Fragrant Perennials
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If the path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads. — Anatole France All in all the growing season was a pretty benevolent one this year—not many overly hot days in the summer and timely rains kept hose-dragging to a minimum. Rainfall was not above normal during the growing season—it just came as needed instead of all at once in a downpour of multiple inches in a short period of time. Then along in late fall we received another ten inches over a month's time which put us around 30% over our normal average of around 30 inches a year to about 40 inches. So plenty of moisture in the soil profile for evergreens winter transpiration needs. And with all that extra fall precipitation there still seemed to be plenty of dry weather for farmers to get their crops in on a timely basis. Don’t know why more growing seasons couldn’t be like this one. Relatives in northern California have had 40+ inches in their fall and winter rainy season so that’s good too. It could slow down here now as it won’t likely be melting for another month or so… Not long after we moved here in the early 70s we had a beekeeper who kept 20+ hives on the farm. When he retired and took his hives away I thought I should probably get a couple hives since we had planted a small orchard, vineyard, berries and other crops that would need pollination. But it seemed that every time I got stung I would have a worse reaction, so one winter when the bees didn’t live over I decided not to replace them. By this time I had realized that we didn’t really need them as there were plenty of native solitary bees and other pollinators to do the job since we had created a diverse enough habitat for them to flourish. My brother even made orchard mason bee nests out of 4x4s with many holes drilled in the face with a little copper gable roof which were hung in the orchard. We probably didn’t really need them (but they were readily used) because my garage seems to be a natural nursery. It is built with repurposed lumber and not finished with drywall, so all the nail holes from previous usage are available for mason bees—and it hums in the summer with their activity. It also provides homes for paper wasps, organ pipe mud daubers, and others. I have never been stung in the garage. Where honeybees are really needed are in the large mono-crops such as the almond orchards of California that don’t provide sufficient habitat for native pollinators. This list offers seeds for pollinator plants useful for their production of good quantities of pollen and nectar and for their long blooming season. Some of the plant families that are particularly good for these purposes are: the Sunflower Family, Asteraceae, including sunflowers, daisies, coneflowers, asters, etc.; the Mint Family, Lamiaceae,including mints, monardas, agastaches, nepetas, etc.; and the Parsley Family, Umbelliferae, including carrots, parsley, dill, fennel, coriander, anise etc. The latter family being particularly attractive to parasitic wasps which are useful insect predators. Of course some plants are useful for their foliage as a food source: milkweed for Monarch larva; dutchman’s pipevine for the large black Swallowtail that eats nothing else; passionflower for the Gulf Fritillary; fennel and dill for the Black Swallowtail; and nettles for other butterfly larvae. So all in all it is best to have as much diversity as possible. An excellent book on the subject is "Attracting Native Pollinators" by the Xerces Society… Ed, Judi, Tudy TERMS PRICES: Seeds are $2.00 per packet unless otherwise marked, with the exception of the HERBS section which are $1.50 unless otherwise marked. $5.00 minimum order, $10.00 if you wish to receive next year’s catalogue. PAYMENT: Check or money-order to accompany order. Canadian orders remit in U.S. funds. Small checks on Canadian banks will not clear here. CONDITION OF SALE: All offers are made subject to being unsold upon receipt of order. As is common with seed growers and dealers the world over, we give no warranty as to the description, quality, productiveness or any other matter of any seeds we sell. In any case liability will be limited to the purchase price of the seeds. THE FRAGRANT PATH P.O. Box 328 Fort Calhoun, Nebraska 68023 DATE: _________________________________________________________ AMOUNT ENCLOSED: _________________________ NAME: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ CITY and STATE: _____________________________________________________________________ ZIP CODE: ________________ QUANTITY NAME OF SEEDS ORDERED DOLLARS CENTS PLEASE NOTE: Minimum order is $5.00, $10.00 if you wish to receive next year's catalogue. Shipping and Handling Charge $3.00. All seeds $2.00 per packet unless noted otherwise. Due to short supply of some seeds, please try to list a few alternates. Canadian orders remit in U.S. funds. QUANTITY NAME OF SEEDS ORDERED DOLLAR CENTS Shipping & Handling Charge $ 3 00 Sales Tax for Nebraska 5.5% TOTAL ALTERNATE LIST CONTENTS CLIMBERS .................................................................................. 2 ANNUALS ............................................................................... 2 HERBACEOUS & WOODY .................................................... 8 FRAGRANT ANNUALS .......................................................... 11 FRAGRANT PERENNIALS ..................................................... 22 BIENNIALS ............................................................................... 33 PRAIRIE FLOWERS ................................................................. 36 A FEW PRAIRIE GRASSES..................................................... 42 HERBS ....................................................................................... 45 ANNUALS & BIENNIALS ..................................................... 45 PERENNIALS........................................................................ 47 OTHER PLANTS OF MERIT ................................................... 51 ANNUALS ............................................................................. 51 PERENNIALS........................................................................ 60 FRAGRANT TREES & SHRUBS ............................................. 67 A FEW EXOTICS ...................................................................... 77 We have juggled the Sweet Pea into the last word in hues and furbelows, and all but lost its sweetness; we have been careless of the Rose's scent, and have made of the wistful Mignonette a stoled and inodorous wedge of CLIMBERS vulgarity. We plan meticulously for colour harmony and a sequence of bloom, but who goes deliberately about planning for a succession of sweet scents during every week of the growing year? Certainly it is a shame that climbers are not more often used these days when we suffer more than ever from the slings and arrows of outrageous architecture. For what plants are more amenable to soften – L. B. Wilder the hard corners and camouflage the glaring errors of civilization. Especially so, when as a whole these plants are remarkably undemanding in their cultural requirements compared to the amount of beauty they bestow. For the sake of convenience I have divided them into two groups: ANNUALS, which include many tropical perennials grown as annuals; and HERBACEOUS & WOODY, the difference which may at times be due only to severity of climate. Unfortunately, many of the annuals are not scented. ANNUALS Cardiospermum halicacabum. BALLOON-VINE. The Latin name, meaning HEARTSEED, stems from the black seeds, borne in trios, emblazoned with perfect white hearts. This is an exceedingly graceful and dainty climber and yet a strong grower. Young children and adults are fond of popping the inflated seed- pods which are also useful in indoor decoration. According to the Doctrine of Signatures, the plant was at one time employed in treating heart diseases. Clitoria ternatea. BUTTERFLY-PEA. A slender twining tropical member of the Pea Family with attractive compound alternate leaves and rather striking deep blue flowers to two inches long with light blue and yellow markings. A restrained grower in temperate climates to about six feet but flowering most of the summer from an early sowing. A shy seeder in the North, this seed was supplied by a generous customer in Florida. HHA, ten seeds, pkt. $2.50. Cobaea scandens. CUP-AND-SAUCER-VINE. This dense, vigorous climber is little used today compared to former times. The only climbing member of the Phlox family, it is very floriferous from midsummer until frost. The bell-shaped flowers on long stems turn from clear green to rosy-purple as they mature, the saucer remaining greenish-white. Climbs by terminal tendrils on the leaves. Plant seeds on edge, just covering with soil. Convolvulus tricolor. DWARF GLORYBIND. Probably shouldn’t place this here as it is an erect annual to 1 ft., but comes from a mostly vining family and looks like a morning glory. An old-fashioned garden favorite with brightly colored flowers in shades of pink, blue and white in great profusion all summer in sunny dry spots (and pots) and poor soil. 2 Cucumis melo dudaim. QUEEN ANNE’S POCKET MELON. Also known as SWEET-SCENTED or POMEGRANATE MELON, this is not edible, but is a very small melon once used as an ornamental climber on trellises and arbours or to carry in the pocket as a pomander for its sweet scent. Looks like a tiny round