February 2017:
Snow! And more snow. The gardens are still under several feet, so digging will be pushed back by several weeks.
The constraints of age have shortened this list, and will likely continue to; I can't imagine ever discontinuing altogether though (my first word was 'Flower') and my heart is intertwined with the gardens. There will be some new seed-raised plants later, and (if the rains cooperate) some Paeonia and perhaps some new mints.
To order, please see the online ordering catalog Many items below will sell out quickly. Shipping begins in March; summer's heat will stop shipping sometime in July or August and it will resume in September for some plants.
Prices: Plants are as marked on the availability page.
Aquilegia COLUMBINESviridiflora 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 bluish 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.
Campanula persicifolia Peach Bells Cottage garden staple, long-blooming beauty with large outfacing bells in shades of blues (and occasionally white). Magnet for bees and flower arrangers; graceful, sturdy, with clean tidy foliage. To 2-3'.
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.
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.
- 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.
Geranium macrorrhizum Intensely scented Geranium with small leaves flushed red in spring; cerise flowers. Good, highly enthusiastic groundcover.
Heuchera pulchella New Mexico Coral Bells Western native species, slender pink stems with light coral-pink & burgundy bells over silvery-green foliage that remains green over the winter. Hummingbird favorite and popular with flower arrangers. To 2' in flower; sun, well drained soil. Easy.
Iris pallida Orris Root Famed perfumery Iris, whose unscented roots dry over the years to a strong and lasting scent of violets. Pales blue flowers in early summer, the first of the taller iris to bloom.
Iris, Siberian'Bluebird' Divisions of a nice blue clone raised from seed here and named for our state bird. A bit above knee-height in unimproved soil, larger and even bluer in a pampered garden.
'Egret' White slender flowers, upright and abstract, with yellow signals. Another PGRPN seedling.
'Tumwater Purple' Large, rich royal purple flowers, originally from my best friend's garden. Flowers like this are a gardener's immortality.
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.
Mints Amongst the most generous of herbs, mints provide essential oils, tea leaves, salad brighteners, and even aromatic 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'.
ROSA I grow solely antique and species roses, for fragrance, hardiness, disease- and pest-resistance; all on their own roots.
damascena 'Laville de Bruxelles'
- glutinosa Pine Scented Rose 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'.
- 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.
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.
- Pineapple Thyme Seedling sport from a rose thyme seedling, vigorous and yummily fruit-scented.
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.
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'.
Strawberries
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.
- Capron
Pollinator musk strawberry for best fruit set; grow in some shade for larger fruit. Not available separately till fall.
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.
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.
- 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
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