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TABLE OF CONTENTS/page
News & Events.........
4
Key to Descriptions
5
Recipe Index.............
5
Herbs.......................
6 - 32
Herb Farm Events....
33
Miniature plants
- Hardy Sun..............
34-41
- Hardy Shade.......... 42-47
- Tropical Shade ......
47-50
- Tropical Sun .......... 51-55
Succulents................ 56-59
CSA & Fruit/Vegetables 60-63
Saturday Farmers’ Market64
February 2016
COLOR
Plain & simple
Mark & I thank you for over two decades of dedicated support. I’m not kidding when
I say, I love it when people call in February asking “Where’s my catalog?” Your excitement is
palpable from our loyal opening day crowd to first time customers who take a moment to tell
us in person, by letter or by phone- “I can’t believe I’ve walked this earth for 50 years and didn’t
know you existed!” A regular egg and lettuce customer often tells me how grateful she is that
we work so hard to bring good produce to the community. Our gratitude extends to all of you!
Why else would we do this, but for you?
HOURS
March 15th- July 30th
Tuesday - Saturday 10 - 5 pm
Also, Thursday until 7 pm, by apt.
Also Sundays, 1 - 5, in May
August - Closed
Sept. - Nov.: Open Thurs. - Sat.
Dec. - mid Mar.: Call for apt.
In return, we want to brighten your day. Come out
to our sun-filled greenhouse and enjoy our color.
Mark’s not only a horticultural walking encyclope
dia but also pretty artsy. He painted, stenciled
and filled a dozen tires with herbs and tender
perennials and hung them all over the green
house.
See if you can find all
12 tires in this catalog!
WE ARE
CERTIFIED
ORGANIC
POT SIZE:
- most plants are grown in 3 or 4”
bio-pots made of rice and bamboo
- garlic and all other vegetables are
grown in three, four or six packs
BUY HERE for BEST PRICES!
Plant sales require more labor
and gas and we need to account
for that. Therein lies the differences between prices off site and
at the farm.
Two favors (with benefits!) to ask of you:
1. Come see us at least twice. Bring a friend the second time, and get a free herb just
by mentioning this. Come early, why not opening day (there’s free refreshments!), dust off the
winter cobwebs and take in the tender perennials and succulents- our houseplants. Come again
around May 1st for our best selection of everything! The late bloomers have emerged and we
usually don’t sell out of many varieties, just yet.
2. Sign up for our e-newsletters. Be the first to know of herb farm events & exclusive
offers, but there is so much more. I send an herb e-newsletter, usually mid month, with a featured topic be it: aromatherapy, growing tips (like preparing for fall frosts), decorating for the
holidays, medicinal herbs, health & wellness, potpourris and recipes, ALWAYS a recipe or two.
Since we sell produce nearly year round, the weekly vegetable e-newsletters are focused on
what’s available each week, cool & unusual varieties, preservation tips, CSA member news and
recipes. (Speaking of such, many of the the herb or vegetable e-newsletter recipes and information excerpts are in this 2016 catalog.)
NO SHIPPING
Our last box went out June 2009.
We no longer stock the mailing
supplies or permits necessary for
shipping.
WE ACCEPT:
cash, checks,
money orders,
V.I.S.A. and
MasterCard
PLEASE SIGN UP FOR EITHER OR BOTH OF
OUR HERB & VEGETABLE E-NEWSLETTERS by:
- emailing “mulberrycreekherbs@gmail.com”
- be sure to add our email to your “contacts” to up chances of
our e-newsletter landing in your “inbox” rather than “spam.”
2
MULBERRY CREEK
HERBFARM
proclaims
“A MEDIEVAL HERB FAIRE”
Sat., June 25th 10 - 5:00
Sun., June 26th 10 - 4:00
$5.00 per adult (includes 1 free herb)
Kids under 16 & Classes are FREE
THE MIDDLE AGES (1066-1485) filled the time between the decline of the Roman Empire
and the over achieving Renaissance era. England ushered in “the dark ages” with the “Battle of Hastings” during the
“Norman Conquest” but this feudal system extended to modern day France, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Germany, Poland,
Russia or in fact most of Europe. MORE THAN CASTLES & CRUSADES, this history is rich with “Domesday Book” and the
“Magna Carte,” along with the “Black Death,” illuminated manuscripts, mosaics, frescos, swords, archers, and battle axes.
Look around the fair. You might spot Marco Polo, Kubla Khan, Thomas Aquinas, William Tell, or more likely Robin Hood,
and the lord and lady of the manor
FREE WORKSHOPS & ENTERTAINMENT
We’ve invited the local chapter of the “Society for Creative Anachronisms” who will camp here the entire weekend. They
are unlikely to break from their medieval ways as they educate the crowd about the herbs, cooking, daily chores, leather
working, and life in this era. We pray there will be knights and merry meade making! Who knows what other jugglers,
jesters or magicians, maybe even fire breathers, may show up!
MEDIEVAL GARDENS A wall lined abbey will envelope our herb gardens for
culinary, medicinal and craft uses. Vegetable or cottage gardens, fruit & nut trees, fountains & fish
ponds, were all desired by peasant and noblemen.
A MEDIEVAL FEAST
Surely big turkey legs are involved as well as other animals,
but don’t worry, our caterer is ready with medieval fare, brought up to the American’s palette along
with outstanding salads and vegetarian options. Mitchell’s ice cream will design a medieval flavor for us.
CHRISTMAS SHOP EARLY with vendors of
herbs, gardening, cooking or medieval wares. We discourage cheap,
imported products and crafts represented at other fairs.
CHECK FAIR UPDATES:
CLICK ON THE “NEWS & EVENTS” TAB @ mulberrycreek.com on a
regular basis to view newly added workshops and entertainment.
3
OPENING DAY:
“The Ides of March”
Tuesday, March 15th 10 - 5:00
News & Events
Spring 2016
Questions?
419-433-6126
or
mulberrycreek
@yahoo.com
Open
March 15th- July 30th
Tuesday - Saturday 10 - 5 pm
in addition to above hours:
Thursdays to 7 pm. by apt. only
Sundays, 1 - 5pm, May only
August - Closed
Sept. - Nov: Thurs.- Sat.
10 - 5 pm
Dec. - mid Mar:
Call for apt.
MULBERRY CREEK
E-NEWSLETTER:
RECIPES, HERB or VEGETABLE TIPS
and GREENHOUSE NEWS are at your
fingertips. Sign up for our monthly
herb and/or our weekly vegetable
e-newsletters, by emailing Karen
(“mulberrycreek@yahoo.com”). Put
“mulberrycreekherbs@gmail.com”
in your contact list, so that the
e-newsletter lands in your inbox, not
spam. That goes for all the folks who
have signed up in the past and aren’t
receiving news! Our highly trained & experienced staff
(Beverly, Jeanne, Shelley, Cathy, Steve, Lisa,
Theresa, Rob and Abbey) along with Mark,
Ben, Josh & I are beginning our 21st season.
Our tradition is to kick-off the herb fair
anticipation from day one, so join a car load
of friends, head for our sunny greenhouse and celebrate “A Medieval
Herb Faire.” Nibble on “Medieval Fine Cakes” and “Mulled White
Wine Sangria,” a modern twist on a 15th century favorite.
PLANT SALES:
March 18-19th
March 25-26th
April 23 & 24th
May 6-7th
May 13-15th
G. L. Hosta College
East Coast Train Show
Mill Hollow Herb Sale
Phipps May Market
Holden Plant Sale
check out their websites for details
ihostohio.org/portal/glhc/college.asp
eclsts.com
metroparks.cc/events.php
phipps.conservatory.org
holdenarb.org/home/plantsale.asp
HERBFARM EVENTS:
for details or vendor info, ask Karen
March 15th
April 30th
May 1st
May 8th
June 4th
June 4 & 7th
June 25-26th
Aug. 2 & 6th
Sept 8th
Sept. 27 & Oct.1
Nov. 19 & 20th
medieval refreshments & music
vendors, kids games, refreshment
may-pole, may queen, faery parade
herbal beverage & free plant for mom
kick off our Sat. AM Farmer’s Market
spring organic vegetables pick-up
see page 3
summer organic vegetables pick-up
open Thursday- Saturday, 10-5:00
fall organic vegetables pick-up
vendors, food, cooking classes, music
Opening Day
6th Annual Faery Fest
May Day Celebration
Mother’s Day Toast
Beer & Bonsai
Vegetable CSA begins
19th Annual HerbFair
CSA summer season Fall Season begins
CSA fall season
Holiday Openhouse
FIND OUR PLANTS AT:
Days of Yore
Lakewood G. C.
Mustard Seed
Nature’s Bin
Whole Foods
Wellington, OH
Lakewood, OH Akron & Solon
Lakewood, OH
Cleveland Area
daysofyoreherbandflowerfarm.com
lakewoodgardencenter.net
mustardseedmarket.com
cornucopia-inc.org
wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/chagrin
keep checking back at:
mulberrycreek.com/News_and_Events
4
KEY TO OUR DESCRIPTIONS AND GROWING INFORMATION
Common Name $
Botanical name
Hardiness: (Zone)
Light Requirements: Height x Width: Uses:
Followed by endless comments to help on your herbal journey
Common Name: I was once lectured about “Faery Ferns” by a customer.
“They’re not ferns at all. Why don’t you call them by
their proper name, Leptinella?” I smiled and replied “Because I want 9 year olds to get pumped about growing plants. I’m betting faery
fern is more appealing.” It’s a tricky balance.
Symbols:
represent plants represent plantsrepresent plants
that thrive inthat attract that are easily
strawberry jars butterfliesbonsai trained
Botanical name: If you have a specific plant in mind, botanical names usually don’t let you down.
The first word (or genus) is
capitilized and the second (species) is not. Often a third or more word appears in ‘single’ quotes. That is the cultivar.
Hardiness/Hardiness Zones:
When we write hardy perennial, it is hardy in Ohio. Nevertheless, there are those quirky microclimates in a backyard where plants laugh at all our “expertise.” Note: Tender perennials need to be overwintered indoors here in Ohio
and colder climates. Even though we no longer ship, I left in “Zones.” Our farm is Zone 5b though it’s being nudged to a Zone 6 with our
record warm winters. If it’s Zone 1 (the Arctic) it’ll make it through any winter here, Zone 7 is highly unlikely, Zone 6 is borderline hardy.
Light Requirements: When 2 ratings are listed, the first rating is the preferred light exposure, while the second is tolerable.
Full Sun= 6 hrs. or more of afternoon sun ideally
P. Sun= 4 - 6 hrs afternoon sun; tolerates AM shade
P. Shade= Prefers morning sun, shaded afternoon
Shade= Grows well or tolerates full shade
Height x Width: This is the approximate height you can expect for Northern Ohio this decade. We include inches or feet.
(Example: “12 x 18 inches” means a mature size is 12” high and 18” wide) Use this as a guide to spacing.
Uses: Represents just a few broad, popular uses for that plant but is by no means the only ways you can utilize these plants.
RECIPES INDEX
Smoked Salmon & Dill Pizza
Apple Salad with Fennel, Crisp
Chewy Chocolate-Gingerbread Cookies
Pickled Hops
Preparing Horseradish
Pear Cheese Salad w/ Lavender Vinegar
Chicken a la Spring
Herb Water
Nasturtium Garlic Pesto
Sage Tea & Gargle
Cucumber & Coconut Salad
Herb Infused Potatoes
Roasted Salmon with Sorrel & Lemon
Stevia Simple Syrup
Tea Processing
Lemon Thyme Pound Cake
Lemon Thyme Syrup
Harvest & Preserving Herbs
Powdery Mildew Spray (not edible)
Backyard Christmas Potpourri (not edible) OUR STAFF & VOLUNTEERS
page 10
page 11
page 14
page 15
page 15
page 17
page 18
page 19
page 20
page 23
page 24
page 25
page 28
page 28
page 29
page 31
page 31
page 32
page 22
page 25
allow us to have a life with our family. They not only
produce a ton of plants but just as much laughter. From
our monthly volunteer potlucks to our staff clocking in
over 100 years of horticultural experience, we can not
thank all of them enough for lightening our load!
I wish they were all here for this picture!
5
h Mulberry Herbs, Butterfly & Magical Companion Plants h
AGASTACHE/ ANISE HYSSOPS All $3.99 h
Agastache /Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum 3 feet
Hummingbirds, Culinary
Got your cup of tea? O.K. Begin your adventure....
Lavender purple spikes, July through September, are
cut fresh for flower arrangements or dried, while
anise flavored leaves and flowers make a refreshing
summer tea. Easily grown hardy perennial, but,
reseeds if flowers aren’t removed quickly, which
can be a good thing. Tolerates partial shade.
Angelica
$3.99
Angelica, Korean
$4.49
NEW! Aronia, Viking
$6.99 Angelica archangelicaHardy Perennial
Shade
4 - 6 feet
Culinary, Ornamental, Butterfly
Need a tropical, bold, 6 foot giant for a wet, shaded area? Stems are candied,
added in slivers to your favorite rhubarb recipe, minced for jams or simply prepared and eaten like asparagus. Leaves flavor pork, fish, cooked fruits and soups.
Creamy yellow flowers produce long lasting seed heads followed by the death of
the mother plant shortly thereafter. Seeds add a sweet, delicate, anise flavor to
stews and liqueurs.
ALL OUR AGASTACHES ARE:
Hardy Perennials
Full - Pt. Shade Lovers
Drought Resistant
Angelica gigasHardy Perennial
Shade
3 feet
Culinary, Ornamental, Butterfly
Unassertive, small leaves scream for this bold, dramatic foliaged neighbor for
any shade area. Baseball sized purple clusters on 3’ stalks form in 2 to 3 years,
which I suggest you remove during their glory to prevent this herb’s demise or
the birth of 100 more. Leaf stalks can also be candied. This “Dong Quai” herb
makes a cozy Chinese tea and is a premiere female medicinal.
Agastache Apricot Sprite
Half-Hardy Perennial
2 feetCulinary, Tea, Bees
Try this for your next salad:
mixed greens, ripe nectarines (or mandarin
oranges), toasted walnuts, “Purple Ruffles
Basil” and these subtle citrus/anise, bright
orange and yellow flowers. Dress with a
fruity viniagrette. Not only tasty, there’s
silver foliage & stocky 18” height to admire.
Add extra color to the herb garden or even
large mixed containers.
Agastache aurantiaca Aronia melanocarpa ‘Viking’ Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
3 x 6 feet
Super Nutritious Fruit
How about a container-friendly, easy-to-grow,
ornamental shrub with antioxidant-packed fruits?
Why can’t jams, preserves, wine and baked goods be
nutritious? “Goji-like,” wine-black berries ripen
in late summer, self pollinate and remain on
the bush throughout the winter. It is a nice
looking bush with pink-tinged white blooms
and shiny foliage. Loves full sun, but tolerates
partial shade year after year, outdoors.
Agastache Apricot Sprite
Agastache, Mexican Giant
$3.99
Aloe barbarensis Tender Perennial
Full Sun
3 feet
Medicinal, Culinary, Ornamental
Forget the drug store skin care. Reach for a succulent tip off this medicinal.
Squeeze out a thick, cooling gel proven to heal burns, minor skin abrasions and
rough garden hands. This is a premium medicinal variety, originally from the
world’s largest Aloe grower. We plant it in the ground June 1st and it doubles
in size and more healing properties than can be listed here, by summer’s end.
Better than a box of “Skittles,” Agastaches come in assorted flavors:
anise, apricot, lemony mint and even root beer in a range of hot colors.
Aloe Vera
Agastache Mexican Giant
Agastache mexicana
2 - 4 feet
Culinary Flowers, Tea Time Favorite
Guilt free candy straight from the garden. Our
staff could not resist popping pink petals of sweet
lemon-mint into their mouths when they bloomed
for the first time. Imagine pink confetti over canteloupe or the lemony leaves in your child’s tea.
Australian Mint Bush, Variegated $4.49
Prostanthera rotundifolia ‘Variegata’
Tender Perennial
Sun - P. Sun
12 x 18 inches
Bonsai, Potpourri, Mixed Container
If we’d stop taking cuttings, we’d allow the dark pink trumpet flowers to
be revealed, but the upright, variegated foliage is enough. Native to Australia,
where it reaches 4 to 5 feet, you’ll want to prune it to maintain a bushy behavior.
Tolerates bright to shade. Potpourri suits its eucalyptus/minty perfume.
Brightens up any mixed herb container with its’ great contrasting foliage
Agastache, Sunset Hyssop
Agastache rupestris
2 feet
Hummingbirds, Culinary
We first saw this delicate, cool summer beauty in Seattle
labeled “Root Beer Plant.” Compared to our (Piper auritum )
“Root Beer Plant,” its fragrance isn’t as strong, but it lingers as
apricot-pink flowers hover above finely cut, gray foliage all
summer. Has definite tea possibilities from the beverage to the scones.
Baptisia
$4.49
Baptisia australis
Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
3 x 3 feet
Edible Flowers, Ornamental
True blue, June flowers form
on this, one of the oldest known
perennials. We pop the juicy
flowers in our mouths for a
fresh pea fix though folks have
been known to indulge in the
foliage with minor ill effects.
Bold, contrasting foliage turns
purple after a freeze! Baptisia is
a nitrogen fixing plant- that’s
free fertilizer!
AGASTACHES ARE for the BEES, BUTTERFLIES & HUMMINGBIRDS!
Agastache, Tango
Agastache aurantiaca x ‘Tango’
Half-Hardy Perennial
3 x 1 feet
Cut Flower, Edible Flowers
Few perennials pack more into 14 inches than “Tango.” Firey orange and
purplish spikes contrast the gray-green foliage of this upright, compact, well
branched ornamental.
6
Basil, Lemon or Lime
h BASIL TIPS ALL $3.99 h
Ocimum citriodora or O. basilicum ‘Lime’
Annual
Full Sun
18 x 18 inches
Culinary
Choose your fruit or get both. Both flavor fish and chicken. Both flavor water
for drinking or adding to enhance baked goods. Lime is especially strong and the
flavor only increases in the freezer. Keep the flowers clipped and eaten.
1. Basil loves warm soil. Buy early, transplant into a gallon pot.
Patiently wait until Memorial Day to plant outside in ground.
2. “Annuals” (live 1 year) vs “Tender Perennial (overwinter indoors)
3. Add nitrogen to your soil at planting to delay flowering and seed
production, crucial for annual basils that love to flower.
4. Best fresh. Or “food processor” leaves with olive oil. Pour slurry
into ice cube tray. Freeze. Store cubes in freezer in containers.
5. Keep flowers & leaves clipped and use in tomato soup, swt. corn,
Italian sauces, garlic bread, poultry dishes, even ice cream.
6. At the end of the season, use the stems as skewers.
Basil, Mammoth
Ocimum basilicum ‘Large Leaf’
Annual
Sun
2 x 2-1/2 feet
Culinary
It is preferred by many chefs over “Sweet
Genovese” because of its sweeter scent, less
clove-like flavor. 4 inch leaves are often
used whole, as a wrap.
Basil, African Blue
Ocimum x ‘African Blue’ Tender Perennial
Sun - P. Shade
3 x 2 feet Culinary, Ornamental
Give it room to transform into a mound of dark
green leaves with purple veins and flower spikes.
Had it served with a pork tenderloin that made me
believe- it is edible! Best basil indoors come fall.
Basil, Mini Purple O. basilicum ‘Minimum Pur. Well Sweep’ Tender Perennial (Zone 9 - 10)
Sun
7 x 7 inches
Culinary, Ornamental
Adding great tasting basil flavor has never been easier thanks to its striking,
purple, tiny leaves. Simply crumble over pizza, salads or fish. Introduced by
Cyrus Hyde atWell-Sweep Herb Farm.
Basil, African Blue,Variegated
Basil, Pepper
Ocimum x ‘Variegated African Blue’ Tender Perennial
Sun - P. Sun
3 x 2-1/2 feet
Claude Monet might’ve wept upon seeing its
pastel palette of white, lime and dark green,
splashed leaves. Almost as vigorous as
“African Blue” with a milder flavor. Breathtaking in herb garden but begin by adding
small amounts to meats, stews, corn & beans.
Ocimum selloi Tender Perennial (Zone 9 - 10)
P. Sun - P. Shade
2 x 2 feet
Culinary, Ornamental
Sturdy, polished, green, bell pepper and basil flavored leaves are more tender
and delicious, grown in filtered sunlight to afternoon shade. Reddish-pink flowers
never stop, but, don’t diminish the flavor either. Tolerates cool temps and the indoors next fall. See “Pepper Basil” in Herb Companion’s Feb/March 2004 issue.
Culinary, Ornamental
Basil, Purple Ruffles
Ocimum basilicum ‘Purple Ruffles’ Annual
Sun
2 x 1-1/2 feet
Culinary, Ornamental
Large purple leaves with ruffled edges and pink
Ocimum x citriodora ‘Aussie Sweetie’ Tender Perennial
flowers create this striking, pleasantly mild, (so
Sun
3 - 4 x 1 feet
Culinary, Topiary
add generously) basil touch to vibrant salads and
Susan Belsinger describes it as “One of the most complex basil aromas and the
soups. “Golden Oregano, Tri-Color Sage, Rosemary
strongest. The first sniff is loaded with cinnamon and has the background of alland Purple Ruffles” make a magnificient display.
spice & cloves. Pumpkin Pie spice comes to mind.” Just fine with corn, peppers
and anything Italian. Makes an amazing 3 ft., non flowering, topiary in 1 season.
Basil, Aussie Sweetie
Basil, Pesto Perpetuo
Basil, Cinnamon
Annual
Sun 18 x18 inches Culinary, Ornamental
No flowers, just tons of rich basil flavor for
endless batches of pesto. This is a natural
selection from a columnar basil.
Ocimum basilicum ‘Purple Ruffles’
Ocimum basilicum ‘Cinnamon’
Annual
Sun
1 x 1-1/2 feet
Culinary, Ornamental
Red veined, green leaves and purple stems plus flowers from pink to purple,
create such beauty, we’d grow it even if it didn’t flavor fruit, pancake syrup, and
beef. Don’t be fooled by imposters. Not all Cinnamon Basils are created equal.
Basil, Cuban
Ocimum x citriodora ‘Aussie Sweetie’ Tender Perennial (Zone 9 - 10)
Sun
3 - 4 x 2 feet
Culinary, Ornamental Topiary
Wavy, wine colored foliage meets the tall columnar growth of ‘Aussie Sweetie.’
Makes an edible, ornamental topiary for a special reception. Bring indoors this
fall, if it isn’t too tall for your home.
Basil, Rick’s Aussie Purple
Ocimum basilicum ‘Cuban’ Tender Perennial (Zone 9 - 10)
Sun
18 x 18 inches
Culinary, Ornamental
Slow to grow in a cool greenhouse, but, takes off during the summer. Yes we
prune it but flowers don’t even try to emerge until October which means a care
free, long, abundant foliage harvest for you. It even tolerates a touch of frost!
Basil, Sweet Genovese
Basil, Eleonora
Ocimum basilicum Annual
Full Sun
18 x 18 inches
Culinary, Containers
This variety shows promise because its leaf shape and more open habit make
it less susceptible to “Basil Downy Mildew” than other basils. Just as yummy!
Ocimum basilicum ‘Sweet Genovese’ Annual
Sun
2 - 2-1/2 x 2 feet
Culinary, Bees
Expect 1 pound of leaves per plant on this, the flagship Italian basil we call
THE pesto basil. Use its white flowers for they’re sweeter than its luscious
leaves. If you have trouble growing basil, may I suggest “Eleonora.”
Basil, Holy / Tulsi
Basil, Sweet Thai
Ocimum sanctum
Annual
Sun
1 x 1-1/2 feet
Medicinal, Culinary, Ornamental
This is India’s most sacred. Steeped in the Ayurvedic tradition, it is used to
adapt to stress, lower cholesterol, provide pain relief, and boost the immune
system for starters. It is as an antioxidant that goes great with pork and rice too.
7
Ocimum basilicum ‘Sweet Thai’
Annual
Sun
1-1/2 x 1-1/2 feet
Culinary
With purple stems and blooms, at first glance, it might look like “Cinnamon
Basil,” but its 2 inch green leaves are distinctly spicy, with anise and clove tones.
Essential in Thai & Vietnamese in beef to spring rolls but just as yummy in salsas.
Bay Leaf $5.49
h BUTTERFLYWEED/MILK WEED h
Laurus nobilisTender Perennial
Full Sun
5+ x 5 feet Moth Repellent
How many of you are guilty of harboring
dried up, ancient bay leaves? Leaves lose 50%
of their flavor in just 6 months. Reward yourself with sweet, fresh leaves. The difference is
amazing! Fresh bay adds full flavor to stews,
sauerkraut, beef, pork and, coupled with red
wine, is the secret to terrific spaghetti sauce.
Grow directly in ground for maximum growth.
Dig up and repot in fall for an ideal houseplant.
BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS NEED HOST PLANTS like
baptisia, bloodflower, citrus, dill, fennel, hops, nasturtiums and parsley.
Attracting butterflies, plump, pillowy seed pods and ornamental
beauty is what all of these cousins, and one outlaw, have in common.
Bloodflower a.k.a.
Tropical Milk weed $3.99
Asclepias curassavica Tender Perennial
Full Sun
2 - 3 x 2 feet
Butterfly
Orange and red star flowers in 4” clusters are
vital to Monarch butterflies all summer. Collect the
milkweed pods to sow next spring as it’s not hardy.
NEW! Butterflyweed ‘Ice Ballet’ Asclepias incarnata ‘Ice Ballet’
Hardy Perennial
Full Sun Only
3 x 1 feet Monarch Butterfly
Though it is also known as a “swamp milkweed,” native
to wet meadows and swamps, it grows surprisingly well in
draining soils though the foliage emerges slowly each spring.
Its deep tap roots prefer not to be disturbed once established.
Mildly fragrant white flowers are followed by lovely 4” seed pods.
BUTTERFLIES NEED THE NECTAR FROM
butterfly bush, bloodflower, butterflyweed, catnip, chives, echinacea,
lavender, mint, oregano, sage, verbena thyme and these bee balms....
h BEE BALMS h
All $3.99
Two centuries ago, leaves were collected, dried and steeped for
a revolutionary “Oswego Tea” (Monarda didyma’s common name) at
the Boston Tea Party. Nowadays, we celebrate the flowers, June to
July, all of which are edible but some, not so tasty. Butterfly magnets.
GROW THEM IN MORNING SUN, NORMAL TO WET SOIL,
WITH EXTRA ORGANIC MATTER. SPACE 3 FEET APART.
Butterflyweed / Pleurisy Root$4.99
Asclepias tuberosa Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
1 - 2 x 1 feet
Butterfly, Medicinal
Give yourself and Monarchs a bright orange, hardy, medicinal perennial.
Powdered roots make a mean expectorant. Once established, don’t move!
NEW! Butterflyweed / Southern Blue Star $3.99 Bee Balm, Coral Reef
Oxypetalum caeruleum
Tender Perennial
P . Sun - Sun
6 x 18 inches
Pollinator Food for Butterfly, Bonsai
This is the only blue-flowered milkweed we know. Lucky for the bees and
pollinators, the pale blue blooms last long. While this is a good pollinator plant,
I would not rely on it alone to support the munching monarch caterpillars. Leaves
turn deep red in the fall. Grows well in containers too.
Monarda didyma ‘Coral Reef’
Hardy Perennial
Sun - P. Sun
3 x 2 feet
Butterfly, Edible Flowers
Frilly, neon, coral pink flowers crescendo on top 2-1/2 feet tall stems, usually
in July. It is also mildew resistant as are most of our Monarda offerings.
Bee Balm, Jacob Cline
Monarda didyma ‘Jacob Cline’
Hardy Perennial
Sun - P. Sun
2 - 3 x 2 feet
Bees, Medicinal, Flowers
Choose this for its red flowers, extra mildew resistance and vigor.
NEW! Butterflyweed ‘Gay Butterfly’ Monarda didyma ‘Marshall Delight’
Hardy Perennial
Sun - P. Sun
2 - 3 x 2 feet
Bees, Medicinal, Flowers
One look at these rich pink, sweet, confetti flowers and your next fruit salad
will seem naked without it. It’s also resistant to “rust” and well worth a try.
Bee Balm, Pink Petite Delight $4.99 Piper betelTender Perennial
P. Shade - Shade
to 4 feet
Houseplant, Hanging Baskets
You can use it as a mild stimulant like kava, its cousin, or just enjoy how easy
it is to keep alive even in a low lit home. Native to India and Sri Lanka, its shiny,
heart shaped leaves populate zig-zaggy vines.
$3.99
Calendula, Alpha
$3.99
Calendula, Oopsy Daisy 3.99
Calendula officinalis ‘Alpha’ Annual
Full Sun
2 x 2 feet
Medicinal, Skin Cosmetic, Cutflower
Clear, bright blooms are easy to see but its chemistry suggests a high resin
content, so admire it or infuse in oil for a healing skin preparation. There are
many medicinal uses as well.
$3.99
Borago officinalisAnnual
Full Sun
1 - 2 x 3 feet
Culinary, Borders, Bees
Need a quick cucumber substitute? Make space for a summer display of
periwinkle or white star-shaped flowers. Harvest just opened blooms and young,
non-prickly leaves, for cool salads or “V-8” drinks. Also cool, is that it was used
to “cheer up the sad” and an integral part of summer solstice celebrations.
Calamint, Alpine
Calamintha nepeta var. nepeta Hardy Perennial
Sun - P. Shade
1 x 1 foot
Culinary, Faery, Landscape
Definition of the ideal perennial: low maintenance, (no dead heading) with a
perfect mound of delicate, sweet, lilac-blue flowers from June until after a fall
freeze. Foliage has minty fragrance, but it doesn’t trespass like one. I consider
it an essential faery garden plant that chefs call “Nepetinella.”
Monarda x ‘Petite Delight Hardy Perennial
Sun - P. Sun
12 - 15 inches
Bees, Medicinal, Flowers
You could stop at the dwarf (foot high) height and be thrilled but this lavender
pink Monarda boasts resistance and shiny, deep green foliage.
Borage, Blue or White
$3.99 Asclepias tuberosaHardy Perennial
Full Sun Only
2 x 1 feet
Butterfly, Ornamental
Enough 5” orange, red and yellow blooms are produced starting in June to
share between your vase and the butterflies until frost. Laughs at drought and
survives winter unscathed.
Bee Balm, Marshall Delight NEW! Betel Leaf Asclepias
curassavica
Calendula officinalis ‘Oopsy Daisy’
Annual
Full Sun
1 x 1 foot
Cut Flower, Medicinal
The bi-color flowers are unusually long lasting (until a fall frost if you dead
head them) on this compact variety and range from pale creamy orange to deep
gold. Fresh flower petals are excellent in salads. Can be used in skin creams.
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Calendula, Resina RETURNS
$3.99 Calendula officinalis ‘Resina’ Annual
Sun - P. Sun
2 x 2 ft.
Medicinal, Bees, Borders
Though the sunshine yellow daisies, with an orange show off here and there,
delight, it is the extremely high resin content that herbalist prize for inflammation
and skin salves. As a dye, it colors food or fabrics. Caters to the bees in the
spring as well.
Cardamom$4.99
Elettaria cardamomumTender Perennial
Shade
3 - 5 x 3 feet
Culinary
This tropical is the source of the very expensive cardamom seed. It must
reach mature height to flower and set seed, so plant it outside in May for growth,
then enjoy the spicy, fragrant foliage, indoors, from September through April.
Cardamom is an easy houseplant since it’s difficult to overwater.
h CATMINT vs. CATNIP h
Until I nibbled on the tasty flowers, I used catmints for their looks,
only in sunny borders. Catnip is a legendary sedative for cats and
humans and requires shade to behave. All are HARDY, thrive in
DRY to NORMAL SOIL. All are BUTTERFLY FRIENDLY.
Catmint, Creeping
Chamomile, Double Roman $3.99
Chamaemelum nobile `Ligulosum’ (Flore Pleno) Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
2 x 12 inches
Walk-About, Ornamental, Tea
Mildly “Granny Smith” apple-scented foliage forms a low growing groundcover which spreads slowly. Double daisy-like flowers emerge, the groundwork for
an almost maintenance free herb lawn, once established. It is meant for cracks
between stepping stones and has been consistently hardy for us.
Chamomile, German Zloty Lan $3.99
Matricaria recutita (chamomila) Annual
Full Sun
1-1/2 x 2 feet
Tea, Medicinal
Harvest is easier with larger flowers and heavier yields. Pluck entire flowers.
It’s O.K. to get a bit of stem. Dry on a horizontal window screen. After 2 - 3
days, place a tray, under a screen and rub flowers. Only white petals and
yellow centers should fall through to tray. Stem and green caps may aid in digestion, but are usually too bitter for Americans’ palettes. We make a tea using
1 tsp. dried herb per 1 cup near boiling water for the occasional insomnia. We
purchased the seed from a German company. Germany knows medicinal tea.
Chervil, Brussels Winter
$3.99
Anthriscus cerefolium ‘Brussels Winter’Annual
Sun - P. Sun
1 - 2 x 2 feet
Culinary, Butterfly
This European variety is larger and slower to bolt than ordinary chervil. Use
fresh or frozen leaves in salads, soups, fish, white sauce & quiche, ideally fresh
or cooked less than 5 minutes. Start in early spring with lettuce since it’ll bolt
into flowers with summer heat. Collect seed & plant in August for a fall crop.
$3.99
Nepeta mussini (faassenii) Hardy Perennial
Full Sun - P. Sun
1 x 2 feet
Ornamental, Bees, Rock Garden
#1 recommended hardy perennial to plant with roses! Small, white-gray, fine
toothed leaves form a natural mound, covered with blue flowers in June and
occasionally fall. Although stronger and more pleasantly fragrant than common
catnip, it doesn’t attract our neighborhood cats, so it remains untouched. Plant
several together in rock gardens for massive oceans of soft blue.
h CHIVES h
All $3.99
Catmint, Six Hills Giant Nepeta x ‘Six Hills Giant’ Hardy Perennial
Full Sun - P. Sun
2-1/2 x 5 feet
Border, Bees
This is “Creeping Catmint” on steroids! Tall mounds of sky blue flowers,
make a dramatic show planted among “Delphiniums, Foxgloves and other spikes.
$3.99
Cut back to 1” high after blossoming. You’ll be rewarded with a
second flush of growth and will prevent massive reseeding. Use the
flowers fresh in salads for a no tears, sweet, “Vidalia” onion or garlic
flavor, depending on the variety. Use them in vinegars, fresh flower
arrangements and bouquets.
Freeze by snipping leaves into 2 or 3” lengths, placing them on
a cookie sheet and “flash freezing” for about 30 minutes or until
stiff. Throw in labelled “Zip-loc” bags. You’ll be able to pull them
out one leaf at a time.
Catnip
$3.99
Chives, Curly
Nepeta cataria Hardy Perennial
P. Shade - Shade
2 - 3 x 2 feet
Culinary, Butterfly, Bees
Since this is the original “6-pack of beer” for cats, protect new plantings until
they’re established. For humans, a soothing tea can made from 2 tsp. dried
leaves per 1 cup of water to aid in sleeping, colds and fevers. Remove flowers
before they mature to prevent self-sowing, unless you desire catnip for the entire
neighborhood. Catnip doesn’t mind a few hours of shade or morning sun.
Allium senescens var. ‘Glaucum’
Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
4 x 12 inches
Border, Faery Garden, Butterfly
See this quirky, miniature, curly, blue-leaved allium for yourself. It is suitable for rock gardens or small pockets. 2” baby pink blossoms flirt with bees
over 3 - 4” stalks in June or July. Use sparingly due to its strong onion flavor.
Chives, Garden or Onion Seedfree
Allium schoenoprasum
Normal
1 x 1-1/2 feet
Culinary- Leaves & Flowers
Looks & tastes exactly like “Garden Chives,” but won’t form any viable seed,
so it won’t take over the yard, while you’re on vacation, if you forget to remove
seed heads. It focuses on blooming, 6 weeks longer, rather than setting seed.
Celery, Amsterdam Cutting $3.99
Apium graveolens Biennial
Full Sun
1 x 1 foot
Culinary
Celery substitute, but MUCH easier to grow; No blanching required. Also
known as “Love Straw” for its hollow stalks, which are perfect for sipping
delightful tomato drinks and “Bloody Marys,” during our down time. (Down
time? Just kidding. Valerian tea is what we should be sipping now and again.)
Stalks and leaves can be substituted whenever celery is needed.
Celery, Par-cel
Chives, Garden or Onion Staro
Allium schoenoprasum
Normal
1 x 1-1/2 feet
Culinary- Leaves & Flowers
Choose this chive for its heavy, thick leaves which makes harvest, fresh use
and freezing so easy. Any time you need onion flavor, just grab a scissors.
$3.99
Chives, Garlic
Apium graveolens Biennial
Full Sun
1 x 1 foot
Culinary
Think celery flavor with a touch of parsley; No stalks, just tender foliage;
Plant next to back door to harvest regularly for soups, red sauces and anytime
you don’t have stalks of celery or parsley sprigs handy. Compared to growing
stalked celery in the garden, this is a piece of cake, no blancing required.
9
Allium tuberosa)
Normal
1 x 1-1/2 feet
Culinary, Cut Flower, Butterfly
Pristine, tall, white, 2” globes arrive in August. Wider, flat blades add a
mild garlic flavor to chicken, Caesar salad, omelettes and bread. Can simply
sprinkle bits of flowers over meals or rub your salad bowl with the blades or
buds before tossing, to sneak it in.
h CUBAN OREGANO h All $3.99
h CILANTRO & IMPERSONATORS h
We have met so many gardeners who’ve become discouraged
with plants in hanging baskets and strawberry jars, because they die
so easily. Our “Jar Gems”TM survive despite heat & the occasional
lack of water. They include ice plants, “Society Garlics,” and these
“Cuban Oreganos,” the most drought tolerant of all.
ALL PREFER NORMAL TO DRY LOAMY SOIL.
Cilantro flavor year round. Read the details below of how it’s done.
Cilantro/Coriander
$3.99
Coriandrum sativum ‘Marino’
Annual
Full Sun
1 x 1 foot
Culinary, Butterfly
Year round cilantro begins with April planted starts. Allow the first crop to
flower, then set and drop seeds. Keep moist until they sprout. Repeat several
cycles with just a couple of plants and use the rest until November. Enjoy fresh
leaves and white flowers in salsas, salads, corn, chicken, beans, or with shrimp
and salmon. Brown seeds (“Coriander”) render a roasted, citrusy-sage flavor
that I use in bread with orange marmalade.
Cilantro, Vietnamese
Cuban Oregano, Golden Ruffles
Plectranthus (Coleus) ambionicus’Golden Ruffles’ Tender Perennial (Zone 9 - 10)
Shade
4 x 5 feet spread
Baskets
How about a “Survivor” for the shade?
In fact, that’s where it’ll produce the
best color. Much like the “Variegated,”
but, with a warmer gold and green
variegation, scalloped edged & thick leaves
that “wave like a football stadium cheer.” (Mark,
the king of corny metaphors) More ornamental,
than flavorful, which must’ve been lost
during the selection process.
$3.99
Persicaria odoratumTender Perennial
P. Sun - P. Shade
6 inch Groundcover Culinary
This looks and is, in fact, related to “Smart-weed,” (aren’t they all?) and
grows like it. Heat will not kill it but afternoon sun will, so plant it in a shady
summer garden and winter hanging baskets for shrimp, enchiladas and
pork meals.
Culantro
$4.99
Cuban Oregano, Marble
Eryngium foetidum Tender Perennial
Sun - P. Shade 6 x 12 inches Culinary
Rosettes look fearsome, but young
leaves are soft and used all year when
brought in each fall. An afternoon shady
area with extra water is its summer home.
Pepicha
Plectranthus marginata ‘Fosteri’ sport Sun - P. Shade
4 x 5 feet spread
This survivor boasts dark green and
chartreuse leaves, scalloped edges and a
minty, oregano scent, like “Golden
Ruffles,” however, the color
holds up to full sun. For a
stunning combination, grow
as a groundcover carpet
with red “Coleus” rising
up through it or add any
ice plant & society
garlic for an easy care
hanging basket.
$3.99 Porophyllum tagetoides
Annual
Sun - P. Sun
2 x 1 feet Culinary, Medicinal
Described as “cilantro times 10”, wispy like tarragon with purple poppy
flowers. Flavor is described as mint, citrus and pine or cilantro with lemon and
anise. Anyway, you’ll like it salsa, corn, squash and other Mexican fare- and no
metallic aftertaste that some experience with cilantro! Holds up to summer’s
heat due to its native roots. Used traditionally as a liver cleanse and more.
Cuban Oregano, Variegated
Smoked Salmon & Dill Pizza
Topping for 2 - 9”pizzas
2/3 c. sour cream or creme fraiche
salt & freshly ground pepper
3/4 c. caramelized red onions
6 ou. smoked salmon
3 T. fresh dill
lemon juice or lemon zest
Tender Perennial
Baskets
Plectranthus (Coleus) ambionicus Tender Perennial
Sun - P. Shade 5 x 5 feet trailing Culinary, Baskets
Hard to kill & best tasting! We’d forget
to water our own baskets on the porch
for a week, but they’d bounce back.
Use fresh in Mexican cooking as oregano.
Mince it and add to a chicken salad
along with “Pineapple Sage.” Its green
and white variegation is a joy to use in
the landscape, container, moss basket,
groundcover or sunny window houseplant.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place
dough on two 9" round, greased and cornmeal dusted pizza pans.
Dimple the surface of each with your knuckles up to the raised crust
rims. Slide crusts into the oven and bake about 5 minutes or until
the crusts are pale gold on top, firm and light golden on the bottom.
(Zone 9 - 10)
HERE IS THE FIRST OF MANY RECIPES and INFO
THAT HAS BEEN FEATURED IN OUR MONTHLY OR
WEEKLY VEGETABLE E-NEWSLETTERS
Remove pizzas and let stand a minute or two. On each pizza do the
following. Spread half the sour cream, season lightly with salt and
pepper. Sprinkle onions over dough. Arrange half the salmon and
top with fresh dill. Sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice or a little
grated lemon zest if desired. Serve hot or warm.
This pizza recipe was included in “Edition No. 29- October 2013,
which also displayed photos of our pumpkin flower arrangements,
Christmas Openhouse announcement, an accompanying pizza
dough from scratch recipe and a chance to win a $100 Mulberry
Creek gift certificate.
Variations:
add: 2 T. drained capers to each
sub green onions for red
sub Cilantro, 2 T. Pepicha, or 1 T. Cuban Oregano, Variegated for dill
sub fresh grated lime zest for lemon
Send an email to “mulberrycreekherbs@gmail.com” to request
one or both e-newsletter. To insure it lands in your inbox, not your
spam, please put our email address in your contacts/address book.
10
Curry Leaf /Patel’s Karapincha $4.99 & $9.99
Elderberry, Black
Murraya keonigii ‘Patel’s Select
Tender Perennial
P. Shade - P. Sun
6 x 3 feet
Culinary, Shade
Our very dear friend, Mr. Patel selected this seedling for its huge leaf size and
sweet, intense flavor. Reserve a bright, indoor spot, next winter, for this native of
India, where it grows into a 20 foot tree. Use fresh leaves, which are often fried
with onions for curries and other seasonings. Small, white flowers are fragrant
becoming small, black, shiny, delicious berries, though large seeds are poisonous.
Curry Plant
$3.99
http://wellnessmama.com/1888/elderberry-syrup
Helichrysum italicum (angustifolia)
Half Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
6 - 12 x 12 inches Ornamental, Culinary
We got it because it smells great and its silver foliage shines in the moonlight.
Expect tiny, bright yellow, summer buttons. Don’t confuse its delightful curry scent for true curry powder, though a friend
uses it to flavor vinegar for stir-fry.
Curry Plant, Dwarf $3.99
H. italicum microphyllum Tender Perennial
Full Sun 5 x 6 inches Ornamental
This miniature form is perfect for table top
gardens, bonsai, & rockeries. Tiny, short
needled leaves are easily pruned into mini
hedges especially for garden railroads.
h DILL h All $3.99
Dill, Bouquetproduces seeds earliest and just in time for pickles; 3 feet
Dill, Fernleaf in a pot with lettuce, will continue to offer leaves (dillweed)
long after the lettuce perishes on 18” tall stalks.
$3.99
Fennel, Bronze
$3.99
Foeniculum vulgare ‘Bronze’
Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
2 - 4 x 3 feet
Culinary, Butterfly, Medicinal
Imagine fine, feathery foliage with a bronze-red cast tickling yellow “Queen
Anne’s Lace”-like flowers above. No bulb below but licorice leaves and stems
are added to salads, fish, and soups. As seeds mature, cut entire stalks and
hang them upside down in a paper bag. Seeds will finish ripening and won’t
self-seed all over the garden. Infuse seeds for indigestion. Warning: fennel
and dill as neighbors equal nasty tasting seedlings I call “fill” or “dennel.”
NEW! Fennel, Bulb Preludio$3.99 Foeniculum vulgare ‘Preludio
Annual
Sun - P. Sun
3 x 1 feet
Culinary, Butterfly
Very early, superb bulbs that do not “bolt” nor do they split easily- so
what’s not to like. You will have bulbs starting in summer (rather than
September) for picnic salads and grilling.
CRISP APPLE SALAD with FENNEL
Dill, Goldkrone, at 40-48”, needs staking for
Epazote Chenopodium ambrosioides Annual
Full Sun
2 - 3 x 2 feet
Culinary
Insist on this Mexican herb with any bean dish to “forego the fireworks.”
Use 1/4 cup chopped fresh leaves per kettle of chili or black bean soup during
the last 10 to 15 minutes of cooking. Unusual odor doesn’t impart an off taste.
Anethum graveolens Annual
Sun - P. Sun
All our dills bolt (flower) later, allowing a longer foliage harvest for
flavoring salmon, asparagus, cabbage, potato salad & making bouquets.
Flowers and seeds follow in time for pickling and a belly ache tea even for
babies! I selected each variety for a specific purpose, listed below.
$5.49
Sambucus canadensis Mulberry Creek’
Hardy Perennial
Sun - P. Shade
10 x 15 feet Culinary, Medicinal, Bees
In a field trial against 17 other varieties, we chose this as the largest, tastiest
variety. This hardy, small tree is loaded with 5” white flower clusters each
summer which turn into black, tasty, Vitamin C rich berries, famous in wine,
jelly and pies. It also make the best immune building syrup, especially safe
for children. I bought Sambucol (a child’s syrup sold in health food stores)
until I decided to make it myself. I found a better syrup for all ages at:
Balsamic Viniagrette
1/2 c. EV Olive oil
2 T. balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper, fresh grd.
1 garlic clove, crushed
lovely, old-fashioned bouquets.
h ECHINACEA h
All $3.99
All are ornamental, medicinal
butterfly friendly & hardy.
All love full sun and sandy loam.
Salad:
2 apples, just sliced
1 c. fennel blulb, diced
1 T. fresh parsley, minced
6 c. mixed lettuce/greens
1/3 c. blue cheese
Combine viniagrette ingredients in a lidded jar. Shake and refrigerate overnight. Remove garlic. Place apples, fennel and parsley in a
large bowl. Toss with viniagrette. Layer lettuce & greens over mixture and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate. Up to 3 hours later,
present the tossed salad on individual plates. Top with blue cheese
and garnish with fennel fronds.
Echinacea, Paradox
Echinacea paradoxa var. paradoxa 3 x 2 feet
Paradox- it’s a yellow “Purple Coneflower”
Echinacea, Pastel Purple
Feverfew$3.99
Echinacea, Purple
Echinacea pallida
2 - 4 x 2 feet
Pale, pink, droopy, narrow flower petals, leaves & roots are medicinally potent.
Tanacetum parthenium Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
2 x 1-1/2 feet
Medicinal, Border, Cut, Bees
Clusters of 1/2”, white daisies reach 6”over green, deeply lobed leaves, that
form a rosette. Customers have tried fresh leaves in a mayonnaise sandwich
(to mask bitterness) to reduce the severity and frequency of migraines.
Echinacea, Purple a.k.a. “Purple Coneflower”
Echinacea purpurea
2 - 3 x 2 feet
This native, multi talented, natural beauty is the quintessential herb and our
company’s logo! Ask Mark about his cold and flu preventing tincture.
Feverfew, Mini Pompom $3.99
Echinacea, Tennessee
Echinacea tennesseensis 3 - 4 x 2 feet
It displays smaller flowers than other Echinaceas but the petals on this variety
turn upright and are darker purple rather than droopy and washed out.
11
Tanacetum parthenium ‘Plenum Florum’
Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
2 x 2 feet
Medicinal, Border, Bees
Just being among medicinal herbs which are especially ornamental, heals
our soul. Lilliputian white “pompoms” adorn this herb early summer through
fall. We grow it from cuttings to insure fully double flowers.
NEW! Cinnamon
h EXOTIC FRUIT in a POT h
$19.95 Cinnamomum zeylanicum
Tender Perennial
Full Sun
3 x 8 feet
Delicious Bark, Tea, Houseplant Cinnamon is an evergreen shrub or small tree with dark, leathery, aromatic
leaves. In the field, young trees are cut back twice a year and sucker shoots
develop from the roots. These long slender shoots furnish the bark that is the
commercial product. You won’t get a ton of bark to scrape but the leaves are
used in tea.
At last, we have found CONTAINER DWARF fruit trees. Most are
tropical. Translation: wonderful winter houseplants with an outdoor
summer vacation. Impress neighbors with exotic, fresh fruits even
“Whole Foods” doesn’t carrry. Here’s what they need:
1. Eventually a 24” pot at maturity (we reommend a cedar pot
with caster wheels to easily push in and outside and back again.
2. Bark rich soil, or as ask us for our “Tree Soil”
3. Organic “acid-loving” fertilizer
4. Pruning to encourage a voluptuous (bushy) shape.
NEW! Cottoncandy or Strawberry Tree $29.95
Muntingia caulifloraTender Perennial
Full Sun
6 x 8 feet
Sweet Fruit
The fruit is about the size of a blueberry with
an abundance of tiny, yellowish seeds, too small
to be noticed when eating. So sweet, it is often
compared to cotton candy. The trees are highly
ornamental and fast growing providing shade and
a fruit that is a favorite among children. Growing
in containers keeps it dwarf and manageable.
h CITRUS h All $5.99 - 12.99
Like Ohio snowbirds, citrus spends its summers in the garden with
the herbs, then vacations at a sunny windowsill indoors before frost.
We enjoy an ample crop of citrus all winter. I’m to serve Key Lime and
Lemon Meringue pies at Thanksgiving from our fruits! Likes normal to
dry soil and acid-loving fertilizers. Butterfly friendly
Citrus, Kaffir Lime Fig, Black Mission- 5”pots $5.99
Citrus, Key Lime
NEW! Fig, Olympian
$5.99 & $30.00
NEW! Jaboticaba
$29.95 Ficus edulis ‘Black Mission’
Tender Perennial
Full Sun
3 - 4 x 4 feet
Bees, Culinary, Medicinal
This traditional Italian variety produces sweet brown figs from the growing
season to fall! Annually, re-pot incrementally, ending up in a large wooden pot
with caster wheels so that it can easily be moved into an unheated garage for the
winter. For its eventual size it is affectionately name “Figapotamus” by Steve
Citrus hystrix Tender Perennial
Full Sun
2 - 3 x feet Culinary, Fragrance
We like “Makrut Lime” as Kaffir is a nasty term for South African Blacks but
Kaffir is what cooks know and it is the leaves they desire not the rough skinned
fruit. VERY LIMITED QUANTITY this year!
Citrus aurantifolia
Tender Perennial
Full Sun
3 - 4 x 4 feet Culinary, Fragrance
One step toward growing food year round
is this easy houseplant and summer garden
ornamental that produces thin skinned,
1-1/2 inch, trademark green fruits for pies
and tropical drinks. Ripens to full yellow,
single serving lemony fruits.
Ficus carica ‘Olympian’Tender Perennial
Full Sun
8 x 6 feet
Delicious Fruit
Olympian’ is a ultra cold hardy, short season, award winning fig. These
purple, thin-skinned, super sweet, red to violet flesh fruits were first discovered
in Olympia, Washington. Plants bear fruit early and abundantly, from the start.
Citrus, Meyer Lemon Citrus meyeri (C. limon ‘Meyer’) Tender Perennial
Full Sun 2 - 3 x 3 feet
Culinary, Fragrance, Butterfly
Because it’s believed to be a cross between a lemon and an orange, the lemon
sized fruits are more sweet than tart. Joshua actually peels and eats them.
Citrus, Persian Lime NEW!
Citrus aurantifolia ‘Tahiti’
Tender Perennial
Full Sun
3 x 6 feet
Delicious Fruit, Houseplant
Persian limes bear elongated, seedless, spring green, juicy fruit. In the tropics,
fruit is harvested year round but we suggest you pick limes once a month. Like
most every grocery store lime, these actually ripen yellow naturally on the tree,
which are thornless for this variety.
Cacoa /True Chocolate NEW!
$29.95 Theobroma cacao
Tender Perennial
Sun - P. Shade 4 x 4 feet Delicious Fruit, Houseplant
Yes, hot chocolate can be made by drying, roasting,
and grinding the seeds then adding milk. The flesh is
eaten as a dessert, and the seeds are the raw material of
commercial chocolate. Chocolate “beans” were used
as money by the Maya Indians of Central America.
This beautiful tree has large, dark green leaves that
shade the fruit pods growing directly from the
trunk and branches.
Myrciaria cauliflora
Tender Perennial
Full Sun
6 x 4 feet
Bonsai, Fun Fruit
You’ll either devour or spit out the resinous
fresh fruit but jams and wine made from these
grape-like berries are quite delicious. You
won’t read this often but I suggest that
you do NOT prune it because the
fruit occurs on the old growth.
They are especially cold hardy
and like plenty of water.
NEW! June Plum
$29.95 Spondias dulcis
Tender Perennial
Full Sun
6 x 8 feet
Delicious Fruit, Houseplant
In less than a year, you could enjoy these pleasant tasting, acidic fruits about
the size of an apple with a pineapple-mango taste and crunchy texture. Its fast
growth should achieve about 2 feet status by year’s end.
NEW! Lychee- Sweetheart $49.00 Litchii chinensisTender Perennial
Full Sun
to 6 feet
Delicious Fruit, Houseplant
Sweetheart™ is coined for its huge, hearted shaped fruit, which harbor
“chicken tongue” seeds. (I had you until the chicken part, right?) Though it
produces plenty for commercial growers targeting high-end produce markets
and gourmet restaurants, it is quickly becoming popular with backyard
growers for its reliability and superior quality. Grow in large cedar planters
with a trellis.
12
NEW! Mango- Carrie
$60.00
NEW! Mango- Cogshall
$29.95
Papaya, Dwarf Waimanalo 1 gal pots
Manifera indica ‘Carrie’Tender Perennial
Full Sun
6 x 8 feet
Delicious Fruit, Houseplant
Ridiculously sweet, fiberless fruit ripen from June to July on bushes by the
time they reach kitchen counter height. Ultimately, in a pot, the shrub may
touch 6 feet. Minimal care is required for disease free fruit and leaves.
Manifera indica ‘Cogshall’
Tender Perennial
Full Sun
6 x 8 feet
Delicious Fruit, Houseplant
This “condo mango” is an ultra compact grower that produces sweet fiberless
fruit. The tree is suitable for container growing on a balcony, or planting in a
suburban backyard. It can easily be maintained at just eight feet tall, and it will
still produce a good size crop year after year. The fruit ripens from June to July. NEW! Mango- Pickering Bush $29.95
NEW! Miracle Fruit
$19.95 & 29.95
Manifera indica ‘Pickering’
Tender Perennial
Full Sun
4 x 4 feet
Delicious fruit, houseplant
Pickering ranked highest in disease resistance, flavor and yield though others
are only slightly behind. With limited space, you can maintain this naturally
compact bush, in a container, at just six feet. The 1# fruit has a firm flesh with a
fantastic coconut/mango flavor, no objectionable fiber and bears in June.
Synsepalum dulcificumTender Perennial
Full Sun
3 x 2 feet
Bonsai, Delicious Fruit, Houseplant
Miracle fruit contains a crazy protein that inhibits sour flavors, so lemons
taste like lemon candy and grapefruits aren’t puckery. Since it masks the often
metallic bite in foods after cancer treatments, it is used as an appetite stimulant
for chemotherapy patients. The plants are best grown in containers where they
can remain in a 7 gallon pot indefinitely.
NEW! Mulberry, Dwarf Everbearing $15.99
Morus nigra ‘Dwarf Everbearing’
Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
4 x 4 feet
Bonsai, Delicious Fruit
Plant this easy-to-grow bush and you’ll likely have an abundance of sweet,
medium-sized fruit during the first season, even in a container! If grown in pots,
they cycle from flower to fruit several times in a season, given warm temperatures and adequate light. They can be kept under 2 feet with moderate pruning.
In the ground, it turns into a large bush. Olive, Little Leaf
$12.99
Pomegranate, Dwarf
Punica granatum “Nana’
Sun - P. Shade 12 x 12 inches Mini Tree
Here is the inspiration for starting the
“Exotic Fruit in a Pot” collection. These
are truly easy, beautiful and tasty plants.
For over wintering, either keep it warm
and growing or keep it cold, allowing the
brilliant yellow fall foliage to drop. Keep
dormant, though above 15 degrees, for the
rest of the winter.
$5.99, $24.99 & $39.00
NEW! Sapodilla- Alano $49 .00
Manilkara zapota ‘Alano
Tender Perennial
Full Sun
6 x 8 feet
Delicious Fruit, Houseplant
Its exquisite flavor is akin to a pear
soaked in brown sugar. Nine ounce, super
sweet fruits, native to Thailand, have the
mouth feel and texture of an ultra fine pear as
well and ripen from November to June.
A large container is the ideal home
for this dwarf shrub.
h STRAWBERRIES, EVERBEARING $3.99 h
1 to 2” BERRIES ALL SUMMER!
We accidentally left “Toscano” in a moss basket outside during the
2014 winter (MINUS 20 degrees) & it’s alive today. Monthly fertilizer,
regular watering and plenty of sun keep them going in the ground or
in hanging baskets. All are Fragaria x ananassa and widely endorsed
by your neighborhood pollinators and butterflies.
Olea europaea ‘Arbequina’
Tender Perennial
Full Sun
6 x 4 feet Culinary, Bonsai
THIS IS CRAZY! Small, willow-leaf shaped foliage envelopes the tastiest,
tiniest olives in the world- and you can eat them fresh. Well worth the move
indoors each fall as it is self-pollinating and capable of fruiting this year! It’ll
reach the height of a tall adult in about 7 to 10 years.
NEW! Strawberry, Elan NEW! Papaya, True Dwarf
NEW! Strawberry, Gasana
12 x 18 inches
Baskets
White Flowers preceed red, large, vitamin-rich, juicy fruits which stay the
same size from July to October. Plants remain attractive as well as they grow
happily with numerous runners. Perfect in baskets or any spot close to the
kitchen, handy for daily picking.
$6.99 Carica ‘T. R. Hovey’Tender Perennial
Full Sun
4 x 6 feet Fruit, Houseplant
Through traditional hybridization,
this papaya is self fertile (no need for 2
plants),dwarf (4 to 8 feet maximum)
and fruits, starting 1 foot above the
plant’s base, within 9 to 12 months.
Here’s how:
1. Provide big pots with no saucers under
containers soggy soil is death to papayas.
2. Water thoroughly but allow to dry on top in
winter and keep moist in summer.
3. Air temperature, year round, should be 65 degrees
or warmer.
$12.99
Carica papaya Tender Perennial
Full Sun - P. Sun
9 x 3 feet
Culinary Fruit
WARNING! Planted in the ground, it will grow 8-10 feet this year! Produces
sweet, slightly acidic, melon textured, yellow & orange fruit when it’s 4 - 5 feet.
These 2 year olds may attain that by Christmas given enough warmth, sun, good
drainage outdoors and a warm, winter home. Most papayas are dioecious, that
is, male and female parts are on different plants, but some produce fruit on just
one plant. Since we don’t know until they flower if they may or may not need a
partner, I suggest you just enjoy its fancy foliage and hope for fruit! Or buy two!
12 x 20 inches
Containers
“Gasana” is a great way to add long lasting, sweet, medium-sized strawberries
to a small space. Few to no runner means it will stay put creating a mound of
hot pink flowers that attract butterflies, songbirds and pollinators.
NEW! Strawberry, Milan
8 x 12 inches
Containers
Heavy yields will eventually arrive in the form of big, red, everbearing, easy
to pick, delicious high-sugar taste, high Vitamin C, berries for pot, patio containers or field. Exhibits traditional white flowers.
NEW! Strawberry, Toscano
13
12 x 16 inches
Deep rose blossoms give way to large, juicy,
red, fruit all summer. Makes for a super sweet,
easy to grow basket or container on the porch.
Garlic, Hard-neck Music $3.99 (grown in a packs)
Allium Sativum
Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
1 - 2 x 1 feet
Culinary, Medicinal
Forgot to plant your cloves last fall? We have
got you covered with a hard-neck garlic that
packs about 6 to 8 cloves per bulb with a touch
of heat and true garlicky flavor. Plant the
4 plugs in the ground immediately, 8 inches
apart. In the spring, remove the flower stalks
(or scapes) after they’ve curled/circled. Saute
in butter & stink up the kitchen! Harvest bulbs
in July when bottom 4 leaves have dried up.
Save the largest cloves to plant this fall for
bigger bulbs the next year..
Gotu Kola$3.99
Hydrocotyl asiatica minor Half Hardy Perennial
Shade - P. Shade
3 x 18 inches
Medicinal, Shady Baskets
Scratching her head, a customer told me, “I just read about “Gotu Kola” but
I can’t remember what it was used for.” I smiled, gently replying, “It’s said to
improve brain function, particularly, memory.” I’ve read (though I can’t recall
where) that you can add 1 tsp. dried leaves to 1 cup boiling water or make it
stronger when using for a wound wash to reduce inflammation.
Gotu Kola, Variegated
$3.99
Hibiscus, Red Shield
$3.99
Hydrocotyl sibthorpioides Half Hardy Perennial
P. Shade - Sun
2 x 18 inches
Salads
If conditions are right, you can site this polite
spreader anywhere. Its variegated, round leaves
brighten a shady path or cozy up to impatiens
in a shady, annual basket. In full sun, tuck in
Teucrium chamaedrys wet soil, around bogs and pond edges. It is a
Hardy Perennial
beautiful micro-green in any salad. Flavor is
somewhere between cilantro and parsley.
Full Sun
18 x 12 inches
Ornamental Hedge
Rose-pink flowers compliment this shiny
Hibiscus acetosella ‘Red Shield’
Half-Hardy Perennial
shrub. A.k.a. “Poor man’s Boxwood,” as it’s
Full Sun
3 - 4 x 2 feet
Culinary, Tea
often used in knot gardens as a manicured
Its species name acetosella refers to “sour taste” (hence the common name
hedge. It takes to pruning very well (natural
“Cranberry Hibiscus”) which describes the leaves, used sparingly, either raw for
bonsai) and tends to not get winter burn like
salads or cooked in stir-fries. Leaves contribute to the décor of various dishes
the pricey boxwoods.
since they retain their color after being cooked, which honestly may be the best
way to enjoy them Flowers also add more color than taste to teas or other drinks
and in Central America, are combined with ice, sugar, lemon, or lime juice and
h GINGERS h
water to make a purple lemonade. The bold red, roughly maple leaf shaped foliThough they’re tropical, wet season “grasses,”
age is a welcome winter color indoors and again outdoors come warm weather.
preferring moist soil, sun and fertilizer, gingers require a warm and
dry dormant season. Harvest rhizomes (root stalks) in fall after a few
frosts and use winter through spring. Store warm and dry until green
ANOTHER E-NEWSLETTER EXCERPT
shoot begin to appear. At that point, keep in the refrigerator to
I do stray from the healthy path occasionally in the e-newsletter
prevent bursting buds.
but for my favorite (and easiest) Christmas cookie, it’s worth it!
Germander
$3.99
GINGERS TAKE THEIR SWEET TIME WAKING UP AND
MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTIL MAY. CALL AHEAD!
Ginger, Galangal Orange
CHEWY CHOCOLATE-GINGERBREAD COOKIES
Source: The Martha Stewart Show, October Fall 2007
$4.99
Alpinia officinarum (Lesser) Tender Perennial
Sun - P. Shade
2 x 1 feet Medicinal, Culinary
This 2 foot grassy “Lesser Galangal” native to China, harbors medicinal, edible
underground rhizomes used traditionally to warm the body, calm indigestion and
ease nausea like the attributes of its cousins, turmeric and ginger.
Ginger, Galangal White $4.99
Tender Perennial
Sun - P. Shade
3 x 2 feet
Culinary, Medicinal
Many like the sweeter, less medicinal flavor
of this, a.k.a. “Greater Galangal,” or “Thai
Galangal”.) Rhizomes (horizontal root stalks)
are used fresh as chunks or mashed in curry
paste. There’s plenty written of its healing
prowess for rheumatism, ulcers, bad breath,
throat infections, gas and more.
Alpinia galanga
Ginger, White /Traditional $5.99
Zingiber officinale
Tender Perennial
Sun - P. Shade
2 - 3 x 2 feet Culinary
Ease nausea on your next airplane or boat ride by
chewing on the roots of these underground rhizomes.
Ginger is related to turmeric, cardamom, and galangal,
all of which are powerful, stimulating, warming, edibles.
Dig it up in the fall to use in tea, stir-fry and cookies.
7 ou. semisweet chocolate
8 T. unsalted butter
1-1/2 c. + 1 T. all-purpose flour
1 T. freshly grated ginger
1-1/4 tsp. grd. ginger
1/2 c. dark brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. grd. cinnamon
1/4 c. sulfured molasses
1/4 tsp. grd. cloves
1 spt. baking soda
1/4 tsp. grd. nutmeg
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 T. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
Line two baking sheets with parchment. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch
chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger,
cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment,
beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add
brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.
In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water.
Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda
mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn out
onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal
with wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2- inch balls; place 2
inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let
cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
14
HOP SHOOTS: use like asparagus!
Horehound
$3.99
Horseradish
$3.99
Marrubium vulgare Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
2 x 2 feet
Beer-making, Medicinal
Grayish green, crinkled leaves and tidy little mounds, surprise you in the
spring. Summer flowering results in a rank, floppy appearance which can be
controlled by pruning tips and garish white blossoms. For sore throats, we use
9 fresh leaves with 1 tbsp honey. To make your own candy, refer to Leslie
Bremness’ The Complete Book of Herbs. (My first herb book and I still enjoy.)
Like pruning other herbs, hops benefit from clipping their shoots
in the spring. The top 3” is usually divinely tender while below is
fibrous and not edible. Young leaves increase in bitterness as they
grow so a little taste testing and experimenting is in order.
PICKLED HOPS
(Recipe adapted from Cascade Brewing Co.)
2-½ pounds fresh hop shoots
1 red chile
½ bottle “Cascade Kriek” beer 1 tsp. black peppercorns
(or another sour ale)
4 c. white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic
Armoracia rusticana Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
3 x 5 feet
Culinary, Traditional Medicine
Along with coriander, nettle, horehound and lettuce, this is one of the 5 bitter
herbs of Passover. Avoid aggressive growth, by harvesting outside edge roots.
Dig & wash roots in the fall as frost kills leaves. Use potato peeler (and goggles!)
to remove skin. Grate roots through a food processor. Traditionally, vinegar is
added. Use quickly to avoid bitterness. Voted 2011 Herb of the Year.
In a large lidded container, combine
all of the ingredients. Cover and
place in a dark, cool space for 2
weeks. Serve immediately or
transfer to the refrigerator
for up to two months
PREPARING HORSERADISH
Homemade is about twice as strong as store bought and lasts
about 4 weeks in the refrigerator. Preparing it is a simple process
(of horseradish root, water, vinegar and salt) but can potentially
knock you over with its pungency. Protect your eyes. It’s 20
times more potent than onions. The simplest explanation I found
was by simplyrecipes.com
h HOPS h $4.49 & 12.99
The female flowers are used to flavor beer. The higher the alpha
acid content, the more bitter the hops. Its nerve soothing qualities
are used in bedtime teas and are inserted under pillows for cases of
insomnia. The eventual luxuriously long vines climb over trellises or
most any surface, especially when roots enjoy a RICH, LOOSE SOIL.
WATER ONLY AS NEEDED. Site these HARDY PERENNIALS in
SUN - P. SHADE. Hops attract the eye of humans and butterflies.
Hyssop- Blue, Pink, White $3.99
Hops, Cascade
Humulus lupulus `Cascade’
see cultural notes in box above
Check out its stats: moderate bitterness, alpha acid: 4.5-6%, beta acids: 4.0-7.0,
flowery aroma type; Produces high hop ales with citrus floral character.
Hyssopus officinalis ‘Blue’, ‘Pink’ and ‘Albus’ Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
2 x 1-1/2 feet
Border, Medicinal, Bee, Butterfly
These are the heroes of bees and butterflies thanks to enduring blooms. Use
this semi-evergreen shrub for hedges and borders since it does not mind regular
clipping. Overlook the bitter fragrance to flavor meats and liqueurs.
Hyacinth Vine, Diablo $3.99
Lablab purpurea (Dolichos lablab)
Annual
Full Sun
9-15 feet vine Hummingbirds, Butterfly
A.k.a. as “Indian Bean,” this vigorous vine
produces purple, butterfly and hummingbird
attracting flowers and electric-purple seed
pods. It is a good choice for a quick screen on
a trellis or fence producing edible leaves, flowers,
pods, seeds and roots. Dried beans are poisonous
and can only be eaten after prolonged boiling.
#1 commented-on plant in our gardens last year.
Hops, Crystal
Humulus lupulus `Crystal’
More stats for whoever cares: alpha acid: 4.0-6.0%, beta acid: 5.0-6.7%;
This downy mildew resistant variety produces lager-style beers.
Hops, Golden
Humulus lupulus ‘Aureus’ (Zone 5 - 8)
Young golden leaves mature to dark green, giving a two-tone appearance.
Tiny hop blossoms are used for sleep pillows and pilsner-style beers. Site in
afternoon shade to prevent sun scald. It’s a thick climber, hiding chain link
fences, but being more ornamental, the vines are shorter (or about 12 feet).
NEW! Kale, Variegated $3.99
Brassica olerecea var. ramosa ‘Daubenton’s
Hops, Mt. Hood
Humulus lupulus `Newport’
Beer makers know what I mean when I say: Alpha Acids 9.8 to 17% with mild
aroma and pungent, resiny flavor. Drinkers appreciate it is a bitter variety for
any beer style. Growers like that it is mildew resistant. All our hop varieties
eventually produce brachts known for their contribution to beer but they are also
dried for sleep pillows or sipped in tea for insomniacs.
Semi-Hardy Perennial
P. Shade - P. Sun
1 x 2 feet
Magical, Shade, Medicinal, Deer Repellent
I don’t know how this glorious Victorian
heirloom remained hidden for the last 100 years or
more, but now you can enjoy a milder kale, year
after year. I believe protection from the wind helps
these green and cream columns through our sub
zero winter. Saute with olive oil, walnuts,
and even raisins or pair with beans, bacon
parmesan cheese for a cozy Italian soup.
Hops, Sterling
Lady’s Mantle Thriller RETURNS $3.99 Humulus lupulus `Mt Hood’
This registers 4-5% alpha acid. “Mt. Hood” and others grow crazy long
(18 to 30 feet), so watch what you put nearby.
Hops, Newport
Humulus lupulus `Sterling’
For those of you familiar with the popular “Saaz” variety, here is an alternative
pilsner-style hop. Its stats include an aroma that is mighty fine if not a touch
spicy with an alpha acid of 6 - 9%.
15
Alchemilla mollis ‘Thriller’Hardy Perennial
P. Shade - P. Sun
1 x 2 feet Magical, Shade, Medicinal, Deer Repellent
Perhaps it was the “crystals” of morning dew that attracted the alchemist
for elixir, the herbalist to ease wounds and the faeries for play and protection.
Today, we appreciate its beauty in the shade and the rich & magical folklore.
Lavender, Thumbelina
h LAVENDER h All $4.49
Lavandula angustifolia `Thumbelina’ (Zone 5 - 7 )
8 x 8 inches
Faery Garden, RXR, Culinary, Medicinal
Super short, super hardy, and very blue (flowers)! At only 7 - 8 inches tall in
our garden, this stands out as border plant even without flowers, which appear
for about 2 - 3 weeks each June. Great railroad garden shrub.
For simplicity sake, we’ve grouped them into 3 categories: hardy
lavenders, lavandins and tender lavenders. Butterflies would prefer
you buy from all 3 so they’d have blooms in June (Hardy), July
(Lavandins) and beyond (Tender Lavenders).
Lavender, Tucker’s Early Purple
LAVENDERS, HARDY
Lavandula angustifolia `Tucker’s Early Purple’
1-1/2 x 2 feet
Culinary, Cut Flower, Medicinal
Absolutely the first lavender to bloom in our garden, meaning end of May
or first of June. Combining English lavender varieties like this one with the
Lavandins, provide blooming spikes for cooking and medicine (hardy lavenders)
and then crafting (lavandins) from June through July.
Harvest buds before flowers open to use in cookies, cheesecakes,
even roasted pork & vegetables and medicinal teas too. Usually they
grow more compactly & rounded for a perfect, June blooming hedge.
Full Sun
Hardy Perennial
Raised Bed
Normal - Dry Soil
Lavender, Chelsea Pink
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Chelsea Pink’
18 x 18 inches
Culinary, Sleep Sachets, Bouquets
“Chelsea” is our finest pure pink flowering English lavender while “Melissa” is
proudly pink and white. Both are used as you would any other English lavender.
Lavender, Cynthia Johnson Limited Supply
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Cynthia Johnson’ (Zone 4b - 8b )
1 1/2 - 2 x 3 feet
Culinary, Cut Flower, Medicinal, Potpourri,
Hardy To Zone 4 @ -30 degrees! Cross your fingers and buy early because we
sell out quickly. Dark blue-purple flowers in tight clusters on taller stems than
“Hidcote,” appear about a week later, contributing to a longer blooming season.
Lavender, Hidcote Type
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’ Type (Zone 5 - 8 )
12 - 18 x 24 inches Hedge, Culinary, Medicinal
This dwarf cultivar (shorter than ‘Munstead’’) with dark purple flower spikes,
upscales any container, border, or hedge. Along with cooking, it’s also terrific in
potpourris. Intentionally selected and grown from cuttings, for finest plants.
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Irene Doyle’
1-1/2 x 2 feet
Culinary, Edible Flowers, Fragrant, Tea
Fine fragrance would be enough but this blooms heavily in autumn as well
as June. Admittedly, the light violet and purple flowers do not dry true, rather
they are known for their high quality oil and use in potpourris.
LAVANDINS, HARDY
All $4.49
France is known for lavender especially in regarding aromatherapy.
This is what the lavandins were designed for, so add them to your
soaps, cosmetics, potpourris, sleep pillows, baths and other crafts.
Use the longer stems for wands. Expect July into August flowers,
perfectly timed to extend the season paired with June bloomers.
Identical to hardy lavenders, here’s the basic Lavandin category key:
Full Sun Hardy Perennial Raised Bed Normal - Dry Soil Butterfly
Lavandin, Ana Luisa
Lavandula x intersectional ‘Ana Luisa’
2 - 3 feet
Cut Flower, Potpourri, Soap Making
It has been described as having so much “down” that its foliage appears
almost white. Tapered blue petals with pearly calyxes fill out the package as a
shimmering cut.
Lavender, Karen Langan
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Karen Langan’ (Zone 5 - 8)
12 - 18 x 24 inches Ornamental, Culinary, Medicinal
Mark selected from our “Munstead” seedlings, the plants that had the darkest
blue flower buds, most silvery foliage and repeat flowers in the fall. Seed grown
varieties vary wildly. He also named this after Karen as a reminder of the trip
we’ll take to the hills of France someday. Use fresh or dried for arrangements,
tussie-mussies and cooking. It’s the best lavender for hedges and landscaping.
Lavandin, Edelweiss
Lavandula x intermedia ‘Edelweiss’ (Zone 6 - 8 )
3 - 4 x 3 feet
Medicinal, Hedges, Border
Here’s a bright white lavandin that was previously known as ‘Cathy Blanc.’
Is this not the quintessential wedding herb- lavender for devotion and it’s white!
Lavender, Melissa Pink
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Melissa’ (Zone 5 - 8 )
1 x 2+ feet
Ornamental, Culinary, Medicinal
Horticulturists are always looking for colors that aren’t “normal” for the
species and we love contradictions like this PINK LAVENDER. White and pink
flower stalks bloom June through July for a delicate, fragrant summer show.
Lavandin, Fat Spike
a.k.a. Dilly Dilly
Lavandula x intermedia ‘Grosso’ (Zone 5 - 9 )
2 - 2 1/2 x 3 feet
Culinary, Medicinal
An Herb Companion article rated this
the best overall variety in: color, size,
flavor & fragrance, plus it’s hardy to Canada!
Even 3 weeks after we cut off the first crop,
the whole area still had its marvelous
fragrance. Dries easily. No wonder it is
the most popular lavender in France by far.
Lavender Seal Seven Oaks
Lavandula a. ‘Seal Seven Oaks’ (Zone 5 - 7 )
1-1/2 - 2 x 2+ feet Aromatherapy, Hedges, Ornamental
You automatically get bloomin’ bragging rights in July, because of this
lavender’s silvery foliage with light green/violet buds and violet petals. Stop
dreaming of a good night’s sleep and slip a pouch of this dried lavender in your
pillow’s case. It’s worth a shot! Acts more like a lavandins- a real rule breaker.
Lavandin, Gros Bleu
You CAN grow lavender:
#1) Plant on 8”- 12” high mounds or raised beds in well draining soil.
#2) Space 2 - 3 feet apart for good air movement to ward off rot.
#3) English & Lavandins are hardy, but if you want to mulch for weed
control use white stone rather than bark. Never cover crown/base.
#4) Prune back only in summer or early fall after flowers finish. Late
pruning promotes winter stem rot and often influences hardiness.
In spring, prune out winter killed branches.
Lavender, Two Seasons
Lavandula x intermedia ‘Gros Bleu’
1 - 2 x 3 feet Cut Flower, Fragrance, Soap Making
Gros Bleu translates to “fat blue” in honor of its
dark, nearly navy flowers atop exceptionally long
stems that present mid July. Fresh or dried, the color
stays true. This green-gray foliaged beauty was introduced by a perfume giant country of France.
16
Lavandin,
Fat Spike
Lavandin, Hidcote Giant
LAVENDERS, TENDER All $4.49
Lavandula x intersectional ‘Hidcote Giant’ (Zone 5b - 9a)
3 - 4 x 3 feet
Cut Flower, Medicinal, Potpourri, Soap
Very large, light violet flower heads on long, 3 feet stems give this fragrant
lavender a giant reputation. You’ll enjoy its productivity as you harvest for
potpourris and large wands.
Nine months or more of blooming is why we bother taking these
tender lavenders, in each fall only to put them back in the garden the
next spring. Inhale and choose which varieties you’ll want for your
soaps, cosmetics, potpourris, sleep pillows, baths and other crafts.
You might even warm up to drying some blooms to add to
roasted pork tenderloin.
Tender Lavender category key:
Lavandin, Impress Purple
Lavandula x intermedia ‘Impress Purple’
2 - 4 x 3 feet
Cut Flower, Potpourri, Soap Here is another Grosso family member that’s been known by other names, in
this case “Arabian Night.” It’s also famous for tall, straight stems and prolific,
richly deep purple blooms. Fresh bunches appear to have been sprinkled with
specks of silver. It is a treasure for dried or fresh bouquets, wands and hedges.
Lavandin, Marge Clark
Lavandula intermedia ‘Marge Clark’
2-1/2 x 3 feet
Border, Medicinal, Potpourri
Named for the incredible herbalist who passed away a few years back, this is a
superb seedling selection with very dark purple flowers and nice plant shape. It
is an improvement over the classic ‘Provence’ with darker flowers & occasional
reblooming throughout the season. This has become Mark’s favorite variety.
Lavandin, Richard Gray
Lavandula X intersectional ‘Richard Gray’
2 - 3 x 3 feet
Border, Culinary, Medicinal
You can never have too many silvery plants. Imagine a moonlight garden
of “Curry Plant, Super Silver Mint, Santolina, English Mulberry Silver Thyme”
and other silvery lavenders like this one. I’ve not even mentioned the gray or
variegated foliage plants or white blooms. Well, I guess I just did.
Lavandin, Silver Frost
Lavandula x intersectional ‘Silver Frost’
2 - 4 x 3 feet
Cut Flower, Potpourri
I can not fathom that lavender foliage will be able to get more silvery white
than this variety. Very tightly packed leaves lay on top of one another, like
pages in a book. Flowers have silvery-violet buds with light violet petals.
This is a gift from lavender breeder Andy van Hevelingen in Oregon.
Lavandin, White Provence
Lavandula x intermedia ‘Alba’
2-1/2 x 3 feet
Ornamental, Medicinal, Potpourri
Someday I’ll see France for myself, but, until then I can dream and admire
these pure white flowers waving softly in our lavender field. Tall spikes tower
above silvery foliage, July through August. In the heat of the summer, this
is my suggestion for the bridal bouquet.
PEAR CHEESE SALAD
serves 6
dressing: salad:
1/2 c. oil
4 firm ripe pears, thin slice
3 T. lavender vinegar (to follow)
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt & pepper
1 c. swiss or 1/2 c. feta cheese
1/4 tsp dry mustard 1/2 c. pecans, chopped
greens, violets, lettuce
Combine all dressing ingredients in a glass jar with tight fitting lid,
and shake well. In medium bowl, gently toss pears with lemon juice.
Add the cheese and pecans. Pour dressing over pears and toss gently.
Serve pears over greens and garnish with edible flowers.
LAVENDER VINEGAR
Sun - P. Sun Tender Perennial Raised Bed Normal - Dry Soil
Lavender, Fern-leaf
Lavandula multifida
Sun - P. Sun
3 x 2 feet
Ornamental, Culinary
Inhale. Taste. You might be tempted to
sprinkle the blue flowers over carrots, potatoes,
parsnips and other root vegetables before you
roast them. If you pot it up next fall, you’ll
have flowers to do as you wish, most of the
winter. I think the gray green foliage smells
earthy, like oregano, but one expert likened this
to “burnt rubber.” Bottom line- if your nose likes
it your tongue is apt to follow suit. The opposite
is true. That goes for most herbs
Lavender, Goodwin Creek
Lavandula x ‘ginginsii ‘Goodwin Creek’
Sun - P. Sun
2 x 3 feet
Ornamental, Culinary, Houseplant
Stunning, silver gray foliage host
deep blue, fragrant flowers, August
to May. BIG thank you to Jim & Dotti
Becker of “Goodwin Creek Gardens”
who selected and introduced this
variety. They are one of the
industry’s leading lavender
experts. This is the easiest
tender lavender to grow indoors
given good lighting. Water only
when dry.
L. Goodwin Creek
Lavender, Herb Companion
Lavandula dentata ‘Linda Ligon’
Sun - P. Sun 1 - 2 x 2 feet Ornamental, Culinary
Tender lavenders are often more frilly & fancy,
and this gem does not disappoint. Witness the
feathery, light leaves with creamy white streaks
and a touch of green. Light blue buds enliven
our summers. Foliage might revert to more
green which should be pruned out. Tolerates
morning shade, however, flowers become
whitish making it an O.K houseplant by
a south or west window. Named in
honor of a remarkable lady, Linda Ligon,
friend and
founding
editor of the
“Herb Companion”
magazine.
Blend 1-1/2 c. white wine vinegar and 1 tsp. dried or 2 tsp. fresh
lavender in a glass jar with plastic lid and shake well. Set aside over
night. Next day, strain vinegar and discard lavender.
17
Marigold, Lemon or Tangerine Gem $3.99
h LEMON BALM h
A few of lemon balms’ uses include flavoring ice cream, teas, fish and
even preserving sausage. There’s more- lemon balms attract bees,
fend off viruses, exhibit antioxidant properties, repel mosquitoes and
are mildly sedative (think sleep pillow) yet mood lifting. Showoff!
Lemon Balm, Golden
Tagetes signata ‘Gem Series’ Annual
Full Sun
6 x 12 inches
Edible Flowers, Ornamental
Petite, marigold blossoms decorate finely dissected green foliage. Choose cool
lemon yellow or orange, each with a subtle lemon or orange, citrusy flavor. Seek
out other herbal edible flower companions for an outrageously colorful salad or
dry these gems for confetti over baked potatoes. Very cooperative in baskets or
patio containers, but trim to keep compact and feed regularly. If you aren’t a
regular plant food feeder, then plant this in the ground.
$3.99
Melissa officinalis ‘Aurea’ Hardy Perennial (Zone 5 - 9)
P. Shade - Shade
1-1/2 x 3 feet
Ornamental, Culinary, Relaxing
Brighten your shade with this compact, gilded version. Matures each summer to chartreuse but pops up gold the next spring. Not as lemony, but edible.
Lemon Balm, Improved
$3.99
Lemon Balm, Lemona
$3.99
CHICKEN a la SPRING! serves 6 (from recipe.com)
3 T olive oil
2 tsp cornstarch
2 cloves garlic, minced 1 T lemon juice
1 T. grated lemon peel Salt & pepper
8 fresh sorrel leaves 2 T. sorrel,
1 lemon, cut in wedges 1 c. kale
3-1/2# whole broiler chicken
2/3 c. chicken broth
edible flowers
In a small saucepan cook and stir oil and garlic over low heat for
about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon peel; set aside.
Melissa officinalis ‘Quedlinburger Niederliegende’ Hardy Perennial
P. Shade - P. Sun
14 x 24 inches
Culinary, Tea, Medicinal, Cosmetic
Lemon Balms are often creeping the first year then upright in growth habit,
the second as in the case of this improved variety. The “upgrade” is in heavier
yields and intense lemon aroma. Tea anyone?
Melissa officinalis ‘Lemona’ Hardy Perennial
P. Shade - P. Sun
14 x 24 inches
Culinary, Tea, Medicinal, Cosmetic
We shall test this variety, flown in from Germany, to see if it has a deeper
lemon flavor than our standard variety. I’ll have to test it in fruit salad, lemon
curd and lemonade. As they say, “It’s a tough job...”
Lime Balm, Place sorrel leaves and lemon wedges in the cavity of the bird.
Tie legs to tail. Twist wing tips under back. Loosen and lift skin
above breast. Brush a little of the garlic-oil mixture under the
breast skin. Skewer neck skin to back. Brush a little more of the
oil mixture over the skin of the bird. Cover and chill remaining oil
mixture. Cover chicken. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to 24 hours.
$3.99
Melissa officinalis ssp. Altissima
Hardy Perennial
P. Shade -P. Sun
2 x 2 feet
Culinary, Tea, Medicinal, Cosmetic
Lemon and lime balms have tiny, whitish flowers which go unnoticed thanks
to the euphoric citrus fumes that rise up with just a brush of your hand or the
lawn mower. Whatever recipe you’d add the lime fruit to, substitute it for this
foliage or better yet, add it. The fruit and this foliage add synergistic depth.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Uncover chicken. Place, breast
side up, on a rack in a shallow pan. Insert a meat thermometer
into center of an inside thigh muscle. Do not allow thermometer
tip to touch bone. Roast, uncovered, for 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until
drumsticks move easily in their sockets, chicken is no longer pink,
and meat thermometer registers 180 degrees. Baste with remaining oil mixture about halfway through cooking time. Remove sorrel
leaves and lemon wedges from cavity. Cover chicken loosely with
foil. Let stand 10 minutes.
Lemon Grass$4.99
Cymbopogon citratus Tender Perennial
Full Sun
2 - 3 x 3 feet
Culinary, Teas
Try a tropical, water loving grass, popular in commercial teas, because its
bold, sweet lemon flavor is released by hot water. My SE Asian friend spoke
of making fresh caught fish & lemon grass soup, at work during her lunch hour
when she lived in Cambodia. Overwinter next to a sunny window, atop a
saucer of water. This is not the inedible “East Indian Lemon Grass.”
Lemon Verbena Meanwhile, pour juices and browned bits from roasting pan
into a small glass measure. Skim off and discard fat, reserving pan
juices (1 to 2 tablespoons total). In a small saucepan gradually stir
chicken broth into cornstarch. Add pan juices. Cook and stir over
medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in lemon
juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour into a bowl.
$4.49
Aloysia citriodora (A. triphylla)
Tender Perennial
Sun - P. Sun
3 - 6 x 3 feet Tea, Culinary, Bath
Bright green, leaves exude the most scintillating
lemon flavor for fruit salad, cake and sorbet. It may be
difficult to overwinter, but summer’s growth provides
enough to freeze or dry for tea and winter treats.
We recommend allowing it to endure 1 to 2
frosts to kill leaves before taking it in for
winter. Have faith! It will leaf out again.
Transfer chicken to a serving platter covered in kale leaves. Top
with “ribbons” of shredded sorrel and kale. Sprinkle over
“Marigold Gems” or other edible flowers.
Mexican Bush Oregano $3.99
Poliomintha bustamenta (longiflora)
Tender Perennial
Full Sun
3 x 2 feet
Culinary, Container
Pale lavender, 1” trumpets perform with glossy
foliage throughout the summer. Quite a foxy
companion on your patio with the extreme
oregano (hint of mint) flavor of traditional
Southwest cooking. Don’t forget to add
flowers to just-out-of-the-oven pizza, salads,
gazpacho soups- don’t be afraid to fuse
different ethnic flavors.
Lovage$3.99
Levisticum officinale Hardy Perennial
Sun - P. Shade
6 x 5 feet
Culinary
We site this very large, strongly flavored celery substitute in the back of our
shady border. Seeds, leaves or roots are used, fresh or dried, in soups, stir-fries
and chicken salad. Tall yellow flower stalks make a dramatic feature display.
To stop leaf scald, mulch around base of plant or provide extra summer water.
Mexican Oregano $3.99
Lippia graveolens
Tender Perennial
Full Sun
4 x 2 feet
Culinary, Medicinal
Labeled as true oregano or “Ore’gano Cimmaron” in Mexico and southwest U.S., but botanically it’s not. Think oregano with a funky, cilantro (piquant) flavor.
Leaves are bright green and scalloped on semi-woody branches, which if properly pruned, will look like a small tree. Doesn’t get more authentic Mexican than this!
18
h MINT MYTH BUSTIN’ h
All $3.99
#1) Mints have taken over small towns. Not true but in some situations, like a shady area you can’t mow, it’s O.K. Sink a 5 gallon bucket, with
holes in the bottom for drainage, into the ground. Allow 3” of bucket above ground to slow mint runners. Fill with potting mix and a scoop of
soil. Plant mint in bucket to contain it beautifully.
#2) Mints must be planted miles apart to prevent crossing. It’s true that a bee’s territory can cover 5 miles, however, you CAN plant a variety of
mints in 1 bed granted you keep flowers clipped. You’ll disappoint the bees, but next year’s seedlings won’t have a muddled taste.
Mint, Apple
Mints are
Butterfly Attractors
Mentha suaveolens 2 x 3 feet
Culinary, Container
Mint jelly, couscous and tea are great companions for this close relative of
“Pineapple Mint.” The foliage color is what artists have in mind as mint green.
Mint, Banana
Mentha arvenis ‘Banana’
2 x 2-1/2 feet
Culinary, Container
It is a stretch, but there’s a subtle banana flavor that’s lovely all the same.
Its soft, pale green leaves are great in fruit salads, cool cream pies, yogurt and
pineapple punch. Requires less sun, but more water. ALMOST a pond plant!
Mint, Chocolate
Mint, Habek
Mentha longifolia
2 - 3 x 2 feet
Culinary, Medicinal, Bees
This is one of the true Middle East varieties
used for the authentic “Tabbouli” or bulgar,
lemon juice, salt, pepper, plenty of parsley, mint,
cool vegetables and maybe sunflower seeds. Two inch,
very narrow, bluish-green leaves have a completely
different look from other mints.
KEY TO MINTS: Hardy Perennials
3 ft. & Spreading
Part - Full Sun
More sun = more water = big
Moist & Peaty Soil Plant under Apple Trees, Containers, Slopes
Mentha piperata ‘Chocolate’
2 x 3 feet
Culinary, Medicinal
Get the sensation of a “Peppermint Patty.”
Imagine this dark green leaved variety
in brownies or (Mark’s favorite) morning
coffee. Swirl a fresh leaf that you plucked
off a pot of mint just outside your door.
Mint, Kentucky Colonel
Mint, Corsican
Mint, Mojito
Mentha requienii
1 x 12 inches
Not Edible, Walk-About, Fragrant
The tiny, bright green leaves on this low groundcover smell exactly like
“Creme de Menthe” liqueur. Be sure to plant between stepping stones in moist
soil, sun or shade! Protect with evergreen boughs every winter. Miniature too!
Mint, Curly Spearmint
Mentha spicata ‘Crispa’
2 - 3 x 3 feet
Culinary, Medicinal
This is not just a novelty “Spearmint” variety with ruffled, curly edges but a
fresh, mild flavor for peas.
Mint, Double Mint
Mentha x gracilis ‘Madalene Hill’
2 - 3 x 3 feet
Tea, Bees, Culinary, Medicinal
This variety is also known as “Red Stemmed Apple Mint” for its ruby stems.
Think of a tea that has both the oils of peppermint and spearmint. I almost
forgot to mention that it smells and tastes just like “DoubleMint Gum.”
Mint, English Pennyroyal
Mentha pulegium
2 - 4 x 18 inches
NOT EDIBLE, Medicinal, Repellent,
Rub fresh leaves on pant legs before entering woods, to repel
ticks and mosquitoes. Let it sprawl next to kennels or by
paths where pets prowl to shoo away fleas. 4” tall
blue flower spikes bloom in summer. Not for
pregnant woman, in fact, all cooks steer clear!
Mint, Ginger
Mentha spicata ’Kentucky Colonel’
2 - 3 x 3 feet
Culinary, Medicinal, Bees
Add clean, sweet, spearmint flavor to
cookies, tea, jellies, beef, lamb, peas or cool
summer beverages. Makes a rejuvenating bath
or hair rinse too.
Mentha x villosa
Sun - P. Sun
2 - 3 x 3 feet
Bees, Culinary, Tea
The mojito cocktail is made with rum, sugar, lime juice and this plant whose
mother came directly from Cuba. Flavor is mild, not pungent or over sweet.
Mint, Orange
Mentha aquatica ‘Citrata’
2 x 3 feet
Culinary, Bees, Container, Bath, Flea Repellent
Add 1 c. of these bronzy, green, round leaves, a cup of “Pineapple Sage” and
1 c. of any lemon herb to 2 quarts of water. Refrigerate for 6 hours and enjoy
refreshing, bubbly, flavored water. Add a citrusy mint to fruit salads, beef or
cookies. Marinate leaves or blue flowers in vinegar to eat or add to your bath.
Mint, Peppermint
Mentha piperata 2 - 3 x 3 feet
Tea, Culinary, Medicinal
Peppermint’s versatility and ease in growing makes it the perfect beginner’s
herb. Smooth edged, shiny, dark green leaves are a boost to brownies, candy
and cake. Use dried in teas for stuffy noses, indigestion and mild headaches.
Mint, Pineapple
Mentha suaveolens ‘Variegata’
2 x 3 feet
Culinary, Ornamental, Container
White & green variegated leaves hold their
color even in summer heat. Try in baskets
with “Empress of India Nasturtiums” or
add a fruity addition to cool sorbets, cole
slaw, jello, iced tea and tuna fish sandwiches.
Mentha X gentilis
2 x 2 feet Culinary, Ornamental
Unusual yellow & green splashed leaves look best
in spring but hold variegation throughout summer. Fine,
fruity, spicy flavor does well with any fruit, salmon & Thai dishes.
HERB WATER: a most refreshing drink!
2 qts. water 1 c. each: mint, pineapple sage, lemon verbena leaves
Wash, squeeze and drop herbs in pitcher. Refrigerate 6 hours. Enjoy.
19
h OREGANO h All $3.99
h NASTURTIUMS h All $3.99
Oreganos thrive in Mediterranean conditions. They worship the
sun, heat and well drained soils. Flavor is actually diminished by
high powered fertilizers. We suggest an organic, (3-3-3) fertilizer
at planting with annual dressings. Note the differences. Most are
hardy, some need to be brought in for winter, some aren’t for eating
and the stinkiest ones should be thrown in a bath for sore muscles.
Tropaelum, the scientific name literally means “nose-twister” or
“nose-tweaker.” It earned the common name “Nasturtium” due to
its peppery tang much like watercress, (also known by its botanical
name Nasturtium officinale.) Tear up leaves and flowers for your
next salad and use its seed pods as a fine caper substitute. In a pot,
nasturtiums need faithful fertilizing, so truthfully they thrive in our
gardens. As the thermometer rises, they just keep looking better.
Here’s what they like:
Sun - P. Shade
Annual
Organic Soil
Water regularly 1 x 2 feet
Containers, Culinary
Butterfly & Hummingbird friendly too
Oregano, Chef’s Greek
Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
2 - 3 x 3 feet
Culinary, Bees, Butterfly, Bath
Don’t confuse this one with the purple flowered ornamental oregano. THIS
ONE’S FOR COOKING. It is still a vigorous grower, which will form 3 - 4 feet
clumps, so give it room to grow. Harvest frequently. Scatter flowers or leaves
over pizza, spaghetti, heavy meats or stews, venison and other “manly” fare.
Alaska, Variegated
Tropaelum majus ’Alaska Variegata’
Here’s flamboyant mix of hot red, yellow or orange complimented by round,
green leaves with swirls of random yellow streaks. Everybody’s favorite for
mixed containers because it is highly ornamental, even when it isn’t in bloom.
Sweet, peppery flowers are slightly cooler than the radish hot, green seed pods.
Empress of India
Tropaelum majus ’Empress of India’
Exotic, deep red flowers on dark green foliage form a semi trailing habit.
This best selling annual compliments yellow “Gem Marigolds, Pineapple Mint,”
and other hot colored flowering plants. Tasty!
Nasturtium, Peach Melba
Tropaelum majus ‘Peach Melba’
Annual
We will always try to grow this, not for its creamy yellow flowers with
orange blotches, though they are delightful, but for its name. I owe my green
thumb to Melba Hemminger, my mom. This one may reach 2 x 3 feet. (hxw)
Origanum rotundifolia ‘Dingle Fairy’
Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
6 x 12 inches
Containers, Faery Gardens
Shrink “Kent Beauty Oregano’s” cascades of lilac flowers sprung from pink,
cream and pale green bracts, spilling over blue green foliage . Full sun and well
draining soil enhances the aromatic, flavorful leaves for pizza and pasta. Add
whimsy to your rock garden but ignore the name, I mean, really?
Oregano, Golden
Origanum vulgare ‘Aureum’
Hardy Perennial
Sun - Shade
6 - 18 x 18 inches Culinary, Cut Flower
Plant this gilded groundcover with purple crocus or red tulips underneath.
(This saves your bulbs from being dug up by critters or yourself.) Tolerates a
good amount of shade and turns chartreuse by summer. In full sun, color is
more golden but needs extra water. Summer, white flowers add elegance.
Oregano, Golden Crisp
Nasturtium, Phoenix
Origanum vulgare ‘Dr. Ietswaart’ Hardy Perennial
Sun - P. Sun 12 x 12 inches Container, Culinary
So cute and so hardy! The light yellow glow
of their crinkled leaves is best protected from
afternoon sun or crispy edges will result. With
a mild oregano flavor, it’s a colorful addition
greek salads, rock gardens and containers.
Tropaelum majus ‘Phoenix’ Annual
A “Burpee Seed” hybidizer re-birthed a 1904 Nasturtium heirloom called
“Golden Gem” into a split flowered explosion of flaming red, orange and
salmon. While it is unique, all parts are still edible like all other nasturtiums
though it may be larger than most, reaching 2 feet high and spreading 3 feet.
NASTURTIUM GARLIC PESTO
makes 2 cups of pow!
No doubt you’ll experience an overload of foliage and flowers at
some point. Pesto is perfect for capturing those flavors, spread
ing pepper throughout dishes from pasta to pizza, and offering a
glimpse back at summer, if you freeze some.
Oregano, Dingle Fairy
4 cups packed nasturtium leaves
2 cups packed nasturtium flowers
5 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1 to 1 1/2 cups walnuts
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
Gather, wash and dry leaves and flowers. If you don’t have enough
flowers, just add more leaves to equal 6 cups. Place in a food processor along with garlic. Drizzle oil as you process. Once you get
the texture you like, pour into a bowl. Stir in walnuts and cheese.
Spoon into 2 pint jars and refrigerate up to 2 weeks or freeze for
about 3 to 6 months.
Read more at http://www.gardenbetty.com/2013/01/
nasturtium-pesto/#sZ8RIkwP7l1jQRhb.99
20
Oregano, Gold Streak
Parsley, Hamburg Root
$3.99
Parsley, Italian Flat-Leaf
$3.99
Parsley, Triple Curled
$3.99
Petroselium crispum `Hamburg’
Biennial
Full Sun
2 x 2 feet
Culinary, Edible Roots
Most parsleys do not form a root, like this “old county” variety, lending a
deeper parsley flavor to soups. You can also roast like any other root vegetable.
Origanum vulgare ssp. vul. ‘Jim’s Best’
Tender Perennial
Sun - P. Shade
2 - 4 x 12 inches
Container
Reap rewards of green leaves with gold
swirls all summer. Soft, white-pink flowers
appear about June. Vinegars glow gold with a
mild oregano taste to splash over green beans,
eggs and pasta or use it to make a viniagrette.
Happy in rock gardens & pots.
Petroselium crispum ‘Gigante D’ Italia’Biennial
Full Sun
2 x 2 feet
Culinary, Butterfly
The plant isn’t gigantic but the thick, juicy leaves are full of flavor. Use this
Italian heirloom as a culinary band-aid if too much sage, garlic (is that possible?)
or hot chiles are used. Rich in Vitamin A, C, iron, and magnesium.
Avoid harsh afternoon sun for all gold & variegated oreganos.
Oregano, Hot & Spicy
Origanum vulgare ‘Hot & Spicy’ Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
1 - 3 x 3 feet
Culinary, Bees, Butterfly, Bath
We thought “Chef’s Greek” had a strong flavor. This is for the person that
really loves intense, oregano flavor plus a kick. Use, with care, in sassy salsa
and chile dishes. Test the waters before you do a full bath with this herb tea.
Petroselium crispum ‘Krausa’
Biennial
Full Sun
1 x 1-1/2 feet
Culinary, Butterfly
Mark specifically demands this variety for the great flavor AND good looks.
Cleanses breath too! Best used fresh, though frozen works but dried parsley?forget it! Freeze in a single layer or chop and pour leaves into ice cube trays.
Oregano, Italian
Origanum x majoranaHalf-Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
1 - 2 x 3 feet
Culinary, Bees, Butterfly, Bath
If I could only grow 5 herbs, this would be #2 (Genovese Basil is #1). With
the upright, productive growth of a typical oregano but the sweetness of a sweet
marjoram, this is a marriage of heavenly proportions.
Oregano, Kent Beauty
Origanum rotundifolia x scabrum
Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
4 x 18 inches
Ornamental, Hanging Basket
Survived the “Winter of 2002” with flying
colors (-18 F) and flowered all summer long.
Blue-green, almost heart-shaped leaves
give way to red and cream, hoplike flower heads, summer
and fall. Absolutely perfect
trailing feature in a mixed pot.
Oregano, Micro Silver
Origanum microphyllum Tender Perennial
Full Sun 2 - 4 x 18 inches Culinary, Ornamental
Here’s an incredibly small, silvery, powerfully flavored, mini variety with
deep purple flowers, late summer. We hope that you’ll help us introduce this
unique oregano to other gardeners, but be sure to tell them it’s not a thyme!
Oregano/ Sweet Marjoram
Origanum majorana Annual
Full Sun
1 - 2 x 2 feet
Culinary, Bees, Baths
Sweet Marjoram is an annual oregano but its sweeter flavor warrants planting
it out in the garden every year. As the flavor is more delicate, add during the
last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking eggs, vegetables, seafood, rice, poultry, or pork.
It is a good muscle ache reliever in bath while it also eases allergy symptoms.
Even withstands the harsh conditions of a strawberry jar/
Patchouli$4.49
Pogostemon cablin (patchouli)
Tender Perennial
P. Sun - P. Shade
1 x 2 feet
Potpourri, Bees
Easy to grow, inside or out, just give it room. Bring in before first frost and
watch the flower clusters, knowing they’ll rob some of the leaf scent. To prevent
flowering, give it 12 hours of light, indoors. Grown commercially for its oil in
perfumes & incense but you can dry its scallop edged leaves yourself. Groo
Pepper, Black $4.49 & $12.99
Root Beer Plant
$5.49
Piper nigrumTender Perennial
P. Shade - P. Sun
6 foot vine
Culinary, Houseplant
Beautiful, dark green, heart shaped leaves and creamy yellow flowers make
for a great houseplant. Eventually the fruit (peppercorn) develops. Realistically
you’re talking probably 3 years before you can harvest premature green or wait
until they turn red or longer for white. Dry until they darken and grind!
Piper auritum (santum)Tender Perennial
Shade - P. Sun
3 x 4 to 5 x 20 feet Fragrant, Culinary
Though not the source for a rootbeer
float, its 8” heart shaped leaves are used to wrap fish or pork in Mexican & Indian cooking. A Central American customer of ours said she uses it like tamales,
so I wrapped the leaves around a corn bread recipe for stuffed peppers, and
steamed them. Imagine Mark coming into our kitchen at the end of a long day &
smelling that! We ate the sweet leaves and all! Remember to find a moist, large
spot as it’ll grow up to 5 feet in the first season.
Oregano, Variegated
Hardy Perennial
Sun - P. Sun 4 x 12 inches Container, Ornamental
You only need look left to see its beauty. Now,
imagine a mild “Sweet Marjoram” taste and
white flowers for mixed container,
strawberry jars, bed edges or rock
garden. It’s worth repeating that this is
another oregano that burns in harsh
afternoon, sun along with the other golden or
variegated varieties
Origanum vul. ‘White Anniversary’
21
h ROSEMARY h Most are $3.99
Three of our rosemaries earned three first places at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens Flower Show. Here’s the treatment they received:
FULL SUN year round, a winter home indoors (all are TENDER PERENNIALS), WELL DRAINING & LOAMY SOIL and CAREFUL WATERING.
Indoor Growing Tips: #1. Re-pot with fresh soil in the fall into larger pots or “bonsai” root prune to give roots more room.
#2. Place next to a sunny, cold (55-60 degree), preferably drafty window.
#3. Don’t overwater. Water only when soil feels dry and the pot is lighter in weight, not by the calender.
Rosemary, Arp
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Arp’
3 - 4 x 4 feet
Culinary, Medicinal, Butterfly
Perhaps the hardiest of all varieties, however, our winter breezes are still too stiff.
The growth is somewhat unpredictable but generally thick and well branched. Leaves
and blooms enhance jams and orange sauce for poultry or lamb. Pale blue, early spring
flowers appear while it is still indoors.
Blooming Rosemary
attract butterflies
Rosmarinus officinalis prostratus
2 - 3 feet Trailing
Container, Culinary, Medicinal, Topiary, Bonsai
This creeping variety looks natural in hypertufa containers and hanging baskets and
easily wraps around circular wire frames for victorian centerpieces. Fresh rosemary
for Thanksgiving turkey, plucked from your table? PRICELESS!
Rosemary, Creeping
Rosemary, Foxtail
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Foxtail’
2 x 2 feet
Culinary, Shish-ka-bob
Test each rosemary when you visit. If you like the smell, you’ll love the flavor and
each one is di-STINKt. Appearance-wise, “foxtail” is big, thick and bushy providing
lots of tips for all your cooking needs.
Rosemary, Golden Rain
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Joyce DeBaggio’
1 - 2 feet
Culinary, Topiary, Bonsai
Attractive chartreuse & green striped leaves with subtle
lemony flavor, adorn this stocky, erect rosemary. Cool
weather heightens variegation just in time for vibrant blue buds
indoors. Mark’s favorite variety for containers as it appears to
be a mini alpine tree. Named for Tom DeBaggio’s wife, Joyce.
Rosemary, Hill Hardy
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Hill Hardy’
2 - 3 x 3 feet
Culinary, Medicinal, Topiary
Madalene Hill did not introduce this hardy variety (she gave us ‘Arp’),
rather it was named in her honor, by Tom DeBaggio. Long ago we were
impressed with its healthy growth habit. Not hardy in our open fields,
but then all rosemaries have a difficult time overwintering here. You can
try and plant it against a South wall and protect it from brisk winds with
something transparent (not mulch!), but inside, every winter, is best.
Rosemary, Ingram
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Collingwood Ingram’
3 - 4 x 4 feet
Culinary, Medicinal, Topiary
“Ingram” is a very fast grower increasing up to 1-1/2 feet in a single
year! Small plants start with upright growth then head horizontal as they
become heavy. Long stems are perfect for shish-ka-bobs skewers. Winter
indoors and you’ll be treated with the darkest blue flowers.
Super for large frame topiaries!
Rosemary, Large- Creeping
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Hungington Carpet’)
2 - 3 x 3 feet Trailing Culinary, Medicinal Topiary
This is the largest creeping variety we offer.
Like many prostrate varieties, its shy, blue
flowers wait until winter to appear. If you
have a wire frame, you can tie and train
this to it. Be patient. It’ll eventually
mature beautifully. Because it’s nearly
identical to ‘Lockwood de Forest,’
we dropped that cultivar.
Rosemary, Pink Flowering
Rosemary, Gorizia
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘MaJorica Pink’ (Zone 8 - 10)
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Gorizia’
3 - 4 x 4 feet
Culinary, Medicinal, Butterfly
4 - 5 x 4 feet
Culinary, Medicinal, Topiary
Pink flowers distinguish this strong, upright, short needled variety.
We call it Godzilla. Tom DeBaggio received it from Gorizia, Italy. Still, it’s an
Doesn’t branch well, but reaches amazing heights in one season. A great
appropriate nick-name for its broad, easy to prep, leaves, twice as wide as the standard
companion for the grill with long stems for shish-ka-bobs.
rosemary. Light blue flowers, spring through summer, are also
larger. Tom described its flavor as “gentle, sweet and
Mark’s
Upright rosemaries
a bit gingery.” I can taste the potato salad!
“Herb Cottage Rosemary”
make great bonsais
Stems serve as skewers for shish-ka-bobs.
14 year old bonsai
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Tuscan Blue’ (Zone 7 - 10)
4 - 5 x 5 feet
Culinary, Medicinal, Topiary, Butterfly
This
rosemary
always
looks healthy! Is it its broad leaves like “GorizRosmarinus officinalis ‘Herb Cottage’
ia” though shinier and a bit smaller? Or is it the tall, columnar form, rem4 x 4 feet
Culinary, Medicinal
iniscent of an “Irish Yew?” Personally, I like its fresh, Christmas scent.
Escape the winter blues.
Rosemary, Tuscan Blue
Rosemary, Herb Cottage
Volunteer in our greenhouse and
you’ll be treated to these fluorescent blue
flowers. It is a solid, well
branched selection, jammed with
leaves and flowers. Excellent for
bonsai, topiaries & roasted taters and
foccacio, as it is the most fragrant
of any variety.
POWDERY MILDEW SPRAY
Rosemary, White-Flowering
Rosmarinus officinalis prostratus’ (Zone 7 - 10)
3 x 3 feet Trailing Culinary, Medicinal, Topiary, Butterfly
The unique white flowers that cover this masterpiece by late summer,
early fall, add to the legend of how Jesus’ mother Mary placed her cloak
over a rosemary while escaping to Egypt, turning the white flowers to
blue. “Hardy” to 5 degrees, still wintering indoors, is your best bet.
2 T. baking soda
2 T. oil (cooking or *summer oil)
1 gallon water
Pour baking soda and oil into a rinsed out milk jug and add water. Shake vigorously. Label. Pour some into a spray bottle and drench all sides
of leaves until it drips, every 7-10 days. Great on roses, bee balm, sage and rosemary. Update: NOT effective on Basil Downy Mildew (that’s a
different disease) but it works on spider mites and aphids too. (*summer oil is found in the fruit tree spray section; do not use dormant oil.)
22
h SAGES, CULINARY & HARDY h All $3.99
“Sage” is known as the “youth herb,” used to darken hair, improve memory, even ease wrinkles. We use it in the bath to soothe muscles,
drink the tea to ease nerves and indigestion and you’d be WISE to add the silver and white varieties to your moon garden. You’ll be amazed with
their wide variety of shapes, colors, uses and hardiness. Sages love full sun and the hummingbirds, bees & butterflies love the sages.
Sage, Berggarten
Salvia officinalis ‘Berggarten’
Full Sun
2 x 3 feet
Hardy Perennial
Culinary, Border, Medicinal
Broad, oval shaped leaves on this
2 foot plant make “Berggarten” the
easiest of all sages to harvest and
to prep. Flash fry whole leaves
in sizzling olive oil about 30
seconds. Take off heat, cool,
crumble and use like bacon
bits. It rarely blooms as
flowering tips often freeze.
SAGE TEA & GARGLE
Eases Colds, Sore Throats, and Cold Sores
2 T. sage leaves (Berggarten & Dwarf are the strongest)
1-1/2 T. fennel seeds
Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 2 teaspoons of this mixture and
steep. Use as a gargle for flu and inflamed throat. Drink as a tea
for any infections of the mouth and throat. The fennel gives the
tea a sweet, mild, licorice-like flavor.
Variation: sub dried licorice root for fennel seed
Sage, Berggarten Variegated
Salvia officinalis ‘Variegated Berggarten’ Hardy
Full Sun 2 x 3 feet
Culinary, Medicinal
This is just as winter hardy as ‘Berggarten,’
with clean, blue-green and white variegation
on slender leaves like the original Salvia
officinalis. Prune out anything that
reverts green.
Sage, Dwarf Garden
Salvia officinalis ‘Compacta’ (Nana)
Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
1 x 2 feet
Culinary, Container, Medicinal
Leaves are smaller and growth habit more
compact but it’s big on flavor and a natural for
mixed containers and child-sized hedges. Plus
it’s covered with blue flower spikes each spring
that don’t always get frozen off. Like many
strong flavored sages, a little goes a long way.
Sage, Fruit-Scented
Salvia dorisiana Tender Perennial
Full Sun 3 - 4 feet Ornamental, Culinary
Fragrant, fuzzy foliage tickle shocking, lipstick pink, 1” flowers by December. It’s a big grower that benefits from frequent
tip pruning during the growing season to prevent legginess. Dig up in the fall or
grow in containers to bring inside for a Christmas display. Leaves and flowers
are used like “Pineapple Sage.”
Sage, Golden Variegated Garden
Salvia officinalis ‘Icterina’
Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
1 x 2 feet
Culinary, Bees, Medicinal
Our cuttings come from stock plants that survived -18 F degrees one winter.
Leaves have golden margins around green centers. My obedient mounds create a
7 - 8 month show, in front of “Bronze Fennel,” purple basils and other sages.
Sage, Pineapple,
Salvia elegans Tender Perennial
Sun - P. Sun 3 x 3 feet Culinary, Hummingbird
Delicious, scarlet-red flowers on 3 foot
spikes form in the fall as the grand finale.
Use fresh leaves or flowers in teas, fruit,
chicken salads, white wine and lemonade.
Plants grow large and enjoy being harvested,
but pick lower leaves, which are more succulent,
being protected from the sun. Stop pruning
tips August 1st, allowing flowers to form.
Sage, Pineapple, Golden
Salvia elegans Tender Perennial
Sun - P. Sun 3 x 3 feet
Culinary, Hummingbird
Now we offer a gelded leaved version with all qualities, including the
fragrance and flavor of the tropical original.
Sages are magnets to bees,
Hummingbirds and butterflies
Sage, Purple Garden
Salvia officinalis ‘Purpurea’ Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
2 x 3 feet
Culinary, Ornamental
Purple new leaves mature partially green creating
a bi-colored look. Flavor is slightly less robust
so it’s great for cooks who’ve not used sage
before. I started using sage in spaghetti sauce
when a friend told me it adds a sausage flavor
for sage is typically the primary herb in sausage.
Hardy here, surviving all but the coldest winters.
Sage, Scarborough Fair Garden Salvia officinalis ‘ Scarborough Fair’ Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
2 x 3 feet
Culinary, Tea
We have watched this plant for 10 years, originating from a trial batch of
seeds from “Park’s Seed.” It not only tasted sweeter, but the spring blooms
were more prolific and deeper blue than common sage. Partner with parsley,
rosemary and thyme in “Chicken Cordon Bleu.”
Sage, Tangerine
Salvia elegans ‘Tangerine’ Tender Perennial
Sun - P. Sun 2 x 2 feet Culinary, Tea
Flowers are the same as “Pineapple Sage”
with a fruitier, rather than tropical, flavor.
Plants are more compact as well. It flowers
from about May until you allow it to freeze.
Lug it inside and it’ll continue to flower a good
part of winter. Blooming show isn’t as loud as
“Pineapple Sage,” however, it lasts much longer
throughout the season. I’ve used the flora and foliage
to make a fruity syrup for herbal sodas and handfuls
of it and “Lemon Verbena” to flavor good old drinking water.
Sage, Tricolor Garden
Salvia officinalis ‘Tricolor’
Half-Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
2 x 3 feet
Culinary, Ornamental
Pink, white and green colored leaves make a display in the garden or on the
dinner table for cooks who enjoy a little less intense sage flavor. However, it
usually doesn’t survive our winters.
23
h SAGES, ORNAMENTAL & MEDICINAL $3.99 h
h AUTUMN SAGES h All $3.99
Full Sun
Normal Water
Sages (Salvias) come in 600 varieties of shapes and colors including
plenty you simply admire, some you inhale and others that cleanse
our souls & homes. The following sages generally aren’t considered
edible though I nibble on the flowers of “Red Variegated Sages.”
Half-Hardy Perennial
Organic - Loamy Soil
3 - 4 x 2 feet Edible Blooms, Bees, Hummingbirds
We admit, during the first summer we put them in our yard, we
weren’t impressed until autumn, as their name would suggest. All
sudden the cool weather came and, WOW! what a show of colors.
Even the butterflies applauded! The only challenge is the winter.
They’re marginally hardy as fierce winds can be punishing.
Sage, Autumn Coral
Salvia greggii ‘Coral’ (Zone 6 - 10)
With all the spring and summer shows of color,
we need a season extender like this & other “Autumn
Sages.” From warm coral featured in this entry to
cool purples below, you get a wide palette as
shown to the right. ------>
Sage, Autumn Purple
Salvia greggii ‘Purple’ (Zone 6 - 10)
It is reminiscent of the popular purple
bedding plant salvias. Like them, these
plants attract the attention of bees,
hummingbirds, butterflies and humans.
But these flowers are edible!
Sage, Autumn San Antonio
Salvia greggii ‘San Antonio’ (Zone 6 - 10)
Try flowers of pastel coral and cream.
“Autumn Sages” flower sparsely throughout
the summer, but in the fall, all colors become
more vivid and the plants just look as if they’ve
breathed a sigh of relief with cooler temperatures.
Sage, Autumn White
Salvia greggii ‘Alba’ (Zone 6 - 10)
You can always count on ‘Alba’ meaning white.
That’s exactly what you’ll get from these lovely
flowers that do double duty in a moonlight garden.
Sage, Autumn Wild Thing
Salvia greggii ‘Wild Thing’ (Zone 6 - 10)
Just when you think the flowers couldn’t get any
more alluring, in walks intensely hot, fuchsia pink as
the summer’s heat fades. Lipsticks are jealous. Shock a
friend as you sprinkle fuchsia buds over pumpkin soup!
I’ve not seen any references about foliage, but all of these
flowers are edible.
CUCUMBER & COCONUT SALAD
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced (1/2 c.)
1 cucumber, thinly sliced (about 3/4#)
1 c. unsweetened large-flaked coconut
2 T. coconut water
1 T. fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
2 tsp. sugar, plus more for seasoning
Coarse salt
salad burnet or samphire, leaves & buds
Place onion in a bowl of ice water. Let onion stand 10 minutes, then
drain. Place cucumbers, sliced lengthwise in a large bowl. Add onion
and coconut and gently toss to combine. Add coconut water, lime
juice, sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Gently toss again to combine.
Refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours. Before serving, sprinkle with salt, sugar and young herbal leaves & buds.
Sage, Grandfather White
Salvia apianaTender Perennial
Full Sun
3 - 4 x 3 feet
Ceremonies, Bees, Hummingbird
This powerful, silver shrub, about the size of “Garden Sage,” is used by native
people to purify themselves (in sweat lodges during flu season) & their dwellings.
Traditionally, small wands are burned to ward off evil spirits. Our friend, Tom
“Soft-Shell” Netz, told us the eastern native people use a different smudging herb
with the botanical name Artemesia ludoviciana or “Silver King Artemesia.”
Sage, Hummingbird / Black & Blue
Salvia guarantica
Tender Perennial
Full Sun
Up to 4 x 6 feet Bees, Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Three inch long, royal blue flowers with pure
black bases are the source of its common name.
Glossy green foliage really shows off these great
hummingbird magnets. Use tomatoe cages to
keep plants upright and supported. Jane Russell
comes to mind- too many hours on the computer.
Sage, Mexican All-Purple
Salvia leucantha ‘All-Purple’ Tender Perennial
Full Sun 4 - 5 x 5 feet Cut, Hummingbird
A florist friend told us this was “the most
magnificent fresh cut herb” he’s ever grown.
Rises to 5 feet tall by August, when, fuzzy, blue
spikes appear. Cut stems back 1/3 in June and
July to promote more branching, flowering
and compact height. It is an important pollen
source for bees in the fall if frost doesn’t fry the flowers.
Sage, Variegated Red
Salvia microphylla ‘Variegata’ Tender Perennial
Full Sun 3 - 4 x 2 feet
Containers
Hummingbirds love this beauty!
Edible scarlet-red flowers, all summer,
adorn the white and green, inedible but,
exotic leaves that brighten mixed containers.
Sprinkle these savory, sexy red buds over
roasted potatoes and salmon served at sunset for
the beginning of a memorably romantic dinner.
Salad Burnet /Di-yu $3.99
Samphire/ Sea Fennel
$3.99
Sanguisorba minorHardy Perennial
Full Sun
12 x 12 inches
Culinary, Medicinal
Crumble cucumber flavored young shoots and fruits over salads and infuse in
vinegars and tomato juice. Its rosette form looks lacy in herbal lawns. Referred
to in “Traditional Chinese Medicine” as “Di-yu” and is used to stop bleeding.
Like borage, you’ll want to harvest when foliage and fruit is young.
Crithmum maritimumHardy Perennial
Full Sun
1 - 2 x 1-1/2 feet
Culinary, Butterfly
Finally found a reference in Maude Grieve’s
A Modern Herbal (1971) revealing it is native
to the seaside cliffs of Britain where it has long
been used as a salt substitute and an essential
ingredient of pickles. Trust me, this blue-green,
highly dissected, succulent-like plant is quite
rare and worth fiddling with in your next salad.
24
Excerpt from our E-newsletter
Issue No. 30
November 2013
h SANTOLINAS h
From green to silver with a dusky blue sheen- the foliage colors
aren’t the only differences in these hedge herbs, tolerant of
ample pruning. But here’s what they have in common:
Full Sun
Hardy Perennial Loamy - Sandy Soil
Normal Watering h x w varies
Moth Repellent, Bonsai
(In this issue, I tackled “Pine Tree Essential Oil,” which delved into
the aromatherapeutic benefits. I offered this elegant potpourri as
an easy and seasonal decor medium to capture & emit the relaxing,
healing fragrances of oils, kitchen spices and items from your own
backyard that you can start collecting & drying throughout the year.
Santolina, Green
EVERGREENS INDOORS
After you've adorned your door with a swag to greet company this season,
why not bring some aromatherapy indoors? Look in your backyard and in
your pantry. Collect familiar aromatic greens, cones, and, for color, rosehips.
Place the long stemmed evergreens in vases and cut up the pieces for a bowl
of potpourri with sliced citrus, sprinkles of cinnamon and several clove buds.
Not that adventurous? Try this recipe. Inspired from my dear friend Carol Sue
McCue, I adapted her recipes to items I had around the house.
Santolina/ Lavender Cotton $3.99
Santolina chamaecyparissus ‘‘Nana’
18 x 18 inches
Rock Garden
You’ll find the same bright yellow buttons, but on silvery-gray, soft foliage.
Prune each spring after new growth appears. Working at Cedar Point in 1984,
I pruned santolina regularly. This sounds strange, but its smell reminded me
of bologna. Maybe it was always around lunch time. Moth repellent too.
BACKYARD CHRISTMAS POTPOURRI
Remember the stinky mothballs for your wool sweaters? Luckily
plenty of herbs do a better and healthier job such as lavender, worm
wood, tansy, patchouli, santolina, and rosemary -- all of which can be
easily grown in the garden. Dry and combine any of the above. Add
some cedar shavings, cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. Pour into
a muslin bag and store in your cedar chest with your winter woolens.
2 c. dried bay leaves
1/2 c. cinnamon sticks, crushed
3 T. fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 c. mini pine cones
or bits of larger cones
1 c. bits & pieces of evergreens
2 T. lavender blossoms, fresh or dried
1 c. dried rose hips
or Hawthorn berries for color
3 T. finely ground cloves
1 T. whole cloves
8 drops pine essential oil
Santolina, Rosemary-leaf
$3.99
Santolina rosmarifolia
1 - 2 x 1 - 2 feet
Bonsai
It may sport the bright yellow buttons you’re used to seeing on the regular
santolina but the foliage is more blue, coarse and leathery. Though not edible,
it makes an avant-garde specimen at the hands of a bonsai artist.
Mix well in a LARGE glass bowl. Tip contents into an airtight container (that
you use for crafting). Store in a cool, dark cupboard for 6 weeks. Be sure to
shake it up each week. Take out what you need and keep the rest stored in
that container.
h SAVORIES h
Substitute the herb “savory” for black pepper in any recipe. Be it
the hardy “winter savories” or self seeding annual “summer savory,”
it works for any of these. Here’s what else works for all our savories:
Full Sun Loamy Soil Normal Watering Culinary, Bees, Medicinal
VARIATIONS:
can make it a fall potpourri by adding 1 c. colorful leaves
add slices of citrus that have begun to dry
SOURCES FOR ITEMS: Don’t have all of this in your backyard? Find...
cinnamon, cloves, lavender, rosehips: at your local health food store or online
bay leaf, rosemary, evergreens, lavender: at Mulberry Creek HerbFarm
essential oils: at herb fair vendors or local health food store
Savory, Summer Imp.
$3.99
Savory, Lemon NEW!
$3.99 Savory, Winter
$3.99
Savory, Winter Dwarf
$3.99
Satureja x ‘Aromata’
1 x 1 foot Annual
This annual savory has a more intense aroma & taste than the common variety
due to its higher essential oil content. It is packed with needle-like leaves. As
it self sows you’ll have plenty to harvest for peppery flavor in beans, salads and
omelettes this year and next. Gargle tea for a sore throat.
HERB INFUSED POTATOES
Satureja montana ssp. Citriodora
6 x 12 inch Hardy Perennial
Lemon pepper is my favorite in the kitchen and it is found in this 2 in 1 herb.
After you get over the shock of the clean, lemon scent on this humble perennial,
put it to work with a chicken stir-fry, salad dressing, butter for sweet corn....
From my hero, Martha Stewart
6 baking potatoes, like russets
30 sprigs fresh herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, oregano, or savory
1/2 c. chicken stock
$3.99
Santolina pinnata (virens) (Zone 6 - 9)
4 - 24 x 4 - 24 inches Hedge
Creamy, yellow, button blossoms dance over green feathery foliage in July.
Can be clipped into a short hedge, in spring after new growth slowly appears or
let it grow to 2 feet. Dry bunches for moth repellent bags.
1/4 c. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh grd. pepper
Satureja montana subsp. montana
1 - 2 x 1 foot Hardy Perennial
Use care with the robust flavor of this salt and pepper alternative. Germans
call it “Bohnen-kraut,” meaning “bean herb.” White flowers mimic candytuft.
Savories belong to a huge family with mint, basil, thyme and more with claims
of easing nausea, flatulence, sore throat, bee stings, arthritis, even baldness due,
in part, to its antiseptic qualities.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the potatoes. Using a paring knife, cut a
slit 2/3rds of the way through one of the potatoes. Make parallel slits, spacing
an inch apart. Repeat process with remaining five potatoes.
Insert an herb sprig into each slit, holding the slit open with the paring knife.
Place potatoes in a medium roasting pan; drizzle with chicken stock & olive oil.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until potatoes turn golden, or about 30
minutes. Cover, and bake until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife,
30 to 35 minutes. Serve hot.
25
Satureja montana subsp. montana ‘Nana’
6 x 6 inch Hardy Perennial
For faery or rock gardens, try this exact dwarf version of “Winter Savory,”
with smaller, glossy leaves, delicate white flowers and a peppery, strong flavor.
h SCENTED GERANIUMS h $4.99
Did you know that “Scented Geraniums” are not Geraniums botanically? These, plus the annual bedding geraniums are actually Pelargoniums,
derived from the Greek word pelargos, meaning “stork’s bill,” which describes the shape of the seed head. There are those who assert we should
call them “Scented Pelargoniums,” however we err on the side of romance and plentiful historical references to “Scented Geraniums.”
Planting outdoors, pick a spot with well drained soil, protect from harsh afternoon sun and give them a soaking now and then, OR, container grow
them, watering more often as severe drought will cause many unsightly, dead leaves. Mix in a shovelful of garden soil to your container full of potting
mix. Remember to plant large leaf varieties in larger containers (18” deep or more), because big leaves often mean big plants. All varieties need overwintering indoors here in Zones 5/6. That’s when you’ll see most of their pink, purple or white blooms, although some open earlier.
Scented Geranium Key: P. Sun - P. Shade
Tender Perennial
Well Drained & Dry Soil
h LEMON SCENTED GERANIUMS h
h ROSE SCENTED GERANIUMS h
Atomic Snowflake
*Fingerbowl
Attar of Rose
*Fingerbowl Golden
Pelargonium ‘Atomic Snowflake’
2 x 4 feet
Potpourri, Culinary, Tussie-Mussie
This “snowflake” looks like it survived 3 Mile Island with its large, random
blotches of cream on its palm sized, rough textured leaves. By season’s end, it
might reach 4 feet across! Be prepared for a mild rose scent.
Pelargonium crispum ‘Minor’
12 x 6 inches
Mark’s 2nd Favorite Miniature
This is the smallest lemon scented pelargonium, making it a natural bonsai
tree for miniature landscapes & faery gardens and a pain to propagate. Use its
potent lemon flavor at a special tea party by stirring beverages with the sprigs.
Pelargonium graveolens ‘Attar of Roses’
2 x 3 feet
Potpourri, Cosmetic, Culinary
“Attar of Roses” has been distilled for its breathtaking rose fragrance for centuries. Yes, it’s been replaced by synthetic means, but you can take advantage
of this jewel in potpourris, homemade perfume, facials and rosewater. Try this
nostalgic herb for a return to more elegant times.
Pelargonium crispum ‘Aureum Minor’
12 x 6 inches
Culinary, Bonsai
Here’s the smallest gold edged lemon geranium. Besides
the obvious miniature landscapes and faery gardens, I have
used them as decorative sprigs for quick corsages, quaint
tussie-mussies or elegant bouquets tied to wineglasses.
Infuse whole in liquids, strain and continue on with recipe.
Example: infuse in cream, strain and use cream in cheesecake.
Grey Lady
Pelargonium x asperum ‘Grey Lady‘
2 x 3 feet
Potpourri, Ornamental, Tussie-Mussie
Variegated white and gray leaves with rose-pink flowers
create another artistic wonder. This rose scented variety
has more variegation than “Silver Rose” and less than
“Grey Lady of Plymouth.”
French Lace
Pelargonium crispum ‘French Lace’
1 x 2 feet
Culinary, Fragrance, Topiary
Lights up this page just as the herb brightens
any mixed container as it plays the part of a tree.
This is an upright sport of “Prince Rupert,” so
you know it makes a fine, specimen topiary.
Logee’s Snowflake
Pelargonium ‘Logee’s Snowflake’
2 x 3 feet
Potpourri, Ornamental
This one has large, heavily lobed,
fuzzy, green leaves with random,
white splotches, LIKE SNOWFLAKES!
*Gooseberry)
Pelargonium crispum ‘Variegatum’
1 x 2 feet
Ornamental, Fragrance
I can not fathom why this one foot herb of random variegated, dark green,
crinkled leaves on reddish stems is associated with gooseberries other than its
lemony, FRUIT scent. Still makes a fine specimen bonsai.
Logee’s Snowflake --->
Old Fashion Rose
Lemon Crispum
Pelargonium Graveolens Group’
2 x 3 feet Potpourri, Culinary, Topiary
For baking and jellies, I usually reach for this
first. Infuse chopped leaves in warm liquids. Strain.
Use to flavor sauces, jellies, jams, sugars or in a facial wash, as Victorian women
did, for a pale complexion. Add pink flowers to fruit salads, leaves to potpourri.
Pelargonium crispum ‘Lemon Crispum’
1 x 2 feet
Great Topiary, Culinary
It’s upright, intoxicatingly lemon, small leaved and readily shapes into elegant
lollipops. What a delightful winter hobby- to sculpt this into a tasty bonsai.
Lemon Meringue
Skeleton Rose
Pelargonium x asperum ‘Dr. Livingston’
2 x 3 feet
Ornamental, Fragrant, Tussie-Mussie
We like its finely dissected foliage faintly resembling “Japanese Maple” leaves,
clean rose scent & pale pink flowers. Every herb desires a fine, frilled neighbor.
Making tea? Select this and you can run away with a victorian theme or fantasy!
Lime
Velvet Rose
Pelargonium x asperum ‘Velvet Rose’
2 x 2 feet
Culinary, Fragrant, Tussie-Mussie
We saved the overall best “Rose” for last. This luxuriously rose scented cultivar is covered in soft, fuzzy, light gray, deeply notched leaves and large pink
flowers when they decide to show, on this upright grower. Easy to use & grow.
Pelargonium ‘Lemon Meringue’
1 - 2 x 2 feet
Culinary, Fragrant, PIE, potpourri
I admit that SOME catalog authors do stretch beyond imagination describing
their beloveds, however, this is not the case when I say, this is the most euphoric
lemon scent of all our herbs. It truly smells like lemon meringue pie.
*= (Found with Tropical Sun Miniatures)
Pelargonium x nervosum
2 - 3 x 2 feet
Potpourri, Culinary, Topiary
Pronounced lime, citrus fragrance from dark green, rounded, toothed leaves
distinguish this strong, upright grower from lemon varieties, as does its lavender
blooms. Makes a tall topiary.
26
Prince Rupert Lemon
Pelargonium crispum’Prince Rupert’
2 - 4 x 2 feet
Fragrant, Culinary, Topiary
Light pink flowers and 1” deep green, crinkled leaves, strongly lemon flavored
with slight bitter overtones, make this vigorous, upright grower, the ornamental
for any large size standard topiary, bonsai or container. Handles more sun.
Rober’s Lemon Rose
Orange Fizz
Pelargonium x ‘Orarge Fizz’
2 x 2 feet
Culinary, Containers
Love the orange scent, robust green foliage the texture of crepe paper & perky,
pink flowers dotted with fuchsia blotches. Imagine what you could do with the
young flowers and foliage in an elegant glass of ginger ale or perhaps a sparkling
lemonade.
Peppermint
Pelargonium graveolens ‘Rober’s Lemon Rose’’
2 - 4 x 2 feet
Fragrant, Culinary, Topiary
Make room for this very large, robust plant filled with a spicy lemon rose
fragrance and duck foot shape foliage. Plant several along a pathway and brush
against them often!
Pelargonium tomentosum
4 - 6 x 6 feet
Potpourri, Culinary, Kids
Kids love this huge spreader because of its fuzzy, green-gray leaves and
peppermint scent. Try in brownies, cakes, tea and jams by marinating, then
straining, the leaves in the liquid called for in each recipe. Easily a fuzzy
favorite for potpourri.
h FRUIT & NUT SCENTED h
Chocolate
Pink Champagne
Pelargonium quercifolium x tomentosum
2 - 3 x 2 feet
Culinary, Fragrance
Clarification: the name refers to the
streaks of chocolate colored, “bleeding”
veins on each rough, textured leaf not the
flavor. See what I mean. --->
Pelargonium x nervosum ‘Pink Champagne’
1 - 3 x 2 feet
Mixed Container
Fruity fragrance exudes from darkgreen, rounded, toothed leaves. Sprinkle
lavender blooms or infuse its leaves in icing, water and many adult beverages.
Festive in large mixed containers. Perhaps a New Year’s Eve centerpiece?
Chocolate Peppermint
Prince of Orange
Clorinda
Strawberry
Pelargonium x citrosum ‘Prince of Orange’
1 - 3 x 3 feet
Ornamental, Fragrant, Culinary
1” large white flowers, each with a maroon blotch in the center, cover the
plant, after a winter’s rest. Use its delicious, subtle citrus flavored leaves in
herbal syrups for refreshing iced teas.
Pelargonium tomentosa x ‘Chocolate’
2 x 5 feet
Culinary, Fragrance, Kids
Cross the silky, meandering giant “Peppermint” with the blotched centers of
“Chocolate” and here’s the result. Kids love the fuzzy leaves. The flavor and
scent is all peppermint. Drapes over edges of walls and spills out of large pots.
Pelargonium scarboroviae
1 - 2 x 2 feet
Culinary, Fragrance, Bonsai
We proclaim this fragrant variety found at Sandy Mush Herb Farm fruitier
than previous strawberry varieties. Small, crinkled, dark green leaves on red
stems make it look like a natural upright bonsai.
Pelargonium ‘Clorinda’
3 x 3 feet
Fragrance, Not Culinary
Even though it’s a.k.a. “Eucalyptus,” for its prolific, nasal clearing, scented
foliage, its 3” deep rose flowers, spring to early summer are unusually bold.
Filbert/ Shottesham Pet
h ORNAMENTAL / MEDICINAL h
Pelargonium x concolor ‘Concolor Lace’
1 - 2 x 2 feet
Fragrance, Ornamental
Rub its leaves. You’ll inhale a faint, spicy,
nutty scent. Admire its compact, pyramid shape
and long lasting, fuchsia-red flowers.
Culinary?- you decide.
Sct. Geranium, Black
Pelargonium sidoides X reniforme
1 x 1 foot
Ornamental
Silvery blue, 1” scalloped leaves and dark purple, almost black flowers
present the darker version of “Old Spice.” Bring on full sun.
Mrs. Taylor
Pelargonium ignescens ‘Mrs. Taylor’
1 x 5 feet Ornamental, Fragrance
This trailing variety is best grown in large
hanging baskets where it mixes with other plants,
providing a non-stop floral, red hot show all season.
I prefer to admire its looks rather than flavor.
Oakleaf
Sct. Geranium, Little Pinks
Pelargonium reniforme
1 x 2 feet
Baskets, Borders
Reniforme (the species) translates to kidney shape. It refers to the outline of
the gray-green, velvety leaves. Pink to magenta flowers rise above but it is the
roots that are valuable, especially in Africa. They are used for stomach and liver
ailments, bronchitis and more.
Mrs. Taylor
Pelargonium quercifolium
2 - 3 x 3 feet
Ornamental, Topiary
An autumn favorite because the oak leaves will turn a bright crimson before
falling off, rivaling any October New England color. Pink blooms with maroon
stripes reflect the leaf pattern.
Sct. Geranium, Mini Maple-Leaf
Pelargonium suffruiticosa
1 x 2 feet
Topiary, Mini Tree
Grab your pruning shears and transform this short variety with rich, reddish
pink flowers into a tree in one growing season. Finished, trained trees are often
available here for a few more bucks.
Old Spice
Pelargonium x fragrans ‘Logees’ Old Spice’
18 x 18 inches Fragrance, Basket
Remember dad and those “Old Spice”colognes he’s collected during Christmas’ past with this similar smelling, obedient geranium. It’s a bit more silvery
and crinkled than “Nutmeg,” but like its cousin, it makes a perfect mound and
flowers all summer.
Sct. Geranium, True Black $12.99
Pelargonium sidoides
1 x 1 foot
Medicinal, Ornamental
Looks just like “Black,” however, this has the thumb-size fleshy roots used to
make the amazing cold-remedy from South Africa. Very Rare!
27
Soapwort, Double Pink
$3.99
Society Garlic
$3.99
Spinach, Thai or Okinawa $3.99
Gynura procumbens
Tender Perennial
P. Sun - P. Shade 12” trailing Culinary, Medicinal
Not botanically speaking a spinach,
rather, it is one of the most exciting herbs
we have found in a long time. It is an
edible relative of the ‘70’s “Purple Velvet Plant” that Mark’s mom grew in
macrame hanging plants. Fresh or cooked
leaves have juicy spinach flavor year around,
as it grows like a jungle weed in the summer and
then keeps growing in the winter, indoors.
Saponaria officinalis ‘Flora Plena’
Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
2 x 2 feet
Cut Flower
In Ohio and many other places, the regular species
is an invasive weed, but this cultivar is not! Fully double
clusters of pink flowers bloom in summer and don’t reseed.
Leaves still have a humble lathering action but don’t count
on this replacing your hand soap.
Tulbaghia violacea Half-Hardy Perennial
Full Sun 1 - 2 x 1 feet
Container, Edible Flower
As with most green varieties, this grows larger and
more robustly than its variegated cousin. 2-3” pale lavender
globes can be separated and used sparingly over salads. Linear
foliage is an excellent sub. for overused spikes in mixed containers.
Stevia or Sweet Herb
Society Garlic,Variegated $3.99
Tulbaghia violacea `Variegata’
Tender Perennial
Full Sun
2 x 1 feet
Container, Edible Flower
This green and white striped member of the “Amaryllis” family has 2” clusters
of pink flowers on long slender stems throughout the growing season. Easy
houseplant to overwinter. Both society garlics are included in with “Jar Gems.”
Sorrel, Blood$3.99
Rumex sanquineus ssp. sanguineus Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
1 x 2 feet
Water Plant, Culinary
We thought you’d enjoy its blood red veins that run throughout the emerald
green leaves for a welcome contrast to all our green herbs. Though not as tangy,
it’s still quite tasty. Please tell your garden visitors where you got it. They will
ask! Flowers the second year. This has become a popular pond plant.
Sorrel, Flower Free
$3.99
Rumex acetosa ‘Sterile’Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
1 x 2 feet
Culinary
Enjoy a bounty of nutrient loaded leaves without the vigorous self-seeding, in
fact, no flower stalks at all. Add lemon tang to salmon, radishes, chicken, salad,
smoothies even lemon cupcakes. After a winter’s worth of dried foods & root
crops, you can bet pioneers made sorrel soup and chewed on its leaves to clear
out their systems.
Roasted Salmon with Sorrel and Lemon
3# salmon fillet, skin and bones removed
Zest of 2 lemons
8 c. fresh sorrel, plus 1/4 c. finely chopped
1-1/2 tsp. freshly ground coarse salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
4 c. fresh pea shoots
4 c. mizuna, mesclun or Thai Spinach
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
$4.49
Stevia rebaudiana Annual
Sun - P. Sun
2 - 3 x 2 feet
Culinary
Grow your own “sugar” with minimal calories.
Stevia is 10 - 16 times sweeter than sugar. Easily substituted in teas, coffee, fruit and cereal. It’s a healthy
alternative to white sugar and “Nutra-sweet,” but, it’s does
not counteract the acidity in tomato sauce nor provide the
bulk or yeast action of sugar. Check out the recipe books
from your library or health food store. Plant after May 15th,
apply a 2” hardwood bark mulch about June 15 and harvest around Labor Day.
Hang dry. When crisp, use a coffee grinder to pulverize it to a green powder for
sprinkling or syrups.
Stevia, Sweetie Star NEW! $4.49 Stevia rebaudianaTender Perennial
Sun - P. Sun
2 x 2 feet
Culinary, Medicinal
We have always propagated Stevia by cuttings insuring that we have identical
plants so it is with curiosity and excitement that we will compare our original
with this Stevia, touted as the “sweetest seed Stevia on the market.”
STEVIA SIMPLE SYRUP
3 c. water 3 c. of chopped stevia leaves/stems (loosely packed)
Place the chopped leaves in a glass container and a cup of water.
Cover tightly and let sit for 24 hours. Test for sweetness. If it isn’t
sweet enough, give it another 12 to 24 hours, but no more. It gets
funky after 48 hours! Strain it into a saucepan add the remaining
2 cups of water, and bring to a simmer. Cover and allow to simmer,
20 minutes. Turn off heat and let it cool for up to 8 hours on stove.
Strain and refrigerate up to 2 weeks. Great for lemonade!
h SWEET FLAGS h
We have moved the non-herb, (less edible) miniature “Sweet Flag”
varieties to the Mulberry Miniature: Hardy Shade section on page 47.
Sweet Flag/ Acorus
$3.99
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place
salmon on a rimmed baking sheet,
dark side down. Rub top of fillet with
lemon zest, chopped sorrel, 1 tsp.
salt, and 1/4 tep. pepper.
Acorus calamusHardy Perennial
Sun - P. Sun
2 - 3 x 2 feet
Medicinal, Water Garden
Every herb garden needs a vertical, long leaf feature like this native grass
which can grow into slow spreading clumps. Versatile, it can be planted by a
pond or in the garden. Traditionally used raw or candied for coughs, headaches
and indigestion.
Transfer to oven. Roast until top
is lightly browned and fish is cooked
through, 12 to 14 minutes.
Sweet Flag, Japanese Licorice$3.99
Acorus gramineus ‘Licorice’
Hardy Perennial
Sun - P. Sun
6 x 18 inches Culinary, Ornamental
Licorice scented leaves and roots are used in Asian cooking. My good friend
Rich Haase created his own version of Sambuca (licorice liqueur) which I had
to bring back for our 20th anniversary edition. Like a sweet vacation, it takes a
couple of weeks to prepare, but it’s well worth the wait. The running joke is that
Rich brought over a bottle and I’d like to say it was delicious but Mark and staff
enjoyed it all. But it was no problem- I trialed his second batch. Delicious!!!
Toss fresh sorrel, pea shoots, and
greens in a bowl with olive oil,
remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp.
pepper. Arrange on platter with
salmon and serve with asparagus!
(another Martha Stewart inspiration!)
28
Sweet Violet, Purple $4.49
Sweet Violet, Sky Blue
$4.49
Tea Plant / Camellia - NEW! $6.99 Camellia sinensisTender Perennial
Sun - P. Shade
4 x 4 feet
TEA!, Pretty flowers too
With some patience, you’ll have home grown green tea! These plants are
easily grown in well draining, soils enhanced with bark. Fertilize with acid
loving organic fertilizers and water during a drought. Harvest top 2 leaves
plus a central needle leaf, April through July. The more you harvest- the
bushier the plant will be. If you want to see its flowers, stop harvesting in
August. These are winter tolerant down to 15 degrees so a windowed garage
is your best bet. WE WILL OFFER 5 NEW VARIETIES!
Viola odorata ‘Konigen Charlotte’
Hardy Perennial
Sun - P. Shade 5 x 24 inches Culinary, Faery
“Queen Charlotte” is a more heat tolerant variety. Nibble on and crystallize
the dark purple, incredibly fragrant, long blooming flowers, but know they
only open up in cool weather. Five inch tall rosettes of heart shaped foliage,
cradle flowers. Harvest in very early spring and then again in early fall until
a HARD freeze! These plants will NOT RE-SEED themselves to annoyance.
Easy to grow and enjoy! Divide in the fall.
Here are excertps from www.enjoyingtea.com/tea-processing.html
I really could not explain it better myself.
Viola odorata ‘Lavender’
Hardy Perennial
P. Shade - Sun
5 x 24 inches Fragrance, Medicinal, Faery, Shade
A gift from the Wee-folk in our gardens. WE didn’t plant it. Lovely sky
blue, fragrant flowers prevail whenever cool weather reigns. However as the
temperature increases, the flowers open up pure white! We had to watch this
several seasons to make sure it wasn’t a mistake. Just as the skies are blue,
sometimes they turn white as the weather changes.
Sweet Violet, White
Tea Processing
The most common misperception is that the different types of tea
come from different tea plants. Black, Green and Oolong teas are all
derived from the Camellia sinensis evergreen plant. The difference
comes from how the plant is processed.
$4.49
Withering:
Newly picked leaves are thinly spread to dry during this process. Heated air is forced over the leaves if the climate is not suitable. The main
goal of this process is to reduce the water content. By the end of this
process, the leaves should be pliable enough to be rolled.
Viola odorata ‘Alba’Hardy Perennial
Sun - P. Shade
5 x 24 inches
Edible Flowers, Fragrance, Faery
Sweet and as white as angels, you’ll find its fragrance nudges your thoughts
to celestial songs. As well suited in the white garden, along a woodland path,
as a shady, faery garden. In the language of flowers, the Victorians translated
violets as “modesty, faithfulness, humility and simplicity.”
Sweet Woodruff
$3.99
Galium (Asperula) odorata Hardy Perennial
Shade - Sun
4 x 36 inches
Culinary, Medicinal
Freeze the white May flowers that hover over dark green foliage, in ice cubes,
to make “May Wine” during June’s strawberry harvest. This groundcover beat out
the native violet (not to be confused with “Sweet Violets”) and was weed-free by
the 3rd spring. Be cautious if on “blood thinning” medicine.
Tansy, Curly Fern-Leaf
$3.99
Tanacetum vulgare ‘Crispum’
Hardy Perennial
Sun - P. Shade
2 - 3 x 3 feet
Cutflower, Medicinal
Yellow flowers top emerald green leaves are ruffled
like a 70s tuxedo shirt. They are ideal additions to your
home’s foundation plantings because they ward off ants.
Tarragon, Mexican
Rolling:
From the withering racks, the leaves are now twisted and rolled so
that the leaf cells are broken up. Sometimes shaking is done as well.
Oils are released with this rolling process that give the tea its distinctive aroma. The leaves can be rolled with machinery or by hand. The
juices that are released remain on the leaf; a chemical change will
occur shortly.
Oxidation:
This is the chemical process where oxygen is absorbed. This process
began once the leaf membranes were broken during the rolling process. Oxidation causes the leaves to turn bright copper in color. This
process is the main deciding factor whether we have Green, Oolong or
Black tea.
Drying or Firing:
In this stage the leaves are dried evenly and thoroughly without burning the leaves. Firing the leaves stops the oxidation process.
$3.99
Black Tea:
The Black tea process goes through the most stages resulting in a
brownish (or black) product that is sorted by size from the larger “leaf
grade,” to the smaller “broken grade,” usually used for tea bags.
Tagetes lucida
Tender Perennial
Full Sun
1 - 2 x 1 feet
Culinary
Talk about identity crisis. The flowers are like
marigolds (as it is a cousin), its narrow dark green
leaves resemble penstemon and it smells and tastes
like french tarragon. You can overwinter indoors for
fine French meals. Outdoors, it’s easy to grow, harvest
and use, just be sure to plant it by a water spigot. Its fast
and full growth calls for extra water, especially in pots!
Oolong Tea:
Oolong goes through a similar process like black tea though the oxidation period for oolong is half that of black tea. Once the veins become
clear and the edges of the leaves become reddish brown, while the
center remains green, the oxidation process is stopped by firing. For
oolong tea, the leaves are heated at a higher temperature so that they
can be kept longer, due to the lower resulting water content.
“FINES HERBES” are simply equal parts:
fresh tarragon, chervil, chives and parsley.
Chop finely just before adding to eggs, sauces, butter, fish
and other delicate dishes at the end of cooking. Fresh, never dried!
Tarragon, True French $3.99
Artemisia dranunculus
Hardy Perennial
Full Sun
1 - 3 x 3 feet
Culinary
The mild licorice flavor of true “Tarragon” is found in classic French blends like
fresh “Fines Herbes“ and dried “Herbes de Provence.” Whether fresh or preserved
in vinegars, ice cubes and butters, add sparingly to white sauce, salad dressing,
omelettes, corn, fish, tomatoes & chowders. Divide every 4 - 5 years or when its
vitality needs “re-booting.” Grow in a tomato cage to keep upright.
29
Green Tea:
The process for making green tea is the shortest. Withering is done
first, but this step might be omitted. Rolling the leaves and oxidation is
skipped. After withering, the leaves are pan fried or fired to prevent
oxidation from occurring, then rolled and dried one last time for its
final shape. The green tea leaves usually remain green.
I suggest you research and start with green tea. A place to start is
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/FST-26.pdf
h THYME h
All $3.99
Why do we have so many thymes? Each time we visit an herb specialty nursery, I head for thymes, knowing I’ll probably find a completely new
scent, leaf shape, growth habit or flower color. Our thymes are hardy but dividing every 3 years is wise maintenance. Thyme’s at home in the
kitchen from sweets to savory. Use whole sprigs in recipes. You can pick out the sticks after the leaves have given up their flavor. Or, harvest just
the tender top 1 - 2” growth and chop, stem and all. Medicinally, the active ingredient “thymol,” is a strong disinfectant & antiviral, so it was used
heavily during the flu season. Ben & Joshua regularly got thyme baths for coughs and it’s still an ingredient in “Listerine” and vapor rub.
Key to Thyme: Full Sun
Hardy Perennial (unless marked)
Well Draining Soil
Water only during drought after established
Thyme, Caraway
Thyme, English Broadleaf
Thyme, Clear Gold
Thyme, English Miniature
Thymus ‘Broadleaf English’
12 - 16 x 18 inches Culinary, Ornamental, Medicinal, Bath
White flowers in late spring attract many bees to make the best tasting honey.
Harvest soft tips anytime of year for vinegars, Italian dishes, breads, focaccias
and goulash. Start with 2 tbsp. fresh for a large pot of spaghetti sauce. Harvest
3” sprigs in September. Dry on a screen or snitch a little, outdoors, in winter.
Thymus herba-borona var.’Caraway’
1 - 2 x 24 inches
Culinary, “Walk-About,” Ornamental
Purple-rose flowers occur in summer on this low creeper. Pleasing, but faint
caraway fragrance makes this thyme the choice for breads & focaccias. Prune
tips to encourage branching which will help fill out this fast spreading groundcover. Can supplement caraway seeds in muffins and sauerkraut.
Thymus X ‘Clear Gold’ (a.k.a. Yellow Transparent)
4 - 6 x 24 inches
Culinary, Ornamental, Container
Its yellow green foliage exhibits its best color in spring but the finest flavor in
the summer. Use, fresh for just a touch of lemon in teas, fish, fruit & vinegars.
Use tender stems, leaves & flowers abundantly from this vigorous gold grower.
Thyme, Creeping Lemon
Thymus herba-barona
2 - 4 x 24 inches
Culinary, “Walk-About,” Ornamental
Release a rich lemon scent with every step from this little creeper. Planted
between stepping stones, you’ll do just that. This is a type of “Caraway Thyme”
without any hint of caraway, just pure lemons.
Thyme, Doone Valley
Thymus ‘Doone Valley’
3 - 6 x 18 inches
Culinary
This thyme looks like a house
painter splashed it with yellow
paint. Totally random, gold streaked
leaves appear with a subtle lemon flavor
and delicate pink blossoms. Like most
thymes, color is best in spring.
Thyme, E.B. Anderson
Butterfly
Doone Valley
Thymus vulgaris ‘Miniature’
3 - 6 x 18 inches
Culinary, Ornamental
Its white flowers open up in summer.
Expect a classic peppery punch from
flowers and fine foliage with less to
harvest but easier prep work in the
kitchen. Chop tender stems and
all. Great for bonsai, hypertufa pots,
rock gardens and mixed containers.
Thyme, English Mulberry Silver
Thymus ‘English Mulberry Creek Silver’
8 - 12 x 18 inches Ornamental, Container, Culinary
Mark introduced this variety for its superior hardiness
and hue- an herbfarm exclusive. Variegated leaves
have kept their color all summer & held their own
through the past 5 winters. This is a “sport” from
one of our “English Wedgy” thyme plants,
which was lost. If any of you have an “English
Wedgey” thyme you’re willing to share, bring
it in for identification and, if accepted, you will
be rewarded!
Thyme, English Variegated
Thymus ‘E. Bertram Anderson’
2 - 4 x 18 inches
Culinary, Ornamental
Lilac flowers rarely occur on this dwarf, broad-leaved, mounded thyme but
never mind. The bright yellow (cool-season) foliage is a brilliant contrast to our
red bricks in the landscape. Delicate lemon flavor dictates it to be used in a
white sauce, baked goodies, beans, corn and fish.
Thymus ‘Variegated English’
8 - 12 x 18 inches Culinary, Ornamental, Medicinal, Bath
This antique variety, once common in the trade, was edged out after “English
Wedgewood” was discovered. One of our “Wedgewood” plants reverted back to
this parent creating a splish-splash variegation, that holds through summer’s heat.
We’re proud to be one of the few nurseries to re-introduce this unique and tasty
plant. Puts up with shade, but flavor’s always better in full sun.
Thyme, Elfin
Thyme, Golden Lemon
Thymus praceox ssp. articus cv.
1 x 24 inches
“Walk-Abouts,” Ornamental
Pink flowers adorn this truly diminutive groundcover
in summer. We use it as a moss substitute in bonsais.
Essential to any hypertufa container or rock garden.
Spreading slowly, after many years, it may end up
18 - 24” wide, eventually reaching a dizzying
height of 1”.It mounds as though there were
elf homes pushing
up from underneath the
thyme.
Thymus x citriodorus ‘Aureus’
8 - 12 x 18 inches Culinary, Ornamental
Rare white flowers grace this celebrated herb.
Lemon yellow and green leaves look best in
spring with blue “Crocus” or in red containers.
Baking doesn’t dampen its lemon flavor. Use dried in teas
and fresh on seared fish or poultry. Bake into cupcakes or sprinkle over fruit.
Thyme, Italian Oregano
30
Thymus X ‘Italian Oregano’
8 - 10 x 18 inches Culinary, Ornamental, Bath
White flowers appear early on this narrow-leaved, upright grower so harvest
frequently. This 2 herbs in 1 plant has a natural affinity to Italian-type dishes,
but don’t stop there. Use scissors to harvest soft 1 - 2” green tips. Save time by
throwing whole sprigs in the soups and over the grill. Pick out later. This
thyme is on Karen’s top 5.
Thyme, Porlock RETURNS
LEMON THYME POUND CAKE
Thymus vulgaris ‘Provencal’
5 x 15 inches
Miniature Landscape Ornamental, RXR Groundcover
Here’s a unique one resembling a fine needled lavender-meets-thyme foliage.
To the faeries, I’d imagine it looks like mini blue juniper and it is excellent in
railroad landscapes. Sharp english thyme flavor reserved for stews & steaks.
1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
2 c. all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for pan
2 T. fresh lemon-thyme leaves (rinsed, dried, stems discarded)
1/2 tsp. salt
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
4 large eggs
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla
Thyme, Provencal
Thymus vulgaris ‘Provencal’
8 - 12 x 18 inches Most Robust Culinary Thyme, Ornamental, Medicinal
Don’t just look at it! Smell it! Taste it! At our HerbFair, herb author Susan
Belsinger fell in love with this variety. The flavor’s strong, but balanced and a
necessity in a “Herbes de Provence blend.” Nice blue-gray color too!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-inch round
cake pans. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk chopped lemon
thyme with 2 cups flour, salt, and lemon zest. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat 1 cup butter and
sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well
after each addition. Add vanilla. With mixer on low, gradually add
the flour-thyme mixture, beating just until combined.
Thyme, Red Mother-of-Thyme
Thymus pulegiodes
1 x 24 inches
Groundcover, “Walk About”
With gusto, this one hugs the ground and moves briskly to fill an herb lawn,
pathway or rock garden niche with glossy green leaves. Intense magenta spring
flowers are a delight to walk over and are not to be missed.
Divide batter between cake pans. Smooth tops with a spatula.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, 30
to 40 minutes. Let cool in pan 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire
rack, and turn upright to cool completely. Serve with syrup.----->
Thyme, Rose-Scented
Thymus X ‘Rose-Scented’
2 x 24 inches Culinary, Ornamental, “Walk About”
When Mark introduced this in 2008, his description inspired me to hunt it
down. I was impressed with its “English Rose” perfume. Forms a soft bluegreen, fast spreading carpet for in between stepping stones or in rockeries.
Thyme, Lavender
Thymus thracicus ‘Lavender’
6 - 10 x 18 inches Culinary, Ornamental, Container
Crush it. You’ll smell a floral fragrance and what a grower! Looks good for
months in pots. Pink flowers seldom pop up on this narrow-leaved, upright
thyme. Use your imagination in pot roasts, mixed vegetables, pizza dough, rice,
beans, and in or on bagels. For an extraordinary grilled steak: Sear both sides
of meat on grill, sandwich in between handfuls of thyme and finish grilling.
LEMON THYME SYRUP
3/4 c. Muscat wine 1/2 cup + 2 T. sugar 12 fresh lemon-thyme sprigs
Thyme, Lime Upright
Thymus X ‘Lime’
8 - 12 x 18 inches Culinary, Tea, Ornamental
Our “Lime Thyme” is a proudly upright growing, lime-green colored and
flavored herb with healthy growth and a perky, citrus scent. I use this fresh on
fish, fruit salads, vinegars, and in lemon verbena bread. Dried, it’s best in soups,
roasted vegetables and teas. Enough leaves for all season and winter meals too.
Thyme, Pink Chintz
Thymus x ‘Pink Chintz’
1 x 24 inches
Groundcover, “Walk About”, Container
Not quite as fuzzy as “Woolly Thyme” but not as fussy, this hardworking
groundcover puts on a dotted display of steady pink, beginning late spring. It
also handles steady foot traffic.
Thyme, English Variegated below
Stir wine, sugar, lemon-thyme, and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan.
Bring to a simmer over med.-high heat. Reduce heat to med.-low.
Simmer 20 minutes. Pour syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a
bowl. Discard thyme. Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes, before
serving. Syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1
week. Reheat over medium-low heat before serving.
Thyme, Spicy Orange
Thymus x ‘Spicy Orange’
2 - 4 x 24 inches
Culinary, “Walk-About”
Try a narrow leaved, blue-green creeping variety that is simply
outstanding between stepping stones OR on a grill with fish or butterflied
chicken breasts. Infuse for a hot or cold tea. Give it full sun for full flavor.
Thyme ,White Moss
Thymus praceox ssp. arcticus ‘White Moss’
1/2 x 24 inches
“Walk-About,” Ornamental
Everyone asks what herb is blooming between the stepping stones to our
greenhouse when these pure white flowers emerge among bright green foliage.
Suitable for rock gardens and as a “Walk About” as it’s one of the lowest and
flattest thymes we offer. Usually sells out early in the spring.
You CAN boost thymes’ hardiness
The secret is threefold:
1. Add compost and organic
fertilizer at planting.
Thyme, Wine & Roses
2. Once established, we
water thyme only if it
is sited in really sandy soil
or during periods of
drought. In an addition
for “upright” varieties,
prune back half their
height in June. Provide
bloodmeal & watch it grow.
Thymus praecox ‘Wine & Roses’
2 x 24 inches
Walk- About Groundcover
Rose-red, wine flowers pour over this deep green groundcover that sunbathe
between stepping stones. Great partner at the foot of roses to prevent splash
(and possibly “Black Spot.”) Emits a pleasant
aroma as you step on it to gather fresh cut roses. Any “Walk About” thyme
is a great groundcover for
bonsais
Thymus praecox ssp. arcticus’Languinosis’
1 - 2 x 24 inches
Ornamental, Groundcover, Container
Perhaps our late winter freezes nip the buds on this thyme, as we’ve not seen
many flowers yet. A popular groundcover, nonetheless, in garden or pots, that
adores the sun even in between stepping stones but prefers a bit more moisture.
Thyme, Woolly
3. Our thymes thrive in a two tiered, raised bed. The bottom layer is about a
foot high and 4 feet deep. The next layer is 1 foot high by 2 feet wide layer
and is stacked on top, to the back, like a stair step. Each tier is supported
with a wall of red bricks that add heat and height!
31
Turmeric$5.99
HARVESTING HERBS TIPS
Curcuma longa
Tender Perennial
P. Shade - Shade
4 x 6 feet
Culinary
We combat arthritis by sprinkling this “super-food spice” from India on
everything. Grow this large,”canna-like” foliaged tropical in mixed containers.
You can decide to bring it in or just let the frost kill the leaves as you harvest
the ginger-like rootstock below. Save a small piece to re-plant for next year.
Research drying and using this stimulating, anti-inflammatory rhizome in a
myriad of dishes. I’m shooting for consuming a teaspoon daily.
Valerian, Garden Pink
$3.99
Valerian officinalis ‘BLBP19’
Hardy Perennial
P. Shade - P. Sun
32 x 18 inches
Medicinal, Butterfly
Pinkish-white umbels tower over fern-like foliage flagging down some resident
butterflies and moths. The particularly high essential oil, valeric acid and extract
make the roots appealing to humans, who normally use it as a nerve tonic and
relaxer. What irony then, that the medicinal roots should smell so bad. A
traditional tea made from dried, 2 year old roots, is brewed for colds, insomnia
and nervous disorders. Sounds good about now, right? It is best to allow the
plant at least two years of growth before harvesting some of its roots.
Verbena, Butterfly
$3.99
Verbena bonariensis
Annual (Zone 7 - 10)
Full Sun
3 x 3 feet
Ornamental, Butterfly
Pinkish-purple blossoms sway on top 3 foot, slender stems, attracting the eye
and horn of many drivers. It’s a natural cut flower which lures any butterfly in
the neighborhood. Warning: it’s a self-sowing annual which happens to be fine
with us. Use bark or other mulch where you don’t want it to self-sow.
Harvest:
leaves before plant flowers
flowers before they fully open
seeds when they change color and begin to drop
roots before the aerial plant fully breaks down
Harvest:
dry, ideally 11 am, before sun steals essential oils
up to 50% of fast growing, lush plants at one time
less from slow growers or during the winter
entire plant at end of season if it is an annual
biennial’s foliage 1st year; seeds the 2nd season
Large leaved herbs are snipped just above the node (where
a side stem meets the main stem). Leaves are plucked off and chopped
with a knife. Usually stems are discarded. Examples are anise hyssop,
basil, catnip, Vietnamese cilantro, epasote, feverfew, horehound,
lavender, lemon balm and verbena, mint, oregano, patchouli, sages,
scented geraniums and Mexican tarragon.
Small leaved herbs can be chopped, stems and all, if soft or
tossed in whole. Leaves of stiff stems can be gently pulled off, starting
at the tip and pulling back toward the cut end. Stems (like rosemary)
can be used as skewers. Herbs such as curry, gotu kola, hyssop, rosemary, savory, stevia, French tarragon, and thymes are examples.
Large leaves or stems are sometimes harvested individually
like angelica stems, bay leaf, lamb’s ear, lovage and root beer plants.
Young flowers & leaves should be harvested before they get
too chewy like borage, bee balm, German chamomile, lavender buds,
gem marigolds, nasturtiums, salad burnet, society garlic, sorrel, sweet
violet and sweet woodruff.
Long stemmed herbs are sometimes harvested one stem at a
time, all the way down to the base. Examples include celery, chervil,
chives, cilantro, culantro, dill, echinacea, fennel, parsley and sweet flag.
Ben is now 20 years old!
I’ll probably always end with this photo of our sweet, toe-headed,
two year old Ben, shown here sitting in a sea of “Verbena, Homestead
Purple.” As you already know, it graced our first catalog cover in 1998
but more importantly, Ben represents 50% of why we have an ORGANIC
CERTIFIED HERBFARM IN OUR BACKYARD. Our farm has provided 100%
of our sustenance for the past 20 years and a safe place for our sons to
play in the stones, run in the grass and now “air soft.” 16 yr. old Joshua
is the other 50%!
Yacón /Groundapple
Freezing: Chop, by hand or food processor. Freeze in ice
cube tray, or flash freeze whole herbs on cookie sheet, 30 minutes.
Store in bags. Basil, chervil, chives, cilantro, dill, mint, parsley and
tarragon must be frozen, not dried for best flavor.
Drying: need warmth (to 100 degress), shade & ventilation
-Screen dry seeds, small leaved herbs & flowers in a single layer such
as chamomile, dill & fennel seeds, oregano, rosemary, savory & thyme
- Tie bunches of small bouquets by rubberband and hang upside down.
Works well with stems of bay leaf, lavender, lemon verbena and sage
- Dry in microwave, in oven with gas light on, or in just turned off oven
$6.99 Smallanthus sonchifolius
Tender Perennial
Full Sun
3 x 4 feet
Delicious Fruity Tubers
It is also called “Pear of the Earth” because its tubers resemble a crisp, juicy
blend of watermelon, apple, and pear, eaten raw or cooked. Yacon is one of
the most extraordinary plants of the Andes. It grows similar and is related to
sunflowers. We highly recommend this fun to grow plant and look forward to
a fall harvest. This was not with the fruit section because it’s not pot friendly.
32
PRESERVE HERBS BY
Adding to foods: vinegar, butter, honey, sugar, syrup, liqueur
STORE HERBS
Avoid heat, light and fluctuating temperatures Use containers meant for storing in freezer for frozen herbs
Use glass over plastic whenever possible for dried herbs
Dried herbs must be crunchy before you place in container
Store herbs as whole as possible, crushing just before cooking
HERB FARM EVENTS
Get the news first by signing up for our e-newsletter. (Please put “mulberrycreekherbs@gmail.com” in your
contacts and email Karen to get on our e-list.) Also click on the “News & Events” tab at “mulberrycreek.com”
June 4th
Beer and Bonsai:
to kick off the
Mulberry Creek
Farmer’s Market
March
15th
Opening Day:
medieval fine cakes,
mulled wine & music
LOOKING FOR VENDORS
Call Karen @ 419-433-6126
April 30th
6th Annual Faery Fest:
workshops & activities
June - October NEW!
Saturday Morning
Farmer’s Market and
CSA vegetable pick-up
vendors, music
always undercover
May 1st NEW!
May Day:
May pole dancing,
May queens’ parade
kid’s crafts
May 8th
Mother’s Day Toast:
herbal beverage and
a free plant for mom
June 25-26th
19th Annual
Herb Fair:
vendors, talks, catered
meals, entertainers
medieval theme
May 14th NEW!
Native Plants Saturday:
talk and plant sale by
Gayle Martin of
“Natives in Harmony,”
respected Ohio native
plantswoman
Nov. 19 & 20th
Christmas
Openhouse:
vendors, food
classes
doorprizes
33
h MULBERRY MINIATURES h
All $4.99
(unless otherwise marked)
From hence forth, “Faery Plant Kingdom” will be known as “Mulberry Miniatures.” Funny, how you always
come back to your roots. Mark continues to seek out the world’s smallest & cutest as he expands Mulberry
Creek’s collection of miniature plants, the nation’s largest. We still work in conjunction with Possum Run
Greenhouse, (Mansfield OH), “Cicely Mary Barker Estates,” (London, England and home of “Flower Fairies.”)
and “GeorgetownUSA,” creators of many of the miniature accessories you have seen here. We have always
had “Mulberry Miniatures” here, but now that we’ve taken them beyond our borders, we
want to tell the nation that our collection encompasses railroad gardening, bonsai, alpine
AND faery gardening.
While these partnerships allow a greater selection of miniature accessories,
we remain small to provide the same individual time and attention you deserve.
Shelley and Beverly’s new displays will inspire and blow you away, guaranteed.
h Hardy Sun Miniatures h
The following plants in this first section are those that prefer the outdoors, 365 days a year and at least afternoon sun (marked Part
Sun) if not Full Sun (as much sun as possible). All have proven hardy in our gardens. Each entry includes a description be it tree, shrub,
groundcover, lawn, vine or grass. Mix and match within each section and you’ll create culturally compatible, successful gardens.
Aethionema, Pink Turkish Stonecress Bellium or Mini Daisy
Aethionema (Encomia) oppositifolium
Full Sun
4 x 6 inches
Mini shrub
This tufted, cushiony ground hugger is made up of fleshy, gray green leaves
appearing opposite each other (thus the species name), like dozens of upright,
succulent clams emerged from the soil.
Andromeda, Blue Ice
Bellium bellidioides (a.k.a. minuta)
RXR Thriller Shrub, Groundcover
P. Sun - Sun
2 x 8 inches
Though it hails from the Mediterranean region, this white flowering daisy is
perfectly hardy to our winters. Rosettes of dark green, spoon
shaped leaves complement 4 inch stalks of delicate daisies.
Forms an expanding, everblooming mound.
$15.99
Blue-Eyed Grass, Dwarf Purple
Andromeda polifolia ‘Blue Ice’ COPF (Zone 4 - 6 )
P. Sun - P. Shade
6 x 12 inches
Alpine Rockery, RXR Filler
Pinkish-white, urn shaped flowers show from May to July over this low
mounding shrub with blue, rosemary-like foliage. (a.k.a “Hardy Bog Rosemary”)
It grows best in moist, but well drained soil, supplemented with peat moss and
rotted bark. Our plants are innoculated with mycorrhizae to help them adapt to
your soil and give them a better start.
Sisyrinchium angustifolium ‘Lucerne’ (Zone 5 - 9)
Full Sun
12 x 12 inches
Mini Tree
Purple flowers reward plants that are
grown in loamy, sandy soil. Whether in
a rockery or the flower border, it’s easy
to grow and admire. Must be divided
at least every 2 years, if not annually,
to maintain healthy plants
Artemisia, Tiny Green
Artemisia viridis ‘Tiny Green’ (Zone 3 - 7)
RXR, Mini Bush, Faery Garden
Full Sun
2 x 6 inches Shrink a “Silver Mound Artemisia” to a 2” bush, turn it greenish gray and you
have this equally soft, fine textured cousin. Spicy fragrance of “Sweet Annie”
but handles the summer’s humidity better than its other relatives. Artemisias
are hardy souls and this one is no different even though it is about 90% smaller.
2 x 3 feet means, with maintenance, it
stays put at 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide or
height x width
Walk-About- are plants for in between stepping stones
Artemisia, Tiny Silver
Artemisia ruprestris
RXR Thriller Shrub, Rock Garden
Full Sun
2 x 6 inches
A.k.a. “Rock Wormwood” which could refer to its rock hardiness, (native to
the Yukon Territory of Canada) or its natural place in a rock garden. Delicate
flowers reveal its membership in the aster family though it looks like a miniature,
“Silver Mound Artemisia.”
HARDY SUN
34
Cicely Mary Barker (1895-1973)- refers to plants that
were illustrated as “Flower Fairies” by this English artist who
immortalized them in print & statuettes, many of which we
sell here.
Butterfly
Bonsai
Jar Gems
are symbols explained on page 5
HARDY SUN
Bolax /Astro-Turf
h COTONEASTER h
All $15.99
Bolax gummifera ‘Nana’ (Zone 4 - 8)
Sun - P. Sun 1/2 x 6 inches RXR Groundcover
Its tiny, slick, dark green rosettes feel
like plastic or “Astro-Turf.” Roaming,
hard-to-kill, armor-like pads virtually
follow every contour of the ground
for a cozy bed of sweet, microscopic, yellow flowers, early summer.
Slow spreading and detests humidity!
All 2 year old plants are pre-trained to become mini apple trees
which means and instant orchard in an outdoor garden or a great
start to a beginner bonsai. Butterflies flock to them too.
Cotoneaster, Silver-Leaf
Cotoneaster cv.
Sun - P. Sun
16 x 12 inches
Mini Apple Tree, Bonsai
At least two characteristics distinguish this cotoneaster from the others:
its fruits are the reddest of all and the foliage is, as you’d expect, quite felted
silver. Pleased to report this has proven to be very winter hardy!
Burnet, Mini Copper Acaena microphylla
Full Sun - P.Shade 2 inch groundcover RXR Groundcover, Faery Garden
Some might know this easy going alpine as “New Zealand Burr for its
greenish summer flowers that mature into copper red burrs. Put them in
between flagstones, by lawn’s edge or in a container. You need a firm hand as
it can go into unintended places but if you have bambi infestations, consider this
as a lawn substitute as it’s not on their list of favorites.
Cotoneaster, Streibs Findling
Cotoneaster ‘Streibs Findling”
Sun - P. Sun
12 x 12 inches
Mini Apple Tree, Bonsai
This compares similarly to the standard
of miniature cotoneasters, “Tom
Thumb” but with larger leaves. It
is also easier to grow. Makes a great
alpine cascade or trained upright as a
specimen tree.
Campanula, Mini Blue Bells Campanula sp.
Sun - P. Sun
2 x 6 inches
Groundcover
Mark paid a bundle for the original plant from
Michigan’s Arrowhead Alpines. Unfortunately,
we’ve lost the species name of this unbelievably
charming, blue flowering creeper.
Cotoneaster Thyme-Leaved
Cotoneaster thymifolia
RXR Apple Tree
Sun - P. Sun
16 x 12 inches
Though this variety is in the “World’s Smallest
LEAVED Cotoneaster” club, it is a vigorous grower,
reaching three feet tall and wide in several years. No worries. You
can keep it easily pruned into a mini apple tree, hedge or majestic bonsai.
Catsfoot/ Pussytoes, Pink
Antennaria diocica ‘Rubra’ (Zone 5 - 9)
Full Sun
2 x 12 inches Groundcover, Butterfly
We welcome a dwarf version of this popular plant. Its felted gray, spreading
mat, grew beautifully last year along our “Walk-About” path, even with our
usual humidity. Tiny pink clusters appear each summer.
Cotoneaster True Tom Thumb
Cotoneaster x ‘Tom Thumb’
Sun - P. Sun
16 x 12 inches Mini Apple Tree, Bonsia
This classic cotoneaster exhibits small leaves, tiny flower and micro berries.
Railroaders use this mini apple tree like landscapers use its larger, conventional
cousin because it is absolutely cold hardy with white flowers and fall, red-orange
berries.
Cinquefoil, Yellow Creeping
Potentilla neumanniana (Zone 5 - 8)
Full Sun 2 - 4 x 24 inches
Groundcover, Butterfly
Bright yellow, 3/8” single flowers hint at their membership in the rose family.
THE spring day it starts blooming on the right side of the walk to the greenhouse, it flies off the bench. We also notice that it spreads slowly, yet re-seeds
readily to create one tough groundcover that competes well with any weed.
Cotoneaster, Variegated Rock
Cotoneaster horizontalis ‘Variegatus’
RXR Tree, Bonsai Specimen
Sun - P. Sun
2 x 3 feet
Flowers are secondary when you have year round, white edged variegation
lending to an elegant bonsai or that sweet, apple tree in a railroad garden setting.
Columbine, Faery
Aquilegia flabellata ‘Cameo’ (Zone 3 - 8)
Sun - P. Sun 2 - 3 x 3 inches
Shrub, Rockery, Faery, Butterfly
Almost standard sized flowers, however, the height is shrunk to about 3” tall,
making it one of the smallest known cultivars. This is a mix of different flower
colors, that rise no more than 3 or 4 inches and will slowly re-seed themselves
around the garden. For a columbine, these are long lived and quite quaint!
Pictured below is a “Variegated Rock Cotoneaster” orchard
and a grapevine of “Anita Ivy” (page 45).
Mulberry Miniatures are welcome in any miniature
garden, faery or G-Scale, in ground or container.
We’ve grouped them by cultural requirements:
Hardy Sun (year round outdoors, sunny site)
Hardy Shade (year round outdoors, shady spot)
Tender Shade (bring indoors fall - late spring)
Tender Sun (indoors fall - spring by S or W window)
Succulents, too big to be miniatures are classified as:
Tender (indoors fall - late spring by S or W window)
Hardy (year round outdoors, sunny site) ; These are
not listed in this catalog, but we have them!
HARDY SUN
35
HARDY SUN
Edelweiss
h DELPHINIUMS h
Leontopodium alpinum (Zone 5 - 9)
Full Sun
2 x 6 inches
Shrub, Alpine, Medicinal
Mark, having been born in Bavaria, Germany and now growing alpines, is
obligated to grow these legendary woolly, white tufts for which many a mountain
climber died. They’re rather short lived perennials, but usually self-sow the next
generation before they perish. Requires well drained soil and plenty of fresh air.
Delphinium grandiflorum f. compactum ‘Blue Butterfly or Summer Series’
Sun- Part Sun 8-12 x 12 inches Miniature Trees, Rock Gardens
In our experience, all are hardy and last longer than the big guys.
NEW! Delphinium, Blue Butterfly In its first year, ultramarine blue flowers grace this taller delphinium
(it’s a foot rather than 8 inches!) with a bigger impact, from June to August.
h ELMS h
All 2 year / $15.99 (except Hokkaido)
NEW! Delphinium, Summer Clouds
This “summer series” is earlier to flower and more heat tolerant than its giant
relatives. Intense blue with white eyed flowers burst on these compact plants
from June to August, in their first year! You can call these “Larkspur” too.
NEW! Delphinium, Summer Morning
Soft pink to light salmon flowers float among this heavily branched larkspur,
during the first year, from June to August. Like the other “summer series” it is
also heat tolerant and long lasting.
Elm, Mini Hokkaido 3-4 year old $24.99
Ulmus parvifolia ‘Hokkaido’ (Zone 5 - 10)
Sun - P. Shade
18 x 9 inches Bonsai, RXR or Faery Garden
In 10 years, this tree will attain a maximum height of 18 inches & be covered
in 1/8” leaves. In a couple of years, it will naturally shape into a bonsai tree. As
a houseplant, it is evergreen, or if grown cold, it will be deciduous. Very hardy!
NEW! Delphinium, Summer Stars
Creamy to pure white flowers make it a natural for a moonlight garden.
Dianthus, Grey Stone
Without a doubt, Ulmus is the best genus for miniature deciduous
trees. While this cousin to America’s beloved street tree is popular
among bonsai, railroad and faery gardens, designers will appreciate the
perfectly scaled leaves on trees that translate to no more than 100 feet
tall in a miniature world.
FULL SUN to PART SHADE. NORMAL to WET, LOAMY SOIL is fine.
Dianthus simulans
(Zone 4 - 8)
Full Sun 2 x 6 inches Groundcover
The foliage is so tiny and compact, that
it, as the name implies, looks like a bluegrey rock. Super hardy IF well draining
soil is provided.
Elm, Frosty
Ulmus parvifolia ‘Frosty’
Sun - P. Shade 1 - 4 x 2 feet
Bonsai, RXR or Faery Garden
In our RXR woodland forest, its rich, dark green leaves with thin, silvery edges
shimmer proudly. Prune out occasional leaves that have reverted to a large size.
Dianthus, Pink Thrills
Elm, Seiju
Dianthus, Grey Stone
Dianthus ‘Well-Sweep Pink Thrills’
Full Sun Only
3 x 6 inches
Mini Mounds or Shrubs, Thriller
I can picture this in a wild west scene. It wants as much sun, though more
water than cactus. The foliage is more compact than “Tiny Rubies,” but pinkflowers rest on taller stems.
Ulmus parvifolia ‘Seiju’ Sun - P. Shade
3 x 3 feet
Bonsai, RXR or Faery Garden
‘Seiju’is a sport of the ‘Hokkaido’ Elm with slightly larger leaves and a faster
growth rate. Even so, it can maintained as a mini tree from 4” tall to 20 feet,
even after 40 years! Bark becomes corky with age.
Dianthus, Tiny Rubies
Elm, Yatsabusa /Corkbark
Dianthus gratianopolitanus’ Tiny Rubies’ (Zone 4 - 9)
Full Sun 2 x 24 inches
Groundcover, Alpine Rock Garden
Dianthus is a commonly grown alpine because of its easy culture. Bright
ruby-pink, faery flowers smother the bluish, grass foliage in the spring. Will
eventually form a mat, 2 foot in diameter.
Draba, Bristle-Tipped
Ulmus parvifolia ‘Yatsabusa’
Sun - P. Shade
3 x 3 feet
Bonsai, RXR or Faery Garden
With seriously small leaves, rivaled only by “Hokkaido,” and the height of
“Frosty,” you can mix-n-match it with other elms. Whether it’s a faery forest or
a railroad, many of our trees, look best in groups of 3 or more, reflecting nature.
Make it look interesting, not identical. Diversity is important on so many levels.
Draba aizoides
(Zone 4 - 8)
Full Sun 1 x 4 inches
Groundcover, Alpine, RXR Garden
Appears as a 1/2 inch wide, green “Hen-n-Chicks”-like alpine exhibiting bright
yellow flowers each spring. Tiny individual chicks form about five inch clusters.
Draba, Crusted
Draba oligosperma
Full Sun
2 x 4 inches
Mini Shrub, Alpine Garden
This variety displays a white crusting, like webbing, all over the bluish
leaves. Drabas are Mark’s favorite group of miniature alpines and this
one confirms that, with a spectacular display of bright
yellow spring flowers.
Ephedra, Joint Fir
Draba, Teenie Weenie $7.99
Draba rigida bryoides (Zone 4 - 8)
Full Sun 1/2 x 4 inches Alpine, RXR Garden
This draba stands out because it is the smallest of our
offerings & one of the first alpines to bloom. Clusters
of lemon yellow flowers make suitable partners with
cool blue sedums as they all enjoy sandy, dry situations.
Ephedra regeliana
(Zone 4 - 9)
Full Sun
3 x 12 inches
Mini Shrub
No worries F.D.A.: there’s no buzz or diet claims from this dwarfed
version. Instead, enjoy its wild, “Horsetail” foliage, like pipes, stacked
on top of one another and red berries stuffed in between. Must have
great drainage in winter to survive perennially.
HARDY SUN
36
HARDY SUN
Erigeron/Fleabane, Tiny Alpine
Forsythia, Mini-Leaf 2 year+
Erinus, Pink Fairy Foxglove
Geranium, Mini Red-Leaf
Erigeron scopalinus
(Zone 4 - 7)
Full Sun
1 x 12 inches
Mini Shrub, Cicely M. Barker Plant
Relish white daisies during the growing season and beyond by planting this
next to “Bellium or Mini Daisy.” This looks similar yet it blooms in the fall,
during mild winters and early springs, which is the off season for “Bellium.”
Erinus alpinus ‘Dr. Hahnle’’
Sun - P. Shade
3 x 18 inches
Groundcover, Alpine Rockery, RXR
Rock walls, rock gardens, crevices and troughs harbor these violet red flowers,
May through July. Luckily, they self sow as it can be a short lived perennial.
Hardy to -30 degrees F., but I had you at “Pink Fairy Foxglove” didn’t I?
Erinus, White Fairy Foxglove
Erinus alpinus albus
Full Sun
3 x 3 inches
Miniature Shrub, Faery Garden
Fill a pocket with white stars, late spring through early summer, on a low and
lush green bush. This is a no brainer for any faery garden.
Euonymus, Mini Creeper
Euonymus fortunei ‘Kewensis’ (Zone 5 - 10)
Sun - P. Sun
2 x 24 inches
Walk-About, Mini Vine, RXR
Call it a “wintercreeper” between stepping stones, for it doesn’t always go
dormant outdoors in Ohio. Can train it up a trellis and bring indoors for a table
top garden, when its tiny dark green leaves turn shades of scarlet in the fall.
h EVERGREEN CONIFERS h
3- 5 yr. old $15.99
You’ll not find a better price for plants of the same age.
All mini-landscapes are best achieved by using at least 3 of the
same variety. Create forests with 7 or 9 of the same variety and an
odd-ball, to break it up. Evergreens love FULL SUN especially gold
varieties and WELL DRAINING SOIL
Dwarf Cryptomeria, Tensan
Cryptomeria Japonica ‘Tensan’ ( Zone 5b - 10 )
Sun - P. Sun
8 x 12 inches
Tree, Bonsai, RXR, Faery Garden
This tight conifer withstands all extremes of growing conditions but is
especially good in high rainfall areas if it is grown in sandy, well draining loam.
You have plenty of time to shape it like a flattened stone or multi-stemmed tree
since it will take 10 years to achieve an eight inch height. It adds a purplish
winter color to Mark’s garden railroad.
$15.99
Forsythia viridissima ‘Klein’
Sun - P. Sun
12 x 16 inches
Mini Tree, Bonsai
It’s a dwarf mounding forsythia with golden flowers in the spring and often
fall as well. Like most miniatures, it’ll slowly grow, this one reaching 2 or 3 feet.
Imagine getting this to bloom for an Easter basket!
Geranium sessiliflorum ssp. nov. rubrum
Sun - P. Sun
3 x 9 inches
Mini Shrub
While its color is in high demand in mixed
containers, I would not describe it as red,
rather a rich burgundy foliage. In any
case, it’s an utterly unique color and rough
texture. Similar to a ruby leaved rhubarb
plant, shrunk to 3 inches tall, with
proportionally small, white flowers all
summer and fall.
Geranium, Tiny Pink
Geranium dalmaticum
Sun - P. Sun
2 x 3 inches
Mini Shrub, RXR Thriller
World’s Smallest Hardy Geranium! A carpet of pink flowers along with
drought tolerance is an enticing combination. Like many geraniums, it puts on a
fall foliage display of orange to red, however, this one is distinctly tinier than any
true geranium we have ever found.
Gingko, Marieken
$15.99
Gingko biloba ‘Marieken’
Sun - P. Sun
3 x 3 feet
Miniature Tree
The ginkgo is a living fossil, similar to fossils dating back 270 million years.
There are still some specimen gingkos around today that top 2500 years old. Yet
for this small leaved and well branched variety, it will take 15 years to reach its
mature three feet by three feet stature.
Hebe, Hardy
Hebe youngii ‘Carl Teschner’
RXR Thriller, Alpine Rockery
Sun - P. Sun
6 x 12 inches
With a little protection from wind, you can entertain a 6 inch shrub with
baby blue flowers in June that fade to white. Often used as a hedge because the
foliage is similar to boxwood, but don’t stop there. Consider it a full sun alpine
to lightly shaded miniature that is quite adaptable. May require a little extra
help making it through the winter. Covering with a one gallon milk jug with the
bottom cut out, works great.
Dwarf Juniper, Japanese
MORE EVERGREEN
CONIFERS TO COME
Juniperus procumbens ‘Nana’ (Zone 4 - 10)
Sun - P. Sun
6 x 36 inches
Tree, Bonsai, RXR Gardens
One of the most popular landscape shrubs especially of railroad gardeners, as
it is so well behaved, unlike Mark when he sees a new plant. (“Hey, I read that”!)
Also sold, and killed, by the millions, as cheap beginner bonsai, because folks
overwinter them in warm, dark, dry homes (same conditions that kill rosemary).
You can bet it’s a “G Scale” railroaders favorite conifer.
Dwarf Lawsons Cypress, Golden Elwood’s Pillar
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Elwood’s Pillar’
Full Sun
12 x 4 inches
Tree, Bonsai, RXR, Faery Garden
The golden new growth adds a colorful twist to this mini-scaled juniper for
even your “HO” scaled railroad. Tight, upright, columnar shape will never be
too large for any mini garden or even for bonsai.
Dwarf Lawsons Cypress, Elwood’s Pillar
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Elwood’s Pillar’
Full Sun
12 x 4 inches
Tree, Bonsai, RXR, Faery Garden
These evergreens may reach a foot tall in a decade or more, so enjoy them as
mock “Blue Spruce” around RXR buildings. Be kind and find a home in sandy,
loamy soil.
HARDY SUN
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HARDY SUN
Many new varieties will
be coming from our
partners in Oregon.
Visit throughout
the season to see
what’s new.
Jovibarba, Mini Hen & Chicks
h HENS & CHICK COLLECTORS h $5.99
Jar-Gems TM, Alpine, Borders
Full Sun
3 x 12 inches
We have a limited, but choice selection of extra beautiful or super tiny
varieties that frankly are a pain in the butt to grow in large numbers.
We paid up to $15. for the stock plants. This price is a steal.
NEW! Hen & Chick, Cobweb
Sempervirens arachnoideum
Hardy Perennial
Full Sun Only
2 x 12 inches
Groundcover, Strawberry Jars
No need to fear. These plants only look like a spider is in the neighborhood.
Notice the species name and you’ll see a word close to arachNID, clearly the inspiration for this succulent with cool-white, fuzzy, webs draped over the central
rosettes.
Lady’s Mantle, Alpine
Alchemilla alpina
(Zone 5 - 8)
P. Sun - P. Shade 3 x 12 inches Groundcover
This mini version of the popular and
traditional herb has a silvery edge that
collects morning dew, appearing like
tiny jewels. It is a trully magical rock
and faery garden herb that is comfortable
in the shade of other plants. After flowering, it continues to look great without the
“cat-sat-in-the-middle” look.
NEW! Hen & Chick, Lagger’s Tiny
Sempervirens arachnoideum laggeri
Hardy Perennial
Full Sun Only
1/2 x 4 inches
Mini Shrub, Xeriscapes So rare you can’t even Google this! Each one-half inch rosette only has a few
“cobwebs” but makes the perfect cabbage in a miniature patch.
NEW! Hen & Chick, Oddity
Sempervirens x ‘Oddity’Hardy Perennial
Full Sun Only
3 x 12 inches
Groundcover, Strawberry Jars
Evergreen leaves nearly curl back on themselves creating tubes like a crude
sea anemone with sheared tips. Pink flowers may hover later in the season.
Would work if you were going for an underwater scene though it likes to stay on
the dry side like other hen and chicks.
Limomium, Tiny Sea Statice
Limonium dictiocladum (Zone 5 - 7)
Full Sun 4 x 2 inches RXR Thriller Shrub
Remember those frothy filler flowers paired
with a bouquet of roses? You’ll be impressed
as you witness, from these tiny mounds of
spoon-shaped leaves, an eruption of 2” tall
sprays of miniature “Sea Statice” lavender
flowers. Don’t just imagine, take a look.
NEW! Hen & Chick, Pitton’s Tiny
Sempervirens arachnoideum pittonii
Hardy Perennial
Full Sun Only
3/4 x 4 inches
Groundcover, Strawberry Jars
You probably know that “Hens & Chicks” produce new rosettes annually.
These survive after the plant blooms and the main plants die. In this case, graygreen, purple tipped rosettes throw off tiny, polka-dotted “chicks” forming thick
colonies. Before they die, the older rosettes are often larger than “Tiny Laggers”
for those that would want a slightly larger scaled plant.
NEW! Mossy Whitlow, Golden $4.99 Paronychia kapela var. serp. ‘Binstead Gold’
Hardy Perennial
Sun - P. Sun
1 x 10 inches
Mini Groundcover, Troughs
Hot sunny rockeries are made for this gilded
carpet, also called “golden chickweed.”
Silver, tissue-paper-like, flowers traipse
above all summer. From the French
Pyrenees, the Alps and mountains
in North Africa, it is a sturdy,
mat-forming, hardy perennial
that is indestructible as long
as it’s planted in porous,
poor, soft soil that is welldrained in winter.
Hutchinsia / Crystal Carpet
Hornungia (Hutchinsia) alpina
Sun - P. Sun
2 x 12 inches
Mini Groundcover, RXR Spiller
Often posed among stones, this European native could be called “alyssum
of the mountains.” Tiny, cut-leaved foliage and sweet white flowers may look
delicate but it holds its own between steeping stone and in the rock garden.
Iberis/ Candytuft, Snow Cushion
Iberis sempervirens ‘Snow Cushion’
Full Sun
2 x 12 inches
Shrub, Alpine, Faery Garden
Perhaps our Creator took the perennial, spring blooming “Candytuft,” stuck
it in the dryer too long and pulled out this shrunken version, a mere 2” high and
a foot in diameter. Distribute these white bloomers in front of summer & fall
flowers for a full season of changing colors.
Mulberry, Dwarf Red 2 yr.+ $15.99
Morus rubra ‘Nana’
Full Sun
18 - 24 x 24 inches Tree in Faery or RXR Garden
A dwarf version of this
company’s namesake has
been growing in our garden
for over 10 years now
and has yet to reach 2 feet.
Miniatures take time to
propagate which is why
you pay the big bucks.
You will notice dark green,
“Mulberry” leaves and its
beautiful corky bark. No
mess to clean up either.
Beautiful fall golden foliage!
Our farm’s namesake, standard Mulberry tree, is the 2nd largest in the nation!
Iberis- Candytuft, Tiny
Iberis candolleana
Full Sun
4 x 6 inches
RXR Thriller, Mini Shrub, Alpine, Faery
We grew these out from seed and
selected the smallest, tightest ones in
a quest for the world’s smallest.
Dozens of white petals with a touch
of pink unite, creating a sea of tiny
umbrellas over green, low growing
foliage.
HARDY SUN
Jovibarba hirta subsp. arenaria
Sun - P. Sun
1 x 3 inches
Mini Shrub, Drought Tolerant
Drought smart plants come in all sizes as witnessed
by these clusters of “baby chicks,” each only 3/4” across.
So, in a miniature vegetable garden you could easily
separate the clumps and plant the chicks to look like
tiny rows of cabbage. Cold weather prompts a red cast
\
over this groundcover just like
sedums do each fall.
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HARDY SUN
Nothoscordum /Tiny Golden Garlic$5.99
What does RXR Shrub mean?
Garden Railroad (G-Scale or RXR ) terms include:
R
XR Thrillers- are protypical and eye catching; easy to imagine
Nothoscordum montevidense
P. Sun - P. Shade
4 x 2 inches
Mini Shrub, Potted Plant
Expect a non-stop show of golden, slightly citrus scented flowers no taller
than 4 inches in spring through fall. Companion blades of grass bide their time
in between. Not entirely winter hardy in northern Ohio, but if you bring your
container into a protected area, this plant will resurrect next spring. In the onion
family, the tiny bulbs are easy to divide and share with other pots or friends.
from an ant’s perspective as a tree, shrub or groundcover and often
the vertical elements that are close to structures.
R R Spillers- are groundcovers that cascade over rocks or look
like lawns or pastures.
R R Pillars- are large growing and/or existing trees where only
the trunk is seen. They also provide shade.
R R Fillers- are supporting actors that are small leaved so they
fill areas between tracks and structures, but do not look like any
protypical tree or shrub.
X
X
Paxistigma, Tiny Holly Paxistigma cambyi ‘Compacta’
Sun - P. Shade 6 x 12 inches RXR Tree/ Shrub
Raisin-sized, holly-like, evergreen
leaves are packed on 6” tall, twice as
wide plants. Ideal RXR shrub on
hillside plantings as its spreading
stems will help hold the soil. Tough
little grower, as long as it has well
drained soil.
X
Our garden below illustrates the definitions above for
railroad scenes, but these same terms are for any minilandscape. Can you spot?:
Penstemon, Alpine Blue
Penstemon hirsutus `Pygmaeus’
(Zone 5 - 7)
Sun - P. Sun
4 x 4 inches
Mini Shrub
Pot up patriotic centerpieces with these short mounds of reddish green leaves
and white-n-violet flowers tinged with blue, usually in bloom by the 4th of July.
Unlike some other “Penstemons,” this is long lived and very easy to grow.
thrillers (“Privet-Golden, Elfin Herb, Yarrow-Mini”)
spillers (“Willow-Mini Creeping, Thyme-Clear Gold”)
pillars (fence posts)
fillers (“Boxwood-Morris Midget, Willow-Mini Creep.”)
Putatoria, Pink Trumpet Bush
Putatoria calibrica
Sun - P. Sun
4 x 12 inches
Shrub in Mini or RXR Garden
Mini pink trumpets play summer through late fall. As you watch our outdoor
train wind around the bend, you’ll notice this- just the right sized shrub with
bright green leaves.
Ragged Robbin, Dwarf
Lychnis flos-cuculi ‘Nana’
(Zone 5 - 8)
Sun - P. Shade 2 inches Alpine, Rock Garden
Cicely Mary Barker painted this sprite, curious
miniature with an accompanying faery. She tried
to mimic its bright pink, ragged edged flowers that
open each spring above tight, curious mounds of
of tough, twisting, shiny, dark green leaves.
Lewis and Clark were intrigued by this too and
wrote about it in their journals.
Rose, Miniature Elfinglo
BRING THE MOUNTAINS to your own BACKYARD.
You don’t have to travel to Switzerland to discover magnificent
midgets. Provide well draining soil, scatter rocks, add a slope, if
possible, and choose from plants that love to sunbath in your own
rock garden like: Dianthus, Draba, Edelweiss, Hebe, Hutchinsia,
Iberis, Lady’s Mantle and Ragged Robin.
Sold Out
Rosa x ‘Elfinglo’
Full Sun
4 x 5 inches
Mini Shrub
This micro miniature rose survives 20 below zero temps and still displays
magenta red, fully double, repeat blooms, throughout the growing season.
Limited numbers this year, but this is keeper in our collection.
OVERWHELMED?
Want to create a faery garden but not sure how?
Join other “miniature plant-a-holics anonymous”
during our Faery Fest
Sat. April 30th 10 to 5:00
Santolina, Pretty Carol
Santolina chamaecyparissus ‘Pretty Carol’
1 x 2 feet RXR Thriller, Faery Garden
With gold button flowers, consider this
aromatic, densely foliaged shrub in a formal
knot garden as it is perfectly prune-able.
Trimming its “evergray” foliage promotes
new, compact growth. After the 2014 winter,
it earned the rank of the hardiest santolina
we have ever had the pleasure to grow!
FREE WORKSHOPS
FREE ADVICE
FREE DEMONSTRATIONS
10 STEP PROGRAM NOT INCLUDED
HARDY SUN
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HARDY SUN
h SEDUMS h All $4.99
Sedums are truly work horses for hot, dry environments, asking for minimal care. They’re popular in troughs, strawberry
jars, xerophytic landscapes and on green roofs. All are hardy and like FULL SUN, SANDY LOAM and MINIMAL WATERING.
NEW! Sedum, Appalachian Blue
Sedum, Mini Autumn Brilliant
Sedum glauchophyllum
Hardy Perennial
Sun - P. Sun
2 x 10 inches
Mini groundcover, Trough, Native
Had to get yet another, hard as nails, creeping sedum because this is an Ohio
native found in Appalachia. Tiny blue foliage and white flowers are nice too!
Sedum cauticola
1 x 12 inches
Miniature Groundcover
“Cauticola” (species name) literally means “growing on cliffs,” the favored site
for this succulent perennial with trailing stems of pink-tinged, grey-green, round
leaves and purplish-pink, star-shaped, autumn flowers.
Sedum, Blue Rosette Mini
Sedum, Old Man Bones
Sedum pachyclados
(Zone 5 - 10)
2 x 12 inches Groundcover/Shrub,“Jar Gem” TM
Rosettes of powder blue leaves partner well with rosy-peach, summer flowers.
Leaves are tightly packed on top of one another, forming bonsai- like pads.
Sedums are the queen of all strawberry pots as they are quite oblivious to
abusively dry, hot, sunny situations like in Pakistan, its native country.
Sedum globosum
2 x 12+ inches
Groundcover, RXR, “Jar Gem” TM
This forms a 2” carpet of succulent, rounded leaves
with a bronze cast and yellow flowers in the summer.
Sedum, Russian Needlepoint
Sedum, Coral Carpet
Sedum middendorfianum var striatum
1 x 12 inches
Mini Groundcover, Rock Garden
If you could only see the bursting, yellow flowers, like fireworks, over clusters
of 3/8” long, needled, green and red foliage. Winter color settles into a rusty red.
Sedum album ‘Coral Carpet’ (Zone 4 - 7)
1 x 12 inches
Groundcover/Shrub,“Jar Gem” TM
First year it remained green. We discovered
the coral color when, we went easy on the water
for a spell and witnessed a full blushing
transformation. So, we recommend
you abuse this groundcover by
siting in full sun and holding
back on water for “50 shades” of
coral. Flowers open up to a pale-pink.
Sedum, Tiny Urchin
Sedum humisifusum
1 x 12 inches
Groundcover, RXR Garden
This tough guy looks like it belongs underwater
among the corals. Glossy green, compact, stems
spread slowly. Complete an underwater scene on
land with “Drabas, Limonium (Tiny Sea Statice) & Chocolate Sedge.”
Sedum, Corsican
Sedum, Tricolor Carpet
Sedum requinii
1/4 x 12 inches RXR, Walk About
Why do we need one more
flat, green, glossy ground
cover? You can always rely
on this sedum to NOT be
needy though it likes a
little drink now and again.
Sedum spurium ‘Tricolor’ (Zone 4 - 9)
2 x 18 inches
Groundcover, “Jar Gem”TM, RXR Garden
White, pink and green foliage with pink flowers in June- can you imagine
a more colorful groundcover? Tough as nails hardy perennial for front of the
flower bed, hanging basket or miniature gardens.
Sedum, Voodoo
Sedum spurium ‘Voodoo’ (Zone 3 - 10)
2 x 12 inches Groundcover, “Jar Gem”TM, RXR
I can’t think of a darker foliaged plant. This
mahogany, almost black, 2” groundcover spilling
over light colored stones or nestled next to
“Sedum, Frosted Blue” in a strawberry jar
is sharp! Given full sun, anyone can grow
them and all appreciate their uniqueness.
Sedum, Frosted Blue
Sedum hispanicum minus ‘Pink Form’ (Zone 5 - 9)
2 x 12 inches
Groundcover, Rock, Faery Garden
Think of a mini blue spruce forest,
frosted in pink, viewed from 1000
feet above. This is one of the
most beautiful and unusual
miniature sedums with pink
tipped, blue leaves. If that
isn’t enough, how about pink,
nearly white flowers each and
early summer?
Sedums are winter deciduous, so
trim to the ground early spring.
Solidago, Tiny Goldenrod
Sedum, Irish Eyes
Sedum middendorfianum var. diffusum
2 x 12 inches Groundcover, Rock Garden, “Jar Gem
St. Patty’s meet Christmas in its Irish green rosettes with red centers that form
thick blankets in summer and then turn a poinsettia red, overall, each winter.
Who needs the great summer yellow flowers?
Solidago coulteri
Full Sun 2 x 8 inches
Mini Shrub, C. M. Barker Faery, Butterfly
Here’s a mini version of North Americas’ favorite scapegoat for hayfever.
But at only 2 - 3 inches tall, the cute golden/yellow flowers are really not enough
“to sneeze at.” They attract butterflies and had captured the eye of Cicely Mary
Barker who beautifully illustrated this and dozens of other meadow flowers.
Stachys, Dwarf Betony
Stachys officinalis ‘Nana’ (Zone 5 - 8)
Full Sun 4 x 4 inches
Mini shrub, C. M. Barker Faery
Perhaps it was the violet pink flowers hovering 3 or 4 inches above the dark
green rosette of leaves which inspired Cicely Barker to illustrate this about a 1/2
century ago. Try it in a sunny patio, tabletop garden with a tree (“Cotoneaster,
Variegated Rock”), a groundcover (“Dianthus, Grey Stone”) and a vertical shrub
(like “Ephedra, Joint Fir”) for starters.
Sedum, Love’s Triangle
Sedum anglicum ‘Love’s Triangle’
1 x 12+inches
Groundcover, RXR
Pinkish-white flowers entertain irresistable,
powder blue, pin head sized foliage each spring.
To insure next year’s crop, break off a small section
and overwinter in a sunny window.
Sedum,
Old Man Bones
HARDY SUN
40
HARDY SUN
Veronica, Sunshine
Teucrium, Alpine Germander
Veronica repens ‘Sunshine’ (Zone 5 - 10)
Full Sun 1 x 8 inches Groundcover
Tiny, pinkish spikes in June add another
75 watts to an already fluorescent, golden
groundcover. Needs full, hot sun for best
color. Will also brighten any partially
shaded pocket where thymes won’t
grow. In part shade, the leaf color fades
to lime green only to start over gold each
spring. White flowers, though barely seen,
arrive in early summer.
Teucrium ackermannii
Full Sun Only
2 x 6 inches vine
Mini Groundcover/Spiller
Find this in Mark’s G-Scale railroad along the driveway where the blue
needled leaves form a very low, waterfall mat with rose colored, hydrangea
shaped flowers, all summer long. If you let it dry out a tad before watering
again, it will give you heavy blooming in the spring, sporadic surprises in the
summer and a nice rebloom in the fall.
h THRIFT h All $4.99
In a world of round leaves, thrifts stand out! Green to maroon to
to variegated linear leaves are unique as are their perky globes that
announce spring and linger into summer. EASY plant for a “Welcome
to our home” miniature garden pot placed at a sunny front door. Give
them FULL SUN, WELL DRAINING SOIL AND KEEP THEM ON THE DRY
SIDE. That’s about it!
BUTTERFLY FRIENDLY
Wahlenbergia /Tufty Bells
Wahlenbergia marginata
Sun - P. Sun
6 x 3 inches
Rock Garden, Troughs
Hailing from China and Himalayan regions, this species is definitely rock
garden bound. Its loose mounds of spatula leaves look like they can barely
balance the proportionately larger whitish-blue, bell-shaped flowers.
Thrift, Faery Armeria caespitosa (juniperifolia)
2 x 12 inches
Faery Shrub
“Cockroach hardy” alpine with rose
colored clusters of flowers in the early
spring join perky, grassy tufts that
are lovely and evergreen the entire
season. “Veronica, Sunshine” and
“Sedum, Frosted Blue” are pleasing
companions.
Willow, Arctic Creeping 2 year+ $15.99
Salix arctica ‘Petraea’
(Zone 1 - 8)
Full Sun
2 x 12 inches
Faery Shrub, Bonsai
This slightly larger leaved willow was found growing around Santa’s workshop and was dropped off here around Christmas 2008. This is a true Zone 1,
Arctic, tundra plant that seems just as happy as a snowbird in the
“lower 48.” What a great miniature pussy willow!
Thrift, Little Penny
Willow, Mini Creeping 2 year+ $15.99
Armeria caespitosa
1-1/2 x 3 inches
Alpine Groundcover, RXR Thriller, Faery Garden
Take “Faery Thrift,” reduce by 50% and you have it! Flowers aren’t even tall
enough for any kind of stem, rather they just perch on the foliage. In our photos
we add a shiny quarter to show relative size, but a penny could do the trick.
Thrift, Mini Red-leaf
Armeria maritima ‘Rubrifolia’
4 x 8 inches
Alpine Shrub, RXR Filler, Faery Garden
Blooms non-stop during any kind of cooler weather. I like the reddish pink,
round flower clusters that bob above, but I adore the dark, reddish purple blades,
early summer, for their contrast in the garden or container. Ben long ago
suggested faeries use these flowers as balloons in a parade.
Thrift, Red Faery Armeria caespitosa ‘Bevan’s’ (Zone 4 - 8)
2 inches
Mini Grass
“Red Fairy” is honestly more of a
dark pink rather than red, but, trust me,
the flower hue is intense. In all other respects, it is very similar to “Faery Thrift.”
Since thrifts bloom the entire spring,
choose neighbors from the plethora of our
summer bloomers.
Salix repens ‘ Iona Form’ Zone 4 - 9)
Full Sun
2 x 12 inches Mini Tree, RXR Garden
Is it the world’s smallest willow?
Tiniest of catkins appear with crocus
flowers, followed by flat stems, carrying 1/2 inch willow leaves. Perfect
railroad addition in the “mountains” or
as a sacred tree or shrub in the faery garden.
Train upright for a miniature weeping willow by the pond.
Wisteria, World’s Smallest 2 year+$15.99
Millettia japonica ‘Hime Fuji’ (formerly listed as Wisteria sinensis ‘Kofuji’)
Sun - P. Shade
16 x 12 inches
Mini Tree, Bonsai
The “World’s Smallest Wisteria” (separated from Wisteria a few years ago)
never gets larger than 24 inches and it is suppose to put forth blue violet flowers,
mid spring. I have as much luck with this as our big one by the house. It is
attractive to bees, butterflies, birds and bonsai diddlers. Will tolerate shade.
Yarrow, Mini Buttons
Achillea ageratifolia (Zone 5 - 8)
Sun - P. Shade 2 x 12 inches Groundcover, Alpine
Here’s a yarrow that won’t take over the border, in fact, the blue gray,
feathery foliaged, miniature rosettes spread slowly. Needs well drained soil, but
frequent watering throughout growing season. Flowers are creamy white and
3 inches high.
Thrift, Variegated Armeria x‘ Nifty Thrifty’
2 x 12 inches
Mini Grass, RXR Filler, Mini Shrub
Leaves are generally larger than “Faery
Thrift,” but this foliage is golden with a
green stripe down the center. Even in
cooler climates, you can’t miss the dark
pink flowers by June. After that, you’ll
get flowers randomly until Labor Day. On
a miniature scale, it would be viewed as
a large, mounded ornamental grass.
HARDY SUN
Yarrow, Utah Mini
Achillea sp. ex Utah
Full Sun
2 x 12 inches
Mini Shrub or Tall Groundcover
Buttercup yellow flowers rise
just high enough over the ferny
leaves. When you witness this
slow spreading perennial along the
miniature railroad tracks in the
ballast gravel, you will love how it
contrasts with the grey stones.
41
HARDY SUN
h Hardy Shade Miniatures & Companions h
All $4.99 (unless otherwise marked)
Like the previous section, these hardy perennial miniatures prefer the outdoors 365 days a year BUT do best in the shade. Most enjoy morning
sun/afternoon shade (P. Shade) while others tolerate a touch of afternoon sun too (P. Sun). Just a few plants thrive in full shade. Note the different sun/shade requirements for each entry. As a general rule: the more sun they get, the more water they want.
Carpet Tulip, Tiny $5.99
Ajuga, Chocolate Chip
Centarium scilloides
P. Shade
2 x 18 inches RXR Thriller
Dry shade, full sun? Does anything stop
this groundcover or its endless parade of tiny
pink tulips all summer? We’ve watched this
2 inch carpet grow in the dry shade in our
railroad garden and in full sun out in our
stock fields. It seemed too good to be
true but it’s passed every test, so it’s your
turn to try it. It is not an aggressive grower
but I suspect mischievous faery play, with its
much appreciated self seeding.
Ajuga repens ‘Chocolate Chip’
Sun - P. Shade
2 x 6 inches
Groundcover, Topiary, Bonsai
Ajugas’ trademark as a tough and hardy shade plant remains in tact in these
slightly smaller versions. Clumps of foliage look as if a watercolor artist applied
a plum wash sporadically over otherwise dark green foliage.
Ajuga, Multicolor
Ajuga repens ‘Multicolor’
Sun - P. Shade
1 x 6 inches
Groundcover, RXR Garden
Cream, pink, light green, plum and shades in between- the leaves can’t seem
to make up their minds, but what is certain is that this plant does best in cool
shade. Classic blue flowers can go in either a boy’s or girl’s faery garden.
Arborvitea (Dwarf), Hetz Midget $15.99
h FAERY FERNS, Hardy h
Thuja occidentalis ‘Hetzi Midget’ (Zone 3 - 9)
P. Shade - Sun 2 x 2 feet
Alpine, Bonsai, RXR, Mini/Faery
With a bit of pruning, eventually this slow growing green globe will mature,
roughly resembling a giant “Oak” tree, from the perspective of an ant. In trough
gardens, we like to plant it in clumps of 3 for a knee high, “Oak” tree forest.
If you’re a botanist, you probably already know these are NOT
true ferns. In our opinion, it is easier for a child to wrap their minds
around “Faery Fern” rather than Leptinella, Cotula or whatever the
botanists settle on for its genus name. This group of hardy, ground
hugging perennials thrive in organic soil and P. Shade - Sun.
Arenaria, Micro Lawn
Faery Fern / Brass Buttons
Arenaria balearica (Zone 6 - 9)
P. Shade - P.Sun
1/2 x 12 inches Lawn, RXR Garden, Pathways
Rivals only “True Elfin Thyme” for lowest, most micro-leaved groundcover
we’ve spied. Perfect “Walk-About” for those too sunny OR not sunny enough
pathways. While it needs good drainage and frequent water, it is the ideal lawn
for mini landscapes and railroad gardens, complete with little white flowers.
Astilbe, World’s Smallest
Leptinella (Cotula) squalida (Zone 5 - 10)
P. Shade - P. Sun 2 x 18 inches
Lawn, “Walk-About”, RXR
Slightly felted, green, fern-like leaves creep just above the soil, to form a
thick carpet of curious yellow “Brass Button” blooms. Works as a superlative
groundcover, even a lawn substitute, between stepping stones in shady areas.
Faery Fern, Bronze
$7.99
Leptinella perpusilla (Zone 6 - 10)
2 x 18 inches RXR Lawn, “Walk-About”
This is a bronze colored version which
looks like it was the parent to “Platt’s
Black,” although I’m only guessing. I
like this softly shimmering, lighter color
of bronze that shows up better against
dark soil than “Platt’s Black.”
Astilbe glaberrima var. saxatilis
P. Shade - P. Sun
4 x 4 inches
Miniature Shrub
Four inch rosettes of finely cut, green leaves appear late in the spring but
eventually bear plumes of pale pink to white, feathery flowers later in summer.
Delicate only in appearance, this robust plant grows easily in sun or part shade
but prefers a slightly moist soil.
Blueberry, Dwf. Lowbush
2 year+$15.99
Faery Fern, Platt’s Black
Faery Fern, Bronze
Leptinella (Cotula) x ‘Platt’s Black’ (Zone 6- 10)
P. Sun - Sun 1 x 15 inches Shade Lawn, “Walk-About”, RXR
Inch long leaves are more dainty and finely textured than other faery
ferns. Add sunshine and they’re jet black! In a
little more shade, they grow bicolored green with
black tips. Grow over crushed white stone for best
effect. Petite yellow buttons form in spring!
Vaccinium angustifolia
P. Shade - P. Sun
6 x 12+ inches
Faery Garden Tree, Culinary
If it wasn’t so hardy (we’re talking Zone 2:
Maine & Canada), native or well endowed
with small, G-Scale leaves and berries, it
would be just an ordinary blueberry. Even
the berries are faery-sized and produce all season!
Faery Bells, Variegated
Boxwood, Grace 2 year+ $15.99
Buxus microphylla ‘Grace’
P. Shade - Sun 3 feet x 18 inches
Tree for Faery or RXR Thriller
The reason Mark selected this “Boxwood” is because it has the leaves of the
next entry, (“Kingville”), yet not as brittle. Though it grows quickly, it then stops
at 18 inches. You can keep it thin by pruning, so that the height is more in line
with your miniature village.
HARDY SHADE
42
$5.99
Disporum sessile ‘Variegatum’
P. Shade - P. Sun 16 inch spreading Mini Trellis
Relax into a miniature jungle or thick woodsy scene
(though deer pass this by!) with these white striped, lush,
green leaves. By early summer, 3/4 inch white bells
dangle under the arching stems. Perennial that pops
up here and there is a welcome contrast to ferns
and other shade lovers.
HARDY SHADE
Fuchsia, Hardy Cape Horn Faery Money, Golden
Fuchsia magellanica ‘Cape Horn’
P. Sun - P. Shade
24 x 24 inches
Tree in a Faery or RXR Garden
We received this from Justin at Possum
Run Greenhouse (Bellville, OH) our “Faery
Plant Kingdom” partner, who has garnered
one of the largest fuchsia collections in the
U.S. He told us these survived -30 degrees F.
Dies back each fall, then resprouts the next
spring with red and purple flowers, summer
through fall. An upright, it provides critical
color in shade gardens. Who’d believe a
beautiful fuchsia could survive Ohio?!!!
Lysimachia japonica minutissima
P. Shade - Sun 1 x 12 inches
“Walk-About” RXR Groundcover
Minutissima (in the botanical name)
describes this dark green groundcover for
the shade or sun, precisely! Bright yellow
flowers in late spring to early summer
pop up between stepping stones, mini
landscapes, troughs and of course, faery
gardens. This is also one of the very best
hardy RXR groundcovers as it spreads
well, but won’t take over the tracks. Bonsai artists use it as an accessory plant.
Heuchera, Canyon Belle
h TRUE FERNS h
All $4.99
Ferns are becoming very popular with shade gardeners because
they offer a lush, tropical
look, are well behaved
and, although not true
miniatures, these are
the smallest out there.
As with many ferns, try
to provide bright, indirect
light with well-draining
soil, that is kept moist.
Best feature? Deer aren’t
attracted to them!
Heuchera X ‘Canyon Belle’ P.P.#13,413
P. Shade - P. Sun
4 x 4 inches
Mini Shrub, Rock Garden
Bright red flowers are provocative in the shade. Flower power and color,
not foliage, was the goal of this breeder and we don’t mind paying royalty fees to
Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens to help with future breeding efforts.
NEW! Holly, Dwarf Pagoda$15.99 Ilex crenata ‘Dwarf Pagoda’
Hardy Perennial
P. Shade - P. Sun
12 x 5 inches
Mini Tree, Bonsai, Alpine
This is a female variety which requires a male nearby to produce glossy,
black berries. Even without a man around, it is a stunning, compact, evergreen
shrub with tiny, polished leaves that remain dark green through the winter. The
flowers are not ornamentally significant but its form is more than enough for any
bonsai artist.
Houstonia - Bluets, Tiny
Fern, Dwarf Lady’s
Athyrium filix-femina ‘Minutissimum’
Shade - P.Sun 10 x 10 inches Mini Shade Shrub, RXR Filler
Ferns are a traditional faery garden plant that symbolizes imagination. Little
mounding rosettes of delicately cut, green foliage require the companionship of
miniature “Hostas, Primroses, and Coral Bells.” Divide yearly to keep small.
Fern, Lady Fern Victoria Athyrium filix-femina ‘Victoriae’
P. Shade - P. Sun
8 x 18 inches
Shrub, Alpine Rockery, Faery
As far as frond architecture goes, this is Queen. This superb selection has
amazingly green fronds whose pinnae (leaflets) crisscross to form x’s and have
crested leaflet tips. Mark has absolutely fallen in love with this fern
Fern, Maidenhair,
Himalayan
$7.99
Houstonia serpyllifolia
Very Limited Availability this year!
P. Shade - P. Sun
2 x 2 inches
Mini Shrub
We’ve been building stock
for years to make available this
USA native miniature. We
originally found this right here in
Ohio. Two inch, delicate baby
blue flowers brighten the shade
(though it tolerates plenty of sun)
in cycles, that is, each blooming
lasts about a month. If you
deadhead, just sit back and wait
for next wave. Sun or shade,
cute as all get out- we can’t grow
enough of this perfect perennial.
Adiantum venustum
P. Shade - P. Sun
6 x 12 inches
Shrub, Faery Garden, Houseplant
Native to the foothills of the Himalayas,
it forms a beautiful, slow-spreading
groundcover with blue-green, teardrop
shaped leaflets on black stems. Once
established, it will form a broad, dense
colony. Fronds are semi-evergreen and
thanks to their delicate appearance, they
work great in floral arrangements. This
variety performs best in cooler areas.
Organic Slug Control: Growing up in slug infested Seattle, Mark’s
trialed everything from salting to jagged edged cans of stale beer
(which lured more beneficials than slugs) to copper barriers said to
kill by electric force field. “Sluggo,” an iron phosphate product, is his
organic choice. It contains the most effective yeast bait he’s ever tried.
WORLD’S SMALLEST CONTEST
If you bring in a variety that is smaller,* you will receive
a $50.00 gift certificate. We prefer that the roots are intact.
Sample of our “World’s Smallest” collection:
Elm, Mini Hokkaido p. 36
Oxalis, Tiny Double White p. 46
Boston Fern p. 49
Jasmine p. 53
Fern, Himalayan
small print: *division must come from a variety that is smaller than
the variety we have and it produces a plant of equal smallness.
HARDY SHADE
43
HARDY SHADE
h MINIATURE HOSTAS h
All $5.99 (unless otherwise noted)
Miniature “Hostas” are the heart leaved sweethearts of the shade. You can grow them year after year if you tuck them in organic soil that’s watered regularly by the heavens or a hose. Morning sun is OK but afternoon sun will pale, if not scorch, the leaves of these hardy perennials, if they
don’t receive constant extra water.
Mark strongly believes these mini hostas should be divided every 1 - 2 years, preferably in August to have time to root before winter. Avoiding
overcrowding not only looks better, but varieties like “Cats’ Eye, X-ray and X-Rated,” seem to kill themselves when overcrowded and benefit from an
ANNUAL division. Increasing the area of each variety allows for a bigger impact from a distance. Most miniatures look better in groups than solo.
Hosta, Baby Booties $7.99
Hosta, Baby Bunting Hosta, Japan Boy
$7.99
Hosta, Japan Girl
$7.99
Hosta, Mount Kirishima
$7.99
Hosta, Munchkin
$7.99
Hosta, Nakaiana
$7.99
Hosta x ‘Japan Boy’
2 x 4 inches
RXR Shrub, Mini or Faery Gardens
It may be a non- HSA registered variety, but it’s well worth collecting. All
we can tell you is that is exhibits the tiniest, all green leaves with proportionally
small lavender flowers and it grows well.
Hosta X ‘Baby Booties’
1 x 12 inches
DEER CANDY- how’s that
Heart-shaped green leaves are irregularly edged with white.
Some leaves have very narrow margins, others have wide,
streaky margins. Lavender scapes color up mid summer.
Hosta, Baby Bunting
Hosta ‘Baby Bunting’
2 x 18 inches
Shrub, Mini or Faery Gardens
Green, pocket-sized variety with heart-shaped,
spring leaves are followed by mid summer lavender
flowers. Cute as a baby’s bum!
Hosta x ‘Japan Girl’
2 x 6 inches
Bonsai, Garden Railroad
Not only are the 3” wide clumps of tiny green, venusta type, leaves maybe 2”
tall, the pale purple flowers aren’t much taller when they arrive late summer!
Hosta, Baby Kim
Hosta x ‘Mount Kirishima’
2 x 8 inches
Mini Woodland Groundcover
Narrow green leaves with wavy margins remind me of a very miniature corn
plant. Definitely dwarf enough for a trough.
$7.99
Hosta x ‘Baby Kim’
3 x 15 inches
Mini Shrub or groundcover
You thought “Tiny Venusta” was small. Here’s competition in the form of 2-3”
mounds of green leaves with pale lavender scapes 4 times the foliage’s height.
Hosta, Cheatin Heart
Hosta x ‘Cheatin Heart’
6 x 10 inches
Mini or Faery Gardens
Being named after a cheatin’ Hank William’s tune isn’t the only shady thing
about it. You’ll be singing the praises for this solid, gold leaved dwarf as it
brightens your shade garden parties with dark purple flowers, mid-summer.
Hosta, Collector’s Choice
Hosta x ‘Collector’s Choice’
RXR Shrub, Mini or Faery Gardens
3 x 12 inches
Here we have a smaller version of H. venusta. No collection is complete
without these dark green/blue leaves.
Hosta, Cookie Crumbs
Hosta x ‘Munchkin’
3 x 6 inches
Shrub, Mini or Faery Gardens
Neat thing about this tiny green hosta is the unpredictable, occasional streak
of white running through the foliage. (robust sport of “Hosta Masquerade”)
Hosta nakaiana
2 x 10 inches
Mini Woodland Groundcover
She proudly exhibits heart-shaped green leaves and lavender flowers by
mid-summer. Not the shortest, but she is the mother of many a
fine, mini hosta.
Hosta, Shiny Tot
Hosta, Shiny Tot
Hosta x ‘Shiny Tot’
2 x 6 inches
Faery Gardens
Examine the glossy green leaves with red spots on
the stems, note the 2 inch height, witness how nicely
it spreads along shady garden edges or troughs and a
tiny tale might come to mind for your tots.
Hosta x ‘Cracker Crumbs (Zone 5 - 9 )’
RXR Shrub, Faery Garden
3 x 6 inches
So here’s a reverse of “Cracker Crumbs”
that is white lined leaves that stand out like neon
lights. Sweet with “Primrose and Star Creepers!”
Hosta,
Cookie Crumbs
Hosta, Green Dagger
Hosta x ‘Green Dagger’
4 x 12 inches
Mini or Faery Gardens, Troughs
This is the masculine counterpart to “Feather Boa” hosta with a thicket of solid
green, slightly rippled, foliage and parent to many lanced shaped hostas.
Hosta, Itsy Bitsy Spider
$7.99
Hosta x ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’
RXR Shrub, Mini or Faery Gardens
2-1/2 x 6 inches
....went up the water spout.” Anyway, we’re talking less than 2” long, spear
shaped, solid green leaves making up a plant shorter than your index finger. See
Miss Muffet below.
Organic Slug Control: Page 43.
Hosta, Strawberry Yogurt $7.99
Hosta ‘Strawberry Yogurt’
6 x 16 inches
Mini or Faery Gardens, Troughs
Red dotted petioles (the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem) support four
inch long, wavy green leaves. Medium purple flowers rise from mid late August
on 13” scapes that are also intensely red-dotted. Well accessorized hosta, I’d
say.
Hosta, Venusta
Hosta venusta
RXR Shrub, Faery Gardens
3 x 6+ inches
Solid green tufts of 2 inch long leaves cuddle at the base,
from which arise 6” tall stalks of purple flowers each
summer. Companion of “Faery Ferns, Star Creepers,
and other faery flora listed in hardy shade lovers.
Hosta,Venusta
HARDY SHADE
44
HARDY SHADE
h IVY h All $4.99
Here’s the key for the following miniature ivy varieties:
Sun - Shade
Hardy Perennial
Organic - Loamy Soil
Normal Moisture
Spreads about 1 foot
Excellent Houseplants
Ivy, Adundance
Hedera helix ‘Adundance’
1 x 4 inches Groundcover, RXR Spiller
This ivy is determined to stay
small no matter how much you
fertilize. Duck foot shaped,
dark green foliage
grows, evenly spaced,
on serpentine stems.
]
Ivy, Anita
Tiny Spetchley
Henrietta
Acer palmatum ‘Goshiki Koto Hime’
P. Sun - P. Shade
2 x 2 feet
Bonsai, Miniature Tree
Four colors over three seasons in one tree! Each spring, lightly variegated,
pink-rose leaves emerge which fade to bright, light green leaves in summer culminating in yellow and orange each fall. All of this adds up to a natural bonsai
and terrific container specimen. Ultimately could reach 3 feet in 15 years.
Mitchella / Partridge Berry $5.99
Mitchella repens
Shade - P. Sun
1/2 x 6 inches
Groundcover
Squaw vine, its common name is what drew us to this medicinal miniature
resembling a mini vinca vine. Native American women made a tea from the
slightly evergreen flavored leaves and berries during childbirth. The shiny, dark
evergreen foliage and white flowers are nice but it’s the red berries that really
show up in a shady garden or even a trough.
Ivy, Anita
Hedera helix ‘Anita’
RXR Grape Vine
2 x 12 inches
Precious, micro, maple leaf foliage makes a lush filler to any planting. “Ivy”
represents fidelity so it is the appropriate herb to decorate a wedding cake. Our
#1 most popular “miniature grapevine” for garden railroaders
Ivy, Feen Finger
Hedera helix ‘Feen Finger’
RXR Vine, Baskets, Topiary, Terrarium
2 x 12 inches
“Feen Finger” (in German translates to “Faery Finger”- we did not make this
up!) is truly compact with tiny, long thin “lobes” per leaf which really like tiny
hands!
Ivy, Henrietta
Hedera helix ‘Henrietta’
2 x 12 inches
Topiary Form, RXR Mini Grape Vine
I’ve yet to see a smaller, more heavily variegated “Ivy” than “Henrietta.”
Great as a houseplant and an easy miniature topiary standard. Since ivy stands
for friendship, add one to your garden and make friends with the faeries.
Ivy, Mini Easter
Hedera helix ‘Mini Easter’
RXR Vine, Houseplants, Faery Garden
2 x 12 inches
Choose this bright cream variegated ivy to
create a proper English
garden simulating a mini
hedge of “Morris
Midget Boxwood” or
“Tiny Tim Arborvitae,” ivy and
an English Cottage.
Ivy, Peter Pan
Hedera helix ‘Peter Pan’
RXR Grapevine Trellis, Topiary
2 x 12 inches
Here is Mark’s choice for grapevines in a railroad garden scene. He says this
ivy looks most like grape leaves. Mark makes a tiny fence with bamboo stakes
and uses #20 florist wire to attach the ivy as it grows.
Maple, Japanese Koto Hime$24.99
Kenilworth Ivy, Mini
Cymbalaria aequitriloba
Sun - P. Shade
1 x 8 inches
RXR Spiller, “Walk-About”
Early summer, pale pink, mini
snapdragon flowers decorate tiny,
green foliage. Don’t be fooled by
its delicate appearance- it’s a tough,
ground-hugging, politely spreading
groundcover. The more sun it gets,
Leaves/flowers are actually
the more water it wants.
about 1/4 the size in this photo
HARDY SHADE
Mondo Grass, Dwarf
Ophiopogon japonicum ‘Nana’)
Sun - P. Shade 1 x 12 inches
RXR Shrub, Faery Groundcover, Bonsai
Dark green, grassy leaves form tight
little “humocks” that are often planted
under favorite bonsai trees. This tough
cooperative mini holds white tinted,
lavender flowers in summer, that turn
into sapphire/blue, egg- shaped fruit.
Mondo Grass, White Sparkler
Ophiopogon chingii ‘Sparkler’
P. Shade - P. Sun
2 x 5 inches
This delicate, fine leaved
“Mondo Grass” with pure
white flower spikes throughout the year is utilized as a
miniature “Pampas Grass” in
faery and railroad gardens.
Every setting needs the linear,
contrasting foliage of a grass.
Mini Grass or Shrub
Moss, Irish
Minuartia verna
RXR Spiller, Faery Garden Lawn
Sun - P. Shade
1 - 3 x 12 inches
10 years ago, we tried to keep this alive in various garden spots - no luck.
Now we seem to be able to grow it anywhere. It appears to desire moist soil and
protection from our harsh drying winds. Summer’s heat keeps growth at bay
but increases the water requirements. Conversely, shade nudges growth up to 3
inches tall and slows the need for water. Same holds true for most shade loving
groundcovers like corsican mint and star creepers.
Myosotis, Alpine Forget-me-Nots
Myosotis alpina
Sun - P. Sun 4 x 4 inches Mini Shrub
Unforgettable, 1-1/2 by 1/2 inch green leaves set the stage for baby blue
flowers that turn pink as they age, mid spring. They politely and surprisingly
reseed themselves and are swift sellers whenever they’re in bloom.
Nandina, Senbazuru Threadleaf
$15.99
Nandina domestica capillus ‘Senbazuru’
Half Hardy Perennial
Shade - P. Shade
10 x 10 inches
Bonsai, mini shrub
Consider this a mass (or mess if you’re not so generous) of wiry
leafless stems that terminate in clusters of deciduous leaves from copper (spring)
to green to purple (fall) colored. A most delicate sprinkling of white flowers
float above. Though it might reach 10” x 10” in 10 years, its common name on is
Heavenly Bamboo. “Heavenly” because it isn’t, and won’t spread like bamboo.
Cover with a plastic milk jug for an easy winter clotch to aid in over wintering.
45
HARDY SHADE
Orchid, Chinese Ground-Var. Pink $7.99
Bletilla striata ‘Albomarginata’
P. Shade - P. Sun
12 inch spreading Amazing Flowers for shade
Our most elegant addition is also called “Hyacinth orchid” for it’s purplish
pink orchid flowers that last for a month. Blades below are and green and light
green streaked like a dry brush highlighted them.
Oxalis/Shamrock, Tiny Dbl. White
Oxalis magellanica ‘Nelson’
RXR, Faery
P. Sun - P. Shade
1/2 x 12 inches
The connection between Ireland & faery lore is
legendary, thus, these tiny clover leaves are most
appropriate in a wee folk garden. It grows 1/2”
small and holds double white flowers, no bigger than
a baby pea each spring, then again in the fall. Emerald
green leaves in the shade, bronze with increased sunlight.
Doesn’t like extreme heat or drought. Ideal
between shaded flagstones and at the base of a
bonsai.
Polygonatum, Dwarf Solomon’s Seal $7.99
Polygonatum humile ‘Fred Case form’l
Shade - P. Shade
6 x 24 inches
Miniature Woodland
Make an authentic woodland with “Dwarf Solomon’s Seal” complete with
pleated, deep green leaves and dangling white flowers. Bluish-black, inedible
fruit follows. Great for shady rock gardens and a wide variety of soil conditions.
Fred Case was a famous biology teacher/breeder/plantsman and also our Shelley
Hayes’ high school teacher. What an inspiration!
Sedge, Mini Chocolate-leaf
Carex buchmannii
(Zone 5 - 10)
P. Shade - Sun 2 x 6 inches
RXR Grass and
bonsai friend
Looking for a shade loving miniature
grass for a Southwest theme railroad
garden? All aboard! Milk chocolate to
olive green leaves turn dark chocolate
if sited in a sunnier spot. Forms thick,
tufty mounds, spreading VERY slowly.
However, digging and dividing speeds up the process of spreading, if desired.
Spikemoss, Golden
Selaginella brownii ‘Aureum’ Zone 6- 11)
Shade - P. Shade 1/2 x 12 inches Groundcover
These living fossils literally covered the planet
millions of years ago, providing us today, with our
gasoline and natural gas. Luckily, this lovely golden
groundcover still illuminates the shady container or moist
garden. It has survived many winters here in protected areas.
Deer steer clear of ferns, heucheras, star creepers and this!
h STAR CREEPERS h All $4.99
These are the quintessential stars of the shade when seeking plants
for in between stepping stones. Blooming, white or shades of blue, is
icing on the cake. They’re ideal landscape groundcover or lawns.
Star Creeper, Alpine White
h PRIMROSE h $4.99
Pratia puberula ‘Alba’ ( Zone 5 - 9 )
P. Shade - Sun 2 x 18 inches Groundcover
Hardy, flowering groundcovers in the
shade are quite popular. This plant blooms
white well into the fall when pampered with
normal to moist soil and shade. Whether for
a fanciful faery garden or creeping between
plants or stepping stones, “Star Creeper”
need loose, organic, rotted bark soil.
Part shade or sun, anything but afternoon sun is fine with these friends of
hosta and daffodils. Deer snub them!
Primrose, Cowslip
Primula veris
3 x 12 inches
Mini Shrub
Try an English native full of myth, folklore and medicinal tradition with rosettes
of dark green leaves, similar to modern
florist primrose. Yellow flower
clusters are born on the end of 8 inch
stalks. Mulch over soil retains moisture.
Star Creeper, Baby Blue
Pratia pendunculata (Laurentia) (Zone 5 - 10)
P. Shade - Sun 2 x 18 inches Groundcover, Faery, Walk-About
Here’s your answer for a quick spreading
groundcover for shade to sun. Sweet baby
blue, star-shaped flowers from late May until
September, look like miniature inverted
umbrellas protecting dark green, “Corsican
Mint”-like leaves (sans the scent). Plant by
your garden railraod tracks only if you have
the time to prune weekly. These take off
once established.
Primrose, Double Red
Primula X ‘Corporal Baxter’
4 x 12 inches
Faery Garden
Try a hardy, double, Valentine-red flowered
primrose to keep your faeries company. Just
saw it in bloom this morn in the greenhouse. WOW!
Primrose, Gold Lace
Strawberry, Faery
Primula elatior-Hydrid ‘Gold Lace’
4 x 12 inches
Shrub or Tree, Faery Garden Must!
This is the antique variety from England that long ago inspired the “Primrose
Faery” illustration by Cicely M. Barker. The dark red flowers have a cheerful
golden, picotee edge to all the petals.
Fragaria v. semper. ‘Verbesserte Rugen’
P. Shade - Sun
4 - 6 x 18 inches
Shrub, Absolutely Faery Garden!
Children, nor faeries, of any age can not
resist everbearing strawberries. Whether
in the shade or sun, these clumping strawberries produce fragrant, small, but extraordinarily sweet fruits all the days of
summer, with no crazy runners.
Primrose, Wanda
Primula x juliae ‘Wanda’
3 x 12 inches
Faery Garden Shrub or Tree
This is among the first flowers of spring,
exploding with fuchsia fury. Blooms with
daffodils their entire season! Considered
one of the toughest, hardiest primroses by
its behavior in our OPEN fields. No large shady areas?
Just plant it on the north side of any shrub and divide clumps annually
after flowers finish.
HARDY SHADE
more everbearing patio
strawberries on page 13,
garden (June) strawberries
on page 60
46
HARDY SHADE
h SWEET FLAG h All $4.99
Most adaptable miniature award goes to this grassy group.
Grows as happy in a sunny, wet pond as in the shade or even
in your home. TERRARIUM & BONSAI COMPANION WORTHY!
Sweet Flag, Japanese Mini
Acorus gramineus
3 x 9 inches
Grass, Bonsai, Terrarium
Japanese sweet flag is a mini grass that
provides sleek, linear form, to an otherwise
bushy world. Easy to slip into a terrarium
as it does not mind moist feet. Its forest
green clumps simulate irises though their
shy flowers do not.
SEE EDIBLE SWEET FLAG
IN HERB SECTION PAGE 28
Buddy Austin & Joshua, about 6 years old (circa 2006)
h Tropical Shade Miniatures h
Sweet Flag,
Japanese Mini Gold
Acorus gramineus ‘Oborozuki’
African Violet, Humpty Doo Mini
Saintpaulia ‘Rob’s Humpty Doo’
P. Shade - P. Sun
1-1/2 X 3 inches
Terrariums, Shade Gardens
Like any violet, use room temperature water
to avoid permanent splotching on the leaves.
The sweetest, non-stop, blue & white flowers hold
court over rosettes, which enjoy frequent dividing.
Acorus gramineus ‘Himenasumene’’
RXR, Pond, Terrarium
4 x 6 inches
Terrariums are back in popularity.
They still hold appeal for plenty of young
(and veteran) gardeners. These pure white
and green striped clumps are uniquely
suited for such a home, if you haven’t
noticed.
Thalictrum, Miniature Japanese
Alternanthera, Christmas Tree $7.99
Thalictrum kuisianum
P. Sun - P. Shade
1 x 8 inches
Mini Woodland Groundcover
“World’s Smallest! Prefers a moist, peat bed in part shade. Columbine like
foliage sets the stage for heads of fluffy rosy-mauve flowers, mid summer, standing only a few inches above soil level on wiry stems.
These are not your ‘70s houseplants! Great for terrariums or as
houseplants, these versatile botanical wonders brighten your world,
inside then out. Send them outside by May and integrate them into
hardy shade gardens. They are fantastic on your shaded patio in
strawberry jars or mixed planters with larger fuchsia and begonias.
Stick some in the shady perennial border and give your hosta collection some all season color. G-Scale gardeners relish more options
for otherwise sparsely planted shade areas. Promise me you won’t
forget to bring them in, this fall, before frost!
3 x 9 inches Terrarium, Miniature Grass
This dwarf grass grows to only 4” tall.
Sweet Flags are a rare exception to the rule
of staying within cultural groups, in this case, hardy shade. They tolerate tropical shade
neighbors in a terrarium. Add a few black
stones and create a striking display with
these bright yellow tufts.
Sweet Flag,
Japanese Mini White Stripe
All $4.99 (unless otherwise marked)
Woodruff, Tiny Sweet
Asperula suavis (Zone 5 - 8)
P. Shade - P. Sun
1 x 12 inches
Lawn, Walk-About, Troughs
It’s an exact 1/4-sized Swt. Woodruff
replica, however it blooms all summer
and it does not spread with underground
runners Instead, it forms tidy clumps
and must be divided to enlarge.
Violet, Silver Korean
Viola grypoceras exilis (V. koreana) ‘Sylettas’
P. Shade - P. Sun
2 x 4 inches
Mini Woodland Groundcover
By mid summer, light purple flowers decorate silver veined green leaves that
cling to moist, woodland soil. You must have violets in your faery gardens!!!
HARDY SHADE
$5.99
Alternanthera X ‘Christmas Tree’
RXR, Mini Shrub or Border
P. Shade - P. Sun
6 x 3 inches
Here’s a plant for a large terrarium. If they were hardy, the railroader would
find these 6 inch green shrubs, the ideal foundation boxwood hedge. Why not
use them that way and dig’em out in the fall for great houseplants? Might even
work for a miniature Christmas tree. Grows fast once established.
Alternanthera, Gold Threads
Alternanthera ficoidea ‘Aurea Nana’
P. Shade - P. Sun
8 x 8 inches
Terrariums, Shady RXR, Gardens
These are popular in public gardens because
of their colorful show, in mass, and tolerance of
pruning shears. Allow it to be a golden tropical
tree or trim top for a bushy annual specimen
outdoors in the faery or railroad landscape.
Alternanthera, Red Threads
Alternanthera ficoidea ‘Red’
P. Shade - P. Sun
10 x 10 inches
Terrariums, Shade RXR Gardens
Bright red foliage contrast with any golden miniature. I can picture a jungle
tabletop garden with “Oak-Leaf Ficus” and “Golden Baby’s Tears” or with a
begonia for a Hawaiian theme.
47
TROPICAL SHADE
Begonia, Fuchsia Red
Baby Tears, Golden
Begonia fuchsioides ‘Rubra’
P. Shade
16 x 12 inches
Mini Tree, Bees, Butterflies
Glossy is what begonias are all about and this red blooming beauty follows
suit. Not to be outdone, sumptuous, fuchsia type flowers dangle like heavy
ear rings. Imagine that in your home this winter.
Soleirolia soleirollii ‘Aurea’
P. Shade
1 x 12 inches
“Walk-About”
This is a bright gold version of the popular
houseplant. Micro leaves unite to form a glowing
groundcover for railroad gardeners and a lawn
in mini landscapes. By summer’s end you’ll really
dig these plants. REALLY or they’ll die!!
Begonia, Mini Maple Leaf $5.99
Begonia partita
8 x 18 inches
Mini Tree
Even expensive railroad layouts
often lack great plants. Set yours apart
with a white flowering, mini maple tree.
The scale of leaf to tree is a bit large
but too intriguing to pass up. Easy to
care for indoors. Its fleshy stem gets
thick and woody quickly simulating a tree
for a mini garden in no time. Easy bonsai!
Brazilian Rain Tree $7.99
Chloroleucon (Pithecellobium) tortum
Sun - P. Sun
2 x 2 feet
Bonsai Tree
Pruning is the key to keeping this specimen under two feet. Rewards include
white powder-puff blossoms which turn yellowish within a few days, followed by
curly seed pods. Leaves close at night and the tree looks dead, but the next morning the leaves open and the tree is alive. Also the trunk’s exfoliating bark reveals
the white inner bark, which is really exciting for bonsai folks.
h MINIATURE BEGONIAS h
Begonia, Red Planet
Their foliage is varied and interesting PLUS continuous blooms add
color, year round, to faery gardens and terrariums. When the leaves
or plants are on the verge of getting too large, this is the time to divide
and share. Provide some SUN, but not too bright, allow to DRY OUT in
between waterings and nourish with organic fertilizer once a month.
Mark is going nuts on these, so look for new varieties every year!
Begonia ‘Red Planet’
5 x 6 inches
Shrub, Houseplant
Though it is an excellent ornamental for a shady summer garden, it’ll be
ready to jump into a container and onto a winter windowsill. Dark maroon to
chocolate brown splotches zigzag over its smooth, glossy leaves resulting in a
unique and adorable specimen.
NEW! Begonia, Bethlehem Star
Begonia, Rhinestone Jeans
Begonia, Blue Cuban or Cuban Holly
Begonia ‘Rhinestone Jeans’
P. Shade
4 x 6 inches
Mini Shrub, Houseplant
Yes! Our smallest “Rex-type” is 4 inches tall by 6 inches of cuteness in the
form of yellow leaves with maroon red mottling and heavy “eyelash” edges.
Begonias do not want to be overwatered. Keep slightly moist, never soggy.
Begonia ‘Bethlehem StarTender Perennial
P. Shade
12 x 12 inches
Terrarium, Shade Containers
Indoors, in late winter or early spring is when pale white, almost pink flowers
emerge. It is aptly named for the cream colored star in the middle of each fuzzy,
dark-as-night leaf.
Begonia cubensis
P. Shade
12 x 12 inches
Mini Tree
Discovered in Cuba in 1858, it has small, waxy blue/green leaves on short, thin
woody stems. The best part is the nearly continuous, light pink flowers held above
the foliage. Add to that, it is a mildew resistant, easy to grow compact begonia.
Begonia, Bower’s Black
Begonia bowerae ‘Nigramarga’
3 x 6 inches
Shrub, Terrarium
A mist of abundant pale pink flowers dotted with pin
pricks of dark pink hover over brown blotched 4” foliage.
Whether for a terrarium, windowsill or summer shade
garden, people have already snatched it up before we have
gotten it out on the official retail benches!
Begonia richardsiana
P. Shade
8 x 18 inches
Tree
Bonsai’s popularity waxes and wanes, due in
part, because, depending on the species you
select, it could be like adopting a child. Get a
plant that is naturally exotic but easier to shape
and maintain. Admire this mini “Rex Begonia’s”
tropical leaves. Soon you’ll discover the stems
will form huge, swollen bases. Step back, observe,
prune a little and you are on your way. If you are
new to bonsai, connect with a local club for a rich
resource of friendly, knowledgeable and interesting
folks.
Begonia, Tiny Fuchsia
Begonia foliosa var putzeysiana
P. Shade
9 x 9 inches
Mini Tree, Bonsai
This world’s smallest leaved begonia “dressed in fuchsia’s clothing” will
eventually grow up, in 5 to 10 years! Glossy green foliage sits well with nonstop, rose colored flowers.
Begonia, Butterfly Wings
Begonia polillensis
P. Shade
6 x 12 inches
Trees
Butterfly or Faery wings? Mark couldn’t decide until
he saw a Swallowtail pose by the flowers. Each leaf
appears as one side of a butterflies’ wing. Chartreuse
and green leaves, edged in red, make a beautiful foil for
the endless supply of pink tinged, clam-shaped flowers.
Calathea / Mini Prayer Plant Calathea micans ‘Meeham’s Miniature’’
P. Shade -P. Sun
2 x 4 inches
Mini Shrub, Terrairum
World’s Smallest “Prayer Plant”
is not exactly scaled miniature
for landscaping but great for dish
gardens and terrariums. It really
likes it warm so if it goes dormant,
it is NOT dead! It will resprout.
Wish my knees could do that!
Begonia, Fuchsia Form Pink
Begonia fuchsioides
P. Shade
6 x 12 inches
Mini Tree, Terrarium
I can see these 3/4” oval, glossy green leaves and clam-shaped pink flowers
with “Alternanthera” (Christmas Tree), Golden Baby Tears, and World’s Smallest
Boston Fern” in perhap a terrarium to start. It will eventually graduate to a larger
container or the garden.
TROPICAL SHADE
Begonia, Richardsiana
48
TROPICAL SHADE
Columnea /Mini Lipstick Variegated
Fuchsia, David
Fuchsia X ‘David’
P. Shade - P. Sun
12 x 12 inches
Mini Tree, Edible Flowers
Some spill over baskets but this naturally
upright growing fuchsia is destined as a
trained, miniature blooming tree. Flowers
are small with red tubes, red sepals and deep
purple corollas. For a tropical fruit salad,
add these tasty blooms. Just a reminder:
harvesting initiates more blooms just as
clipping foliage encourages more leaves and
future flowers.
Columnea X ‘Broget Stavenger’
P. Sun
1 x 18 inches
Mini Groundcover/Spiller
Bright red, 3/4 inch, trumpet flowers are strewn over draping variegated
foliage. Would make a gorgeous hanging basket if it grew faster though we’re
quite content to host it in a terrarium or faery garden. Easy houseplant
Faery Fern, Tiny Tim
Leptinella (Cotula) gruveri
P. Shade -P. Sun 1/2 x 8 inches
Lawn, RXR Garden
If a tiny leaved, thick carpet isn’t good enough, each bright green leaf has
a frilly edge although you just about need a magnifying glass to see it. Any of
the faery ferns are “designed” for railroad gardens and a child’s mini landscape
adorned with a set of dinosaurs. Throw in a haworthia and a “Ficus, Tiny Oak
Leaf” and you have an imaginative underwater scene in a terrarium.
Fuchsia, Lottie Hobby
Fuchsia thymifolia x‘Lottie Hobby’ (Zone 7 - 10)
RXR, Mini Tree or Vine
P. Shade - P.Sun 18 x 18 inches Absolutely miniature, 1/2” flowers of dazzling pink & rose red emerge between
1/4 to 3/8 inch leaves. Collected from a “Fuchsia” show in Seattle, known for
cool summers, yet it grows fine during our heat. Since September, it hasn’t
stopped flowering, indoors. Over trellises or on the ground, consider this trailing
feature in your railroad gardens, edge of raised beds or in miniature landscapes.
Fern, World’s Smallest Boston
Nephrolepis ‘Mini Russells’
RXR Shrub, Faery Garden
P. Shade -P. Sun
3 x 3 inches
Botanically, it is a true “Boston Fern” however, the fronds normally grow no
more than 2 inches long. Holy Cow! Works well in a tropical shade miniature
garden setting providing a fresh, green shrub element.
Fuchsia, Variegated Lottie Hobby $5.99
Fiber-Optic Grass
Fuchsia thymifolia x ‘Variegated Lottie Hobby’
P. Shade - P. Sun
8 x 8 inches
Mini Shrub, Edible Flowers
You may have been strong enough to resist our first dwarf fuchsia, but not this
brightly variegated form. We drape it over a 10” tall trellis as the focal point of a
dish garden that is brought indoors each fall. Can also be trained as a small tree.
Euclaris radicans
P. Shade -P. Sun 1 x 6 inches RXR Garden
You’d swear there should be an electric
cord attached. Each blade of grass has a tiny
flower head. It’s sure to be a conversation
starter & miniature faery bouquet. Container grow
for easy fall move indoors. a.k.a “Bonsai Grass”
h FICUS h
Gota Kola, New Zealand Mini
Ficus don’t mind the indoors but appreciate summer vacations
outside. They prefer P. SHADE - P. SUN (“Ficus, Willow Leaf”
tolerates afternoon sun) and ORGANIC to LOAMY SOIL.
They like their feet in moist soil. All are easy bonsai starters.
Hydrocotyle nova zealandiae
P. Shade - P. Sun
1/2 x 12 inches
Groundcover, Water Garden, Edible
Although it may have similar memory enhancing qualities as our herbal “Gota
Kola,” we put it in the miniature section because it is known more as a water and
shade loving plant. Still, its green, scalloped 1/4 inch leaves are actually tastier
than its serious cousin, so it fits into both categories.
Ficus, Creeping Tiny Oak-Leaf $5.99
Ficus pumila ‘Quercifolia Minima’
1/2 x 12 inches Vine, House plant, RXR, Faery
Creeps and attaches like an ivy with 1/4”
oak leaf shaped foliage. Rather than
losing it amid larger garden plants,
I suggest you utilize its strengths as
a slow moving groundcover at the
base of a bonsai specimen.
Ficus, Tiny Limey $5.99
Ficus, Too Little
$5.99
Ficus cv ‘Tiny Limey’.
P. Shade - P. Sun
18 x 18 inches
Tree, RXR, Mini/Faery Garden
It’s not a lack of fertilizer. It is in its nature for the new foliage to begin lime
green and mature to dark green. We reserve this tiny ficus tree for the winter
windowsill as a reminder of warmer days. Then, outside it goes in May.
Ficus X ‘Too Little’
P. Shade - P. Sun 18 x 18 inches Tree, RXR, Mini/Faery Garden
Layer upon layer of rich green, thumb-sized leaves mimic its standard cousin’s
tree form. Few plants are better suited as THE mini tree for tropical landscapes
and faery gardens.
Ficus, Willow-Leaf $5.99
Ficus subulata (salicifolia)
P. Shade - P. Sun
3 x 2 feet
Tree, RXR, Mini/Faery Garden
It’s not a “Willow,” however, it fits into a tropical landscape, as a small tree.
Expect “Coppertone” bronze foliage when sited in sun. Bonsai specimen
TROPICAL SHADE
Haworthia/ Faery Wash Board
Haworthia limifolia
Shade - P. Sun 3 x 6 inches
Mini or Faery Garden
Even faeries need to wash their clothes once in
awhile and I bet these double as clothes dryers
for them too. Haworthias, although from the
South African deserts, like protection from the
noon to 4:00 afternoon sun. Their 4 inch
“Easter Lily”- like flower spikes reveal their
place in the Lily family. Only way to dampen
their spirits is by watering them too much,
so go easy with the garden hose.
Inch Plant, Pink Buttons
Callisia repens ‘Bianca’
P. Shade - P. Sun
2 x 5 inches
Basket, RXR Spiller
Pea-sized pink, cream and green, oval leaves, like that
of its cousin “Wandering Jew” create the quintessential
hanging basket, provided bright light and moist soil.
Perhaps it’s easier to not let it dry out if it’s in a
terrarium or tropical faery garden. This is a fast
growing “mini!” Watch where you plant it and
keep it under control!
49
TROPICAL SHADE
Oxalis, Little Burgundy
Oxalis alstonii (O. vulcanicola)
P. Sun -P.Shade 6 x 12 inches Shrub, Faery Garden
You can allow the burgundy wine colored foliage
and yellow flowers to mature larger or do a bit of
pruning to keep managed for faery or railroad gardens.
Try this alternative color for a March 17th centerpiece
when you feel like serving wine rather than green beer.
Oxalis, Little Plum Crazy
Oxalis ‘Plum Crazy’ Tender Perennial
P. Shade -Shade 3 x 6 inches Shrub, Culinary, RXR
Give it moisture and morning sun and this patchwork of pink, green and fuchsia will be enhanced
along with its deep pink stems. You’d be lucky
to have this clover in a hanging basket or semi
shaded faery garden where celtic shapes are revered.
Remove bronze colored leaves before they take over.
Oxalis, Little Zinfandel
Plectranthus, Ernsts Baobab$5.99
Plectranthus ernstii
P. Sun - P. Shade 12 x 12 inches
Tree
Everyone wants
our 6 year old stock
plant. It blooms until
mid summer, with
delicate white snowflake spires perched
above fleshy, scallop
edged, mint green leaves,
but the real eyecatcher is the
large swollen tree trunk at its base
It looks like those African “Baobab” trees
that get all the monkeys and warthogs drunk
in nature films.
NEW!
Pumpkin Patch $6.99
Nertera granadensis (N. depressa)
Tender Perennial P. Shade - P. Sun
1/2 x 4 inches Mini Pumpkin Patch
Orange berries well before Halloween reveal, this is not “Corsican mint.”
Watering is tricky. We water from
below or next to foliage like a violet
as precipitation on berries and fruit
leads to early demise from rot.
Oxalis vulcanicola
P. Sun -P. Shade 6 x 12 inches Shrub, Culinary, RXR, Houseplants
We welcome copper foliaged plants as a contrast to our
sea of green. Foliage transforms into a dark Zinfandel
hue as sun exposure increases. Added attributes
are its fast growth, edible and tasty “Shamrock
shaped” leaves, red stems and 3 inch high yellow
flowers. This shows up at high end restaurants.
Peperomia, Mini String-of-Heart
Rhipsalis, Old Man’s Beard
Peperomia, Pixie
Snowbush/ Breynia, Dwarf $5.99
Peperomia prostrata
P. Shade -P. Sun
1/2 x 6 inches
Mini Groundcover, RXR Spiller
I call this the “Peace” plant because the light green etching over the 1/4 inch,
medium green, oval leaves roughly resembles a peace sign. Its creeping, compact
foliage loves to crawl all over a terrarium floor given enough light and humidity.
Peperomia meridana ‘Pixie’
P. Shade - P. Sun
3 x 3 inches
Mini Shrub
Under plants for terrariums and “Wardian Cases,” you’ll find this houseplant,
a.k.a. “Crazy Quilt Peperomia.” Reddish stems balance whorls of glossy, sunken
veined, rich green foliage that is stacked tightly like shingles. Very tight compact
shrub for faery gardens.
Pilea, Trailing Blue Angel
Pilea glaucophylla ‘Greyzy’
P. Shade - Shade
1 x 12 inches Terrarium, RXR Spiller,“Jar-Gems”TM
Blue with silver streaked foliage is an uncommon find. Tiny, rust red flowers
accentuate its pea sized foliage especially as it trails down the sides of a tropical,
basket. Perhaps you need a fast perennial groundcover that is easily trimmed and
controlled. Treat as an annual or dig out a few pieces in the fall and plant inside.
Rhipsalis teres form capilliformis
P. Shade - Full Sun 1 x 12 in. Trailing “Jar-Gems” TM, Baskets
Elongated, green, pencil stems droop over, carrying a load of toothpick
sized branchlets. You might be graced with cream colored flowers along the
stems. Put in a basket or along the edge to allow this old man to droop.
Breynia nivosa (distacha) ‘Roseapicta Nana’’
Shade - P. Shade 2 x 6 inches
Mini Shade Tree
Karen hasn’t been able to kill this one in the house! (WHAT! That’s not
true- no, wait a minute, you’re right!) Phenomenally tolerant to low light,
even dry conditions. White, pink, and green marbled leaves are 1/2” wide
if given plenty of soil and fertilizer, but quickly “self-bonsai” down to 1/4”
leaves, when plant is root bound, giving the appearance of a tricolored
“Redbud” or “Katsura Tree.” This is arguably our easiest miniature
landscape tree and most colorful houseplant.
Syngonium/Arrowhead Pink Petite
Syngonium hybrida
P. Shade - Shade
4 x 6 inches
Shrub, Terrarium, Faery Garden
“Arrowhead Plant” is an appropriate common name describing the shape
of its leaves. A pale cream wash is “painted” on the surface with detailed
deep pink veins and light green undersides. Their linear look plays well with
“Ficus, Creeping Tiny Oakleaf and Begonia, Maple Leaf” in a terrarium.
NEW! Syngonium, White Pixie
Syngonium x ‘Pixie’
P. Shade - Shade
2 x 3 inches
Mini shrub, Terrariums, Faery Garden
Forever in search of plants that are NOT
their common or original color, Mark
discovered this white washed, terrarium
star, looking like a miniature caladium.
Grows thick so dividing once a year
would be greatly appreciated by
each clump.
TROPICAL SHADE
50
TROPICAL SHADE
h Tropical Sun Miniatures h All $4.99 (unless otherwise marked)
Along with the tropical shades and succulents, these are great houseplants. You know the drill: enjoy their color in patio containers, railroad
or faery gardens and even some in strawberry pots. Come fall, rescue them from the frost to winter indoors in a windowsill garden or for many,
terrariums. Promise me you won’t forget to bring them in this fall! Provide WELL DRAINED SOIL, SUPPLEMENTAL WATER as needed and at least
SOME AFTERNOON SUN. Don’t forget to add miniature edibles like “Mini Purple Basil” to your gardens.
Aloe, Mini
Aloe aristata
Sun - P. Sun
1 x 3 inches
Houseplant for Beginners
Common name “Lace Aloe” and species name “aristata” from the Latin for
“bristly,” refers to its lacy leaf edges. In May, 2 foot, nectar-rich, tubular orange
flowers tend to attract birds, bees, and wasps. When not in bloom, its rosettes of
stiff green leaves are often confused with some Haworthia. The 9 year-old clump
in our rock garden is now 6” tall x 15” wide proving its obedient growing habit.
Coleus, Mini Red-Leaf
Coleus X ‘Cantigny Royale’
Sun - P. Sun
12 x 12 inches
Tree, Houseplants, RXR, Faery
Full sun or shade, there are few rivals to this “Red Maple” tree mimic in a
mini railroad or landscape due to its dark red, 1 inch leaves. Coleus are known
for being easy to grow and easy to propagate. By the time it matures into a 12
inch form, (which is in its’ first season), it can easily be trained into the shape of
a mini tree as well, provided it has an extra drink of water now and then.
$5.99
Cactus, Fairy Castle
$5.99
Coleus, Mini Autumn Leaf $5.99
Cactus Thimble
$5.99
Coleonema - Confetti Tree
$5.99 & 14.99
Cereus minima ‘Fairy Castle’
Sun - P. Sun
4 x 2 inches
Houseplant for Beginners
Oh my gosh- if you could see these cactus spires rising to varying heights,
maximum 4 inches or so, you would agree- Fairy Castle is most appropriate.
Easily grown in a sunny windowsill by children of all ages. No Spines!
Coleus x ‘Tiny Red Toes’
Sun - P. Shade
6 x 6 inches
Tree, RXR, Houseplant
Enjoy this coleus in your summer mini landscape, celebrate its autumnal
crescendo of red and gold, bring it in for the winter and consider it a poinsettia
alternative. It’s a stretch to liken it to that Christmas icon, but it sort of looks
like one, although it is much more multi stemmed. Admire it, train in, love it.
Mammillaria gracilis fragilis
Sun - P. Sun
1 x 3 inches
Houseplant for Beginners
Green globes covered with white, radial spines create the perfect miniature
cactus. Inside, each winter, satiny, cream colored flowers join in. Break off new
clumps (no gloves needed!), root it & share with an aspiring, young horticulturist.
Cactus, Tiny Peanut
$5.99
Coleonema pulchrum
Full Sun
12 x 12 inches
Mini Tree, Bonsai
Here’s a bonsai artist’s dream: Bring indoors in the fall then witness
winter, white-pink blooms in perfect scale with the fine needled, green foliage
throughout the winter. Just a few snips and cherry-bark trunks are revealed.
Enjoy outdoors as a tree in any miniature landscape. South African medicinal.
Echinopsis chamaecereus
Sun - P. Sun
2 x 6 inches
“Jar-Gems” TM, Mini Shrub
On our customers’ behalf, Mark swore he would not offer cactus as handling
them would result in nasty, midnight phone calls. However, with the looks of a
miniature “Saguaro Cactus” when young, totally spine and pain free trunks and
outREDgeous flowers, this one gets a free pass. Grow it in small hanging baskets
and desert mini gardens. Place new pieces in tiny pots for more fun.
Calocephalus, Cushion Bush
h COPROSMA
All $5.99 h
100 million years ago, New Zealand broke off the rest of the world,
allowing many ancient plants to flourish in isolation. From this unique
flora, we bring the “Skeleton Plant” and this glossy group. Enjoy outdoors, then bring color to a sunny, winter window. Bests even the
most neglectful caretakers. We selected bold, small leaved, compact
growers. All hope for: SUN to P. SHADE & SANDY to LOAM, DRY SOILS.
Calocephalus brownii
Full Sun
12 x 12 inches
Shrub or Tree, RXR, Mini Garden
Plants like this silver foliaged tumbleweed separate
the passionate collectors from those with a casual
interest in unique plants. It’s easier to tell it is
alive vs. say the “Skeleton Plant,” I give you that.
Still, it’s such a great contrast with its linear,
jointed form that I really shouldn’t tease Mark
about it anymore. I have to agree, it’s an
obvious player in a miniature Halloween scene
Coprosma, Cappuccino
Chile, Mini Bonsai Tree
Coprosma prostrata ‘Kiwi Gold’
$5.99 Capsicum frutescens ‘Prik kee noo’
Full Sun
12 x 12 inches
Mini Tree, Bonsai
“World’s Smallest Chile Pepper,” and with just a little lower stem pruning, it
is the easiest bonsai tree to grow in just 1 season. Fine, burnt orange fruits
arrive early followed by equally
tiny leaves that form by season’s
end. Maybe it’ll mature to a 12”
by 12” tree, but our 3 year old
has not yet achieved that size.
Could fill in a gig as a miniature
scaled apple tree, but for its
fiercely, firey, pointed fruits, it
would be a cruel joke if someone
sampled, with no warning given.
TROPICAL SUN
Coprosma hybrida
3 x 1 feet Bonsai, Mini Tree, Topiary
Picture a rich, coffee bean hued hedge of small
poplar trees in your next miniature landscape. You
can train it into a topiary, curbing its 1 foot a year
growth, but keep in mind its mature size as you plant
it outside in spring amd inside every fall.
Coprosma, Kiwi Gold
1 x 3 feet
Bonsai, Baskets
This New Zealand native is noted for branchlets
of buttery gold splattered and glossy green leaves.
The species name prostrata suggests, it’s a trailer
and groundcover for tropical hanging baskets.
Coprosma, Tequila Sunrise
C. repens ‘Tequila Sunrise’
2 x 2 feet
Baskets
Glossy, lime green and yellow foliage
eventually ends up sunset orange
and burgundy by fall. Grows upright
about a foot annually, so keep your
your pruners at the ready and bring out the artist in you.
51
TROPICAL SUN
Dwarf Monterey Cypress,
Lemon Scent $5.99 & $12.99
h SMALL ICE PLANTS h
All “Jar Gems”TM $4.99
Cypress macrocarpa ‘Goldcrest’ (Zone 7 - 10)
Full Sun
6 x 24 inches
Tree, RXR, Faery
Can you believe a lemon scented conifer? This golden,
narrow, lemon “Pine-sol” scented pillar needs yearly pruning
to keep it compact. Sadly, not winter hardy, but easily overwintered in a semi-heated garage. Grab this for your G-scale
garden now. Very fast growing, but easily pruned to any shape.
h ELFIN HERB h
Said this before and I’ll say it again. Water and fertilize these iceplants IN SUMMER as much as any petunia because that is their main
growing season. In WINTER, give them sunny, cold, drafty windows
and a well draining soil- like you’d provide for rosemary.
Ice Plant, M & Mini Apricot
Delosperma rogersii ‘Mulberry Mini Apricot’
5 x 8 inches “Jar Gem”TM, Groundcover, Faery, or RXR Garden
We found this midget apricot version of “Mini Yellow” and now it’s yours for
a few bucks. Apricot, star shaped flowers never seem to stop on this mounding
succulent. Durable enough for “low water” gardens
and those, previously ornery, strawberry jars.
$5.99
Years ago, Ben asked Mark, “What’s the name of that
pretty flower?” “Elfin Herb,” he told Ben, who responded as any 3 yr.
old would asking why. “Because,” Mark said, “faeries like to use the
flowers as pretty little hats and then elves, who like to play tricks, run
by and snatch the flowers right off the faeries’ heads.”
Ice Plant, M & Mini Sunshine
Delosperma rogersii ‘Mulberry Mini Sunshine’ 5 x 8 inches
“Jar Gem”TM, Faery, RXR Garden
We selected this seedling because of its slighty
larger and distinctly brighter yellow flowers than the
original species. Same tight mound with flowers that
rarel stop blooming during the summer when given
enough water and fertilizer. Sounds like a
“Jar Gem TM” to me.
Elfin Herb
Cuphea hyssopifolia
Sun - P. Shade
1 x 1 feet
Tree for faery or RXR garden
Who can pass up a blooming tree that even a beginner
can get to flower most of the
year? Take a lower limb off
here and another that crosses
that other branch over there
and in no time, you’ve just
sculpted a tree. Elfin herbs
come in baby pink, red, rose,
purple or white.
Ice Plant, Ruby Star
Delosperma sp. ‘Ruby Star’
Sun - P. Sun
1 x 8 inches
Cascading hanging for hot & dry
Ruby represents its foliage (year round red tinge on its roughly 1 inch
pickle-shaped leaves) and a summer’s worth of ruby red flowers. It’s easy to
grow, cascading from strawberry jars and
stone walls or filling in between flagstones.
Erodium, Faery Double Rose $5.99
Erodium X variable ‘Flore Pleno ‘
Sun - P. Sun 2 x 12 inches Flowering Shrub
The first time I spied this, was at a
distance in our greenhouse. It
was already in a pot with a
rosemary tree. I asked if it
was true dwarf geranium. “No,”
Mark said, “but it’s related.”
Loves the same cultural conditions
as rosemary and rarely stops showing
off its dainty, bright pink, red streaked, fully double flowers. It is the ideal
tabletop landscape, flowering most of winter.
Erodium, Faery White Erodium reichardii ‘Album’ (Zone 6 - 11)
Sun - P. Sun 5 x 8 inches Alpine Shrub
As this is the largest of our erodiums and
most free blooming, it is easier to see the
resemblance to its perennial geranium
cousins. Here, where big isn’t neccesarily
better, there’s still room for it in a railroad
landscape, larger pot or perennial border.
NEW!
Heliotrope, Mini Marine
Ice Plant, Tiny White
Delosperma aberdeenense ‘Abbey Snow’
2 x 4 inches “Jar Gem”TM, Faery
In a strawberry jar, these pure
white, all season flowers and
tiny succulent leaves add balance
and a needed “breath” to bright
tropical combinations.
h SMALL LEAF JADES h
Keep it simple: SUN to PART SHADE in well draining soil.
Jade, Baby Necklace
$5.99
Crassula rupestris marnieriana x C. perforata
Sun - P. Shade
1 x 6 inches
Tree, Topiary, “Jar-Gems” TM, RXR
Every jade in our collection is distinct! Towers of stacked, healthy green,
plump, leaves (like jelly beans) stand side by side, about a dozen in each pot.
Blushes on the edges with summer’s sun outdoors after a winter of green inside.
Jade, Bad-Hair-Day or Salon Crassula muscosa (C. lycopodoides)
Sun - P. Shade
6 x 12 inches
“Jar-Gems” TM, RXR
Mark’s common name reveals his quirky sense
of humor, but if you saw the haphazard growth
pattern, you’d chuckle & agree. It may be a slow
growing jade, only a rare plant collector could
love, but if you’re looking for a Southwest
scene in a pot, ground or outdoor RXR
set-up, you’ve got 2 choices: “Bad-Hair
-Day” has curly/Medusa-type growth
and is limited in number this year, while
“Salon” shows off straight, thick and full growth.
$4.99 Heliotropium arborescens ‘Mini Marine’
Tender Perennial
Sun - P. Sun
8 x 6 inches
Mini Tree, Fragrant Houseplant
With flowers nearly as wide as this foot high plant, one would think it would
topple over. No worries. Just enjoy the purple, heavenly vanilla-scented flowers
on this miniature heliotrope. Blooms most of the summer in front of a border or
container, then smells up your house, this winter, if you’ll allow it. Mark cut
off a bloom for me on Valentine’s day and it lasted a few weeks.
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TROPICAL SUN
Mint Bush, Alpine
Jade, Bonsai Tree $5.99
Prostanthera cuneata
Sun - P. Sun
4 x 6 inches
Mini Tree
This Australian native inspires a project for next winter. After you’ve enjoyed
its bright green, slightly minty leaves and tiny white orchid flowers (a little
imagination here) this summer, try shaping it into a tree that you’ve situated by
itself or in a miniature, winter, windowsill faery garden.
Crassula sarcocaulis Sun - P. Sun
12 x 12 inches
Tree, RXR
Clearly its common name
explains how easy it is to attain a
bonsai look with minimal inter
vention. It grows into a tree on
its own. While it will eventually
reach 3 feet or more, you have many
years to play before you have to plunk
it into a wine barrel sized container.
Monkeywort, Creeping Blue
Lindernia grandiflora
Sun - P. Shade 1 x 12 inches
Go bananas over the dark blue
and white flowers that never quit
blooming above glossy green,
heart shaped leaves. Flowers
remind me of a miniature
“Mimulis.” It’s a tropical
groundcover that loves the heat,
but is slow to spread because
it just wants to flower. Good
for mini landscapes and railroads with a colorful rainforest
theme. Don’t forget to dig it up
next fall as it is a native to Florida.
Jade, Mini Pine Tree $5.99
Crassula tetragona
Sun - P. Sun
3 x 3 feet Tropical Tree
Fast growing, pointed, cigar-shaped leaves
circle the stems creating a “Ponderosa Pine” look.
All of these jades have proven
to be kid & pet friendly plants!
Jade, Tiny Bush
Monanthes subcrassicaulis
Sun - P. Sun
4 x 12 inches
Moujean Tea
Huernia zebrina magniflora
$5.99
Sun - P. Sun
1 x 8 inches
Houseplant for Beginners
Absolutely the most bizarre flower that
we introduced in 2015! It looks like a wine
colored, plastic, lifesaver was smacked in
the middle of each yellowish with wine-red
spotted, star shaped flower. In the shadow
of these stars, rise 4 angled cactus spires.
Malpighia / Barbados Cherry & Compact
$5.99
Malpighia paniculata & ‘Compacta’
Sun - P. Sun
16 x 16 inches
Mini Tree, Bonsai
The “Compact” makes its’ own natural bonsai, but is a little shy about
flowering for us. The tasty 3/8” cherry fruit form after the delicate pink flowers,
which are made up of triangular petals and erect, yellow stamen. Ask anyone
here how beautiful they are. Google malpighia paniculata and you will see an
amazing bonsai tree.
Myrtle, Mini Variegated Leptospermum / Tea Tree,Dwarf Double Red $5.99
Life Saver Plant/ Huernia
Basket Queen, Groundcover
Nashia inaguensis
Full Sun
2 x 2 feet Tea, Mini-landscape, Centerpiece
This tropical shrub looks like a tabletop “Gingko tree,” suitable for bonsai and
landscapes. Leaves and winter, cream colored buds are added to tea blends to
impart a vanilla flavor. Eventually mini orange fruits, only 1/8 inch, form.
These small bushes of
dark green, almost black,
1/4”, mini, pickle-shaped leaves are a
great contrast next to succulents like
“Aeonium Variegated” in a strawberry jar.
Want to entice a child toward gardening? start with jades. You can’t kill them,
and they come in a variety of shapes, sizes
and colors.
Leptospermum scoparium
Sun - P. Sun
12 x 12 inches
Mini Tree, Bonsai
Deep red-pink, double buds conveniently appear mostly in the winter and
sporadically all summe. Enjoy it as a tree in the garden railroad, then turn
bonsai artist, reserving a space for it on the winter windowsill.
Myrtus communis var. tarentenia ‘Microphylla Variegata’
Full Sun 1 - 3 x 3 feet
Winter Houseplant, Culinary
Prized by topiary and bonsai enthusiasts for its white flowers, white striped
variegated foliage and semi-weeping form. Mini black fruits form late summer.
From the Mediterranean, it is used sparingly to flavor lamb and other meats.
NEW! Natal Plum, Dwarf
$12.99
Carissa macrocarpa ‘Nana’,
Sun - P. Sun
24 x 24 inches
Mini Tree, Bonsai
A spineless version of the popular Florida shrub is a good
choice for bonsai beginners because it’s easy to grow, but
also appeals to more-experienced bonsai gardeners. The
lovely, fragrant flowers and sweet fruits are just part of the
charm of this subtropical perennial. The fruits are described as
tasting like a cross between cranberry, strawberry and apple.
NEW! Orange, Fly Dragon
Poncirus trifoliata
Sun - P. Sun
24 x 24 inches
Bonsai
A true miniature orange tree, with fruit the size of a “small golf ball”. Can be
train into amazing bonsai trees, with the fruit tasting sour citrus- but fun. I gotta
try this with “Miracle Fruit” on page 13.
NEW! Patagonian Sea Myrtle/ Baccharis $6.99 Baccharis patagonica Tender Perennial
Sun-P.Sun
6 x 12 inches
Tree, Bonsai, Xeriscape
You’d be right to expect this native of Chile’s high desert
to be a survivor. Red shoots give way to tiny, polished, green
leaves. Eventually cream colored, fragrant (described
as “fresh baked faery cakes”) explode on the scene.
Clip, after flowering to keep this evergreen shrub of
manageable size.
Faery Fest, Sat., April 30th = vendors, classes, refreshments
& pure family fun
Deer shy away.
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TROPICAL SUN
Privet, Mini Yellow
NEW! Pearly Wire Vine, Variegated
Muehlenbeckia axillaris ‘Variegata’
Tender Perennial
Sun - P. Sun
2 x 12 inches
Mini Groundcover, Troughs
Returned from our past catalogs, but with variegation. Leaves are white, pink,
and green. May be winter hardy, but like Nothoscordum (moved to Hardy Sun
perennials), we are being careful. Great groundcover, hanging over the edge of
containers as a ”spiller”.
Pelargonium/ Mini Zonal Red
Pelargonium X ‘Friesdorf’
Sun - P. Sun
5 x 5 inches
Houseplant, Container, Border
‘Friesdorf’ is a miniature
zonal geranium (that is a tender
perennial geranium named for
the horseshoe-shaped band of
dark color on the leaves of most
varieties) cultivar with rounded,
almost black leaves and single,
lipstick crimson flower clusters.
Remove dead flowers to foster
new growth.
HEY- is that faery winking or am
I just blurry-eyed at this point?
Pomegranate, Dwarf
Rosemary, Baby P.J.$4.49
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Baby P.J.’
6 x 12 inches
Bonsai, Culinary, Containers
5.99 & $24.99
Punica granatum “Nana’
Sun - P. Shade
12 x 12 inches
Mini Tree, Bonsai
Yes you ARE seeing double. This is also
listed in the fruit section, page 13. Bonsai
enthusiast love the twisting trunks of this
South Asian native that are conducive an
amazing ancient, gnarly form. Passionately
orange fruits are encouraged by a bit of
shade, dry soil and a slightly root bound
state. Once fruit buds are set, then you
can move it to more sun with protection
from winds and frost. From that point, it
likes water and a slightly acid soil. Prune
gently as the branches are brittle.
Sedum, Japanese Golden
Sedum makinoi ‘Ogon’
P. Sun - P. Shade
2 x 8 inches Groundcover, “Jar Gem”
“Sedum ,Voodoo” and this rare cultivar inspired our “Jar Gem” TM series, that
are plants perfectly suited to the cramped quarters and dry, severe conditions
of strawberry jars. This plant’s color indicates the degree of light- it whitens
with too much sun, turns chartreuse if the light is too low. If you get the light
exposure just right, it glows golden as it creeps along.
Portulacaria, Mini Elephant $5.99 Tree, RXR, Houseplants
Compared to the “Mini Variegated Portulacaria,” this clearly grows
more erect and of course has solid green, succulent foliage. This is the better
choice for dwarf trees. I suggest you add any “Haworthia,” a groundcover
of “Knawel Cushion” and a “Sweet Flag” and you’ve got a tropical garden for
indoors and out.
Portulacaria, Mini Elephant Var.
Possibly the “World’s Smallest”
rosemary has returned to exhibit
its tiny, needle leaves and equally
compact growth for any whimsical
dish garden or bonsai. The best
part is that it still provides plenty
of new shoots for cooking. “Baby
PJ” is a member of our “Faery Plant
Kingdom” collection.
Baby P.J.’s bigger
siblings with
their herb family
on page 22
Portulacaria afra
Full Sun 3 x 3 feet
Portulacaria afra ‘Variegata’
Sun - P. Sun 3 x 3 feet
Ruby stems are studded with
creamy white edged leaves, like
large, flattened peas. This really
colorful succulent assumes the
tree position in a dish garden.
See for yourself. Take a
look at it to your right.
Beauty, easy care, ready
for bonsai- what’s not
to like?
$5.99
Lonicera nitida ‘Baggescen’s Gold’ (Zone 7 - 10)
Sun - P. Shade
3 x 3 feet
Tree, Topiary
One look at this petite
privet and I imagine an
English hedge outlining a
slighty shaded faery garden.
3/8 inch golden-yellow leaves
share space on this very branched
plant. Although it can grow to 3
feet, it does so slowly and is easily
pruned. Use as a bonsai, shrub or
tree in railroad gardens or around a
down-sized, backyard cloister garden.
Sedum, Tokyo Sun
Sedum japonicum ‘Tokyo Sun’
Full Sun
2 x 4 inches
Drought Tolerant Groundcover
Some folks say this sedum hates full sun and we agree. A shaded site turns
the foliage light lime green. Afternoon sun turns the foliage almost white and
could burn it even with regular watering. We like a morning sun spot where the
leaves glow golden. We use this variety more than “Japanese Golden Sedum” in
miniature landscapes because the leaves are smaller, so it is appropriately scaled
for tinier tasks. Tasty in salads too!
$5.99
Mini Tree, Bonsai, Easy Houseplant
Senna, Desert Candle $5.99
Senna polyphylla
Sun - P. Sun
to 10 feet
Tree, Houseplants, Faery, RXR
This very rare “Caribbean Pea”
relative is an easy bonsai or mini
tropical tree. It is as graceful as a
honey locust. The senna leaf is
dark green to purple and only 1” long
with 7 to 10 pairs of eraser head sized leaflets.
Busy texture is punctuated with yellow summer flowers.
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54
TROPICAL SUN
h SERISSA h
All $5.99 & $15.99
As a “professional plant tester,” with a couple of south facing win
dows and fairly neglectful ways, I can attest to the fact that these
flowering trees are hard to kill but, that’s not their reputation. Our
experience tells us serissas require a generous pot filled with very
good houseplant potting soil (not bonsai soil). Allow the soil to dry
somewhat between watering, but never let it get bone dry. Place on
brightest windowsill (south or west) and maintain cooler temps (60 F).
Serissas prefer sun, but tolerate part sun and thrive in organic to
loamy, normal to wet soil. Bonsai folks know and love Serissas.
Serissa /Snowrose, Cherry Blossom
Serissa foetida ‘Cherry Blossom’ (rosea) (Zone 9 - 10)
Full Sun - P. Sun
2 x 2 feet
Mini Tree, RXR
Delicately edged in white foliage carries strong, single
pink flowers. This is easily trained into a tree BUT
does not like to dry out.
Serissa /Snowrose, Double White
Serissa foetida ‘Fleno-Plora’ (Zone 9 - 10)
Full Sun - P. Sun
2 x 2 feet
Mini Tree, RXR,
This all green tropical shrub looks like a mini magnolia tree,
but blooms most of the year! Translation: ideal bonsai specimen.
Grows best when temperatures are above 60 degrees. My research
concluded this plant the 2004/05 winter survivor of our warm, dry,
poorly lit (compared to outdoors) home and those (oops!) occasional waterings!
Serissa /Snowrose, Pink Mountain
Serissa foetida ‘Pink Mountain’ (Zone 9 - 10)
Full Sun - P. Sun
2 x 2 feet
Mini Tree, RXR, Houseplant
Beauty lies in its striking, variegated foliage rather than its occasional pink
flowers, although those are nice too. Like the rest, it prefers temperatures
above 60 degrees (a light freeze is O.K.) and it doesn’t like to dry out.
Serissa / Snowrose, Tiny Kyoto
All Serissas =
Serissa foetida ‘Kyoto’ (Zone 9 - 10)
Full Sun - P. Sun
1 x 1 foot
Mini Tree, RXR, Houseplant
As “Serissas” go, this is the tiniest leaved variety, although it grows rather
quickly. “Tiny Kyoto” is precisely proportioned as
a tree for the smallest scale railroad or as a shrub
in large scale. Occasionally we’re treated to
its rare, white-pink flowers.
Serissa /Snowrose,Yatsubusa
Serissa foetida ‘Yatsubusa’ (Zone 9 - 10)
Full Sun- P. Sun
1 x 1 foot
Tree, RXR
Leaves larger than “Tiny Kyoto” are
piled on top of one another like a collision.
Has a quirky, Dr. Seuss tree look about it.
Add a “Monkeywort, Jade Tiny Bush and a
Mini Basil” for a scintillating, sunny window scene.
Skeleton Plant Sophora, Little Baby $5.99
Sophora prostrata ‘Little Baby’
P. Sun - P. Shade
18 - 24 x 12 inches Tree in RXR Garden
Next time you need a miniature,
airy honey locust tree, plant this
perfectly scaled specimen in an outdoor
faery or railroad garden. Worth the effort
to plant each year (pot and all) in May and
pull out after fall frost for indoor wintering. While
indoors, why not make a table top landscape with
this and a shrub (“Erodium”), lawn (ice plants or
Monkey wort) and grass (“Sweet flag, Mini Gold”).
Trichodiadema /Desert Bonsai
Trichodiadema bulbosum
Full Sun
2 x 4 inches
Mini Shrub, Bonsai
This South African succulent is a.k.a “African Bonsai” for its origin and
natural tree habit. Stems thicken at the base like baobob trees. Don’t be
intimidated. The crown of bristles sprinkled over the grey to green leaves on
each of the branches, are fairly soft and host bright purple flowers throughout
the year. Traditionally the roots
have been used to speed up the
fermentation for bread and beer.
Great starter bonsai for boys of
all ages.
Westringia, Smokey
Umbrella Palm, Dwarf
Cyperus alternifolius ‘Gracilis’
Sun - P. Sun 12 x 12 inches
Tree, Houseplant, Water Plant
Overwaterers rejoice! Whether
in a small water garden or indoor
planter, this green, tropical one
footer is so easy to grow. It looks
like an umbrella without the cloth.
Ask any of us here and we’ll show
you a 5 second, fun kids’ trick
to propagate more of them.
$5.99
Westringia fruticosa ‘Smokey’
Sun - P. Sun
24 x 18 inches
Border, Large Container, RXR Bush
Common name of “Coast Rosemary” and its species fruticosa (meaning bush)
hint to its upright appearance. Linear leaves exhibit a gray cast in concert with
white flowers, lightly touched by violet, completing the “puff of smoke” illusion.
Pretty cool for a railroad garden.
Zanthoxylum, Bonsai $5.99
Corokia cotoneaster
Full Sun
3-1/2 x 3 feet Mini tree RXR
This rare collector’s plant has grey-green
leaves that become increasingly tiny & grey, if
exposed to more sun. One winter, Karen bet
Mark these bizarre trees were too weird to sell.
Ask Mark about the prize. Our “faery staff
created an outrageous Halloween miniature
landscape. It made a spooky cemetery tree
combined with dark, linear “Sedge, Mini
Chocolate Leaf; Faery Fern, Platt’s Black and
Calocephalus/ Cushion Bush.” Appropriate
for a RXR with tiny tombstones.
TROPICAL SUN
Zanthoxylum odorum
Sun - P. Sun
3 x 3 feet (10 years) Bonsai
First observation- the dark green
leaves look like they have been
permanently hit with “Leaf-Shine”
(or lip gloss). Then you’ll
notice the strong, peppery
fragrance, that extends to the
flavor, as you brush against this
tropical mini “Yellowwood tree.”
We could list this in the herb
section for its’ hot, spicy flavor
is all the rage among “Iron Chefs.”
With careful handling and very
little training, a perfect bonsai will
emerge destined as a magical faery garden
tree or railroad accent.
55
TROPICAL SUN
$5.99
SUCCULENT SECTION Part 1:
h Tender Perennials: Summer Jar Gems/Winter Houseplants h
3” BioPot - $4.99
4” Clay - $5.99
6” Clay - $12.99
Too large to be miniatures and not for your dinner plate, we reserve this section for plants that are both hard to kill houseplants and strawberry
jar survivors. They are at home on a bright winter windowsill where they thrive, ideally at 45 degrees, kept on the dry side. During the summer
growing season provide plenty of sunshine, fertilizer and water outdoors. With the exception of Oxalis, assume SUN is their favorite site.
h Aeoniums h
All $5.99
h Aloes - Ornamental h
Aeoniums are monocarpic, which is fancy for -”They flower-They Die.”
Prevent flowers on “Schwarzkopf, Sunburst, and Voodoo,” by trimming
any branch that exceeds about 8 inches. Beyond that, results in flowering and eventual death. The trick is to cut off the top 1/2 of the rosette,
leaving 6-12 leaves at the top of the “palm tree”. From these leaves
come the new branches and long lived plants. Not Sure?- Ask Beverly.
All $5.99
Give aloes sun and they’ll grow. You might be surprised by their
glamorous flower stalks. All are tender perennials, thrive under the
same conditions as other succulent houseplants and form clumps
maturing to 6 x 6 inches although “Ice Queen” may be smaller.
The medicinal aloe is still listed in herb section.
Aloe, Bakers’ Fleur Rouge
Aeonium, Kiwi
Aloe bakeri ‘Fleur Rouge’
See description box for height an uses that pertain to all these aloes
In a sea of starfish aloes, this houseplant’s distinguishing plum-green leaves are
decorated with lighter, 1/4” lines, like the view from a traffic helicopter a mile up
during rush hour. The cultivar name reveals its red flowers topping each stalk.
Aeonium haworthii x ‘Kiwi’
Sun - P. Sun
6 x 6 inches
Houseplant
Exhibits the creams, green and plum lined foliage
of “Sunburst” but is smaller, easier to grow and
mounding rather than the popular Dr. Seuss tree
forms of “Schwartzkopf, Voodoo and Sunburst.”
Translation? - a tad bit more disciplined.
Aeonium, Schwartzkopf
Aloe, Blue Elf
Aeonium arboreum ‘Schwartzkopf’
Sun - P. Sun
4 x 18 inches
Houseplant
Dark green, 4 inch rosettes deepen in color to nearly black in summer alluding
to the German name, “Schwartzkopf” meaning “black head” (which has nothing
to do with teenagers). Very dramatic partner in large strawberry jars!
Aeonium, Sunburst
Aeonium X ‘Sunburst’
Sun - P. Sun
6 x 18 inches Houseplant
Many succulents are shy on flower power,
but, this brillant foliage is the focus, all year,
indoors, then out. It displays rosettes of
creamy yellow margins, delicately outlined
in plum with a thick stripe in shades of green.
Summer sun warms colors to red, even apricot.
Aeonium, Tricolor
Aloe x ‘Blue Elf’
Gray blue, upright clumps host 18” orange flower spikes. In my opinion, it
looks and grows best in collaboration with other succulents
in strawberry jars.
Aloe, Ice Queen
Aloe X ‘Ice Queen’
No cooling gel in these nearly white
washed leaves. Its irregular green pattern
on each leaf provides a designer’s backdrop for the yellow, apricot, and red blooms
that appear, as they please, but quite often.
Aloe, Pink Blush
Aloe x ‘Pink Blush’
Clumps of aloe foliage are covered with white
and pink raised ridges that remind me of germs under a microscope. They
are not contagious but match quite beautifully with the 10” coral floral spikes.
Aloe, Sunset
Aeonium haworthii ‘Variegatum’
Aloe x ‘Sunset’
Sun - P. Sun
6 x 18 inches
Houseplant
Plump, green, star clumps are outlined with coral, segmented ridges like the
Add a bold texture and color to your strawberry jar
plates
on a Stegosaurus dinosaur although more angular and not so pointed.
with 3 inch rosettes of green & white striped foliage
Now there’s a starting point for a miniature, pre-historic garden indoors!
that blushes pink in full sun. In September,
simply cut off some end rosettes and stick in a
sandy mix. Keep moist until
Aloe arborescens ‘Variegata
All are Jar Gems
rooted for more carefree and
From a bird’s eye view, the common name is accurate.
on this
page
colorful houseplants. Or, you
Reminds Mark of the spiny echinoderms he spotted along
you could dig up the whole thing)
the California coast as a kid. It grows easily, upright,
with plenty of babies following behind. Simply cut off the
top and re-stick in soil to start a new, smaller plant when your plant outgrows its
container. Streaks of yellow intensify in the summer sun along the green, swordAeonium x ‘Voodoo
like leaves.
Sun - P. Sun 8 x 18 inches
When about 2 dozen, green centered,
purple edged, fleshy lobes compete to
Aloe X ‘Walmsley Bronze’ Variegated
form a 12 inch rosette, this assertive
This plant has chameleon-like qualities. In a shady spot or in a greenhouse,
succulent secures its place as the
it is bright green with strong white variegation and open rosettes. In a full-sun
dramatic focal point in a tropical
setting, it grows very compact and full, and it takes on a deep chocolate brown
themed mixed container. Seek out a
to maroon hue with off-white striation. Just when you think you know what to
sophisticated vase to match, so you can
expect, it can morph into lime-green plant with chocolate colored striations! Like
enjoy it indoors in the winter as well
the parent plant it sprang from, it is a very prolific offsetter, even at an early age!
as you dream of its native Canary Islands.
Aloe, Starfish
Aeonium, Voodoo
Aloe, Walmsley Variegated $5.99
TENDER PERENNIAL
56
SUCCULENTS
Echeveria, Topsy Turvy All are Jar Gems and
$5.99 on this page
Anacampseros rufescens
Full Sun
8 x 8 inches
Houseplant, Jar-Gems TM
These painfully, slow growing mini succulents emerge in pairs (like lips)
eventually joining up to form echeveria-like rosettes. Each leaf widens in the
middle and comes to a point at the end. Our stock varieties blushed fuchsia at
the tips, on top and underneath, while we’ve seen others tend toward a burgundy
purple. Strawberry jars and smaller dish gardens suit its shy demeanor.
Echeveria ‘Topsy Turvy’
Full Sun
8 x 8 inches Houseplants, Jar-Gems TM
Got a friend with a black thumb? Have
them try this particularly easy plant.
We bring it indoors, find a sunny
spot and neglect the watering until
it’s nearly bone dry. Wavy blue
rosettes and (later) orange-red
bell flowers hang from sheperd
hook flower stalks to reward us
each summer. Plant in terracotta pots
or strawberries jars to accentuate their flower color even more.
Echeveria, Black Prince
Euphorbia, Pencil Fire Sticks
Anacampseros, Hot Lips / Love’s Kiss
Echeveria ‘Black Prince
Full Sun
6 x 3 inches
Echeverias are as easy to maintain
as they are beautiful. Appropriately
named, this succulent is almost black,
favoring the hen & chicks look, though
more tropical,thanks to its flowers of red
and orange on burgundy-black stalks.
Echeveria, Little Queen
Echeveria hybrida
Full Sun
6 x 3 inches
Houseplants, Jar-Gems TM
Looks like a cross of E. setosa, E. harnsii, and E. pulvinata. In artist’s terms,
it is an exquisite, narrow leaved, shrunken version of “Queen-Mother Echeveria”
but with more reddish flowers instead of apricot-orange.
Echeveria, Painted
Echeveria nodulosa
Full Sun
18 x 8 inches
Houseplants, Jar-Gems TM
Its spoon shaped, green foliage with plum streaks and margins become more
vibrant in the heat. Tall summer stalks of apricot, bell-shaped flowers continue
when you bring the plant indoors in the fall.
Echeveria, Peacock Blue
Echeveria peacockii ssp. subsessilis Full Sun
1 x 5 inches
Houseplant for Beginners
Lovely, rosettes are packed with powder blue leaves that are obovate (teardropped shaped), acuminate (tapering to a long point), keeled (shaped like a flat
bottomed boat), thick, always dusty or (pruinose) and are attached directly to the
base/stem without a stalk (=sessile). To speak plainly, the less you
water in the winter, the better the color.
Echeveria, Perle Von Nurnberg
Echeveria x ‘Perle von Nurnberg’
Full Sun
8 x 8 inches
Houseplant, Jar-Gems TM
Succulent, antique red leaves (pads) are gathered into beautiful rosettes.
When we put together combinations in strawberry jars, I appreciate the larger
leaves and warm red color against the cascading ice plants, and tufts of drabas or
aloes. White flower stalks arise each spring.
Echeveria, Queen Mother
Echeveria pulvinata
Full Sun
6 x 3 inches
Jar-Gems TM
We love its blooms from Christmas
to April, indoors. Then it reblooms each
summer. Flowers last for weeks,
especially when displayed by a cool
window. Great pot for a hot and
sunny deck. Bring indoors when
your overcoat comes out in the fall.
Definitely likes more water than the
average succulent.
TENDER PERENNIAL
Euphorbia tirucalli var. rosea
Full Sun
2 x 2 feet
Tree, “Jar-Gems” TM, RXR
We started growing this multi colored pencil
cactus for our tropical jar gem collection, but
after seeing it in a California RXR set-up
in GARDEN RAILROAD magazine,
we’ve doubled the number of plants
each year. Yes, they are truly red,
orange and yellow with a touch of
pink in the cooler months. HOT!!
Gasteraloe, Midnight
Gasteraloe x ‘Midnight’
Full Sun
6 x 6 inches
Houseplants, Jar-Gems TM
Aloe may be one of the parents, but this stunning houseplant is in a category
by itself. Succulents aren’t boring anymore but still so easy to care for with
minimal watering required. ‘Midnight’s’ dark green rosettes, highlighted in red
that serve as the base under orange flowers on elegant stems prove this point.
Graptopetalum /Ghost Plant Graptopetalum paraguayense
Full Sun
8 x 8 inches
Houseplant, Jar-Gems TM
It’s Edible?? We have a Echeveria-like succulent with ghost white rosettes
of leaves that are apparently used as a salad ingredient in Japan. It tastes like a
juicy, unripe “Granny Smith” apple. (Oh what I do for authenticity). Delicate
stalks of white-pink, star flowers are frequently produced from the base.
(Flowers are not tasty!) As opposed to a salad, I like this in a mixed succulent
bowl or at the top of a strawberry jar. By fall, the tips will blush plum colored.
Graptoveria, Crested Winter Plum
X Graptoveria bainsii
Full Sun9 x 9 inches
Houseplants, Jar-Gems TM
A few of our “Graptoveria, Winter Plums”
mutated into wavy, crested, E.T. creations.
We always appreciate the weird, the funky
and the unusual. Hope you do too!
Graptoveria, Winter Plum
X Graptoveria bainsii
Sun - P. Sun
12 x 12 inches
Houseplant, Jar-Gems TM
Elegant, dramatic, plum hued,
wide to crisply pointed leaves
form rosettes that, beautifully
play together next to a cold,
drafty, winter window. Reserve
this 12 inch across piece of art for
large planters or the very top of a
strawberry jar
57
SUCCULENTS
h LARGE ICE PLANTS h see jade prices
Ice Plant, Heart-Leaf Apple
Aptenia ‘Red Apple’
Sun - Shade 3 feet Spread Hanging Baskets
Years ago, Mr. Johnson, a plant and train collecting neighbor, gave us this
beauty of carmine red, 3/4” flowers on a carpet of emerald green, heart shaped
leaves. Nearly every walk-in customer asked what it was. After selling out, we
finally tracked down the botanical name. Grows anywhere, including full shade,
albeit with fewer flowers. Fills a 12” hanging basket by summer’s end.
Ice Plant, Heart-Leaf Apricot
Aptenia haeckeliana
Sun - Shade 3 feet Spread
Hanging Baskets
After the incredible response for “Heart-Leaf Apple,” neighbor Johnson came
by with this, which ended up just as popular. Whoever’s responsible for these
3 heart leaf introductions- THANKS. Combine with “Marble Ruffles Cuban
Oregano” for the ultimate low maintenance basket. All Heart-Leaf Ice Plants are
delicious in mixed salads. Known to Chefs as “Crystal Lettuce”.
Ice Plant, Heart-Leaf Variegated
Aptenia cordata ‘Variegata’
Sun - P. Sun 3 feet Spread
Groundcover, Baskets
Check another “Holy Grail” off Mark’s
list. While researching “Heart-Leaf Carpet
Apple” there was a reference to a strongly
variegated form with red flowers and he
found it. True to its flashy description, it
sold out as fast as we could propagate it for
our retail public. Buy early!
h LARGE LEAVED JADE VARIETIES h
3”BioPot -$4.99
4” Clay - $5.99
6” Clay - $12.99
Jade, Campfire
Crassula coccinea ‘Campfire’
Sun - P. Sun
4 x 12 inches
“Jar-Gems” TM, Houseplants
Leaves are about the size and shape of tangerine to grapefruit slices, and are
green in the winter, but fire red in summer with white flowers. The more you
abuse this beauty, the prettier it looks. A “50 Shades of Grey” type of plant.
Jade, Calico Kitten
Crassula pellucida var. marginalis ‘Variegata’
Sun - P. Sun
2 x 6 inches
Baskets
WOW! Jades look so different from species
to species. We’re amazed they’re relatives.
“Calico Kitten” exhibits cascading stems,
packed with heart shaped foliage. Each
leaf has a green, central band & plum,
pointed tips. Full sun and dry conditions
only intensify the plum foliage color.
Ice Plants, Jades & Lampranthus
are especially fine “JarGems”TM
Jade, Gollum (Shrek’s Ears) Crassula X ‘Gollum’
Sun - P. Sun
12 x 12 inches
And the award for the best comedy common
name adaptation goes to....“Shrek’s Ears.”
Leaves rolled up like loose, wrapping paper
rolls stashed vertically in a wastebasket, really
do resemble that green ogre’s ears. Use as a tree for
a dish garden or as an interesting strawberry jar topper.
It’s a plant a child would enjoy more than a “Venus Fly Trap.
TENDER PERENNIAL 58
Jade, Red Carpet
Crassula radicans
Sun - P. Sun
4 x 7 inches
Houseplant for Beginners
Traffic jam of small, flat, succulent leaves packed on short stems are green
much of the year but flush bright red in winter when grown in full sun. On your
winter windowsill is when tight rounded clusters of small white flowers on stalks
appear a few inches above the foliage. Many succulents carry the genus name
“Crassula” which translates to “thick” referring to the succulent leaves.
Jade, String of Buttons Variegated
Crassula perforata ‘Variegata’
Sun - P. Sun
2 x 12 inches
“Jar-Gems” TM, Houseplants
Here is the hit of our Christmas openhouse, hands down. When customers
swam in our sea of succulents, about every other one chose this ornamental
of creamy white, flat leaves with a green center band, layered on top another like
stacked plates.
Jade, Totally Tubular
Crassula tubulifolia
Sun - P. Shade
RXR, Houseplants
18 x 18 inches
Care for this as you would any other jade for
years of pleasure in a mini landscape. Outdoors, they enjoy a life of leisure in the
sun with extra water, only when in pots.
Compared to “Shrek’s Ears,” leaves
are completely rolled up with less
flare and it grows more tree like.
Totally tubular, man.
Jade, Variegated
Crassula argentea ‘Variegata’
Sun - P. Sun
2 x 2 feet
Houseplants
Take a clue from its species: argentea
refers to silver or white. Artistic strokes of creamy
white, shimmer in the summer sun while the airbrushed
pink margins deepen on the foliage by fall. With
such natural beauty and tolerance of our dry
home, it’s a pleasure to have it
inside for winter.
Kalanchoe, Fang
Kalanchoe beharensis ‘Fang’
Full Sun 2 x 1 feet
Scary! Gnarly, fang-like bumps
“drip” from the undersides of densely
covered white hairy leaves, thus, it’s a.k.a.
“Stalactite Plant.” Although it can attain a height
of over 6’, it is a slow grower and may remain within
2’-3’ for several years. Golden brown foliage in the sun,
silver in the shade escort pale yellow, striped red flowers on occasion.
Has drought resistance. Excellent choice for growing in containers.
Kalanchoe, FlapJacks
Kalanchoe thrysifolia
Full Sun
12 x 12 inches “Jar-Gems TM”
This succulent’s foliage looks like
someone threw a dozen, dusty-rose
colored pancakes and they stuck,
upright in the pots. Crazy. I have
talked to folks from California who
have plants 3 times 12” in their
sunny backyard so if you intend on
bringing it in annually, be prepared
to graduate it to a heavy, larger container.
SUCCULENTS
Kalanchoe, Panda Plant Kalanchoe tomentosa
Sun - P. Sun
2 x 2 feet
Houseplants, “Jar-Gems TM”
Panda is an appropriate common name for this plant if you compare appearances. Both are fuzzy, gray and adorable but the plant is unquestionably easier
to care for indoors, where Ohio gardeners need to move it, in the frigid months.
More specifically, 3” long leaves, with black dotted edging, radiate from a
central stem that can branch with careful pruning. Partner this panda, in the
sun, with “Wooster’s Dwarf Bamboo” nearby in light shade and see if anyone is
clever enough to catch the connection.
Kalanchoe, Silver Falls
Kalanchoe pumila ‘Silver’
Full Sun
3 inch trailing
Houseplants for Beginners
Silvery gray leaves have a rosy tint and toothed margins at the tips and like
many succulents are very heat tolerant. Then come the brilliant pink blossoms
throughout the summer. Gently drapes over containers.
Lampranthus, Trailing Tiger Jaws
Lampranthus blandus
Sun - P. Sun 2 inch Trailing “Jar-Gems TM,” Hanging Basket
In 2006, we featured South Africa at our annual
herb fair. We sought out plants from that country.
This is one from West Cape, South Africa. Blue-gray,
“Jade, Tiger” leaves decorate long, pink trailing
stems. Large, pale pink-flowers early spring upscale
the traditional strawberry jar.
Sedum Amber Glow
Sedum adolphii ‘Amber Glow’
Full Sun
18 x 18 inches “Jar-Gems TM,” Baskets
Huge contrasts can be found even in collections
of the same genus. Take sedums. Plump,
skinny, gold, pink, purple, thyme-like
and, (in the case of this “Amber
Glow,”) green turning glowing red
(as the temp. rises), are just a few
foliar examples. Winter flowers,
seen indoors in Ohio, are pure white.
Sedum, Donkey’s Tail
Sedum morganianum cv.
Full Sun
3 x 12 inch Spread “Jar-Gems TM,” Baskets
For kids of all ages, we offer this classic, blue,
sharp tipped sedum. Most everyone
recognizes it by the long flowing tails
drooping over the rims of hanging baskets
and mixed containers.
FUN KIDS PROJECT: Pull one leaf, place
on soil and watch it root, grow and become
a new plant
Sedum, Jelly Bean
Pelargonium, African Palm
Pelargonium laxum
Sun - P. Sun
16 x 6 inches
Houseplant for Beginners
Enjoy this curious plant with smooth, whitish, twisted stems. The crisp,
large leaves are very deeply lobed, similar to carrot foliage. Whitish flowers
entertain when they feel like it.
Sedum rubrotinctum
Full Sun
4 x 12 inches
“Jar-Gems TM”
This tropical, Mexican variety is closely related
to the “Burro’s Tail” houseplant. “Jelly Bean”
is appropriate for its uncanny resemblance &
array of colors from pinkish gray to bright red
or green and shades in between. Has more
color changes than most other sedums. Iron
Chefs Secret; Add colorful leaves to a salad-they
taste like lettuce that explodes in your mouth
Peperomia, Palm Tree
Senecio, Blue Chalk Finger Peperomia dolabriformis
P. Sun - P. Shade
12 x 6 inches
Houseplant for Beginners
Can easily prune erect branches topped with very fleshy, lime green leaves
that are shaped like “opened pea pods,” to form a tree. Native to tropical
forests of Peru, as a forest-floor dweller, this succulent grows best in bright,
diffused light but not full sun, along with ample air flow and soil that drains
water away quickly. Not hard to grow but avoid over-watering.
Senecio/ Kleinia repens ‘Blue Chalk’
Full Sun
6 x 12 inches
“Jar-Gems TM”
Crowds of linear, glaucous (that chalky
blue highlight color on a blue spruce), plump
leaves are easily seen in our succulent
collection. Light yellow flowers add to
the end of the summer glow.
Scilla, Leopard Lily
Mark’s famous succulent wheelbarrow
Ledebouria (Drimia) maculata
P. Shade - P. Sun
4 x 4 inches
Houseplant for Beginners
Here is a deciduous bulb from South Africa with flat, shovel-shaped leaves
with chocolate leopard spots. The 6 to 12 inch flower stalks tower above the
foliage bearing a tight cluster of small bright white flower buds that open and
turn to a pale green. When you bring this in each fall, you can divide the bulbs
and share with friends.
Silver Scilla
Ledebouria socialis (Scilla violacea)
P. Shade - P.Sun
2 x 4 inches
Terrarium
This old soul was first described in 1870 as a native
of South Africa. Another common name,”Leopard Lily”,
refers to the dark green to turquoise markings over
frosted-silver, strap-like leaves that are too huge for
mini landscaping plus the (lily) bulb below.
Though it resists drought in its native savannas,
it’s perfectly tolerant of terrariums &
dish gardens. It sends up white
flower spikes whenever it wants.
TENDER PERENNIAL 59
SUCCULENTS
h FRUIT h
We have exotic fruits on pages 12 & 13
We will have more berry bushes available.
RHUBARB
1 gal. pots $4.99 each
“Avoid months with the letter “u” in them,” my Grandma
said, when picking the red stalks & do NOT eat the leaves!
(Prime time to pick is April, May and September)
JUNE STRAWBERRIES packs $2.99 each
Pick only red berries, no white tips. Harvest
every other day in season. Listed in order
of maturity with approximate ripening dates.
Everbearing varieties on page 13.
Wendy (June 1)- large, excellent flavor, and
disease resistant plants. For beginners, this is it.
Flavorfest (June 15)- picture perfect, very large berries; healthy
Jewel (June 15)- large berries, superb flavor, easy to grow and freeze
Malwina (July 10)- glossy, dark red, sweet, large & disease resistant.
Want us to grow your
produce instead?
JOIN OUR CSA
h SEEDS h
COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE (C.S.A.)
Proud to offer 100% nonGMO & certified organic
seeds from our #1 seed
supplier:
HIGH MOWING SEEDS.
Excerpt from their seed
safety pledge.
“ ....More research and
testing is necessary to
further assess the potential risks of genetically
engineered seeds. Further, we wish to support
agricultural progress that
leads to healthier soils...
and ultimately healthy
people...” Entire pledge
at: http://www.highmowingseeds.com/the-safeseed-pledge.html
began in the 1980s in the Northeast U.S. with a group of
people who pooled their money, hired a farmer and shared
the harvest. That model evolved to: consumers purchase
shares and in return, pick-up produce each week, grown
by the farmer, for the length of a pre-determined season.
Payment is due in advance of this season.
The ultimate goal is for consumers to form a connection
with the farmer and the origin of their food, sharing in the
bounty and the risks of growing it.
Mulberry Creek offers 3 seasons in 2016:
TUESDAY PICK-UP
SATURDAY PICK-UP
June 7 - July 26
*June 4 - July 30
Aug. 2 - Sept. 20
Aug. 6 - Sept. 24
Sept. 27 - Nov. 15
Oct. 1 - Nov. 19
*we will not have pick-up on June 25th
Here’s a sample, subject to “Mother Nature:”
June-July: beans, beets, cabbage, carrots, cukes, eggplant,
garlic scapes, greens, herbs, kohlrabi, lettuce, onions, peas,
peppers, potatoes, radishes, spinach,
strawberries, sweet corn, tomatoes, zucchini
VEGETABLE SALAD BOWLS
$24.99
After winter, we suspect you’re ready to see & eat fresh greens. We’ll
have a colorful assortment of pots with lettuce, radishes, herbs, chard
and other scrumptious edibles, which can be harvested several times.
August-September: beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower,
carrots, cukes, eggplant, garlic, herbs, kohlrabi, lettuce,
onions, peppers, potatoes, sweet corn, tomatoes, zukes
September-November: beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, garlic, greens, herbs, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce,
onions, peppers, potatoes, radishes, spinach, squash,
tomatoes
CALL 419-433-6126
Glaskin’s Perpetual- best flavored rhubarb; Begin
harvesting bright red, luscious leaf stalk next year
and for many (10-20) years to come.
60
h CERTIFIED ORGANIC VEGETABLE PLANTS h
$2.49 per pack or 3-1/2” pot
BROCCOLI
CUCUMBERS Sold as seed too
Belstar (66 days)- fresh broccoli, spring to fall due to its heat tolerance
*DeCicco (48 days)- revered Italian heirloom; mini heads of broccoli
Goliath (55 days)- large, blue-green heads develop over 3 weeks; early!
Imperial (71 days)- best heat tolerance for summer; extends the season
Spring Raab (45 days)- mild mustard flavor with broccoli florets; early!
Green Finger (60 days)- tender skin, small seed cavity seedless, 6 - 8”
H-19 Little Leaf (58 days)- healthy, stress tolerant vine; easy to spot pickle
*Lemon (65 days)- 2” diameter, yellow, bitterfree; fresh or pickled
Marketmore 76 (65 days)- 8 to 9 inch; American slicer on healthy vines
Mexican Sour Gherkin (67 days)- 1 inch “watermelons” with citrus hint
a.k.a “Cucamelon,” our seed source did not forget to send it this year!
Patio Snacker (52 days)- 36” bush; 6” bitterfree & crunchy; long season
*Suyo Long (60 days)- 15” Asian, sweet, crisp, curled at the end; trellis it
Harvest before flower buds open, cutting the central head at a 45 degree
angle. Side shoots will develop and are harvested throughout the season.
* heirloom varieties
BRUSSEL SPROUTS
Pull leaves off bottom third of stalks
in August to enhance air flow & take away
insects’ party place. Harvest after a sharp
frost (higher sugar content then) picking
fully developed, approximately 1-1/2”
heads beginning at the bottom of
the stalks.
Dagan (100 days)- medium sized green
sprouts harvested mid fall; cold tolerant
Diablo (110 days)- solid, mid-sized
sprouts, late fall; lasts long on stalk
*Rubine (85 days)- red purple sprouts on
24” stem; heirloom flavor
CABBAGE
Harvest full head, ideally before it splits, cutting right at the base and
keeping the outer 2 or 3 wrapper leaves to protect against bruising.
Caraflex (68 days)- “lettage”= crisp & sweet, like lettuce + cabbage flavor
Deadon (105 days)- red & green ruffled; flavor & color intensifies by Oct.
Famosa, Chinese (75 days)- blue-green ruffly, tight, heads; best cooked
Farao (64 days)- 3# tender, crisp, peppery sweet, split-resisting heads
Kaitlin (94 days)- high quality ‘kraut cabbage, rich in Vit. C; stores well
Red Express (62 days)- small, jewel red heads for colorful cole slaw
CAULIFLOWER
Harvest when flowerets just begin to
separate and look slightly “ricey.”
Cheddar (58 days)- orange heads brighten
with light cooking; best fresh
Graffiti (80 days)- best it fall but brilliant
purple heads are worth the try
*Romanesco (78 days)- multi-spiraled, lime green
ripens in summer; nuttier flavor
Snowcrown (50 days)- mid-sized, classic white heads
for summer or fall
Vitaverde (71 days)- big, heavy green heads from
summer to fall
Fertilize at planting and water weekly. Harvest before cucumbers plump
up and yellow, for best flavor.
CELERIAC
Fertilize well and water regularly for diggable
heads by September. Great root vegetable
EGGPLANTS
container varieties
Harvest when skin is still smooth & shiny. Note varying harvest sizes from
2 to 16 inches. Over mature fruit will be soft and the seeds inside will
begin to darken.
*Black Beauty (82 days)- classic, plump, 6” pear-shaped; Italian heirloom
Fairy Tale (65 days)- 2-4”, purple & white bitterfree fruit on 18-24” bush;
Hansel (55 days)- 3-4”, dark purple, bitterfree on 24-36” bush; few seeds
Orient Express (58 days)- 8 to 10” glossy, purple; even with cool temps
Patio Baby (45 days)- 20” tall plants; tons of 3” purple fruit; thornless
*Rosa Bianca (73 days)- Italian, light lavender-pink streaked violet/cream
Snowy (60 days)- firm, meaty, 5”, elegant, white, tender fruits
GREENS
Harvest in April or early May before the
heat rises. Checking and picking on a
daily basis is recommended. Flavor
diminishes as greens reach full maturity.
Mesclun mix is best cut young (about 2”
tall). Kale and Swiss Chard are OK planted
and harvested in early spring but their
best flavor is in the fall, harvested after
a frost. All definitely qualify as SUPERFOOD!
Arugula, Wasabi (45 days)- plant early spring;
nose tingling, wild-type; cooking cools flavor
Collard, Champion (70 days)- rich, blue-green, leafy Southern delicacy
Cress, Wrinkled (21 days)- looks like curly parsley with peppery, punch
*Kale, Dinosaur (62 days)- add rustic flavor to soups, stews & grain dishes
Mesclun Mix, Ovation (21 days)- mustard, mizuna, tatsoi, kale, arugula mix
Pac Choi, Shanghai (45 days)- 6” tall baby pac choi for Asian stir-fry, salad
Radicchio, Leonardo (85 days)- 1#, purple with white ribs; better in fall
Swiss Chard, Rainbow (50 days)- ruffly red, pink, white, yellow and gold
KOHLRABI
Harvest when bulbs are less than 2 inches in diameter starting in June.
Azur Star (65 days)- 2-3” purple skinned, slow bolting, sweet bulbs
Korridor (42 days)- harvest 2” whitish-green bulbs for sweet taste
LEEKS
Harvest leeks anytime they are 1/2 to 1” in diameter, usually September.
Bandit (120 days)- dark blue, thick leaves from a thick, white shank; late
King Richard (75 days)- No hilling neccessary for long white shafts
Tadorna (110 days)- vigorous, healthy growth; lift in the fall
Brilliant (110 days)- “baseball” with nutty flavor;
peel, cut, saute; stores
61
h CERTIFIED ORGANIC VEGETABLE PLANTS h
$2.49 per pack or 3-1/2” pot
LETTUCE & LETTUCE MIXES
Harvest by “cut & come again” method, by cutting an inch above the
ground thereby not harming the growing point and allowing for regrowth. Young leaves taste best, but rinsing them under warm tap water
may reduce bitterness if picked late. All varieties are heat tolerance.
Jericho (57 days)- green, silky textured romaine, resists heat & disease
Magenta (48 days)- crunchy, bronze leaves & green heart; handles heat
Nevada (55 days)- heat tolerant, shiny, ice berg-crisp, batavian heads
Roxy (60 days)-glossy red, outer leaves won’t rot like other butterheads
Summer Blend Mix (50-65 days)- best of summer tolerant varieties
Two Star (50 days)- dark green, sweet leaf lettuce well into summer
PUMPKINS
Howden (115 days)- standard Halloween pumpkin; good handles; 25#
Jack Be Little (95 days)- 3” for decor or hallowed out edible serving dish
Kakai Hulless (100 days)- 5-8#, orange & green striped; best edible seeds
*New England Pie (100 days)- 4-6#; dry, stringless flesh for the best pies
*Rouge vif d’etampes (125 days)- 10-15#; flattened; for decor then pie
SPINACH, MALABAR & OKINAWA SPINACH
Harvest true spinaches when leaves are 1- 2 inches long in May.
Corvair (39 days)- smooth leaves; specifically for spring production
Renegade (43 days)- smooth leaved, nutritious and healthy plants
Shelby (40 days)- large, oval leaves; tolerant of wide ranges in temp.
MELONS, CANTALOUPE & TROPICAL Sold as seed too
Melons require warm soil, nitrogen, calcium (like dolomitic lime) & water.
I start to harvest when the stem gets corky and the leaf closest to the
fruit shrivels. These varieties slip off the vine when ripe. Experiment!
Arava (77 days)- green fleshed, tropical “galia”melon
*Hale’s Best (75 days)- salmon colored, sweet musk
melon; healthy vines
Orange Sherbert (80 days)- sweet, scalloped edged,
taste test winner
*Rocky Ford (85 days)- aka “Edem’s Gem”; tan netting
with green flesh
MELONS, WATER Sold as seed
(unless otherwise marked)
* heirloom varieties
container varieties
See melon growing & harvest suggestions above.
Ali Baba (100 days)- 20#, light red, sweet watermelon with few seeds
Farmer’s Wonderful (85 days)- sweet, seedless, pink flesh; limited qty.
Sangria (87 days)- 20#, deep red, sweet with some seeds; friend to wine
ONION & SHALLOTS
Dig onions & shallots as the stalks yellow and begin to fall over. Spread
out in a single layer under a tree for 2 weeks. Protect from rain & dew.
*Ailsa Craig (105 days)- sweet, large, Spanish yellow bulbs for burgers
*Cipollini, Bianca diMaggio (80 days)- 2-3” flattened, white, mild, Italian
Evergreen, Hardy (65 days)- grow 1 year or overwinter perennial clumps
Pearl Drop (68 days)- snow white, plant close to keep small; bunching
Red Baron (115 days)- harvest small (scallions) or wait for it to bulb
*Rossa di Milano (110 days)- sweet, heart shaped, 4”, pink skin; stores
SHALLOT, Conservor (100 days)- pale pink, easy to peel flesh; stores well
POTATOES: sold by the pound
New Zealand and Red Malabar can be cut throughout the summer.
Malabar (70 days)- use like spinach; crazy huge, heat loving, Asian vine
New Zealand (60 days)- perpetual spinach; takes heat; doesn’t take over
Thai or Okinawa- harvest year round; found with herbs page 28
SQUASH, SUMMER (zucchini plus): Sold as seed too
Cover with a floating row cover when you transplant to protect from
insects and encourage early harvest. Plastic mulch helps with weeds too.
Cut stems when ripe, handle gently and check 2 - 3 times a week.
*Costata Romanesco (52 days)- half the yield, twice the flavor zucchini
Dark Green (50 days)- dark green, straight, bountiful zukes on bushes
Flying Saucer (50 days)- yellow & green striped patty pan squash
Golden Glory (50 days)- healthy gold zukes & vines for easy, long harvest
Patio Star (50 days)- half size vine with full sized zucchinis by the bushel
SQUASH, WINTER: Sold as seed too
Start checking (pick one and roast it) for ripeness as the stem browns
and weakens and the fruit’s color deepens, usually about late September.
These squashes should be cured warm and stored cooler. Most importantly, check often in storage. See http://www.gardenguides.com/75527store-winter-squash.html for detailed instructions.
Acorn, Thelma Sanders Swt. Potato (90 days)- buttery 8” acorn shaped,
but striped green on yellow
*Buttercup (95 days)- dark green skin; 3-5#; dry, orange, rich, sweet flesh
*Delicata, Bush (80 days)- 2# striped green/yellow; brown sugary flesh
Honeynut (110- days)- adorable, 1#, tan, peanut shaped butternut
Hubbard, Red Kuri (92 days)- “Orange Hokkaido;” 4-7# tear drop shaped
*Kabocha, Winter Sweet (95 days)- sweet, flaky, 4#, stores; buttercup-like
*Spaghetti (88 days)- 3.5# yellow; cut in half, roast and fork out “noodles”
******************************************
Dig potatoes, usually July, when bushes brown.
Early to late season usually isn’t more than a
month. Cover dug spuds with a cloth to block
out light but not ventilation. Toss bad ones
before you store them in a cool, dark spot.
SWEET POTATOES: $3.99 per 3-1/2” pot
Dig when vines brown and flatten. Knock of the dirt, place in 90%
humidity & 90 degrees for up to 2 weeks and store until late winter
TOMATILLO: $3.99 per 3-1/2” pot
*All Blue (mid)- blue flowers, leaf veins, skin & flesh; all purpose heirloom
Caribe (very early)- dark blue over creamy white flesh; fluffliest mashed
French Fingerling (mid season)- rose-red, plump, creamy; for salads
German Butterball (late)- oblong yellow favorite; baking, frying, mashing
Gold Rush (mid)- oblong, white fleshed russet for baking & fries; stores
Red Gold (early)- rose skin with deep gold flesh for boiling and steaming
Strawberry Paw (late)- red skin, yields!; moist for boiling, mashed; stores
Yukon Gold (early)- yellow & creamy; boil, roast, fry and store; healthy
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Harvest when tan, papery husks split to reveal plump berries.
Toma
Verde (70 days)- tones down
heat, blends flavors & thickens salsa
Pineapple (90 days)- gold fruits mimic
pineapple sweetness minus acidity
Delicious eaten fresh!
*Purple (78 days)- harvest when deep
violet; sweeter than green; rambling
h CERTIFIED ORGANIC VEGETABLE PLANTS h
$2.99 per 3-1/2” pot
PEPPERS: Harvest when fruit colors usually August and September
TOMATOES:
*California Wonder (70 days)- classic green maturing red; all-purpose
Chocolate (75 days)- tobacco mosaic resistant; attractive chocolate hue
Flavorburst (87 days)- vibrant yellow-orange, sweet, mid-sized, 3 lobed
Gourmet (85 days)- thick walled, easy to grow, green to glowing orange
Olympus (80 days)- large bell ripens red abundantly
Purple Beauty (75 days)- deep purple skin and bright green interior
Most are indeterminate, meaning
tall vines that fruit all season and
need staking. Exceptions, noted
with a “D” include: “Beaverlodge
Plum, Health Kick, Little Napoli and
Rutgers” which are determinate,
translating to compact vines, (good for large pots) and a shorter
season. I still stake them, in a pot or in the ground. It’s just healthier.
SWEET or ETHNIC- sweet to mild heat; ancho is medium heat
EARLY SEASON- get a head start on your neighbor
BELL- for fresh, stuffing, all-purpose
Ancho Pob. Magnifico (70 days)- 6”, thick walls; chile relleno; medium
Banana, Goddess (63 days)- 9” yellow; mild heat for pickling or fresh
*Corno di Toro Red (72 days)- Italian, 8”, bull’s horn-shaped fruits; salads
Holy Mole (85 days) 8” chocolate brown, mild heat for mole sauce; 3 ft.
Lively Italian Orange (100 days)- thick-walled, 7” frying; ripens late
Lunchbox Mix (80 days)- 2-3”, sweet red, orange or yellow fruit
*Padron (60 days)- mild at 1”; hot at 2-3”; oil + sea salt= Spanish tapas
*Paprika, Alma (80 days)- mild, 2”, white to orange to red; fresh or dry
Pasilla Bajio (78 days)- “Chile Negro”, very mild with berry, herbal taste
*Peperoncino (72 days)- Italian, yellowish & mild; pickled at salad bars
Pimento, Round of Hungary (75 days)- sweet to mild, red, 3” flattened
Stocky Red Roaster (85 days)- Italian frying, sweet, juicy, thick walled
Sweet Pickle (75 days)- compact bush; 2” yellow, orange & purple fruits
* notes heirloom varieties container varieties
healthy = exceptionally disease resistance varieties
CHILES- ranked from mild to hot, though heat & opinions vary
Pizza (80 days)- heavy, thick walled, red, 4”, not so hot; plenty on pizza
*Anaheim (70 days)- Bev’s favorite mild chile; found in cans in grocers
Cayenne, Joe’s Long (75 days)- 8”, for hot sauce, ristras, pepper flakes
*Hungarian Hot Wax (67 days)- hot, 4” long; for salads, frying, canning
Jalapeno, Early (75 days)- sausage shaped “devils” for pickling & drying
*Fish (80 days)- striped leaves & chiles used with oysters, crabs & fish
*Aji Colorado (80 days)- brillant red, spicy chile from the Andes
Serrano, Sureno (75 days)- 4”x 1/2” of sizzle! kickin’ pico de gallo
*Lemon Drop (100 days)- terrifically hot, 2-1/2”, citrusy, Peruvian import
*Tobasco (90 days)- Very hot! inspired namesake hot sauce
Thai (90 days)- pointed upwards; turns red, 3/4”, blistering heat
Thai Dragon (85 days)- 2”, ruby red, “Little Devil” flame throwers!
Habanero (90 days)- 2” orange, “Jamaican Jerk” sauce essential chile
h VOLCANO CHILES h
$3.99 per 3-1/2” pot
Diclaimer: if you burn your eyeballs, face, hands,
mouth or any other body part, it’s your own fool
fault for buying these demonic chiles:
Beaverlodge Plum (55 d/D)- tons of tomatos for a hanging basket or pot
42 day (42 days)- 1 ou., bright red with few seeds by July 4th; put in a pot
New Girl (62 days)- better flavor and disease resistance; red slicer
*Matt’s Wild Cherry (60 days)- early, crazy yielding, true tomato cherry
The indigo series contains the antioxidant in blueberries.
Harvest when color deepens and fruit is soft to the touch
CHERRY and SALAD- easiest salad additions ever!
Black Cherry (64 days)- almost black, round fruit with heirloom-like taste
Indigo Cherry Drops (65 days)- tons of cocktail-sized, deep purple “candy”
*Jaune Flamme (75 days)- zingy fruit flavor; apricot shaped; for sun drying
Lucky Tiger (70 days)- artisan, oblong green striped; tolerates tough times
Sun Gold (57 days)- heavy yielder of bite-sized, gold, thin skinned fruit
Sun Sugar (72 days)- 4x more Vit. A than red cherries; thin, orange skin
*Yellow Pear (70 days)- huge, healthy vines; best right out in the garden
PASTE or PLUM- thick, for flavorful sauce or fresh salads
*Amish Paste (80- days)- Mark declares best flavor of all pastes; healthy vines
*Cuore di bue (80 days)- means “oxheart” for its shape; 4” meaty, dries too
Goliath Pear (90 days)- 4” long, firm, meaty flesh; roasted or fresh; healthy
Health Kick (72 d/D)- 4 ou. saladette; juicy, antioxidant rich, plum;
Little Napoli (62 d/D)- crimson, meaty romas in a pot; 12” tall by 24”
*Polish Linguisa (73 days)- big flavor, big vines, best tomato sauce ever
*San Marzano (80 days)- ruby red; prized flesh for its robust Italian flavor
*Sausage (75 days)- like 6” long, red bananas; thick enough for catsup
Striped Roman (78 days)- 4” long, orange streaks and thick, meaty flesh
SLICERS- not as big as beefsteaks, juicier than pastes; just as tasty
*Arkansas Traveller (90 days)- pink, creamy, mild flavor, 6 ou., smooth
Genuwine (70 days)- perfect marriage = Costoluto Genovese + Brandywine
*Green Zebra (70 days)- ripens gold-green with green stripe; healthy vines
Indigo Apple (70 days)- 6 ou., shiny black, ripens to a matte finish; aromatic
Marbonne (69 days)- “FRENCH HERITAGE”: Bred in France for heirloom
flavor & modern reliability. deep red, ribbed, smooth & rich; healthy too
*Rutgers (75 d/D)- all purpose; heavy walls; full bodied taste; stakeless
*Valencia (76 days)- sunny, orange, meaty, full flavor; few seeds
*Yellow Stuffer (76 days)- 3-4 lobed pepper-shape, thick walls; vigorous vine
BEEFSTEAK-TYPE- big, beefy with old time flavor
VOLCANO IN A BOX - no matter the variety,
these are the hottest chiles in the world,
hardest to germinate, pricey and directly
from renowned chile expert “Pepper Joe.”
#1 Carolina Reaper- fruity, chocolate cherry
#2 Moruga Trinidad Scorpion- fruit cotton candy
#3 Butch “T” Trinidad Scorpion: tasty sting!!!
#4*Ghost: heirloom variety from India
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*Black Krim (80 days)- Russian; deep brown, 12-16 ou.; bold, smoky flavor
*Brandywine (78 days)- voted best tasting tomato ever(Org. Gardening)
*Cherokee Purple (72 days)- purple to green to brown flesh; healthy vine
*Gold Medal (75 days)- sweet, low acid, meaty, golden, 1-2# whopper
*Hillbilly (85 days)- orange/yellow, streaked red Va. heirloom; huge vine
Indigo Blue Beauty (80 days)- bluish blushed, 1/2#, meaty beefsteak
Martha Washington (78 days)- 12 ou. pink, not so firm; full heirloom flavor
*Mortgage Lifter (95 days)- a farmer once paid off his mortgage selling ‘em
Pink Berkeley Tie Dye (70 days)- psychedelic-colored, juicy, 11 ou. beauty
*Prudens Purple (67 days)- crimson, creamy flesh; but not mealy slicer
PRESORT STD.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 10
SANDUSKY, OHIO
44870
From: Langan Family
3312 Bogart Rd.
Huron, OH 44839
GREENHOUSE OPEN:
MARCH 15th - JULY 30th
Tuesday- Saturday 10:00am - 5:00pm
Sundays, 1:00pm - 5:00 pm (month of May only)
Thursdays, open until 7 pm by appointment
CLOSED in AUGUST
SEPTEMBER - NOVEMBER open Thurs- Sat. 10-5:00
DECEMBER - mid MARCH open by appointment
CONFUSED? Call 419-433-6126
mulberrycreek@yahoo.com
MULBERRY CREEK’S FARMERS’ MARKET:
Saturday mornings starting June 4th
We’re looking for:
organic beef
woodworkers
organic chicken
musicians
jams & jellies
cheese makers
baked goods
fruit growers
reiki or yoga
artists & more
Sell product/service in our century barn,
alongside our vegetables
CALL 419-433-6126