Columbine 'McKana's Giant' mixed

Botanical name: Aquilegia hybrida 'McKana's Giant' Mix (Ranunculaceae)
Other name:

Description
'McKana Giant' is an extra large flowered Columbine available in a wide assortment of colors. The flowers either face outwards or are nodding. Once the perennial begins blooming flowers can be expected for 4 to 6 weeks. Removing spent flowers helps to encourage new flower growth. McKana Giants large blossoms are good for cutting, but they only last a few days once removed from the plant.

How to grow
Columbines are perfect for the middle of a sunny, moisture retentive border. They attract butterflies and bees. Columbine is also a great choice for rock gardens, naturalizing and they make beautiful accent in a bouquet of cut flowers or arrangements.

Height: 24-30"
Spacing: 10"-15"
Light: Prefers Light Shade, but will grow in the Full Sun with enough water.
Soil: any well-drained soil
USDA Zone: 3-10
Germination: 1-3 months, soil temperature 60-70F
Blooming period: May-June

Note: Columbine seed needs to be chilled for 3 to 4 weeks before it will germinate. Place the entire seed package in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 weeks... then sow as usual.

Crimson Clover

Botanical name: Trifolium incarnatum (Fabaceae)
Other name: Scarlet Clover, Italian Clover, German Clover

Description
Crimson clover is a species of clover in the family Fabaceae, native to most of Europe. This upright winter annual herb grows to 20-50 cm tall, unbranched or branched only at the base. The leaves are trifoliate with a long petiole, each leaflet hairy, 8-16 mm across, with a truncated or bilobed apex. The flowers are produced throughout the spring and summer, rich red or crimson, congested on an elongated spike inflorescence 3-5 cm tall and 1.5 cm broad; the individual flowers are up to 10-13 mm long and have five petals. The banner of each flower does not sit upright, but folds forward. It can typically be found in forest margins, fields and roadsides. Popular ornament plant in certain countries.

How to grow
Crimson clover is a cover crop--a plant grown over the winter to help suppress weeds, prevent erosion and build healthier soil. Cover crops are also known as "green manures" because they add valuable organic matter and nutrients to the soil. Crimson clover is an excellent cover crop because it helps fix nitrogen into the soil and its beautiful maroon flowers lure beneficial insects into the garden in spring.

When to sow: Plant crimson clover four weeks before your average first hard frost in fall.
Soil: Tolerance to all types of soil. Prefers loam soils with good drainage.
Light: Full sun
Height: 6-12 inches
Germination: 7-21 days
Optimum soil temperature for germination: 65F-68F
Sowing depth: 1/8"
Blooming period: March-May

Benefit
Farmers have used this annual clover effectively as a cover crop in corn, soybeans and wheat due to rapid growth during cool weather, shade tolerance and a positive reseeding potential. It is widely used as a winter cover for soil protection or green manure crop for soil improvement. Crimson clover is widely grown as a protein-rich forage crop for cattle and other livestock.

Blue Pimpernel

Botanical name: Anagallis monelli (Primulaceae)
Other name: Blue Anagallis, Anagallis linifolia

Description
Blue Pimpernel is a low growing, wide spreading perennial. Lance-shaped, 1 inch long, green leaves grouped in pairs or threes. It is a long-blooming annual with stunning saucer-shaped, 5-petaled flowers, electric-blue flowers blooming non-stop from mid summer to late fall. It is native to the Mediterranean region.

How to grow
It is easy to grow and deal groundcover or hanging basket plant. Excellent in rock gardens.

Plant height: 6-8 inches
Light: Sun to Full Sun
Sow depth: 1/16 in.
Germination: 10-14 days, 65-70F
Bloomtime Range: Early Summer to Late Summer
USDA Hardiness Zone: 7 to 8
Soil Range: Sandy Loam to Clay Loam, well-drained
Water Range: Normal to Moist

Dwarf Cornflower "Jubilee Gem"

Botanical name: Centaurea cyanus 'JubileeGem' (Asteraceae)
Other name: Bachelor Button, Knapweed, Devil's Flower, Campion, Bluebottlem Boutonniere Flower, Hurtsickle

Description
Dwarf Cornflower 'Jubilee Gem' is an annual that reseeds, is native to Europe but has naturalized through North America. This bushy plant produces beautiful vibrant blue flowers that attact butterflies and bees. It grows to about 12-18 inches tall. An easy to grow garden favorite suitable for beds, borders, and container planting and excellent for cutting.

How to grow
Sow in early spring where they are to flower in well cultivated soil. Sow thinly 1/8in deep in drills 30cm (12in) apart. Dwarf Jubilee Gem can also be sown in the late summer/early autumn to produce even better plants for flowering next summer, and final thinning should be left until the spring so that the plants are about 45cm (18in) apart.

Height in inches: 10-18"
USDA Hardiness Zones 3-11
Spread: 18-24"
Germination: 8-12 days, below 70F.
Light: Full sun
Soil: well-drain soil
Blooming period: May through August

Medical Benefit
To use for cuts and scrapes, simply rub the cut end of a Cornflower stem on the affected area. For use as an eyewash, prepare as you would a tea, then soak a washcloth and use as an eye compress. For facial skin eruptions, acne, or other irritations, the leaves and flowers can be used as a steam facial - boil the leaves and flowers, then cover the head with a towel and sit over the steaming container. After 15 minutes or so, rinse the face with cool water, and feel the difference!

Scarlet Flax

Botanical name: Linum grandiflorum rubrum (Linaceae)
Other name: Flowering Flax, Red Flax

Description
Scarlet Flax is a hardy annual, and like many of these temporary garden decorations, provides a bright splash of colour in the summer months. It has tall, thin stems with narrow leaves, all in a glaucous greyish-green, with spectacular rounded flowers about an inch and a half across in bright crimson with a deeper centre leading to a solid black eye, with a matching deeper rim to each petal. It is native to northern Africa and southern Europe, it has naturalized throughout the United States. Once established this variety can tolerate immense heat and extremely dry conditions. The glossy, deep scarlet flowers bloom in profusion and are best admired if planted in density.

How to grow

Light: Full sun
Soil: Well drained soil
Height: 12-24 inches
Germination: 20-25 days
Optimum soil temperature for germination: 65-70F
Sowing depth: 1/16", and 12 inch apart, Thin out the seedlings to 10-15cm (4-6in) apart
Blooming period: April-September

Usage
The seeds glisten because of their high oil content, flax being the source of linseed oil with which linoleum is manufactured, & artists' paints, with scores of industrial uses. L. usitatissum is the species grown commercially for linseed oil, but it can also be obtainted from L. grandiflorum & other flaxes.

In Africa, the seeds are roasted & added to baked bread, & is thought to have medicinal properties. It is not eaten in the west, but the meal that remains after oil extraction is used as a livestock feed.

California Poppy

Botanical name: Eschscolzia californica (Papaveraceae)
Other name:

Description
California poppy is state flower of California. It can grow 5–60 cm tall, with alternately branching glaucous blue-green foliage. The leaves are ternately divided into round, lobed segments. The flowers are solitary on long stems, silky-textured, with four petals, each petal 2–6 cm long and broad; their color ranges from yellow to orange, and flowering is from February to September. The petals close at night or in cold, windy weather and open again the following morning, although they may remain closed in cloudy weather. The fruit is a slender dehiscent capsule 3–9 cm long, which splits in two to release the numerous small black or dark brown seeds.

How to grow
It is drought-tolerant, self-seeding, and easy to grow in gardens. Sow seed in spring or in early autumn in mild climates. California poppies do not transplant well, so plant the seeds where you want the flowers to grow. They bloom all summer long, right up to the first frost. This is one of the best annuals you can find for flower beds and borders. They thrive in a rock garden.
Tips: To use as cut flowers (although they last only a few days), harvest before the buds are fully open.

Soil: grow best on poor, well drained soils
Light: Full Sun
USDA hardiness zone: 5-10
Germination: 15-30 days
Optimum soil temperature for germination: 60-70F
Sowing depth: 1/16"
Blooming period: April-August

Medicinal Uses
The California Poppy has been used traditionally mainly as a remedy for toothaches (the root cut and the juices applied directly), and as a tea for headaches, anxiety, and insomnia. Children seem to benefit from this for mild cases of colic, sleeplessness, and tension or anxiety.

Tidy Tips

Botanical name: Layia platyglossa (Asteraceae)
Other name: Coastal Tidytips

Description
An easy to grow annual with attractive, single golden ray-petalled blooms tipped with white and enhanced by a light fragrance.. It is native to California and is a member of spring wildflower blooms in meadows and grasslands. Its daisy-like flowers are attractive, making it a popular garden ornamental and ingredient in commercial wildflower seed mixes. The genus is named for the botanist George Tradescent Lay that visited California in the early 19th century.

How to grow
Very drought tolerant once established. Suitable for bBorders, rock gardens, mass plantings, raised beds.

Height: 4 to 10 inches tall, 5 to 10 inches spread
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Rich and well-drained
Soil depth: 1/16 inch
USDA: 6-10
Germination: 6-9 days
Germination temperature: 70F to 72F
Blooming period: March through June