Seed Shopping
Feb. 2nd, 2023 08:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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birdfeedingToday the order went in to Pinetree Garden Seeds. This is another of my favorite catalogs. They have a large selection of vegetables, herbs, and flowers including many obscure things. It's also one of the cheapest -- their seed packets cost a third to half what I'm seeing in most other catalogs. Some of these items are more for human use, some especially for pollinators (caterpillars -> birds), and a few like the sunflowers will attract birds directly. :D
Pinetree Garden Seeds
(This has a very nice lemon flavor.)
Sorrel Greens
Known as Oseille in France, where Sorrel is a popular vegetable. In the US it is sometimes known as Dock. Flavor is somewhat acidic, reminiscent of citrus. Often pureed and served with a cream sauce or fresh in salads with vinaigrette. Also makes splendid soup. Easy to grow and nutritious, providing ample harvests throughout the season.
Early Giant Leek
Leeks have a more delicate, sweet flavor than onions and can grow into incredible sized stalks when supplied with lots of organic matter and water. In the north we usually start our leeks indoors then transplant outside to give them a head start but this season we direct seeded this variety. We thinned out the row, used all the tender, baby leeks up and by early September we had 2” sized stalks.
Baby Bok Choy
You should be able to grow a half a dozen of these compact plants in a good sized pot and begin cutting within 45 days and continue to harvest the delicious leaves for another few weeks after.
Borage
About 3 feet tall with a spreading habit. Continuous Noxema-blue blooms attract lots of bees. Tough and drought resistant, it reseeds itself easily. Grown as an ornamental as well as for the fuzzy, cucumber-tasting leaves in the spring. This is a great seed to sow during mid-summer for end-of-season blooms for you and the late-season native insects.
(Yes, I actually bought dill for the caterpillars to have their very own. This is nicely sized for the prairie garden.)
Mammoth Dill
A superior dill that grows up to 6 feet. Grows out an extra amount of lush airy foliage plus it produces giant flowers with the seed umbels sometimes reaching 15"-18" across. A highly attractive dill that calls forth the beneficial insects, persuading them to visit your vegetable and flower garden.
Single Flower Feverfew
A southeastern European native with small, cheery daisy-like white flowers with tiny yellow centers Grows to 2 feet, forming a rounded clump of foliage, and has long stems, making a good cut flower. Historically feverfew was valued for treating migraines, allergies, arthritis, and inflammation.
(My favorite mint, which I haven't seen in years. I've had the best luck growing it in a shallow pot around a quartz crystal.)
Corsican Mint
The smallest member of the mint family, also known as mini mint. This diminutive mint creeps along, hugging the ground with its deeply scented leaves and tiny purple flowers. The leaves are not as palatable like peppermint but release a more intense scent and is used as the flavoring of creme de mint. It likes a moist, dappled light location and can be used in containers or as a filler around stepping stones. Grown as an annual, it will often self- seed in colder zones. Spreads well even during its first year.
(I actually have some growing from last year, so this time I'm looking for different colors.)
Summer Pastels Yarrow
The 3 ' high plants carry a multitude of 4 " flatten clusters, blooming in shades of rose, pink, apricot to cream. Plant in groups for the most effective display. This variety dries well for arrangements and nice for fresh cut flowers.
Cactus Mix
A mixture of cacti in fascinating shapes and sizes. Fun to grow and can be grown in pots for years to come.
(So far all I've been able to grow is black ones.)
Antwerp Hollyhock
This is the old fashioned hollyhock found in grandmother's garden. Plants are at least 8' tall and covered with 4" blooms in many colors. Very hardy in zones 3-9, Antwerp will not flower until the second year.
(I've never actually gotten the damn things to bloom, but I keep trying.)
White Moonflower
Vines are exceptionally vigorous growing to a length of twenty feet. Large, fragrant, white flowers open only in the evening. This variety is also called Moon Vine.
(I had great luck with this last year.)
Gleam Mix Nasturtium
This is the variety we would recommend for most hanging baskets and moderate spreading. The vines are substantially longer than Jewel but much shorter than the tall climbing single. This one offers a particularly nice color selection with all the shades you expect from nasturtiums and a few more. The original strain of this variety was discovered in a Mexican convent garden in the '20s and became a real sensation with seeds selling for 5 cents apiece in the midst of the Depression. Blossoms are a spicy addition to a salad.
Lemon Mint Monarda (Beebalm)
This annual Monarda was a real eye-catcher in our trials. Plants are over three feet tall and attractive. In mid-summer, swirls of pink to lavender blooms begin appearing at the top of the plant and eventually cover much of the stem. This Monarda is also an excellent bee plant and makes delicious herbal teas.
(I have a couple of autumn sedum plants that the pollinators adore.)
Sedum Mix
This is a mixture of 5 different sedum colors with different blooming schedules so it should produce flowers from June through August and make showy ground covers all season. The flowers are different shades of yellow, pink, and rose and the shapes are also different. The foliage is the characteristic succulent green. Sedum are low maintenance and durable and offer interesting texture in the garden.
(We'll see if these and the Zuni landrace do any better than last year's pretty but paltry 2 plants from Autumn Beauty.)
Florenza Sunflower
Attention attraction color pattern with light yellow tips and a contrasting maroon ring. Sturdy, neat stems with minimal foliage keep the 6” blooms from drooping and have excellent cut-flower quality. Large brown disks produce pollen, drawing in pollinators, and have a pleasant chocolatey fragrance. Grows to 4 - 41/2’.
Pinetree Garden Seeds
(This has a very nice lemon flavor.)
Sorrel Greens
Known as Oseille in France, where Sorrel is a popular vegetable. In the US it is sometimes known as Dock. Flavor is somewhat acidic, reminiscent of citrus. Often pureed and served with a cream sauce or fresh in salads with vinaigrette. Also makes splendid soup. Easy to grow and nutritious, providing ample harvests throughout the season.
Early Giant Leek
Leeks have a more delicate, sweet flavor than onions and can grow into incredible sized stalks when supplied with lots of organic matter and water. In the north we usually start our leeks indoors then transplant outside to give them a head start but this season we direct seeded this variety. We thinned out the row, used all the tender, baby leeks up and by early September we had 2” sized stalks.
Baby Bok Choy
You should be able to grow a half a dozen of these compact plants in a good sized pot and begin cutting within 45 days and continue to harvest the delicious leaves for another few weeks after.
Borage
About 3 feet tall with a spreading habit. Continuous Noxema-blue blooms attract lots of bees. Tough and drought resistant, it reseeds itself easily. Grown as an ornamental as well as for the fuzzy, cucumber-tasting leaves in the spring. This is a great seed to sow during mid-summer for end-of-season blooms for you and the late-season native insects.
(Yes, I actually bought dill for the caterpillars to have their very own. This is nicely sized for the prairie garden.)
Mammoth Dill
A superior dill that grows up to 6 feet. Grows out an extra amount of lush airy foliage plus it produces giant flowers with the seed umbels sometimes reaching 15"-18" across. A highly attractive dill that calls forth the beneficial insects, persuading them to visit your vegetable and flower garden.
Single Flower Feverfew
A southeastern European native with small, cheery daisy-like white flowers with tiny yellow centers Grows to 2 feet, forming a rounded clump of foliage, and has long stems, making a good cut flower. Historically feverfew was valued for treating migraines, allergies, arthritis, and inflammation.
(My favorite mint, which I haven't seen in years. I've had the best luck growing it in a shallow pot around a quartz crystal.)
Corsican Mint
The smallest member of the mint family, also known as mini mint. This diminutive mint creeps along, hugging the ground with its deeply scented leaves and tiny purple flowers. The leaves are not as palatable like peppermint but release a more intense scent and is used as the flavoring of creme de mint. It likes a moist, dappled light location and can be used in containers or as a filler around stepping stones. Grown as an annual, it will often self- seed in colder zones. Spreads well even during its first year.
(I actually have some growing from last year, so this time I'm looking for different colors.)
Summer Pastels Yarrow
The 3 ' high plants carry a multitude of 4 " flatten clusters, blooming in shades of rose, pink, apricot to cream. Plant in groups for the most effective display. This variety dries well for arrangements and nice for fresh cut flowers.
Cactus Mix
A mixture of cacti in fascinating shapes and sizes. Fun to grow and can be grown in pots for years to come.
(So far all I've been able to grow is black ones.)
Antwerp Hollyhock
This is the old fashioned hollyhock found in grandmother's garden. Plants are at least 8' tall and covered with 4" blooms in many colors. Very hardy in zones 3-9, Antwerp will not flower until the second year.
(I've never actually gotten the damn things to bloom, but I keep trying.)
White Moonflower
Vines are exceptionally vigorous growing to a length of twenty feet. Large, fragrant, white flowers open only in the evening. This variety is also called Moon Vine.
(I had great luck with this last year.)
Gleam Mix Nasturtium
This is the variety we would recommend for most hanging baskets and moderate spreading. The vines are substantially longer than Jewel but much shorter than the tall climbing single. This one offers a particularly nice color selection with all the shades you expect from nasturtiums and a few more. The original strain of this variety was discovered in a Mexican convent garden in the '20s and became a real sensation with seeds selling for 5 cents apiece in the midst of the Depression. Blossoms are a spicy addition to a salad.
Lemon Mint Monarda (Beebalm)
This annual Monarda was a real eye-catcher in our trials. Plants are over three feet tall and attractive. In mid-summer, swirls of pink to lavender blooms begin appearing at the top of the plant and eventually cover much of the stem. This Monarda is also an excellent bee plant and makes delicious herbal teas.
(I have a couple of autumn sedum plants that the pollinators adore.)
Sedum Mix
This is a mixture of 5 different sedum colors with different blooming schedules so it should produce flowers from June through August and make showy ground covers all season. The flowers are different shades of yellow, pink, and rose and the shapes are also different. The foliage is the characteristic succulent green. Sedum are low maintenance and durable and offer interesting texture in the garden.
(We'll see if these and the Zuni landrace do any better than last year's pretty but paltry 2 plants from Autumn Beauty.)
Florenza Sunflower
Attention attraction color pattern with light yellow tips and a contrasting maroon ring. Sturdy, neat stems with minimal foliage keep the 6” blooms from drooping and have excellent cut-flower quality. Large brown disks produce pollen, drawing in pollinators, and have a pleasant chocolatey fragrance. Grows to 4 - 41/2’.
