2011 was another year with a cool late spring, and a shortish summer; the winter began quite normally, but tapered off into the rather fake winter we've had through now (early February). Pots in the greenhouse look like they are not minding, but I won't know for several weeks yet what has made it. Once again, the shifting weather is making for changes in what I am growing; more things cannot manage the heat and increasingly dry late summer days and I'm relinquishing trying to make them stay. In their stead are some more heat-tolerant versions, more drought-resistant plants, and a tighter focus on things that are sturdy as well as fragrant and beautiful.
I've noted with sadness that several of my longtime favorite seed firms have gone out of business in the past year, a couple I "shopped ahead" with, but some things I will be either re-sourcing, or changing varieties on as I run out of seed; look for many new varieties or twists on them.
In the case of my gardens, changes due to age and injury (I smashed my arm taking down a plank fence last autumn) have dictated I make changes to my growing setup. I'm switching to higher raised beds, and less of them, and more greenhouse growing vs. field growing for a lot of things. In many instances this means tougher selections, as wintering in pots is not for the faint of root.
Salvias, lavenders, mints and other dual purpose herbs (fragrant and tasty) continue to be the backbone of the list, with delphiniums, penstemons and violas adding in their voices (and more of those in store for this year).
I fell for Italian petunias in the past couple of seasons, and this year will have Italian pansies as well. (Wouldn't I love to tour the test fields those growers run??? Sigh.)
The list below will shortly repopulate with 2012 offerings; check back soon!
Once the growing season is in full swing, we add many items as they are propagated. This list is never static. Please check our current availability listing here as many items below will sell out quickly. Summer's heat will stop shipping sometime in July and it will resume in September for some plants.
Prices: Plants are as marked on the availability page. Sizes shipped are a bit smaller this year, to work with the realities of shipping.
Adlumia fungosa Alleghany Vine, Bleeding Heart Vine Biennial vine with maiden-hair like foliage that climbs speedily in its 2nd year and showers its trellis with hundreds of pink lockets. Showy, easy, for shade to part sun. Z4.
Agastache Hummingbird Mints Fragrant, often showy plants good for tea, cut flowers and attracting Hummingbirds--but not deer or elk, who totally ignore these useful beauties! Sun, very good drainage; leave stems standing in the winter. A. cusickii, foeniculum and occidentalis have fluffy bottle-brush like flower heads, the rest tubular flowers. Amongst our very favorite plants for scent, flavor and color, Agastaches are good in tea & salads, and dry well.
aurantiaca
- cana Hummingbird Mint Beautiful large (2") bright rose-pink trumpet flowers in abundance on slender base-branching plants. Sweet minty scent & taste, including the flowers which would make a nice "Martha" addition to summer fruit salads. This is a gorgeous plant. To 2-3'.
- foeniculum
Root Beer Plant, Anise Hyssop Bottle-brushy lavender flower heads on deeply aromatic plants. Flowers dry well and the whole plant makes a root-beer flavored tea (or syrup for your own root beer). Honey bees love this. 2-3'. Self sows when happy.
mexicana 'Sangria' German seed strain of a Mexican herb (Red Lemon Balm) which is very fragrant & tasty, with showy rosy flowers in tall spikes. Glossy lanceolate leaves on a slender, vase shaped plant to 2-3'. This is an excellent tea plant, pretty, and a hummingbird favorite.
rupestris Sunset Hyssop Orange-coral flowers with darker calyces, petite silvery foliage heart-shaped, spicy-minty scent. Hardier than it looks. 12-18".
Alcea Hollyhock Singles in mixed colors of peach, pink, red & yellow; intricately cut (ficifolia means fig-leaved) mature foliage and a natural resistance to the rust that so plagues other Hollyhocks. 6-8 feet. Z3.
Chamois Similar to the above and yet-much more moonlight or early sunrise effect-pearly pink notes, very subtle. More like a silk gown than chamois. Z4.
Anthoxanthum odoratum Sweet Vernal Grass Wonderfully fragrant grass when cut or when the dried foliage is in a warm room. Thought to bring peaceful sleep and valued by northern peoples as a smudging and strewing herb; distilled for perfumery (Flouve). Forms tight thick clumps with no runners. To about 10" tufty mounds. $7.00. Limited.
Aquilegia COLUMBINES
- Songbird Nice variety in a blend of gentle bicolors. Longer spurred than most varieties, graceful. 2-3'.
- viridiflora
Dark green-chocolate colored flowers with sweet fragrance reminiscent of Daphne. One of the few fragrant columbines; very decorative cut foliage which looks a bit like dinky Ginkgo leaves. 10-12".
Calamintha grandiflora Showy Calamint One of our favorite showy herbs, sporting pink Penstemon-like flowers in early summer over faintly downy light green foliage. Flavor is minty until cooked, when a cinnamon-apple flavor comes to the fore. Nice in jellies, liqueurs. Spreading groundcover, not for too dry a spot. 10". Z4. 6.00
Cheiranthus cheirii Wallflower Hardy biennials and annuals, blooming late in their first summer then presiding as glory of the spring garden with fragrance that humans and bees adore. In large 4-packs, $5.00
- Double Flowered Very hard to find heirloom strain of doubles and semi-doubles; this took years to find after reading about them in a plant encyclopedia from the 1800's. .
'Covent Garden Blood Red' Warm deep red, highly scented, pre-1900 variety, famed for its color and scent. To 12".
DELPHINIUMS provide gorgeous color in many different heights and blossom types. Because I love them so, I grow several new kinds each year, always keeping a few lifetime favorites. All appreciate rich soil (very rich soil!) in full sun and good drainage. More delphs succumb to lack of feeding and wet feet than to cold.
►Most Delphiniums ship after April 20th.
belladonna types Many branching shorter spikes of flowers over a longer period of time. Excellent for cutting (many were bred for the florist trade) and easy to please. To about 4',
- Oriental Blue Electric cobalt-blue flowers with dark bees touched with yellow, very striking and gorgeous cut. One of the best.
- Blue Shadow
- Bellamosum
- Cliveden Beauty
Cardinale and nudicaule hybrids
D. cardinale 'Beverly Hills Salmon'
D. nudicaule 'Laurin'
Tall garden (elatum) hybrids:
Guardian Early Blue Rich dark navy blue with hints of violet; self colored bees. Heavily filled dense flower stalks to 4'; earliest blooming of the tall doubles.
New Millennium Hybrids From New Zealand: huge fat full spikes of glorious and often unusual color. Bone hardy here in Zone 4.
Royal Aspirations Mix of deep sapphire blues with white bees. The strain that started it all.
New Millenium Mix Double flowered mostly with white or contrasting bees. Luscious, luminous colors from palest blue and lavender through pastel and mid blues to deepest indigo and violet, with a few plums and mauves in the bargain.
Pacific Giants: Tall, full flower stems with contrasting bees. Easily reach 6-8 feet if the soil is rich; stake them when you plant them and then tie in as needed, or plant away from walls & wind obstructions & go easy on the nitrogen and they will grow tougher stems and not need much staking. 6-8'; Z4.
- Blue Jay rritories.
- Summer Skies
Our favorite of the Pacific Giants, fat full spikes of double sky blue touched with pink; white bees. A vase full of these once drew the comment "You! With fake flowers??!" Hummingbirds stake out these as centers of their territories.
Digitalis Foxglove 'Camelot Mix'
Hesperis matronalis Dame's Rocket Flower of the Evening Star Classic cottage garden flower, beloved for centuries, probably millenia. Sweet fragrance in the dark hours, or in the house when cut, the lavender flowers are simple and unassuming in the daylight. Flowering from 2-3' depending on soil, most of the summer.
Hyacinth Scented Unusually scented and colored form of Dame's Rocket, with iridescent blue-purple flowers and a scent comprising Dame's Rocket, Stock, and the unmistakable fragrance of Hyacinths. Large sturdy plants produce generous armloads of flowers for cutting for most of the summer; you will surely want to bring flowers inside. 3' in boom.
White Same scent as the regular purple version, but with milk white flowers.
Hierochlöe odorata Sweet Grass, Northern Holy Grass Sweetly scented grass used in basketry & perfumery; this is the variety for braiding. Spreads by runners. To 15-20". Sun. 7.00
Iris Orris Root Sweetly fragrant palest blue flowers on this ancient herb; the dried root smells of violets and is prized as a fixative in potpourri. Early to bloom for a taller iris and easy to please. 24-30". $6. easy to please.
LAVENDER Quintessential cottage garden plants, popular for their xeric gardening qualities, and amongst the best scented plants on the planet. Marvelous hedging plants and welcoming by the gate or kitchen door. Give them sun and good drainage and they will reward you with ever larger crops of flowers as the years go by. Deer & elk proof. Sun, good drainage. Z4. Look for recipes & use ideas on our website. There will be plants from my own seed strains available at the market here this spring, as I'm working on longer stemmed versions and colors, which necessitates sowing and raising a lot more plants than I keep.Ellagance Ice White flowers in tall spikes with some tending to almost blue on the edges of the petals. Very fragrant and blooming at a very young age; compact tidy looking shrubs about 12"w. bloom most of the summer. Z4.
Ellagance Snow Large snow white flower spikes on well branched and bushy plants. Flowers over a long period. 12-16".
Ellagance Sky Blue-flowered sister plant to the above, with the same good bloom quality and form; well-branched and long-flowering.
Rosea
Czech From one of the new centers of Lavender distillation in Europe, has high essential oil content, bluish flowers. Z4. Tall: 3-4' in flower. Sun, sharp drainage. Long-lived & very cold tolerant.
Twickel Purple One of our very favorite Lavenders with long spikes of blue-violet flowers and an intense sweet fragrance; early with some re-bloom here. Almost knee-height, in flower.
Tall #1 (ex Munstead) Grown from seed from the tallest plants in the free-range Munstead rows, the ones with the longest stems. 2nd year plants, ready to bloom a bit in your garden this year, and totally winter hardy.
Melissa officinalis Lemon Balm Traditional lemon scented herb, for tea, salad, and schnapps. Soft, rugose, hairy green heart-shaped leaves; sunny yellow flowers in late summer which bees adore. A soothing salve is also made from the fresh tops.officinalis
Variegated Seed-propagated form splashed and speckled with gold in the spring, makes a bright statement in the early season garden.
Citronella Balm New Canadian variety which has a pronounced Citronella scent to it; sharper and spicier than usual.
Mints Amongst the most generous of herbs, mints provide essential oils, tea leaves, salad brighteners, and even aroma-therapeutic lawns.Chocolate Mint Fragrant chocolaty mint with brownish tinged foliage. Good in beverages and as a ground cover for shade. Keeps flavor well when dried or made into syrup. Bees love it. Moist soil. To 2'.
Grapefruit Mint Softly hairy greyish green mint with crisp refreshing grapefruit taste. Large pleated leaves hold well into winter after shearing. This is a great tea-plant and a fun addition to a fruit salad.
Variegated Ginger Mint Gold variegated (and happier) in shade; fades to green in full sun. Very fragrant with a floral hint of ginger. Nice where you can brush up against it. Very restrained growth habit. To 12".
Variegated Pineapple Mint Soft downy foliage edged and splotched with cream; good pineapple scent that keeps well dried. The most restrained of mints, timid really. Brightens up a shady border.
Orange Mint Strong orange scent, great in sparkling water or tea. Reddish roundy leaves. To 20".
Monarda bradburiana White Bergamot Fragrant herb, powerful butterfly attractor, good tea plant and possessed of beautiful purple-spotted white flowers. Mildew resistant. Z4.
Nepeta Brisk citrus scented foliage cheers up this sleepy herb. Silverier and a bit smaller than N. cattaria. Nicer in tea, too. Sun, any soil.
nepeta nepeta, Catnip This wildling was here before I set the house here, and always attracts kitties..be sure to cover newly set plants with something like a potato basket or metal milk crate plus a brick, or the cats will help themselves and un-plant them. To 4-5 feet in good soil.
Origanum OREGANO Golden Variegated Compact and very showy herb with pretty lavender flowers and white and gold splashing on the leaves. Mat-forming; sun-part sun. Z4. 8-12".
tytthanthum Kazakh Oregano Fragrance & flavor like Greek, but more showy. Flowers in fan-like sprays of little grey-green fireworks Dries well. To 16".
PENSTEMONS offer some of the best blues plus interesting foliage, often evergreen. Many attract hummingbirds; others provide bee forage and cut flowers. A few forms are actually miniature woody shrubs. All need excellent drainage. and good sunshine for best color.
- barbatus Rondo Dependable rock-garden or rough lawn plants, devoted to hummingbirds and good cut flowers. Bright mix of blues, lavenders, violets & pinks with glossy green leathery foliage. Give sun & good drainage. 16-20" Z4. Easy.
- b. coccinea 'Jingle Bells'
- hartwegii
Flagstaff New variety supposedly a zone or more hardier than others in its genus; mix of brilliant red, red & white, and pink trumpets in long spikes, mid-late summer. 24-30". Sun.
- x mexicali
Sunburst Petite plants with slender flaxlike foliage and brilliant thimble-sized bells in bright red shades, perfect small subshrub for the rock garden or border, attracts humming birds and bumble bees. 8-12". Sun.
ROSA I grow solely antique and species roses, for fragrance, hardiness, disease- and pest-resistance; all on their own roots. glutinosa Small deep green serrated foliage is headily pine-scented; single pink flowers are sweetly scented but the foliage is the main attraction. Small shrub (under 2') decorates itself in fall & winter with bright red bristly hips that look like maraschino cherries and are themselves pine scented. Suitable for the rock garden. Native to the mountains of Portugal. Z4, 2'. $18
primula Deep green glossy foliage richly fragrant of balsam, especially after a rain. Large single butter-yellow flowers in late spring; red stems and translucent red thorns. Exquisite plants for near a doorway or gate for their welcoming scent. To 6' x 5'w. $18.
SALVIA Fragrant and often showy, sages are garden workhorses. Most sport edible flowers large enough to use in salads and teas.
coccinea Brilliant crimson red flowers all summer long beckon humming-birds with color and nectar. Showy & delightful bushy plant to 18-20", soft downy bright green leaves. Tender, easy to over winter north of Z 8 & much more elegant than the stiff little S. superbas used along sidewalks.greggii Cherry Sage Complex group of hybrids of S. greggii, microphylla, and more, with fruity scented foliage and large flowers that bloom over a very long period, up until frost takes them. They winter well in pots in the house, and are hardy to Z7, some to Z6. To 3-4'. $7.00 in the following three colors:
Cherry Chief Culinary as well as showy, the leaves are used as a seasoning and the flowers as a sweet addition to salads.
- Lowry's Peach
Fresh, unusual salvia color of light salmon; same cooking uses as 'Cherry Chief'.
lemmonii Blackcurrant Sage Fragrant pebbled leaves and glorious flowers which Hummingbirds adore. (A tub of these on the front porch and you can skip the sticky wasp attracting feeder.) Flowers are bold & showy with a lower lip about the size & shape of a quarter, all in bright pinks & red tones. Woody shrub to 4' or so, frost tender and a good houseplant in Northern winters.
patens Huge, exotic, brilliant deep blue flowers mid summer to hard frost, a knockout in the garden and of course a hummingbird magnet. Lightly downy arrow shaped foliage resinous and a bit oily scented. Z 8, easy snowbird.
recognita Beautiful large pink flowers with soft, fuzzy (think Pussy willow) maroon calyces dance on tall wands above resinous grey-green pebbly foliage. Long blooming and easy to please. 6.00
scabiosifolia Scabious-leaved Sage Tall wands of lilac flowers on long stems soar above ornate, deeply cut (pinnatisect) leaves with
wooly undersides; good textural plant. Mid-late summer. 3-4'.
SAXIFRAGA 'Peter Pan' Diminutive mossy saxifrage for the rock garden, bright lime green foliage with palest pink flowers in early summer. Sun, good drainage. 2".
THYME
- Thymus coccineus arcticus Creeping Red Showy fragrant prostrate form w/pink flowers; turns maroon in winter.
Mother of Thyme Perfect for rough ground cover. Pale lilac flowers, pungent citrus scent. Red cast to leaves in winter. This one you can walk on and mow. To 4".
hybrida Rose-scented Our new favorite Thyme. Sweet rose scent and attractive blue-green leaves. Low mounding plants, mauve flowers. Mat former. 3-4" high. Try a sprig in a cup of Darjeeling tea. $6.00
Elfin
Pink Chintz
citriodorus 'Lime' Fragrant lime aroma and bright chartreuse foliage; turns burgundy in the winter. Carpeting plant, good in tea. Mauve flowers. 3".
Verbascum hybrida Verbascums are knockout bloomers and provide much cut flower material for the arranger, being 'cut and come again'. Forming deep fangy-taproots, they resent being moved.Bright warm flowers in shades of apricot to cherry to plum on slender spikes, all with lavender-magenta eyes and rugose green leaves. Adores rich soil and full to part sun. Drought tolerant once established. Try pairing it with a nice blue sage. To 2-3'.
Rosetta Bright deep rose pink flowers. Long lived, gently seeding to form small colonies over time.
For the kitchen garden:
Tasty, aromatic, tempting...edibles herbs & fruit we would not want to be without. Annuals in 3" deep pots, $3.00, perennials as marked.
Basil: Richly fragrant and flavorful variety, great for tea, jelly, fruit salads and salsas. Pretty pink flowers and reddish foliage. Keeps its scent when dried, nice in potpourris too.
Lemon Basil Mrs. Burns Strongly lemon scented & flavored; tall and slower to bolt..
Violetto Aromatico Italian ruffly-purple leaved variety, richly flavored and gorgeous made into vinegar.
Good King Henry (Chenopodium bonus-henricus) Perennial salad green, much like spinach yet less soon to bolt. And, -perennial-. From the Middle Ages.
Lemon Grass Highly fragrant & flavorful tropical grass, wonderful in teas, vinegars and to sauté with foods. Hails from India, wants to winter in the house in most of the US.
Heirloom tomatoes Indeterminate plants with large, intensely flavored old fashioned tomatoes.
- Striped Roman Our new favorite tomato, a large paste tomato with excellent flavor that also ripens in our very short season. Beautiful stripes of orange decorate the skin. Rich, intense flavor in a tomato big enough to bother drying: about 5" long even here in Idaho.
- Japanese Mystery Tomato
We never found out the name of this little golden cherry tomato, but it is sweet and prolific, worthy of a place near the porch so you can eat a handful whenever you pass.
Perilla is a mint family member much used in Oriental cooking--the red forms color plum sauce and pickled ginger, the green ones are often used to wrap sushi and rice cakes. Cinnamon & clove notes are strong, coupled with cumin and basil. Make excellent vinegars with berry overtones. Even the seeds are used as spices. And we nearly forgot to mention, they are showy, enthusiastic plants like basil gone to college. Red (Akashiso) Clove-berry flavors, fruity/spicy herb. Large leaves with iridescent tones. This is the one for plum sauce or pickled ginger.
Rumex sanguineus Red Sorrel Deeply red-veined and red tinged leaves give this lemony herb a new look. Same great taste as common Sorrel; gives a festive color to herbal vinegars. Keep flower stems cut off to promote leafy growth. 5-8". Prefers moist soil.
Marjoram, Variegated
Mint, Mojito
Bergamot, Rose-Scented
Lavender, Hidcote
Mint, Variegated Peppermint
Sage, Cherry Chief
Sage, Lowry's Peach
Thyme, Orange Balsam
Balm, Lime
Mint, English
Rosemary Classic kitchen herb goes with so many things, a snowbird in this climate but easy to keep in a cold bright window where it will bloom in late winter.
Tuscan Blue Aromatic and tasty variety, upright grower with dark green foliage & good blue flowers in the winter. Our favorite cooking variety and in training to be a pet Christmas tree. Z7. to 6'. $7.00
- Rex
Extra flavorful culinary variety with broad, tasty foliage and deep blue flowers. Prized for cooking. $7.00
Stevia Paraguayan Sweet Herb This interesting herb has incredibly sweet foliage which it bears in profusion. You can harvest 2-3x a summer, and dry for winter use. Crumble in tea, or make an infusion to use in cooking when you don't want green flecks in the pudding. Snowbird; sun. 16x12".
Tagetes lucida Marigold, Sweet Mexican Tarragon Anisy-tarragonish scent and flavor, small simple clusters of golden flowers. 3" pot.
Strawberries
Alpine Dainty berries (about twice the size of wild berries) with rich flavor and fragrance. You'll want to divide after a few years as the clumps get pretty packed; we like them as an edging. A row of these will provide breakfast berries all summer long.Ruegen Red alpine strawberries, deliciously fragrant and sweet, while larger than the wild form, they are still small; they make up for their size in flavor.Temptation Dark red, aromatic standard sized berries all summer long on compact, runnerless plants. Temptation bears in clusters and you could use the plants in hanging baskets.
Musk strawberry (Hautbois) Highly fragrant heirloom (1700's) Italian berries that don't appear in stores. Complex flavors redolent of raspberry and wine. The berries are borne in clusters above leaves and are easy to find. $10.00 the pair.
- Profumato di Tortona
Large berries, prolific runners. Need another musk strawberry for fruit set. $5.00 each
- Capron
Pollinator musk strawberry for best fruit set; grow in some shade for larger fruit. Not available separately till fall.
NEW!! MARA DES BOIS
Superior Annuals & Tender perennials
A selection of our uncommon annuals for baskets, windowboxes & trellis. In 3" deep rose-pots for $3.00 or multi-packs for $4.50 unless otherwise marked.
Ipomoea (available after May 1)
nil Japanese Imperial Morning Glories A class of highly bred, huge flowers meant for the show bench and personal satisfaction--unusual colors, patterns, and breathtaking display. Many don't set much seed, so these are limited offerings.
- Hatsu Arashi Huge satiny blooms open an intense indigo shade, and slowly change to a royal violet as the morning progresses. Short climber which likes a trellis.
- Pale Blue
Similar to the above, but a rain-washed early-morning sky blue.
- Antique Rose
Softest dusty rose, like a silk gown.
Flying Saucers to the moon!!'.
Lathyrus odorata Sweet Peas Heirloom mix Every March in my Great grandmother's diary was the notation 'I plant my svit peas' and everyone should give themselves such a treat. Selected blend of old varieties for fragrance, beauty and durability. To 5'. 6-pack.
Matthiola Stock 'Beauty of Nice' Intensely fragrant and mostly double, this ancient variety was grown as a dyer's plant, limited one color per village. This variety is tall and branching, far better for cutting than the midget blobs of uncertain scent often found today. Mixed. To 2'. A. 4-packs.
Polygonum orientale Kiss Me over The Garden Gate Delightful cottage heirloom with tall stems; deep pink flowers in graceful sprays, beautiful along a fence or over the garden gate.
Penstemon Sensation Mix Brilliant reds, pinks and purples, often with white throats. Spikes of trumpet shaped flowers to 2-3', full sun; a hummingbird's feast. Annual above zone 6. Big 4-pack.
Petunia Italian Hybrids (multipacks)
- Dolce Flambé
Impressionistic dream of sunny yellows, salmons and pinks layered in each bloom. Large, lightly ruffled flowers.
- Fragolino
Showy blooms in a blend of raspberry, red, and soft rose shades with a deeper red blush down each petal. No two flowers will be the same. Neat, compact 8-10 inch tall plants flower prolifically from spring til frost
SCENTED GERANIUMS Quintessential cottage garden plants, perfect to scent the house and garden. Try a leaf of rose geranium in a jar of apple jelly, citronella in fingerbowls, and both are wonderful in potpourri. $5.00
- Peacock Pretty splashes and speckles of white on large green leaves, redolent of roses.
- Attar of Roses
Lush, heady rose scent, nice large sturdy plants. A bit less 'geranium-y' than the standard Rose Geranium.
Tweedia caerulea Climbing Blue Milkweed Amazingly turquoise flowers, fuzzy green leaves and the curious habit of vining if grown with something to climb upon, and if not, being bushy instead. Tropical perennial hardy to about 40F.
VIOLA These remind me of the old Delft I can't find any more; cool, watercolor blues like the spring sky. Long-lasting medium to large flowers.
Fizzy Fruit Salad Frilled blooms in a cool mix of purples, pinks, roses and yellows. Love spring's cool weather but keep blooming all summer long. Mounded, frost tolerant, to 6-8".
Crown Truly winter hardy even here in Frostbite Falls, yet tolerant of summer's heat. Rich blend of clear colors.
Sky Another newer variety we're trialing for winter hardiness; supposedly as tough as the Crowns, in a very broad range of colors, bicolors, blotches and pencilings.
