5LA. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $12.00
Pink to rose flowers on a true dwarf Cleome to only 12 - 18". Hardy annual. Nice!
CNICUS (NIK-us)
COMPOSITAE. A single species. Easily grown.
—Cnicus benedictus. (25) CNIC-1. Packet: $2.50
10 Grams: $15.00
'BLESSED THISTLE'. Bright yellow inch-wide flowers on a hardy, thistle-like annual to 2 feet, with attractively marbled leaves. Blooms summer and fall. Mediterranean. Once highly valued medicinally as a panacea for everything from "the bitings of mad dogs" to migraine and gout. Contains anti-HIV compounds. An excellent tonic, said to improve the memory. "...lay it to your heart; it is the only thing for qualm... plain Holy Thistle."—Shakespeare. Used in Benedictine, and the seeds yield an oil. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks warm.
COFFEA (ka-FEE-a)
RUBIACEAE. Evergreen African and Asian shrubs. They make nice, fast-growing foliage plants in the greenhouse.
—Coffea arabica. (25) COFF-1. Packet: $2.50
Ounce: $7.50 (130 seeds per ounce)
'COFFEE'. Fragrant white flowers and red berries and handsome, shining, dark green 6" oval leaves on a shrub to 15 feet. East Africa. Zone 10. Roasted seeds are coffee, and the leaves, bark and fruit pulp are also made into drinks. Honey from the flowers has a unique flavor. Soak overnight, peel off husk, sow in a light rich soil, and keep warm but not too wet. Root germinates in 1 - 4 months.
CONIUM (KO-nee-um)
UMBELLIFERAE. Two Eurasian species.
—Conium maculatum. (25) CONI-1. Packet: $2.50
10 grams: $7.50
'POISON HEMLOCK', WINTER FERN', 'SOCRATES BANE'. Finely cut ferny leaves and umbels of tiny white flowers on a biennial to 10 feet. Eurasia, widespread in N. America. Formerly used to execute criminals and philosophers in ancient Greece, including Socrates. Occasionally grown for the ornamental foliage or medicinal purposes, including modern cancer research, or in botanical collections. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks warm. Good beneficial insect habitat, and attracts insect and seed eating birds.
CORYDALIS
—Corydalis flavula. (75) CORY-11. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $7.50
'YELLOW HARLEQUIN'. Yellow 1/2" flowers in March to May, on an annual to 1 foot. Eastern U.S. and Canada.
COSMOS
—Cosmos 'Sea Shells Mixture'. (100) COS-1SS. Packet: $2.00
Ounce: $5.00, 1/4 Pound: $15.00
Striking flowers with each petal (ray-flower) tubular, resembling a foxglove flower. Shades of white, pink and red. Unusual. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
CUCUMIS (KOO-kum-is)
CUCURBITACEAE. Large annual and perennial vines grown for the edible or interesting fruits. Includes the cucumber and melon. Warm, rich, moist soil.
Taxonomy of the Genus Cucumis: http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cucurbit/cuke/cukehndbk/cuketaxonomy
—Cucumis hirsutus? (10) CUCU-15. Packet: $2.50
Click for photo »
Received as hirsutus but not sure what species this is, as the fruits are covered with large soft spines, while true hirsutus has smooth fruits, and the leaves of this one are lobed, unlike true hirsutus.
CUCURBITA (koo-KUR-bi-ta)
CUCURBITACEAE. Large annual and perennial vines with large leaves, flowers and fruits. An important genus, grown for the edible, useful and ornamental fruits, the edible and medicinal seeds, edible and ornamental flowers, and edible young leaves and shoots. Easily grown, various species adapted to a variety of environments. The beauty of their large flowers is often unappreciated. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
All of the C. Pepo gourds can be eaten as long as they have no trace of bitterness.
—Cucurbita palmata. (10) CUCB-19. Packet: $2.50
'COYOTE MELON'. Unusual desert gourd, round, light green, 3" across, with broad bands of greenish-white. Trailing stems to 1-4 feet long, with greyish leaves shaped like five-pointed stars. Sandy flats of California deserts. Interesting.