Making sense of the NARGS Seed List for 2008-9

Hi all - the NARGS 2008-9 seed list is now up - http://www.nargs.org/seed/SeedExchange-2008-current-seed-list.html
(and so is the NARGS 2009-2010 list as of today)

I thought this might be a good place for folks to contribute any good references to help rock garden plant novices like me understand what they're looking at.

For instance, I just found a book on dwarf campanulas - http://books.google.com/books?id=DUCIu0MlEmwC&pg=PA253&lpg=PA253&dq=%22Campanula+autraniana%22&source=web&ots=emYl6DTZxn&sig=y06hqoA6gDDJcWev1GGFR9EEbtA&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPA250,M1 - that Google allows you to read part of. There are lists for campanula species that fall into the categories of border, rock garden, trough, etc. I would love to try some rock garden types - not border or trough - in the wall holding the front of our property up, so those lists really saved me some time just now.

Also, I'll bet clicking on Todd_Boland's member page to check out the articles he's written for DG would be a no-brainer - thank you Todd for writing those.

If anyone else knows of or discovers web references about the plants on NARGS' seed list, it sure would be helpful if you'd post it here.

This message was edited Dec 15, 2009 8:15 AM

Which crocus listed in NARGS' seed list are autumn blooming? Well, for one, C. speciosus - blooms on our hill around the end of October - a miracle, considering all the squirrel activity around here - perhaps the vinca and sweet woodruff are not as much fun for them to paw through, as bare garden dirt elsewhere. But Google makes available an excerpt from Elizabeth Lawrence's book, The Little Bulbs, and the way she writes about Crocus speciosus is entertaining - http://books.google.com/books?id=iD_ari9u_IEC&dq=Lawrence+%2B+%22The+Little+Bulbs%22&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=DXMdQfqwWI&sig=5-l3OGFF4zKVPE539DxKq7VhPik&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA99,M1 . She touches on another autumn bloomer, C. niveus. Both of these autumn-blooming crocuses are on the NARGS' seed list.

Another old literary garden book, more rambunctiously opinionated than Lawrence's - tending to the outrageous where Lawrence is graceful - is E. A. Bowles' book, My Garden in Autumn and Winter. His chapter on autumn crocuses gives the reader some rather unusual insights into these plants.

Todd's article - http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/238/ - is essential to refer to while going through NARGS' crocus, colchicum and cyclamen - deconfusticates very quickly.

The dianthus genus is my favorite, and I would love for Todd to do a series of articles on it - it's huge, with 100s of species that favor meadows or borders like D. caryophyllus (carnation) or one we see competing with wild grasses and golden rod in local meadows; some are wonderful low-growers that can be too big for the trough like D. plumarius (does well in our clay soil where there are stones for it to fall over); and then some for the third class where tiny dainties thrive. I see a series of articles in your future, Todd.

And then there are the fragrant and the fragrantNOT pinks. Two books that go into this subject are from slower times when reading was not just for information. For inspiration and prose that melds the mystical and practical hemispheres of the brain, I hope you can find the following two books that do justice to some fragrant dianthus species (among many other fragrant plants) -

The Fragrant Path, Louise Beebe Wilder (inexpensive reprints available)
The Fragrant Year, Helen van Pelt Wilson & Leonie Bell (awful shame to be out of print)

Continuing to write for novices, suppose you're looking at all those species of Dianthus on the NARGS list, whose names are written in Latin. Well, a great way to access an alphabetized list of any genus with its species and cultivars alphabetized in the DG PlantFiles is to:

-- Click on the Guides and Information tab at the top of your DG web page
-- In the right column, click on Plant Files
-- Next, on the left, you'll see a green bar that says, "Click here to search for plants" - click on that
-- In the box that comes up -
----- type Dianthus in the box for genus
----- Where it says "sort by", click on the menu and set it for Latin name
----- Next, click on Search
You now have a list of many Dianthus species and cultivars that corresponds exactly to the NARGS list by alphabetical order. It won't be a perfect match, so www.google.com can come to the rescue.

---------------------

On a side note - if only the DG wintersow database were similarly organized, rather than by common name. All species of any given genus do NOT necessarily germinate the same way (let alone behave the same way). That's one reason why it's such a shame that when you submit data to the DG wintersow database, they eliminate the correct botanical name you give and substitute a common name that will not differentiate between possibly 100s of species within the genus of the plant to which the plant you submitted belongs.

------------------------

I did index a great thread on dianthus from this forum y'all might find helpful:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/622484/

And here's one from the Cool Climate Gardening forum:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/637635/

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Edited on 12/15/09 to say that Michael_Ronayne has become a major force on DG for the Dianthus genus, and when cruising the NARGS list (or just researching Dianthus species & cultivars for the sheer pleasure of it), there are links in a thread he started that I think will be very useful and enjoyable - http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1050879/ . I think he also has a thread going on the DG Hybridizers forum.

He is also trying to drum up interest for a forum dedicated to the Dianthus genus, so anyone reading this is encouraged to post there for that reason, as well.


This message was edited Dec 15, 2009 10:21 AM

With my shady hill, gentians would seem to belong to one of the most magical genera I could grow. Todd's article - http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/827/ - was wonderful to help me wade through this section of the NARGS' seed list. Thanks, Todd.

Okay, I've been really feeling bad about not contributing to this thread, because it is such a good and worthy subject. I guess we've all been busy. We are helping with phase 2 of the NARGS seed exchange, to insure its timely completion. Phase 3 (seed distribution) will begin with our Chapter meeting, January 10th. Of course, foreign orders and donors' orders have priority. I used the interactive pdf order form, available on the NARGS website. Pretty slick. I encourage everyone to take a look at it. Below is my order.

Anyway, we all know how invaluable Todd is for the rest of us, and that he writes such good DG articles. These are the ones apropos to our listing by him. I hope I didn't miss any.

The Diversity of Baby's-Breath http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1734/
Dwarf Ferns for Limited Space http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1709/
Snowdrops - Signs of the New Blooming Season http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1658/
Sea Pinks - A Coastal Beauty http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1104/
'Botanical' Tulips - Go Wild! http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/988/
Crocus to Brighten the Spring Garden http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/977/
Gardening picture
Anemone, the Windflowers: Part 1 The Tuberous Species http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1021/
Anemone, the Windflower: Part 2 - the Fibrous-rooted Species http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1022/
Anemone, the Windflower: Part 3 - The Fall-flowering Species and Hybrids http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1023/
Columbine Species for Woodlands and Borders http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1006/
Lewisia: Alpines Gems of North America http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/993/
Ornamental Onions Part 1 - the Summer-Blooming Types http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/958/
Ornamental Onions Part 2 - the Fall Planted/Spring Blooming Types http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/962/
Squills, Bluebells and Glory-of-the-Snow...the Other Spring 'Blues'! http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/953/
Trout Lilies, Fawn Lilies and Dog's-Tooth Violets - The Elegant Erythroniums http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/949/
Bleeding Hearts - Bizarre is Beautiful http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/934
/Hardy 'African Violets' - Ramonda, Haberlea and Jankaea http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/863/
Feeling Blue? Grow Gentians! http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/827/
Dwarf 'Needled' Conifers http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/786/
Pasqueflowers - The Flower of Easter http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/797/
The Best of the Dwarf Columbines http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/504/
Alpine Bellflowers for Wet-winter Climates http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/501/
Candelabra Primroses http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/505/
Primroses: Diversity is Their Key to Popularity - Part 1: Primrose Culture and Use http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/262/
Primroses: Diversity is Their Key to Popularity - Part 2 : Primrose Selections http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/263/
The Three 'C's' Among Fall-flowering Bulbs: Colchicum, Crocus and Cyclamen http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/238/
Heaths and Heathers for USDA Zones 4-6 http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/234/

And so many more good threads here:
A walk down the primroses path http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/797615/
At last...some April bloom! http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/831561/
May blooms http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/843081/
May blooms http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/842559/
Summer-time alpines...alpines of July http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/870975/
August alpines http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/886185/
Alpines into the fall season http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/901115/

Hmmm. This could have been titled
"The Best of DG Rock and Alpine Gardening 2008."

As a NARGS seed exchange update, our Chapter started out on January 10 with about 600 or so orders to fill. As more orders continued to arrive, we were caught up by Jan. 17, and now have basically been filling orders as they are received. The number of orders is down significantly form other years, although I am not sure what this means quantitatively.

That should mean there will be a larger compliment of choices for Round 2! (There is always a silver lining . . .)
And it's only $5 per 20 packets (25¢ each)!
But you must buy in a batch of 20.

If you haven't done your first order, there is still time. Orders must be received here in Minnesota by February 11. You must be a member of the national organization (NARGS) to participate.

***The preceeding commercial was brought to you by an enthusiastic Minnesota member of the North American Rock Garden Society.***

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So what have you all got? !!!

This is my stash:

126 Allium ovalifolium v leuconeurum
1213 Echinocereus triglochidiatus
1314 Eryngium bourgatii 'Picos Blue'
1429 Fritillaria stenanthera
1557 Gladiolus flanaganii
1947 Lilium monadelphum
2164 Oenothera minima variegata
2333 Penstemon cyananthus
2388 Penstemon rupicola hybrids
2455 Phyteuma orbiculare
2458 Phyteuma vagneri
2595 Pulsatilla cernua
2610 Pulsatilla vernalis
2625 Pulsatilla zimmermannii
2641 Ranunculus gramineus
2850 Scilla ramburei
2969 Soldanella hungarica
3173 Tulipa vvedenskyi
3364 Fritillaria carica
3369 Fritillaria sewerzowii
3384 Gladiolus scullyi
3409 Iris graeberiana
3422 Lilium nanum
3486 Scilla litardierei v hoogiana
4066 Aquilegia brevistyla Canada: near Hay River Northwest Territories
4170 Clematis ochotensis black Japan: Mt Tokachi
4192 Corydalis pallida v tenuis Japan: Ooyama Toyama Pref
4206 Dianthus monspessulanus ssp sternbergii Slovenia: Alps
4342 Lilium callosum Russia: Far East Kedrovaja Padj
4498 Pulsatilla albana Russia: Machatskala Daghestan
4541 Saxifraga caesia Slovenia: Alps
4554 Scilla scilloides Japan: Ooyama Toyama Pref
4555 Scilla verna Pyrenees

I got mine today - good job! Thanks to you, Rick, and the others in your chapter for making this possible!
I left it rather late, but still got 86% of my first choices - not that I'd ever even complain if I only got second choices - it's all fabulous!

Androsace salicifolia
Aquilegia chaplinei
Anemone truliifolia
Arenaria grandiflora
Arenaria tetraquetra
Asphodeline lutea
Astragalus angustifolius
Buglossoides purpurocaerulea
Campanula versicolor
Convolvulus cneorum
Corydalis pallida v. tenuis
Corydalis nobilis - moist packed
Dalea candida v. candida
Delphinium brunonianum
Dianthus calocephalus
Dianthus nardiformis
Edraianthus dalmaticus
Edraianthus wettsteinii
Eritrichium canum v. canum
Fritillaria recurva
Geranium dissectum
Geranium magniflorum
Geranium traversii v. elegans
Helianthemum appeninum
Inula candida
Inula rhizocephalus
Onosma euboica
Oxytropis megalantha
Rehmannia glutinosa
Saruma henryi
Saussurea americana
Saussurea nepalensis
Thalictrum actaeifolium
Veronica aphylla
Viola canina

Lori

I decided to skip this year. I have gotten a lot of seed I didn't have space to start.
So I'm starting all those this year instead. Seed gluttony is not a pretty sight. :-)

Tam

I have received my Seeds. Yay! and thanks. I was wondering about round2. I see on the website that they will begin filling round2 orders on May 7. I haven't received any info in the mail about it. Has anyone else?

Thanks,
jb

The Adirondack Chapter will be filling second round ordersMarch 7-20. I haven't received my list in the mail yet. But you can get the second round list online now.

Care to list the seeds you received, jb? It's always fun to see what everyone got . . .

Here are my seeds from this year. I have already sown most of them. I noticed the round2 seed list was online and will be going through it to make some selections. In past years they have sent a form and instructions on ordering round2 seeds. I am assuming that will arrive shortly.

27 Aconitum napellus blue to 1.5m 138 303
28 Aconitum napellus 'Album' white 1m 109
63 Agapanthus praecox ssp orientalis blue/white 80-100cm 37
237 Anemone rupicola white-pink/violet reverse 15-30cm 65 306
258 Anomatheca laxa 'Joan Evans' white/red eye to 30cm 172
293 Aquilegia buergeriana 'Calimero' purple/yellow 15-20cm 31 2
392 Arisaema fargesii red-brown/white 60cm 4 282
675 Cardiocrinum giganteum white/streaked purple 1-3m >
676 Cardiocrinum giganteum v yunnanense white/purple-red streak 1-3m >
756 Clematis alpina 'Ruby' soft red 2.5m 65
765 Clematis hirsutissima dark violet-blue 15-65cm >
784 Clematis serratifolia 'Kugotia' yellow 2-3m 2
1108 Digitalis ferruginea rusty/golden to 120cm 33 307
1115 Digitalis parviflora red-brown to 60cm >
1143 Dodecatheon sp red 20cm 21
1468 Gentiana asclepiadea 'Knightshayes' blue 80cm 136
1508 Gentiana wilsonii blue to 30cm 53
1544 Geum rivale red 25cm 67
1551 Gladiolus 'Boone' apricot to 75cm 22
1634 Helleborus orientalis pale peach 15
1732 Indigofera australis red .5-1.75m 69
1934 Lilium martagon mix to 2m 100
2031 Magnolia virginiana cream-white to 10m 274
2061 Meconopsis superba white to 2m 135
3124 Trillium flexipes f walpolei (cf) maroon flr/white ovary 20-50cm 282


Happy sowing.

jb

We could do germination reports, too, if there is any interest?

From seedings on Feb. 1 and 15, I have seedlings now of:
Arenaria grandiflora
Astragalus angustifolius (got this to compare to my existing plants)
Dalea candida v. candida
Delphinium brunonianum
Dianthus calocephalus
Dianthus nardiformis
Eritrichium canum v. canum
Geranium traversii v. elegans
Inula rhizocephalus
Rehmannia glutinosa
Exciting!

Nice stuff, jb.

I would be interested in germination reports. We should have a different thread for that. I try to keep records of that anyway. I'll do the honors. And if you could repost your info their, Alta, that would be good.

Received my second round NARGS seeds today. I sent my order in about 5 days after I received the listing/form in the mail. I got 94% first choices!

Nice Leftwood. I sent mine in a few days ago. Am going for 100 packets this time. How many did you order?

jb

Yes, I went for 100 pkts too. Some will go straight into the frig or feezer for fall planting or spring 2010. With 100 choices, I got a lot of stuff I never would have chosen before, because they weren't so high on my wish list. And since everyone has already had a chance to order in the first round, I don't have to feel like I might be "stealing" some of the really choice seeds in short supply from people who know how to grow them, just because I want to experiment. And they aren't in short supply anyway!

23 Acis trichophylla, white,10-30cm 80
126 Allium ovalifolium v leuconeurum, white,25cm 10
129 Allium perdulce, rose-purple, 10-20cm 39
140 Allium sikkimense, blue, 40cm 174 311
235 Anemone rivularis, white/blue reverse, 20-60cm
236 Anemone rivularis ex CC4587, white, 30cm 106
591 Calycanthus floridulus x floridulus ‘Athens’ OP, red/yellow,3m 274
843 Corydalis degensis, purplish-blue, 15-30cm 282
988 Delosperma congestum ‘Gold Nugget’, yellow, 5cm 174
1068 Dianthus simulans, pink, 6cm
1143 Dodecatheon sp., red, 20cm 21
1188 Dracocephalum botryoides, lavender-pink, 10-15cm
1210 Echinocereus reichenbachii and rigidissimus mix 164
1211 Echinocereus reichenbachii ssp. baileyi, pink, 10-40cm 28 112
1212 Echinocereus reichenbachii v perbellus, purple, 5-10cm 112
1213 Echinocereus triglochidiatus, orange-red, 5-70cm 28
1214 Echinocereus viridiflorus, yellowish green/dark red, 8-30cm 112
1241 Erianthus hyemalis, yellow, 5-15cm
1372 Fritillaria agrestis, green-pruple/brown, 30-60cm 11
1376 Fritillaria biflora x peredyi 11
1377 Fritillaria bithynica greenish-yellow, 10-20cm 11 34
1383 Fritillaria crassifolia ssp. kurdica, maroon/yellow, 15cm 172
1384 Fritillaria crassifolia ssp. kurdica ‘Aragats’, deep brown, 20cm 251
1392 Fritillaria euboeica, yellow, 5-10cm 11
1394 Fritillaria graeca ssp graeca, green-purple, 6-20cm 87
1401 Fritillaria kotschyana, purple-brown/green, 8-25cm 11 87
1411 Fritillaria obliqua, black-purple, 10-20cm 11
1416 Fritillaria pallidiflora, pale yellow, 15-45cm
1417 Fritillaria pinardii, purple/yellow, 10-15cm 11
1422 Fritillaria purdyi x biflora 11
1423 Fritillaria pyrenaica, greenish-yellow/bronze, 15-30cm
1426 Fritillaria rhodokanakis, purplish-brown, 10-15cm 11
1428 Fritillaria sibthorpiana, yellow, 20-30cm 87
1429 Fritillaria stenanthera, pink/purple base 5-12cm 11
1433 Fritillaria tuntasia, blackish-purple, 10-35cm 53
1435 Fritillaria whittalii, green-brown, 10-20cm
1624 Helleborus argutifolius, yellow green, to 60cm 111
1629 Helleborus lividus, pale green/rose, 45-60cm 21
1632 Helleborus odorus, lime green, 30-50cm 21
1637 Hemerocallis dumortieri, yellow 35cm 247
1877 Lewisia cotyledon, pink/peach/orange 10-30cm 120
1930 Lilium mackliniae, white 45cm 53 162
1947 Lilium monadelphum, yellow, 1-1.5m 87
1953 Lilium parryi, yellow, to1.9m 142 198
1955 Lilium pyrenaicum, yellow-green/maroon, 15-135cm 139 154
1956 lilium pyrenaicum ssp. carniolicum v jankae, yellow, 40cm 136
2149 Nomocharis aperta, rose-purple, 40-60cm 21 155
2150 Nomocharis farreri, pink/white crimson spots,60-100cm 21
2151 Nomocharis hybrid 21
2152 Nomocharis hybrids, mottled pink, 30-40cm 87
2190 Orostachys fimbriata, chartreuse lvs w/red tips/cream fls, 13cm 174
2194 Orostachys thyrsiflora, white, 14cm 174
2384 Penstemon ramaleyi, blue, 20cm 239
2386 Penstemon roezlii, purple-blue, 15-55cm 34
2587 Pulsatilla albana, white/blue reverse, 20cm 17
2675 Rhodophiala mendocina, sulphur yellow, 12-25cm 87
2847 Scilla mischtschenkoana, blue, 10-15cm 4 282
2852 Scilla scilloides dwarf form, pink, 5-10cm 97
2880 Sedum caeruleum, blue 5-12cm 142
2888 Sedum tatarinowii, white/pink tips, 12cm 119
2968 Soldanella alpina, lavender blue, 15cm 187
3026 Syneilesis intermedia, white, 80-160cm 4 282 ------- (2)
3262 Zephyranthes atamasca, white, 30cm 161
3280 Adonis brevistyla, white/blue outer, 35cm 296
3282 Adonis vernalis, yellow, 10-20cm 287-296
3364 Fritillaria carica, yellow 3-15cm 297
3369 Fritillaria sewerzowii, yellowish-purple-brown, 15-25cm 287
3422 Lilium nanum, brown 10-15cm 311
4066 Aquilegia brevistyla, blue/white, 60cm Canada:near Hay River,NW Territories 201
4072 Aquilegia vulgaris, Slovenia: Alps 106
4133 Cardiandra alternifolia, white, 60cm Japan:Ooyama Toyama Prefect 300m 79
4165 Cistanthe umbellata, pink, 10cm Oregon:Deschutes Co. 120
4190 Cornus unalaschkensis, white, 15cm Washington”Snohomish Co. 38
4191 Corydalis inscisa, purple, 20cm Japan”Ooyama Toyama Prefect 300m 79
4206 Dianthus monspessulanus ssp. sternbergii, Slovenia: Alps 106
4225 Dryas octopetala Slovenia: Alps 106
4233 Edraianthus wettsteinii, 5cm, Czech Republic:Cerna Hora 155
4257 Ferula communis, Yellow, 3m Spain:Turon, Granada 104
4267 Fritillaria messanensis ssp. gracilis, 15cm Croatia:Biokovo 1400m 155
4269 Fritillaria messanensis ssp. gracilis, 15cm Kosovo:Crna Gora 1800m 155
4285 Gentiana froelichii, Slovenia: Alps 106
4302 Globularia cordifolia, Slovenia: Alps 106
4347 Lilium Leichtlinii, orange-red, 50cm Japan:Ooyama Toyama Prefect 300m 79
4437 Penstemon albertinus (cf), Washington: Klickitat Co. 1000m 190
4446 Penstemon gairdneri, purple, 20cm, Oregon:Baker Co. 1400m 206
4544 Saxifraga mutata Sloveina: Alps 106
4554 Scilla scilloides, pink, 15cm, Japan:Ooyama Toyama Prefect 300m 79
4555 Scilla verna, Pyrenees 1830m 171
4558 Semiaquilegia adoxoides, white, 40cm, Japan: Ooyama Toyama Prefect 300m 79
4565 Silene acaulis ssp longiscapa, France: Alps 177
4567 Silene latifolia ssp. alba, white, 30cm, Japan:Sapporo, Hokkaido 84
4689 Pancratium maritimum, ivory, 30-40cm, Italy:Latina 293
4691 Paris quadrifolia, white, 30-40cm, Balarus:Livye, Minsk 293
4714 Trillium undulatum, white/pink base, 20-50cm Canada:Ontario 313

Second choice
15 Achillea ageratifolia ssp aizoon, white, 15cm 30
20 Acis autumnalis, white w/pink base, 8-15cm
148 Allium thunbergii ‘Album’, white 20cm 2
151 Allium unifolium, pink, 20-80cm 25
154 Allium zebdanense, white, 25-40cm




This message was edited Mar 13, 2009 2:29 PM

Wonderful contributions above, thanks everyone. My original idea, which I did not explain very well, was to dedicate each post to one genus, and then within each post to provide any information about that genus that would help folks understand how to choose species and cultivars of that genus listed on the NARGS seed exchange list for their respective site conditions and/or creative ways of getting around any limitations of those site conditions. But, Leftwood, posting all those links to Todd's articles together like that was great - would have been a shame not to do that. All posts were much appreciated.

Soooo, I have some more to share, and will do a post on Salvia (sages). I certainly look forward to seeing what else y'all can continue to come up with. I'm not sure I can get back to this thread until next year - am just taking today to visit this forum - but am looking forward very much to spending more time around here after New Year's.

A huge thank you to Todd for your work on the new NARGS website, and to everyone else involved. For those who might be reading this and haven't yet mosied over to NARGS, here's the link - http://www.nargs.org/ .

The NARGS seed exchange is now open, and as I posted elsewhere with respect to the American Primrose Society, growing plants obtained from seeds from the NARGS seed exchange will also benefit NARGS and its membership.

This message was edited Dec 15, 2009 8:16 AM

Salvia (Sage)

If you have tabs up for each of the following lists while perusing the salvias on the NARGS list on another tab, it'll give you a better idea of what to choose -

Salvias that are shade tolerant - http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/699451/

Salvias for a hot and humid climate - http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/699449/

An encyclopedic, pictorial guide to salvias w/explanatory text - http://www.robinssalvias.com/blue/default.htm

A salvia chart from Cabrillo College - http://www.cabrillo.edu/academics/horticulture/salvias/html/sale.html#a

A great resource of other guides & links from DG member Rich_Dufresne - http://www.eclectasy.com/gallery_of_salvias/

Alphabetized list of salvias (by species) in DG PlantFiles: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=Salvia&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&searcher%5Bgrex%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=genus&images_prefs=both&Search=Search

With a list as long as the DG PlantFile list above, sometimes it's quicker to search for a specific species through google, which will take you directly there, if it's in the DG PF - www.google.com

Well, if anyone hasn't been bitten by the salvia/sage bug by now, I hope this will help :)

Karen

Gosh, I didn't even see this thread before...I'm red in the face! Sorry I have never written anything on Salvia...I don't grow them as most are pathetic in my climate and I like to write about plants I personally grow.

I just put my NARGS order together today.

Here is a link to "Seeds for 2010...what are your ordering" thread I started.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1063403/

Todd - you have written so well about so many different genera, that I don't think you need to get red in the face about sage. But I do wonder what the northernmost sage might be...what an amazing sage that one would be.

Well, at the risk of being redder in the face than you since I'm not expert at all in germinating the kinds of seed I ordered, I'll get over to that thread. There was one especially for which I stampeded to the post office before it closed on the day the NARGS list went up, and I will appreciate all the help I can get with that one.

Karen

Bluespiral, off the top of my head, a few of the salvias that are fully hardy here include S. nemorosa (and all the various cultivars and ssp.), glutinosa, patens...
I'm sure there are many others... I need to explore those of the Caucasus, northern & alpine Europe, etc. a lot more...

Thank you, Alta. Before discovering this forum, I had no idea what a horticultural paradise the far north could be. Of course, I always wondered; especially after reading (do not remember where) about how footprints in arctic snow could fill with red algae almost before said foot had moved along to the next step. If evidence of life is ever found on any of the other planets or moons of our solar system, who could care if it's not a rose or marigold? (Actually, I think the possibility of life on planet(s) outside of our solar system might have been raised lately by some analytical evidence. Perhaps the archives of NASA's picture for a day might have something on that - http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html )

Well, I digress - sorry about that. I do enjoy the botanic/horticultural learning potential on this forum very much.

Returning y'all to your regular programming -

karen

I was totally delighted with the seeds from NARGS!

Aconitum lycoctonum
Aconitum lyconitum neapolitanum
Aconitum sczukini blue
Alyssum montanum sp. white
Amsonia hubrichtii
Amsonia jonesii
Amsonia tabernaemontana
Amsonia tabernaemontana v. salicifolia
Aquilegia vulgaris v. stellata "Green Apples"
Arabis flaviflora yellow
Campanula glomerata v. alba
Campanula trachelium blue
Campanula trachelium light blue
Campanula trachelium v. alba
Clematis heiracliefolia blue
Clematis heiracliefolia v. davidiana
Cleome hassleriana red
Cotinus "Grace"
Filipendula rubra pink
Iberis bernardiana pink-violet
Meconopsis latifolia blue
Paonia delavayi v. lutea
Thalictrum aquilegia v. alba
Thalictrum flavum ssp glaucum yellow

Hi! Are those ones you grew last year, or this year's order? Please do join in on the seed-starting discussion, either way!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1063403/

Welcome to the forum, CLScott!
Thalictrum flavum subsp. glaucum is the bluest foliage plant I have ever grown, I think.
Well, now I have some seedlings in the window of Corydalis wilsonii that may take over the King Blue spot for me . . .

That list is the seeds which i received last week.
I am thinking most of them are a winter sow.

And thanks for the tip on the foliage colour of Thalictrum flavum glaucum-----I did not know
it had blue foliage---what a bonus!

Caroline

This message was edited Feb 20, 2010 10:23 AM