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Tag : Harvesting History Seeds

Home » Tagged "Harvesting History Seeds" (Page 3)

  • Portulaca

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    Portulaca - 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Portulaca is an annual member of the Purslane family that is indigenous to the tropical regions of the world. It is also known as the Moss Rose. It is one of the few ornamental plants that can be used to stabilize a sandy bank. Portulacas have been a part of American gardens since the 1700's. In his 1851 book, The Flower Garden, Joseph Breck said of the plant, "Every person who has had any experience in the garden is too well acquainted with the weed Purslane, or Pursly, and would gladly see an extermination, not only of that plant, but all its kindred. It is indeed a troublesome weed; but no one should be condemned because he happens

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  • Poppies

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    Poppies - 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Poppies are native to the temperate regions of the world and have been known and cultivated for thousands of years, primarily for medicinal purposes. There are more than 50 species of annual and perennial poppies native to Europe and at least 100 varieties that are indigenous to other areas of the Northern Hemisphere and California, in particular. The Romans are believed to have introduced the poppy into Great Britain. The Latin name, Papaver, comes from the word, Pappa which means milky juice. The plants have a long history in the mythology and legend of most Western cultures. They were recognized as symbols of fertility (a single seed pod can contain as many as 32,000 seeds), fecundity and

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  • Nigella

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    Nigella - 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Nigella, also known as Love-In-A-Mist, Jack-In-The-Green or Lady-In-The-Bower, is an annual and member of the Ranunculus Family. It is native to southern Europe and the northern regions of Africa. It has been cultivated in British and European gardens since 1548, but it has been known since Biblical times when in Isaiah 28:27, it was called the "Bitter Fitch". The name Nigella comes from the word, niger, which means black. It refers to the color of the seeds which are used in medicinal and culinary applications. The seeds, when crushed into a paste, were used to banish freckles. The leaves are used in various recipes as an aromatic. The plant was introduced into the United States by colonists in the

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  • Nasturtium including Canary Creeper

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    Nasturtium including Canary Creeper - 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Nasturtiums, also known as Indian Cress or Flame Flower, are annuals, native to Columbia, Bolivia and Peru where they grow as perennials. They were discovered by the Spanish conquistadors and brought to Spain in the sixteenth century. The first nasturtiums brought to Europe were a variety, Tropaeolum minus, which produced a small yellow flower with a purple blotch. This nasturtium is now very rare. The more familiar nasturtiums, Tropaeolum majus, were introduced in the 1600's and gained almost instant popularity for their ability to hide almost anything with their climbing habit. Nasturtiums also quickly established themselves as a culinary delight - their seeds, when cured in vinegar, could be used as capers and their peppery flavored

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  • Money Plant

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    Money Plant (Lunaria) 
- A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Money Plant, also known as Lunaria or the Honesty Plant, was originally native to the central and southern areas of Europe, but the plant has proliferated throughout the temperate regions of the world. It was introduced into Britain before the 1600's and was brought to the United States by the pilgrims. The plant was prized for its decorative, translucent, disk-shaped seed pods which when dried are lovely in floral displays. The plant is a member of the Mustard family. Its white, tapered roots can be eaten either boiled or raw. Joseph Breck in his 1851 book, The Flower Garden, described the plant in this way, "Honesty is an old-fashioned plant, flowering the second year from seed,

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  • Marigolds

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    Marigolds - 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Marigolds, both French and African, are indigenous to Mexico and Guatemala. They were discovered in the early 16th century and brought to Europe and Northern Africa in the late 16th century where they were quickly adopted into gardens. The family name, Tagetes, is derived from a mythical Etruscan deity. In the wild, the French Marigold, Tagetes patula, is an 18 inch tall, bushy plant with heavily scented, feathery leaves. The flowers are daisy-like and pale yellow. The wild African Marigold is 4-5 feet high with 2-4 inch flowers that vary in color from pale yellow to deep orange. By the time the plants were introduced into Britain in the early 1600's, the African Marigold, Tagetes erecta, had naturalized along

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  • Lupines and Texas BlueBonnets

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    Lupines and Texas BlueBonnets - 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Lupine is a family of annual and perennial flowers which were native to the Balkans and the Aegean. The oldest Lupines were annuals, white flowered, and had been cultivated since Egyptian times. These plants were used to improve the soil, fixing nitrogen because they are legumes and as a fodder crop. The yellow lupines, also annuals, were also used to improve soil, but they were also prized for their incredible fragrance. Joseph Breck in his 1851 book, The Flower Garden, had much to say about Lupines. "Lupinus perennis is a well-known species, indigenous to many parts of New England, found, frequently, in large masses, from a yard to two rods in circumference, occupying the very

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  • Larkspur

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    Larkspur - 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Larkspur, for years, was considered to be a member of the Delphinium family, but has been recently re-classified with the new name Consolida ranunculaceae. This re-classification makes it a member of the Ranunculus family. The plant, an annual, was introduced into Britain in the mid-1500's from its native habitat the Mediterranean. The name, Larkspur, probably originated in England and refers to the horn-shaped nectary of the flower which resembles the spur of a lark's claw. Gerard (John Gerard, 1545-1612, author of the definitive horticultural text of the period, The Grete Herball, 1597,) made these notes about the Larkspur, "that in England the plant is known as larks spur, larks heel, larks toes, larks clawe and munkeshoode". Soon

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  • Hesperis, Dames Rocket

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    Hesperis, Dames Rocket 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Hesperis, also known as Dames Rocket, Sweet Rocket and Dames Violet, belong to a family of plants which are native from Europe to China and Siberia. Hesperis are members of the Mustard family. The plants were introduced into North America during colonial times and were a popular cottage garden flower because of their beauty and their heavy, sweet fragrance which was most notable at sunset. Joseph Breck in his 1851 book, The Flower Garden, said of the plant, "The single varieties of this fragrant flower are common in most gardens. It is a biennial or imperfect perennial, easily raised from seeds, producing flowers the second year...in May and June, of various shades, from pure white to purple...The

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  • Gomphrena (Globe Amaranth)

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    Gomphrena (Globe Amaranth) 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Gomphrena, also known as the Globe Amaranth, is native to the tropics of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. The plant is related to the Cockscomb and Love-Lies-Bleeding. The native plant had magenta, clover-like flowers, but today's cultivars are purple, pink and white as well as magenta. The plant has been grown in American gardens since the 1700's. Joseph Breck in his 1851 book, The Flower Garden, said of the Globe Amaranth, "...Globe Amaranth, - of which there are three common varieties, the white and the purple and the striped, are desirable for their heads of flowers, which, if gathered before they are too far advanced, will retain their beauty for several years. The seed is difficult to

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