Centaurea americana (90 days) Open pollinated. Annual. Resembles a thistle, but no prickles. Grassy honey-like fragrance. Native to south-central U.S. and northeastern Mexico.
Baptisia australis 3-4' x same. Vibrant blue lupine-like flowers in early summer. Bushy habit and shrub-like structure once mature. Good for erosion control. Z3.
Moluccella laevis (110 days) Open pollinated. Everlasting annual. Spikes of bright green bell-shaped “flowers” turn creamy white when dried for winter arrangements.
Amsonia tabernaemontana var. salicifolia 24–36" tall. Fine grassy willow-like foliage. Clusters of powder-blue florets in early summer. Best planted en masse. Z3.
Bupleurum griffithii (90 days) Open pollinated. Everlasting annual. Features round leaves and unusual yellowish flowers air dry perfectly, retaining their color. Great filler for bouquets.
Campanula carpatica Open pollinated. Perennial. Also known as Bellflower or Carpathian Harebell. Masses of dark periwinkle bellflowers above a tidy mound of foliage. Pelleted for ease of sowing.
Cerinthe major var. purpurescens Open pollinated. Annual. Features coin-shaped grey-green foliage and profuse blue shrimp-like bracts with purple flowers. Beloved by bumblebees. 12-30" tall.
Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora 24-36" tall. Midsummer sprays of bright red flowers open from bottom to top on long arching bronze stems. Grows well in pots. Makes a long-lasting cutflower.
Eucalyptus cinerea Open pollinated. Perennial to Zone 8. Charming silvery blue-green 2" leaves make a fabulous bouquet filler that dries nicely and freshens the room with fragrant oils. 2–3' tall.
Echinops ritro 3–4' tall. Luminous steel-blue spiky spheres on stiff stems with silvery green leaves. Excellent for fresh or dried arrangements. Blooms mid-to-late summer. Z3.
Clarkia amoena (90 days) Open pollinated. 3" “satin flowers” blooms in red, pink, salmon, lavender and white, and with a bright red patch in the heart of the four petals. Best for cutting.
Hibiscus moscheutos Open pollinated. Perennial, Zones 5-9. 6-8" saucer-shaped flowers in a mix of pinks, red and white, with contrasting red eyes where a contrast is to be had.
Persicaria tinctoria Open pollinated. Japanese indigo preferred by dyers in Maine. A tender annual, indigo thrives in fertile soil and likes heat and humidity.
Talinum paniculatum (95 days) Open pollinated. Petite pink flowers on thin stems mature into airy glistening bronze-to-burgundy sprays of teensy seedpods. Annual.
Coix lacryma-jobi (100 days) Open pollinated. Sets pendulous sprays of globular pearly purple-grey seeds, which may be strung as beads for necklaces. Spiky 2–3' stalks good for planters or as filler in dried fall arrangements.
Orlaya grandiflora (65-70 days) Open pollinated. 2-3' with ferny foliage and sturdy stems, dainty delicacy resembling lace-cap hydrangea, with the central florets of a flat-topped cluster surrounded by a ring of larger flowers.
Pulmonaria 9-12" tall and eventually up to 2' wide. Periwinkle-blue buds open to pink flowers in spring. Large slate-green leaves with silver-white splotches. Woodland plant. Z3.
Rubia tinctorum Open pollinated. Ancient and excellent source of red dye. Harvest roots after three years and grind to yield a wash- and light-fast red dye par excellence. 4' plants.
