This ancient grain was grown by the Hopi & used as a ceremonial red food dye and to produce red cornmeal. The whole plant is absolutely stunning—deep burgundy/red stalk, stems & leaves and blood-red flower bracts. The immature flowerheads produce the dye and the seeds produce the flour. Beautiful enough for the flower garden, it grows to 6’. Young leaves can be eaten in salads or steamed.
I can’t find any history on this species of Amaranth, but I do know that many salad growers cite this as the best-tasting amaranth green for salads. Young leaves can be harvested for salads, and the seedheads are highly nutritious. They are a favourite food of songbirds. Growing 4-6’ high, these highly ornamental plants have burgundy stalks & stems with red seedheads. The seedheads are also great in dried flower arrangements.
Rose columbines have an unusual shape for a columbine - their blooms resemble full double roses, with no spurs at all. Valued in the 16th C. for their delicate beauty, there are hardly any varieties left anymore. 'Nora Barlow'is a modern name given to an ancient plant - its sepals are a rose-pink, fading to green at the base. Grows to 2.5'. Hardy to at least Z5.
This species of basil is native to Chile. It is more compact than other basils, having a bush habit and smaller leaves. This makes it perfect for containers.
A very popular, very early bean, this is a market favourite. Developed in 1976, it reliably produces heavy crops of round, fleshy pods in as little as 50 days. The plants are compact and adapt well to a variety of adverse growing conditions. In addition, they can germinate in cool soil.
Aka ‘Shoestring’. This bush bean, from the 1800’s, is an old gourmet variety from France grown for filet beans. It’s a heavy producer of long thin pods that are best picked every 2-3 days, while young, as they can become fibrous. It does well in cool soils. 55 days.
(60-70 days) An heirloom from Bacau, Romania, this bean produces heavy yields of 6-10” long, wide and flat beans that are golden-coloured. The pods are very sweet and stay tender for a long time, even when starting to fill out with seeds. Limited quantities.
This is a very old, very rare beet that was loved by market growers because its root is rather flat instead of round and it sits primarily on the soil. This meant that it could grow in cold frames much more easily than regular-shaped beets and taken to market much earlier. Peter Henderson, market grower extraordinaire in the late 1800’s, had this to say about it –“from the smallness of the tops at least one-fourth more can be grown on the same space than any other sort we have been in the habit of raising.” This seed is untreated.
Unlike the modern beets that we’re used to, heirloom beets come in a diversity of colours and shapes. Included here are four of our most popular and visually interesting varieties: Golden (yellow root), Chioggia (red & white concentric rings inside, Bull’s Blood (grown for its exquisite dark burgundy foliage) and Cylindra (long, narrow roots). This mixture enables you to experiment and try them all!
This was, in the 1820’s, about the only type of campanula found in gardens. This is the rare white form.
Perennial Z 3-9; sun This perennial favourite of cats has been loved by humans, too (but they don’t roll around in it). A European wildflower, it was used by “the peasants” to make tea before tea from China replaced it. Its medicinal uses have included the promotion of a good night’s sleep and to reduce colds and fever. A little more unusual attribute was its perceived ability to “make the most gentle person fierce and quarrelsome” (by chewing the root). There is a legend that a particular hangman could not work himself up to execute anyone without chewing on a good amount of catnip. To reduce cat damage, you could pay heed to this ancient verse – “If you set it, the cats will eat it. If you sow it, the cats don’t know it.” – an allusion to the belief that transplanted plants would draw cats, but direct sown ones wouldn’t .
Aka ‘Snakehead’. This North-American native grows to 2’ high with lance-shaped leaves and interesting flowers that resemble a turtle’s head. It blooms from mid-late summer to fall. Although it prefers moist, sandy loam it will grow anywhere. Sun/pt shade
The purple form has been grown since 1792. In the 1800’s it was considered one of the best annual vines for its quick growth and beautiful, large flowers.
Previously labeled as Delphinium consolida, it is an ancient plant. First mentioned in 1572 by Thomas Tusser, it was valued for healing wounds and strengthening the eyes. The distilled water of the flowers was believed to improve sight, and some believed that just the act of constantly looking at them would strengthen the eyes. They would, therefore, cut bunches and hang them up in the house – leading, perhaps, to the phrase “a sight for sore eyes”? Larkspur has been grown in cottage gardens for centuries and was loved for its tall stalks crowded with large blooms in many colours for a long period in summer. The flowers retain their vibrant colours when dried, making them very popular for dried flower arrangements.
This is a very old dent corn, grown since at least 1845. Very tall (10-12’), sturdy stalks produce 12” cobs that are a beautiful dark red (hence the name). A later season corn, it needs 100-120 days to mature, but it is very drought-tolerant. The cobs are excellent for fall decorations, but they can also be eaten fresh when young or making red-flecked cornbread.
(80-100 days) Growing to 8’, this old variety of sweet corn was very popular in the late 1800’s. It gives good yields of very sweet and tender 6-8” cobs. It was also known as ‘Shoe Peg’, because its kernels are small and densely packed on the cob, not in rows. Okay, I admit, I don’t know how that relates to a shoe peg – I await to be enlightened.
This is a very rare form of cosmos with large (4”), open flowers of pure white. I found it listed in a 1917 Canadian seed catalogue with high recommendations for it as both a garden flower and a cut flower.
(20-45 days ) Although its origins are obscure, it is thought that this cress originally came from Persia in ancient times. Milder than other cresses, with broader, 2-6” long leaves that are lightly serrated and have a mild, peppery cress flavor, it grows quickly and should be harvested when young. Use lightly in salads or as a garnish. It’s very easy to grow and tolerates a wide variety of growing conditions.
(60-65 days) This is a family heirloom, handed down through generations of the Boothby family, in Maine, USA. I was persuaded to add it to my collection by a customer who raved about its delicious flavor. The fruits are 6-8” long and a creamy yellow colour.
A native of southwest China, this delightful little annual should not be confused with regular Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis), although it does have similar-looking flowers. Growing to 12-18”, its clusters of delightful little bright blue flowers bloom continuously until frost. It’s very hardy & will do well in heat & drought. Has been grown since at least the late 1800’s, when it was considered a “handsome plant” for the garden.
