Flower List for 2008

Here's a list of all the various fun annuals and perennials we are offering for sale. Look for a list of herbs soon!

Purple Dame's Rocket (perennial): Hazy mass of purple blossoms in late spring to early summer which attract beneficial insects. Wonderful fragrance. Likes it cool and moist and partial shade. Can be aggressive-cut spent flowers before seeds form to prevent from spreading. grows to 3'.

Clarkia Mix (Annual): Double flowers of pink, red and white along 2' erect stems. Harvest for cut flowers with 3-6 flowers opened. Lasts 5-10 days in the vase. Keep moist and mulched in the hottest part of summer.

Monstrosum Fire Ball Helichrysum (Annual): Grows 30-40" tall with 2-2-1/2" fully double flame red flowers. Grow in full sun. Gather blossoms before fully opened. Likes warm weather but will bloom into fall. Easy to dry for year-round enjoyment.

Kiwi blue cerinthe (Annual)-12-30" stays low and bushy, looks beautiful in the fall. Definitely a great conversation starter plant. The foliage is particularly cool with its succulent-like blue-gray leaves with white speckles.

Persian Jewels Love-in-a-Mist (Annual) an 18" cloud of feathery foliage and pretty pastels. flowers then turn to pods which can be dried. May reseed.

Exotic Love-in-a-mist (Annual) not as much of a self-seeder. Holds up longer in the vase. 16" tall. Deep intense shades of maroon and blue.

Sightseeing Mix Veronica (aka speedwell) (Perennial) 2 to 2.5 foot tall spikey blooms in pink, white and blue-violet. This one just keeps blooming and blooming! Cut for vase when nearly half of flowers are open.

Novalis Verbena Deep Blue with Eye (Annual) 6-10" plant with dark purple blooms with white eyes. Makes a great border plant.

Tithonia 'Torch' (aka Mexican Sunflower) (Annual) This plant is huge and sunloving-gets to be 6 feet tall! Many orange sun-flower like blooms.

Ice Cream Cockscomb (aka Celosia) (Annual) short 8" feathery border plants. Plumes come in sherbert-esque colors. Very cute and happy.

Forest Fire Celosia- 30-36" tall with dark red foliage and flaming red feathery plumes. Sara's favorite celosia by far.

Sunset Mix Statice (Annual) 26" tall. Nice warm shades (think sunset) statice is nice for both cutflowers and as an everlasting. dries perfectly.

zulu prince venidium (Annual)-sprawling to 2+', this 4" daisy-like white flower with black center loves it hot and dry. Should be spaced 2 feet apart.

Splash of Cream Nicandra aka Shoo Fly Plant aka Apple of Peru (Annual)- 3 feet tall with beautiful leaves and beautiful flowers. Supposedly repels insects.

Crazy Daisy (Perennial) -Dahlia-like double blooms on this hardy shasta. Grows 24-28". Crazy!

Iron Maiden Penstemon (Perennial)-3-4 feet, red tube flowers, hummingbird attractor. What's not to love?

Maltese Cross (Perennial) 3' tall. Another one to attract those hummingbirds!

Job's Tears (Annual)-Large seeds that ripen on this grass are used to make beads. Fun for crafters!

Blue Pearl Jacob's Ladder (Perennial) only 1 foot tall and loves the shade. It's foliage is really beautiful too.

Green-Gold Bupleurum (Annual) bright yellow-green dries perfectly on the stem. Popular in Europe. 18" tall.

Chinese Forget me not (Annual-reseeds) This dainty little pink flower spray stands up to 12". Will re-seed.

Forget me not (biennial-reseeds) This classic shade beauty is so nice, you won't mind its reseeding habit.

achillea the pearl (perennial) what sounds like a yarrow but looks like a large-bloomed baby's breath and dries great? This 2-3 foot tall beauty.

Sweet william double choice mix (biennial/perennial)- Old-fashioned sweet-smelling favorite. May not double until the second or subsequent years. 2 feet tall.

Clove pink (perennial) We got this low growing dianthus because the flowers can be boiled down with sugar and water to make an amazing syrup. Can't wait to see what Kevin and Albert do with it!

Sweet mace (aka Spanish Tarragon aka Mexican Mint) (annual)- Popular in Southwestern dishes. 12-24" Tender Perennial- you might be able to winter it over in a pot.

Bells of Ireland (annual) These crazy green flowers look more like the bells of mars! They turn a creamy white when you dry them. They are supposed to grow to 2 feet, often they don't. Sometimes they get top heavy-plant in with something bushy to help hold them up.

Victoria Pigeon Flowering Kale (annual) Small-just 8 inches. Look nice in pots after the frost has lightened them.

Ageratum-white and dondo blue (annual) Taller cutflower varieties of this garden staple. They can be dried without losing too much color.

rocket snapdragon (annual) A riot of fun colors for your garden bed. The Greek call them "little dogs" and make the flowers bark.

Petunias-daddy, wave (annual)- Pictured is the pretty 'daddy mix'. The waves are pink, purple, and white with purple veins. They are a non-stop blooming machine til frost.

peppermint stick balsam (annual-may reseed)-You may have to pry these awesome looking impatiens relatives from Sara's hands. They don't like it cold, so make sure the soil is 60 or above before transplanting. The whole plant is edible too, but it's so pretty, who would do such a thing!? 12-18" likes partial shade.

my red castle lupine (perennial)-A nice red mix. We love lupines! 2-3 feet tall

Russell mix lupine (perennial)-A variety of fun colors. 2-3 feet tall

pincushion flower-imperial mix (annual) Great cutflower-used to be very popular. Grows to 3 feet or cut to encourage bushiness.

florist blue baloon flower (perennial)- 1 foot tall, these bright blue beauties get their name from the big blue balls the flowers are before bursting open into a star. Fun for kids!

Larkspur-earl grey (annual-may reseed) 3-4 foot tall in unique lavender grey color. How lovely!

Larkspur- blue cloud (annual-may reseed) Lacy foiliage and more blooming spikes than your average larkspur. Supposedly a very vigorous self-sewer.

Painted tongue 'Royale mix' (annual) Last year this 12-18" plant absolutely wowed us with its beautiful flowers. Like little baby lilies.

Lobelia cardinalis (perennial) This 3-4 foot tall native is in Sara's top 2 all-time favorite flowers. It's the perfect red. Hummingbirds agree. It likes part shade and damp soil.

Cupid's dart (perennial) 2 feet tall, 1 foot wide, truly a beautiful blue. Dries beautiful too.

Blue clips bellflower (perennial) just 8" high, this hardy perennial will pack a punch with nonstop blue blooms from June-October.

Twinkle phlox (aka Sternenzauber) (Annual)-8" white with shades of pink, lavender, purple and red. A great phlox for the border.

Chinese lantern (perennial)- 1-2 feet tall. Great orange pods for drying. Be careful to plant it somewhere where it won't spread-it can be a little aggressive.

'black knight' delphinium (perennial) 6 feet tall, deep blue with black. WOW.

'Foxy' digitalis (aka Foxglove) (perennial) Matures to 3 feet and has beautiful blooms. Warning- entire plant is poisonous to eat.

Rainbow dianthus (perennial) These fun flowers look like little mini hula skirts in a way. The smell is what we're after here. The best smelling dianthus there is. 12-18" tall.

Silver tansy 'jackpot' (perennial) A giant 22-36" mound of blooms!

Zinnias (annual): swirl=bicolored beauties. cactus=fun ruffly fringy type. zowie! yellow flame=bright orange, yellow tips.

Indian mix hollyhock (biennial-may reseed) The quintessential cottage garden flower. Stately 6+ feet tall plants. May bloom the first year.

Butterfly weed (perennial) We grow a few different varieties of this, but all are truly loved by butterflies.

Marine heliotrope (annual) Small, old fashioned, but the prettiest fragrance on a plant. Pinch to promote bushiness.

Marigolds: lemondrop, harlequin, aurora fire, red, tangerine & lemon gems, Tall african 'crackerjack' (annual)

Sweet annie artemisia (perennial) Tall sweet-smelling wormwood sprays. Great for drying. Will reseed-be warned!

Globe amaranth: orange, red, purple (annual) cloverlike flowers great for drying.

'stars & stripes' 4 o clock (annual-may reseed) Nice fragrance, these beauties don't actually bloom til evening, but I suppose its 4 o'clock somewhere! Varigated blooms in fun colors.

Coming Soon:

goldsturm rudbeckia (perennial)

dancing ladies lychnis (perennial)

ammi majus 'graceland' (annual)

crystal palace blue lobelia (annual)

Tomato Time!

Alright, well it's not quite tomato time yet, but it is tomato planting time! This year we have more unusual varieties than ever. Most will be available for sale in the plant form beginning Open Farm weekend, and in the ripened form further on down the Summertime road. Here is a list of what we have going on so far:

For Containers and Smaller Spaces: Not everyone has a big ol' truck patch for letting their tomatoes spread out. Here are some smaller options:

Sun Gold - the gold standard in cherry tomato taste. They might have more of a fan base than the king himself. These plants always sell out the fastest.

Shenghaung Cherry- Sweet yet tart 1" red cherries on 5 foot tall plants. Placed in a large container with a tomato cage, I'm thinking this one is going to be great for the patio.

White/Low Acid: Ask and ye shall receive. We're continually asked about low acid tomatoes. We've heard both good things and bad about white and other light-colored low-acid tomatoes, so this year we're doing our own little experiment. The winner will be chosen from the following contestants:

Halfmoon China- Claims to have a 'melon-like flavor'. Hmm.

White Rabbit- White cherry with supposed excellent flavor. Little white fellas just sounded fun to me.

Big White Pink Stripe- From the seed catalog description: Pale-peach colored 4-inch globe slicer with pinkish blush on blossom end and peach-cream colored flesh inside. Meaty fruits with tropical flavor similar to melon but slight sweet-tart tang. If this were a competition of adjectives, we'd have ourselves a winner!

The Dark Side: Just to keep the balance, here are our deepest, darkest, (and most likely best-tasting) varieties:

Carbon- How could we go wrong with this one? It feels destined to be at home in Carbon County. With good thick sturdy stems already supporting the seedlings, this is going to be a good one.

Purple Cherokee- Kevin's favorite by far. If you're looking for the ultimate sandwich tomato for flavor, this is the one.

Mr. Brown- Earthy and complex is how this beefy mahogany fellow is described. Sounds like a personal ad. I guess I answered it. I'm looking forward to our first lunch date.

Blue Fruit- I'm not going to lie. I got them because they are blue. Blue tomatoes! Imagine!

Green Guys: What looks like an unripe tomato but tastes spectacular? These fellows, of course!

Green Zebra-Another of Kevin's top picks. Beautiful stripes and excellent taste.

Aunt Ruby's German Green-These have impressed us in the past. I'm sure they will again this year.

Mellow Yellow: Some more vibrant low-acid friends. Instead of a yellow rose, give your friends a basket of yellow tomatoes this summer! Now that's a good friend.

Dr. Wyche's Yellow-Dr. Wyche was a zoo owner and avid seed saver. His yellow is rumored to be the tastiest. Guess we'll find out!

Homer Fike's Yellow Oxheart- The story goes that the seeds were given to Karen Teets in WV by Homer Fike's 78 year old daughter, who claimed her father grew them as long as she could remember. They sound huge, beautiful, and delicious. This is the one I'm most looking forward to.

Ruby Gold- This highly praised yellow tomato has red streaks and a marbled interior. Sounds pretty!

Paste Tomatoes: These meaty, solid varieties are all excellent for cooking down into a delightful variety of tomato sauces.

Orange Banana-Last year, we had an incredible orange pasta sauce made from these odd looking tomatoes.

Speckled Roman- The love child of Roman and Banana Legs. Early, prolific, and delicious. Its parents should be proud.

Principe Borghese- Not really a paste tomato, these dense, sparsely seeded cherry tomatoes are rumored to make excellent sauce if you find yourself with an over-abundance. They are the best variety for sun drying or dehydrating. We're hoping to dry enough to sell at the farm store-if we don't eat them all first!

San Marzano- These heavy red pastes are back by popular demand!


Tomatoes That Look Like Tomatoes: Red, round, and ripe. For those that like their tomatoes to look the part.

Ruth's Perfect- Practically perfect in every way. At least that's what we were told. Their germination, however, was not so perfect for us, so we may not have enough plants to sell. Unless your name is Ruth, of course.

Rose-More of a deep pink, these are said to rival brandywine for flavor while keeping a nice neat shape.

New Girl- Feeling overwhelmed by choices? You're not alone. Many folks scan our tomato plants, desperate for a familiar name like 'girl', 'boy', or 'beefsteak'. This hybrid is as early as 'early girl' with better disease resistance.

You can check out all these varieties (plus some others I may have missed) at our farm store. Plants will go on sale to the public beginning at our Open Farm- Saturday May 23rd and Sunday May 24th, 10-6 both days. See you there!