Flowers and Ornamentals
[ Flowers | Sunflowers | Cannas | Cotton ]
ORGANIC CERTIFICATION UPDATE: We were able to get organic certification on part of our farm this year (more information on that in the 2007 A Year In Review section). This means over the next 2 years we will be listing everything that we grow here at our farm as Certified Organic. We have many varieties in this year's catalog which are being offered as CERTIFIED ORGANIC. If the item is being offered as CERTIFIED ORGANIC, it will have an OG after the price of the seeds.
Return to seed category search pageSeed ordering information: read before ordering
Download and print seed order form [PDF format]
Flowers
Agrostema gilthago - Pink Windflower: Plant in early Spring. Gets 3 to 4 feet tall with purple-pink flowers. Pkt. $2.00
Asters: We are still experimenting with proper isolation distances in flowers. This will be a mix of 12 types. You will be assured a gorgeous color display. Late summer blooming. Pkt. $0.75
Black Hollyhock Pure blackish purple, beautiful. Pkt. $1.50
California Poppy: A nice, colorful poppy. Pkt. $1.00
Cosmos Sulfureous - Kenikura: Petals are used in Indonesian cuisine for a food garnish. 3 foot tall plants have orange and yellow flowers. Pkt. $1.50
Crackerjack Marigold: Mix of orange and yellow. 2 to 3 feet tall, bushy. Pkt. $0.75
Four O'Clock: A mixture of colors (some are striped), tall, bushy plants blooming late in the afternoon. These will attract all kinds of beautiful moths. Pkt. $1.25
Foxy Foxglove: Starts Blooming when as short as 18 inches. Flowers are in spikes covered with dangling, thimble shaped flowers. Plant is poisonous. Pkt. $1.25
Golden Flax: Typical flax, but seeds are milder for eating. Pkt. $2.00
Hibiscus Sabdariffa: (Rozella) Use calyxes for popular drink. Boil with sugar and ginger and drink. The "zing" in a popular tea. Pkt. $2.00
Himalayan Celosia: Pretty, variegated, edible leaves (usually lightly steamed). Single crest red flowers on 2 to 3 foot plants. Pkt. $1.50
Hollyhock: A colorful old fashioned flower growing 6 to 7 feet tall. An abundance of flower stalks in shades of pink, red, cream, white and black. This year's seed will be primarily black. Pkt. $1.00
Lychnis Lipstick: Also known as Maltese Cross. Hardy perennial native to Russia. Plants are 3 to 4 feet tall, bright, scarlet red, 3 to 4 inch diameter heads. Does well in full sun or partial shade. Pkt. $1.50
Melanapodium: 2 feet tall, little yellow zinnia-like flower, great border plant. Beautiful and tough. Pkt. $1.50
Mixed Poppy: A beautiful mix of colors. Pkt. $1.50
Moss Rose (Portulaca): My mother used to plant this in the rocks in front of our house when I was a child, and in that thin layer of dust I can remember seeing the plants grow and produce colorful flowers. They grow well in the sandy soil we have here. Seeds are very fine and should be started indoors and transplanted. Pkt. $1.25
Nigella: Seed pods used as dried flowers. Pkt. $2.00
Old Fashioned Petunia: Beautiful and fragrant, mostly purple and white, rapid grower. (Unavailable for 2008)
Old Spice Mix Sweet Pea: Colorful and fragrant, plant early for the best results. Pkt. $2.00
Oodham Devils Claw: Super long spines, some are up to 12 inches long. Plants are colorful and their stickiness traps some insects. Dried seed pods are nice for crafting. This plant can take over where you plant it, but it is easy to remove the young plants as they come up if you don't want them. Pkt. $1.75 (Sold Out for the rest of the 2008 season)
Peach Poppy: Pinkish/purple, large flowered poppy. Pkt. $1.50
Petite Mix Marigold: Small, dwarf plants. Pkt. $1.00
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea): Nice purple-pink flowers. A good native plant. Pkt. $1.75
Round Leaf Safflower: No thorns, seed used for bird seed. Cut when leaves are still green for dried floral arrangements and heads are just starting to open. Beautiful plants, insect tolerant. Pkt. $1.50 (Sold Out for the rest of the 2008 season)
Scarlet Cypress Vine: Delicate, fine-cut foliage with small red, trumpet-like flowers. Beautiful fence cover. Very prolific. Pkt $1.50
Snapdragons: A mixture of types, though most will be tall. A complete range of colors. Pkt. $1.00
Sweet Rocket: A biennial plant that produces tall spikes of pretty phlox-like columns of purple flowers the second season. Pkt. $1.25
Sweet William: A colorful dianthus that is a biennial. Plant one season, they flower the next. They are gorgeous in May and June and are loaded with pink, red and white flowers. They reseed themselves very well. Pkt. $1.25
Zebrina Hollyhock: A different species than regular hollyhock. The plants average 4 to 5 feet tall and are loaded the entire season (even after frost) with small purplish flowers that are striped. Truly a remarkable plant. As Fall progresses, it is the brightest spot on the farm. Flower production and color get more intense as the other plants die. I call it my anti-depression flower. As everything else dies from frost it keeps blooming even when night time temperatures drop into the teens. Pkt. $1.50 OG
Zinnia
Notes: Zinnias are one of my favorite flowers and they do well here in Iowa. I hope to continue to add to the varieties we offer.
Benary's Giant Coral: Tall, bushy plants, very large coral colored flowers. Pkt. $1.50 (Limit 1 Pkt.) (Sold Out for the rest of the 2008 season)
Benary's Giant Orange: Tall, bushy plants, very large orange colored flowers. Pkt. $1.50
Benary's Giant Purple: Tall, bushy plants, very large purple colored flowers. Pkt. $1.50
Benary's Giant Red: Tall, bushy plants, very large red colored flowers. Pkt. $1.50
Benary's Giant Yellow: Tall, bushy plants, very large yellow colored flowers. Pkt. $2.00 (Limit 1 Pkt.)
Canary Bird: Bright yellow, tall, bushy plants. Pkt. $1.50
Coral Beauty: Beautiful, coral pink, tall, bushy plants. Pkt. $1.50
Crystal White (Zinnia angustifolia): 8 to 10 inch tall, long daisy-like flowers, good companion with Melanapodium. (Unavailable for 2008)
Daffodil: Bright yellow. Pkt. $1.50
Dream: 3 foot tall plants, deep lavender purple colored. (Unavailable for 2008)
Enchantress: 3 foot tall plants, deep rose pink colored flowers. Pkt. $1.25
Envy: Bright green. (Unavailable for 2008)
Large Mixed: A colorful mix of large flowering types, some will be striped. Pkt. $1.00
Lavender Queen: Pale, soft lavender, tall bushy plants. Pkt. $1.50
Orange King: Bright orange. Pkt. $1.50
Royal Purple: Darker purple. Pkt. $1.50
Scarlet King: Bright, fiery red. Pkt. $1.50
Small Mixed: Small pompon types. Pkt. $1.00
Violet Queen: Medium purple. Pkt. $1.50
Sunflower
Sunflower culture: These can be used for both garden decoration and seed. Some are better suited for one purpose than the other. We struggle to compete with the birds for the seeds. Large patches tend to give us very small seed return as the birds get most of them prior to the heads being totally mature. Packets contain only about 25 seeds on some to 50 seeds on others; some may have more.
Arikara: 85 days. 6 to 8 feet tall, sometimes multi-headed. Seeds seem to come in an array of colors. Some heads get quite large. Pkt. $1.75 OG
Hopi Dye Sunflower: 100 days. Short, 4 to 5 foot tall plants producing small seed heads which contain deep purple to blackish colored seeds. (Unavailable for 2008)
Lemonhead: 100 days. I embarked on a sunflower breeding project 15 years ago and prior to our family dog's arrival, sunflowers were always destroyed by skunks eating the grubs at their roots. I persisted with limited return crossing some wild Polish lemon yellow sunflowers with orange ones and offer this for trial. The flowers are a mix of single and double and are over 95% a bright lemon yellow. Flowers range up to 8" across, plants 8 foot tall. Pkt. $1.50 OG
Multiflora Single Yellow: 90 days. 7 to 9 foot tall plants with many single yellow flower heads. Pkt. $1.50 OG
Rostov: 80 days. A Russian oil-seed type that matures rapidly with 8 inch heads, 5 foot tall plants. (Unavailable for 2008)
Sungold Sunflower: 4 to 5 foot plants with large double yellow flowers. (Unavailable for 2008)
Tarahumara White: 110 days. A tall (10 feet) seed type sunflower with pale orange-yellow petals and white seeds. Pkt. $1.50 OG
Cannas
Canna culture: Cannas thrive in our sandy soil. We plant one section every 12 to 15 inches and by Fall they have totally closed in. The hummingbirds love the flowers. The one problem we have is they produce such large roots they are about 3 to 4 times the size of the root sections commonly sold.
Note: No orders for Cannas will be filled after May 1, 2008. All prices are postpaid. Please order Cannas on the seed order form.
Green Queen: A tall green leaved plant with red flowers. $3.25 per sample, 5 for $13.50 (Limit of 5 this year)
Bronze Prince: Greenish leaves with a bronze cast. Flowers are a pinkish red color. $3.25 per sample, 5 for $13.50, 10 for $22.00
Red King: A very tall plant (some years to 8 feet) with reddish bronze leaves and red flowers. $3.25 per sample, 5 for $13.50, 10 for $22.00
Mixed Type: This is the hodge podge of colors that are left after we clean the garden and from our experimental seed plantings. $3.25 per sample, 5 for $13.50, 10 for $22.00
Cotton
298 Green: Lint is off-green in color, bolls do not open up big, not a fluffy type. 15 seeds/Pkt. - 1 Pkt./$3.00
A7 Brown: Very large, fluffy bolls, almost a khaki color. 15 seeds/Pkt. - 1 Pkt./$3.00
Egyptian Green: 115 days. Beautiful flowers on 3 to 4 foot tall plants followed by bolls that produce pale green cotton. Best if treated like peppers as far as growth habit in the North. 15 seeds/Pkt. - 1 Pkt./$3.50
Tan: 115 days. 4 foot plants with tan to brown shaded cotton bolls. 15 seeds/Pkt. - 1 Pkt./$3.00/ 2 Pkts./$5.00