PALMAE. Small fan palms. Easily grown in moist or dry areas or in tubs in the greenhouse. The hardy species often like a one month pre-chill to speed germination to 60 - 90 days. Nicking may help. Hold pots two to three years.
—Sabal minor. (e,h) SABA-16. Packet: $3.00
'DWARF PALMETTO'. Small fan palm to 9 feet with blue-green, 4 foot wide leaves. Small white flowers and black fruits. SE U.S. One of the hardiest of all palms, standing to minus 10°F, Zone 5. If fans winter-kill, new growth may still sprout in spring. Germinates best with bottom heat in 30 - 40 days. Two to 4 weeks cold may help. In cold climates, grow in tubs the first few years and then plant out in a sheltered spot, such as by a south-facing wall.
NEW—Sabal Palmetto. (e,h) SABA-20. Packet: $2.00
100 seed: $8.00
'CABBAGE PALMETTO'. Rounded heads of fan-like 6 foot fronds, 6 foot flower clusters followed by black 1/2" fruits. To 20 - 90 feet. SE U.S. Plant 1/2 - 1" deep to germinate in 3 - 12 months at warm temperatures. The leaves have been used in weaving & thatching, the fruits eaten raw or made into syrup, and the growing bud eaten as 'palm cabbage'.
NEW—Sabal texana. (e,h) SABA-14. Packet: $2.00
100 seed: $10.00
'TEXAS PALMETTO'. Tall fan palm to 60 feet, with 3 foot long fans and a thick trunk. Clusters of small white fragrant flowers followed by black berries. Texas and Mexico. Quite hardy, stands to 20°F.
SAGINA (sa-JI-na)
CARYOPHYLLACEAE. 'PEARLWORT'. Tiny, moss-like tufted annuals & perennials grown for edging, ground cover, for filling in rockery, etc. They do well in sun or part shade and sandy, well-drained soil. Can be mowed. Sow in early spring to sprout in 2 - 3 weeks at cool to warm temperatures.
—Sagina subulata. (a,h) SAGI-9. Packet: $3.00
1/4 gram: $15.00, Gram: $30.00
'CORSICAN PEARLWORT'. Dense, mossy, bright verdant green foliage topped by tiny white flowers in summer. Mat-forming evergreen hardy perennial for rockery, ground cover etc., spreading over the ground like a 2" thick carpet of moss. Europe. Zone 4. Space 3" apart. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
"Language is the mother of lies."—J.L.H.
SALVIA (SAL-vee-a)
LABIATAE. 'SAGE'. A worldwide genus of 900 species of herbs and shrubs. Many highly attractive ornamentals, culinary herbs & medicinals, the name from the Latin 'Salveo', meaning 'I heal'. Most are easy from seed, germinating in 1 - 3 weeks. A few may need cold treatment. They vary from moisture and shade lovers to hot, dry, rocky slopes. Excess nitrogen may delay flowering. Tender species make nice greenhouse plants. GA-3 or smoke helps some.
—Salvia apiana. (b,f) SALV-3. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
'WHITE SAGE'. Large white flowers often spotted lavender, 1/2 - 1" long, in huge branched clusters up to 4 feet long, May to September. Large shrub to 3 - 10 feet tall, with whitish leaves and willow-like stems. Mountains of southern California. Excellent ornamental for arid regions. Good honey plant and wildlife browse. Germinates in 1 - 5 weeks or so. GA-3 helps.
—Salvia argentea. (d,g) SALV-4. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $8.00
'SILVER SAGE'. Large striking rosettes of silvery white woolly leaves. The second or third season brings a large, branched, candelabra-like cluster of bluish-white flowers, to 2 feet tall. Mediterranean. "A very handsome border plant, one of my favorite Salvias."—S. Calkins. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
—Salvia coccinea. (a,h) SALV-20. Packet: $2.50
Germination: 93% Tested: 7/08, Oz: $7.50, 1/4 lb: $22.50
'SCARLET SAGE'. Deep scarlet inch-long flowers with purple calyces, in spikes. Half hardy perennial to 2 feet, with deep green leaves. SE U.S. Good for naturalizing in open woodlands. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Salvia farinacea Evolution. (d,h) SALV-24E. Packet: $2.50
Deep violet flowers in spikes, on a well-branched, bushy, tender perennial to 18". Grow as an annual in the North. Fleuroselect and All America award winner. Abundant bloom. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Salvia farinacea Reference. (d,h) SALV-24R. Packet: $2.50
Silvery spikes with 'blue flowers, excellent for cut-flowers. Perennial in warm climates, or grown as a durable, fast-growing annual in the North. To 2 feet, with shiny, pointed-oval 1 - 3" leaves. Zone 9. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Salvia forskaohlei. (d,v) SALV-27. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $10.00, 5 grams: $30.00
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Violet-blue flowers with white lips. Hardy perennial to 40". Balkans. Long-blooming and good for cutting. Sometimes dormant and needs GA-3.
—Salvia glutinosa. (d,h) SALV-28. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $6.00
'JUPITER'S DISTAFF'. Pale yellow 1 1/2" flowers from July to September. Hardy perennial to 3 feet, with 8" leaves. Eurasia. Has been used for flavoring. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks with light; sometimes very dormant, try cold or GA-3.
—Salvia hians (= himalayica) (d,h) SALV-31. Packet: $3.00
Gram: $7.50
'KASHMIR SAGE'. Bright blue 1 1/2" inflated flowers in whorls, from June to August. Robust hardy perennial to 2 feet. Endemic to Kashmir.
—Salvia hispanica 'Chia'. (a!,h) SALV-32. Packet: $2.50
Oz: $9.00
'CHIA'. One of several species known as chia. Was consumed in large quantities by the California Indians, being highly nutritious. They were roasted, ground, and added to water, forming a gel. "One tablespoon full of these seeds was sufficient to sustain for 24 hours an Indian on forced march."—Parsons. The whole seeds are also placed in water or juice, their covering swelling up into a clear gel making them resemble frog's eggs, the whole being drunk and is quite refreshing. This is also an old California-Méxican folk remedy for diarrhea.
—Salvia Horminum Blue Monday. (c,h) SALV-34M. Packet: $2.50
Showy violet-blue bracts and flowers in spikes. Hardy annual to 2 feet. S. Europe. Good cut-flower. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Salvia Horminum Pink Sundae. (b,h) SALV-34P. Packet: $2.50
Spikes of large showy pink bracts with darker veins, and small violet flowers. Hardy annual to 18 - 24". Southern Europe. Good cutflower. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
—Salvia Horminum White Swan. (c,h) SALV-34W. Packet: $2.50
Spikes of large, showy, pure white bracts veined green, and half-inch violet purple flowers. Stunning hardy annual to 2 feet, with sometimes aromatic oval, downy leaves. Southern Europe. Excellent cut flower or dried everlasting. The leaves can be used like sage, are good in soups and broths, and were once used as snuff, or added to fermenting beer. Seed half-life 8 years. (=S. viridis). Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
Salvia Horminum varieties are best in masses for a showy effect. When they first begin to bloom, they are not conspicuous, but soon develop the showy bracts. Patience!
—Salvia lavandulifolia. (e,h) SALV-44. Packet: $3.00
'SPANISH SAGE', 'LAVENDER SAGE'. Blue-violet inch-long flowers in spikes in summer. Hardy perennial to 16", with narrow, grey-green, aromatic 2" leaves. SW Europe. Zone 4. Used as flavoring, and has been likened to rosemary. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Salvia lyrata Purple Knockout. (d,h) SALV-48P. Packet: $3.00
Gram: $21.00
Beautiful dark purple variegated foliage and purple 3/4" flowers on purple-black stems. Has wintered over in Zone 5. Nice. Germinates in 2 - 6 weeks.
—Salvia mellifera. (b,v) SALV-50. Packet: $2.50
'BLACK SAGE'. Lavender blue 1/2" flowers in stacked whorls, April to June. Very aromatic shrub to 2 - 5 feet, with 1 - 3 1/2" leaves. Coast Range of California. Considered one of our best honey plants.
—Salvia nemorosa ssp. tesquicola. (c,h) SALV-56T. Packet: $2.50
Large, dark violet-blue 1/2" flowers in branched 16" spikes, June to August. Hardy bushy perennial to 2 - 3 feet, with 4" leaves. Central Asia. Germinates in 1 week.
—Salvia officinalis. (b,h) SALV-60. Packet: $2.00 ORGANIC SEED
Germination: 88% Tested: 10/08, Oz: $6.00
'GARDEN SAGE'. Blue 1 1/4" flowers in spikes in spring. Hardy shrublet to 2 feet, with grey leaves and white woolly stems. Mediterranean. Much used in the kitchen, a favorite ingredient in stuffings, sausage & cheese, and it makes a popular tea. An old medicine— "Cur moriatur homo cui Salvia crescit in horto?" (Why should a man die while sage grows in his garden?). Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
—Salvia recognita. (10,v) SALV-68. Packet: $3.00
Rosy white 3/4" flowers with red-marked lip, in July & August. Hardy perennial to 3 feet, with large grey-green divided leaves. Turkey. Dormant seed, try cold or GA-3.
—Salvia Sclarea. (b,h) SALY-77. Packet: $2.50
Germination: 64% Tested: 10/08, 10 grams: $12.00
'CLARY SAGE'. Inch-long pale blue flowers in densely branched spikes with colored bracts. Hardy biennial or perennial to 3 feet, with large, handsome rosettes of woolly leaves. S. Europe. Used in cookery & to flavor wines & beers. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
—Salvia Sclarea var. turkestanica. (c,h) SALV-77T. Packet: $2.50
Germination: 99% Tested: 9/08, 5 grams: $12.00
'VATICAN CLARY'. Large white flowers tinged pink, with light bracts, often almost white. Nice!
—Salvia spathacea. (d,g-h) SALV-84. Packet: $5.00
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'HUMMINGBIRD SAGE', 'PITCHER SAGE'. Large 1 1/2" purple-red flowers in dense, stacked whorls with purplish bracts, in large, 1 - 2 foot long spikes. Perennial from creeping rhizomes, with scented, fuzzy, arrowhead-shaped leaves. Moist places and chaparral, central California. Strikingly beautiful and tolerates poor conditions. Germinates in 1 - 4 weeks.
NEW—Salvia stenophylla. (b,f) SALV-86. Packet: $2.50
'MOSISILI'. Spikes of small light blue flowers in summer. Sticky aromatic tender perennial to 2 feet. S. Africa. Used as a smudge by the Southern Sotho to purify their homes, and they also mix it with their tobacco. Germinates in 1 - 4 weeks.
—Salvia superba Rose Queen. (b,h) SALV-87R. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $7.50
Rose flowers in 9" spikes from June to September. Hardy perennial to 2 ft, with dense foliage. Eurasia. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks warm.
—Salvia superba Violet Queen. (=nemorosa). (b,h) SALV-87V. Packet: $2.50
Germination: 99% Tested: 10/08, Gram: $7.50, 5 grams: $25.00
Dark violet flowers in 9" spikes, from June to September. Hardy perennial to 2 feet, with dense foliage. Eurasia. Choice. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
SANGUISORBA (san-gwi-SOR-ba)
ROSACEAE. 'BURNET'. Mostly perennial herbs, grown for salads. Name means 'to staunch blood', as the roots are astringent. Easy from seed, space 8".
—Sanguisorba minor. (b,h) SANO-6. Packet: $2.00
25 grams: $5.00
'BURNET', 'PIMPINELLE'. Beautiful clustered purple flowers. Perennial to 2 feet, with pinnate leaves. The fresh young leaves are used in salads, imparting a cucumber-like flavor. Also makes nice iced tea. A good border plant in any garden soil. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks at warm temperatures.
—Sanguisorba officinalis. (c,g) SANO-18. Packet: $2.50
'GREAT BURNET'. Dark purple flowers in 1" spikes. Pinnate leaves. An elegant perennial to 5 feet. Eurasia. Sow in March, thin to 9" apart. The leaves are eaten in salads. Medicinal. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks, and 4 weeks cold or GA-3 helps.
—Sanguisorba tenuifolia. (c,h) SANO-24. Packet: $2.50
Pink flowers in dense cylindrical 2 - 3" nodding spikes from July to October, in clusters held above the large basal pinnate leaves. Hardy perennial to 4 feet. Wet meadows and streambanks of NE Asia. Hardy to Zone 4. Good cut flower. Germinates in 2 - 6 weeks.
SANVITALIA (san-vi-TAL-ee)
COMPOSITAE. Attractive annuals and perennials grown for their bright daisy-like flowers. Easily grown in light, preferably sandy soil and full sun. May be sown in fall in mild climates for spring bloom. Or sow in spring to germinate in 1 - 2 weeks, light helps. Transplant carefully. Good in hanging baskets and rockeries.
—Sanvitalia procumbens. (b,h) SANV-18. Packet: $2.00
Gram: $5.00, 5 grams: $8.00
'CREEPING ZINNIA'. Bright golden yellow 3/4 - 1" wide daisies with purple centers. Trailing annual to 6" tall, with inch-long leaves. México. Free-flowering from July to October. Good for edging. "A hardy floriferous annual..."—F. W. Barclay.
SAPONARIA (sa-po-NA-ree-a)
CARYOPHYLLACEAE. Easily grown Eurasian annuals and perennials, with blue green leaves and attractive five-petaled flowers. Stands poor soil and needs little care. Good in the rock garden, and they make nice cut flowers.
—Saponaria officinalis. (b,h) SAPO-9. Packet: $2.50
10 grams: $10.00
'BOUNCING BET', 'SOAPWORT'. Large pink inch-wide flowers in dense clusters, July to September. Stout hardy perennial to 1 - 2 feet, with 4" leaves. Eurasia. The root was used medicinally, and an extract is used in making halvah. Give 2 weeks warm, then 8 weeks cold, to germinate in 1 - 2 weeks. GA-3 may also trigger germination.
SATUREJA (sa-tu-REE-ja)
LABIATAE. 'SAVORY'. Hardy aromatic annual & perennial herbs grown for ornament and as condiments. Light rich soil and full sun. Sow in spring to germinate in 1 - 2 weeks. Easy & attractive.
—Satureja Calamintha: See Calamintha nepeta.
—Satureja hortensis. (a!,h) SATU-15. Packet: $2.00
25 grams: $6.00
'SUMMER SAVORY'. White to lavender 1/3" flowers in summer. Hardy aromatic annual to 9 -18". Mediterranean. A popular herb, much used in stews, with beans and peas, sausages, meats & poultry.
SAUROMATUM (sar-o-MA-tum)
ARACEAE. Large tuberous perennials somewhat resembling Arisaema, with large curious flowers & odd leaves. Easily grown in rich loamy soil.
—Sauromatum venosum. (e,h) SAUR-8. Seed Packet: $2.50
Germination: 96% Tested: 10/08, 5 grams: $15.00, 25 grams: $60.00
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For tubers see Perishable Items page.
'VOODOO LILY'. Greenish yellow spathes with deep purple markings, 12 - 30" long. Large glossy green fan-like divided leaves. Reaches 4 - 6 feet with age. Indian Himalayas. Hardy to Zone 5. Odd. Germinates in 3 - 4 weeks, and up to 10 weeks.
SCHIZANTHUS (ski-ZAN-thus)
SOLANACEAE. 'BUTTERFLY FLOWER'. Showy Chilean annuals and biennials valued for their brilliant flowers and attractive lacy foliage. Full sun or part shade in hot summer areas. Easily grown in ordinary well drained garden soil. They bloom profusely if pot bound. Barely cover seed to germinate in 1 - 3 weeks at 60 - 75°. May be sown in fall, & held over winter indoors for bloom in spring, or sown direct to the garden in May. Blooms in about 12 weeks. Seed half-life over 10 years.
—Schizanthus X wisetonensis Hit Parade. (c,h) SCHZ-HP. Packet: $3.00
'BUTTERFLY FLOWER'. Also called 'POOR MAN'S ORCHID' or 'FRINGE FLOWER', due to the large, showy, oddly-shaped and beautifully marked 1 1/2" flowers, which come in many shades of pink, red, white, lilac, chocolate, gold, rose, etc., often with yellow throats, marked and blotched with delicate designs. Half hardy annual to 1 1/2 - 4 feet, with ferny foliage. As cut flowers they last well and are excellent in corsages. Grow year round in pots. If you lightly touch the lower lip of the flower, the stamens will pop up, shooting pollen into the air, duplicating the plant's method of dusting insect visitors to the flower.
SCHRANKIA (SHRAN-kee-a)
LEGUMINOSAE. Sprawling perennials with feathery leaves that close when touched. Puff-like flowers. Attractive in the wild garden. Curious plants.
—Schrankia Nuttallii. (d,h) SCHR-18. Packet: $2.00
Oz: $14.00
'CATSCLAW SENSITIVE BRIAR'. Pink, puff-like flower balls in May to July. Scrambling hardy perennial to 2 - 4 feet, with feathery pinnate leaves and prickly stems. The leaves fold up at a touch. South Dakota to Texas. Attractive and unusual. Soak seed, nick hard ones, germinates in 2 - 6 weeks.
"Men should not petition for rights, but take them."—Thomas Paine.
SCUTELLARIA (skoo-te-LAR-ee-a)
LABIATAE. A large, world-wide genus of annuals and perennials grown for their attractive flowers or for food and medicine. Good in the border or rock garden. Most germinate readily.
—Scutellaria alpina Arcobaleno. (d,f) SCUT-4A. Packet: $2.50
'ALPINE SKULLCAP'. Compact clusters of 1 - 1 1/2" tubular hooded flowers in shades of blue violet, light blue, white, rose, and yellow, in summer. Hardy sprawling perennial to 10", with inch-long leaves. Europe to Siberia. Zone 5. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
SEDUM (SEE-dum)
CRASSULACEAE. 'STONECROP'. Over 600 species of succulent mostly hardy perennials, valued for their often large, showy clusters of starry flowers. Good in rock gardens & for ground cover. Prefers well-drained sandy soil. Easily grown. Sow February to May, to germinate in 2 - 6 weeks at cool to warm temperatures. A few kinds may need cold treatment. Seed viable 3 - 5 years.
—Sedum hybridum Czar's Gold. (b,g) SEDM-96C. Packet: $2.50
Starry golden-yellow 1/2" flowers in large 2 - 3" clusters, May to July. Hardy evergreen succulent perennial ground cover to 6", with inch-long toothed leaves and red stems. N. Eurasia. Zone 3. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
—Sedum kamtschaticum. (b,g) SEDM-132. Packet: $2.50
Starry orange-yellow 3/4" flowers in round clusters in late summer. Hardy succulent rhizomatous perennial to 6", with narrow, dark green 1 - 2" leaves. E. Asia. Zone 4. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
—Sedum reflexum. (a,h) SEDM-254. Packet: $2.50
Germination: 80% Tested: 10/08, 1/4 Gram: $6.00, Gram: $11.00
'ROCK STONECROP', 'GOLDMOSS'. Bright golden yellow to cream, 1/2" starry flowers in clusters on 6 - 9" stalks in summer. Hardy perennial forming 2 - 3" tall mossy mats of narrow blue-green 1/2" succulent leaves. Europe. The leaves are eaten in soups and salads. Germinates in 2 - 6 weeks warm.
—Sedum spurium coccineum. (a,g) SEDM-294. Packet: $2.50
Germination: 76% Tested: 10/08, 1/4 Gram: $6.00, Gram: $11.00
Rich purple-red 1/2" flowers in July & August, held above mats of succulent, bronzy 1/2 - 1" leaves. Mat-forming hardy perennial to 3 - 6". Caucasus. Very nice in the rock garden. Germinates in 1 - 5 weeks.
—Sedum spurium Voodoo. (c,h) SEDM-294V. Packet: $3.00
Deep, dark, blood-red succulent 1/2 - 1" leaves in rosettes. Bright rose starry 1/2" flowers in dense umbels in July and August. Mat-forming hardy perennial to 6". Caucasus. Zone 7. Germinates in 1 - 5 weeks.
—Sedum Telephium. (b,g) SEDM-310. Packet: $2.50
'ORPINE', 'LIVE FOREVER'. Dusky rose-pink 3/8" flowers in dense umbels to 2" wide, on stems to 18" in late summer. Tuberous-rooted hardy perennial with succulent, blue-green 2 - 3" leaves with toothed tips. E. Europe to Japan. Leaves eaten in salads and used medicinally. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
SEMPERVIVUM (sem-per-VEE-vum)
CRASSULACEAE. 'HOUSELEEK', 'HENS AND CHICKS'. Succulent hardy evergreen perennials with dense rosettes of fleshy leaves, forming offsets of tiny rosettes, the 'chicks'. Starry flowers in dense clusters, rose, red, purple, yellow or white. Popular for edging, rockwork, on walls, or as houseplants. Give full sun and well drained, poor sandy soil. Sow thinly on the surface to germinate in 1 - 6 weeks at cool to warm temperatures.
—Sempervivum Mixed Species & Varieties. (a,h) SEMP-X. Packet: $3.00
1/4 Gram: $12.00, Gram: $25.00
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A fine blend of hardy species from Europe.
SENNA (SEN-na)
LEGUMINOSAE. Cassia-like herbs, shrubs, and trees with showy flowers and feathery leaves.
NEW—Senna Covesii (=Cassia C.) (c,h) SENN-12. Packet: $2.50
'DESERT SENNA'. Yellow inch-wide flowers in April to June. Desert shrub to 1 - 2 feet, with ash-grey velvety pinnate foliage, Southwest. Zone 7. Scratch seed to germinate in 1 - 2 weeks.
SESBANIA
LEGUMINOSAE. Tropical herbs, shrubs and trees with often showy flowers and pinnate leaves. Good in California, the South, and the greenhouse. Soak seed, nick unswollen ones. Germinates in 1 - 4 weeks.
NEW—Sesbania Drummondii. (e,h) SESB-7. Packet: $2.50
'COFFEE-BEAN', 'DRUMMOND'S RATTLEBOX'. Abundant bright yellow 1/2" flowers in 2 - 6" racemes, followed by four-winged 2 - 3" pods that rattle when ripe. Shrub to 2 - 15 feet, with feathery pinnate 4 - 8" grey-green leaves. Gulf Coast to Arkansas. Blooms all summer and into fall. Said to be useful for cleaning up toxic sites, as it hyper-accumulates lead. Nick seed to germinate in 1 - 2 weeks.