DAUCUS (DOW-kus)
UMBELLIFERAE. Familiar plants with nearly worldwide range. Annuals and perennials with finely divided leaves and umbels of tiny flowers.
—Daucus carota var. carota. (500) DAUC-1. Packet: $2.50
5 grams: $7.50
'QUEEN ANNE'S LACE'. Favorite classic wildflower to 3 feet. White flower-clusters with a single maroon bloom in the center. Excellent cut flower and the wild ancestor of the carrot. Seed dormant when fresh, give 2 - 4 weeks cold treatment. Year old seed germinates readily.
DIANTHUS
Dianthus Caryophyllus Varieties:
'CARNATIONS', 'CLOVE PINKS'. Well known and easily grown perennial, fairly hardy with protection. Grown in greenhouses commercially, but many types are adapted to the border, and the following are among the hardiest and best. The petals have been eaten candied. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Dianthus Caryophyllus Chabaud Mix'. (250) DIAN-30CH. Packet $2.50
1/4 Ounce: $7.50, Ounce: $14.00
The Chabaud strain of carnations originated over a century ago, and this strain is reselected for large, long-stemmed, fragrant, fully double fringed flowers in red, pink, purple, white, and yellow. To 18 - 24". tall. Zone 5.
DIOSPYROS
—Diospyros virginiana. (10) DIOS-128. Packet: $2.50
'AMERICAN PERSIMMON'. Round yellow or orange 1 - 2" edible fruits. Deciduous tree to 40 - 100 feet, with dark green shiny 6" leaves that give good fall color. Connecticut to Texas. Zone 4. Ripe fruit eaten fresh or dried, made into molasses, beer, and bread, and seeds roasted for a coffee substitute.
DODONAEA (do-do-NEE-a)
SAPINDACEAE. Widespread warm-region evergreen trees and shrubs with ornamental foliage and winged pods. Good in arid regions. Seed long-lived.
—Dodonaea viscosa. (25) DODO-12. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $7.50, 5 grams: $20.00
'GIANT HOP BUSH'. Shrub or small tree to 15 - 30 feet, with small greenish flowers followed by attractive winged pods. Tropics. Zone 8. Fast growing and easy almost anywhere, good sand binder and fire resistant. The hard heartwood is almost black. Leaves used medicinally, as a fish poison, and as a coca adulterant in Peru.
DOLICHOS
—Dolichos Lablab 'Ruby Moon'. (20) DOLC-4RU. Packet: $4.00
25 grams: $17.00, 100 grams: $50.00
An improved red-leaved form, with dark green and red leaves, purple flowers, & glossy purple pods.
ECHINACEA
—Echinacea angustifolia. (250) ECHI-1. Packet: $2.50
1/4 Ounce: $7.50, Ounce: $16.00
'BLACK SAMPSON CONEFLOWER'. Orchid or violet 2" wide flowers. Hardy perennial to 2 feet, with 8" leaves. Plains states. Zone 3. The root is a valuable medicine, and was used by the Sioux against septicemia, rabies, snakebites, etc., and widely in modern times against infection. It is said to stimulate the immune response, production of white blood cells, increase lymphatic filtration, etc. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks, some lots need 6 - 8 weeks cold.
FALLOPIA (fa-LO-pee-a)
POLYGONACEAE. North Hemisphere vines & shrubs.
—Fallopia scandens. (25) FALO-23. Packet: $2.50
5 grams: $7.50
'CLIMBING BUCKWHEAT'. Graceful hardy perennial vine to 20 feet, with usually red stems and arrowhead-like leaves. Small flowers in spikes in summer and fall, followed by attractive winged pods. E. North America. Zone 2 or 3. "The flowers and fruits are produced in abundance and are rather showy."—J. Hilty.
HELIANTHUS
Helianthus debilis. (=cucumerifolius) Varieties:
'CUCUMBER LEAVED SUNFLOWER'. A fine bushy annual with many 4" flowers on branching stems, unlike the single large flower of H. annuus. Most grow to 3 - 5 feet tall, space 2 feet apart. North America. The best species for cut flowers.
—Helianthus debilis 'Ice Cream'. (250) HELA-12IC. Packet $2.50
Ounce: $7.50, 1/4 pound: $25.00
Creamy white 4" flowers with chocolate centers and golden halo. Abundant flowers on branching stems. Hardy annual to 5 feet. Good cut flowers and attracts bees and butterflies.
IRIS
—Iris chrysographes. (25) IRIS-42. Packet: $2.50
5 grams: $7.50
'GOLDVEIN' or 'BLACK IRIS'. Deep velvety purple violet flowers, almost black, with variable gold veining. Hardy rhizomatous perennial to 1 1/2 feet, with 1/2" wide leaves. China. Zone 4. Choice! Give seed 6 - 12 weeks cold to germinate in 1 - 3 months.
IXIOLIRION (ix-ee-o-LEER-ee-on)
AMARYLLIDACEAE. Asian bulbs and perennials.
—Ixiolirion tataricum. (25) IXIO-10. Packet: $2.50
Click for photo »
'SIBERIAN LILY'. Pale blue 1 1/2" lily-like flowers in spring and summer. Hardy bulb to 18", with narrow grass-like leaves. Central Asia. Zone 3. Best with a dry summer. Germinates at cool to cold temperatures, in 1 - 3 months with stragglers.
KOELREUTERIA (kel-ROO-ter-EE-a)
SAPINDACEAE. 'GOLDEN RAIN TREE'. Ornamental trees of China and Japan, valued for their yellow summer bloom and decorative, colorful, clustered pods. They are good lawn and street trees for full sun. Easy from seed which needs nicking, and will germinate in 2 - 4 weeks, or sow un-nicked seed in fall. Seed half-life about 10 years.
—Koelreuteria paniculata nana. (25) KOEL-6N. Packet: $2.50
Ounce: $7.50, 1/4 pound: $25.00
'DWARF GOLDEN RAINTREE'. Yellow 1/2" flowers in 18" panicles in summer, followed by attractive inflated pods. Small shrub or tree to only 6 - 12 feet tall. Discovered in Korea in 1985. Zone 5. Comes 95% true. Nick seed to germinate in 2 -4 weeks. Three months prechill may help.
LILIUM
—Lilium candidum. (10) LILY-15. Packet: $2.50
Click for photo »
'MADONNA LILY'. Fragrant pure white funnel-shaped 3" flowers with golden anthers, in racemes of 5 to 20 in late June. To 4 - 6 feet. S. Europe. Seed germinates readily, in about 3 - 8 weeks or so. It appears in 5000 year old Cretan frescoes, and has been cultivated since at least 1500 BCE for the scent of the flowers, a thousand pounds of blooms yielding under a pound of essence.
LINDERA (lin-DER-a)
LAURACEAE. Aromatic North Hemisphere trees and shrubs.
—Lindera Benzoin. (20) LIND-5. Packet: $2.50
'WILD ALLSPICE'. Deciduous shrub to 15 feet, with greenish yellow flowers before the leaves in early spring, followed by scarlet berries that attract birds. Moist places, E. U.S. The leaves and young twigs were used by pioneers as a tea and spice. Best with 1 month warm, then 2 - 3 months cold.
LOBELIA
—Lobelia Erinus 'Color Cascade'. (500) LOB-10CC. Packet: $2.50
5 grams: $7.50, 25 grams: $30.00
Formula mix of blue, mauve, red, purple-rose, blue with white eye, and white. Trailing plants good in hanging baskets and window boxes.
LONICERA
—Lonicera involucrata. (100) LONI-50. Packet: $2.50
5 grams: $15.00
Nice picture of berries: http://www.worldbotanical.com/images/Lonicera-involucrata-15.jpg
'TWINBERRY HONEYSUCKLE'. Paired tubular 1/2" yellow to red flowers in June, followed by attractive purple-black berries with conspicuous red-purple bracts. Hardy shrub to 3 - 10 feet. W. N. America. Zone 4. Wide variety of medicinal uses among the Indians, and the berries eaten sparingly. Give 2 - 8 weeks prechill, but some germinate at warm.
LOTUS
—Lotus corniculatus. (2500) LOTU-4. Packet: $2.00
Ounce: $5.00, 1/4 pound: $10.00
'BIRD'S FOOT TREFOIL', 'BABY'S SLIPPER'S', 'BACON and EGGS'. Bright yellow flowers often streaked with red, in clusters of 5 - 10 in summer and fall. Hardy perennial forming dense mats of dark green leaves, sometimes rising to 2 feet. Eurasia. Good in the rock garden, for cascading down walls, or can be mowed as a lawn substitute.