Milkweed, Ice Ballet Ascelpias Incarnata Perennial. A nursery selection of a swamp milkweed with evergreen colored foliage and bright white vanilla scented flowers.  This is a non invasive perennial and an excellent attraction for beneficial insects and butterflies! Thrives in slightly drier soils then other varieties of swamp milkweeds and is hardy at zones 3-9. Packet (0.25g)  * Growing Tip: Being an undomesticated plant, milkweed benefits from a period of cold stratification to help the seeds "wake up".  To do this, one method is to plant in the fall, as wold happen in nature. Or...you can place the seeds on a moist paper towel and put them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for about 30 days.  Check it periodically to see if mold is forming, in which case change the paper towel.  This will greatly improve germination....

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Phacelia, Bee's Friend  Phacelia tanacetifolia (80 days)  Wonderful annual cover crop that can be grown anytime from March through November at most latitudes.  Bee's Friend attracts bumblebees in droves with their beautiful lavender purple fiddlehead plumes festooned with blooms.  Succulent growth can reach 4’ tall, so it works well as a cover crop that can be incorporated into the soil to add organic matter.  Attracts beneficial insects. In our pollinator trials performed in conjunction with the BeeGirl non-profit in Ashland, Oregon, Phacelia was the first to bloom and most favored flower for bumblebees and native sweat Bees.  WGS.  PH1: Packet ~0.4g (~80 seeds) ...

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Sunflower, Black Dye Helianthus annuus (65 days to flower / 100 days to mature seeds)  A traditional dye crop developed and selected for generations by Hopi farmers in the high desert of Northern Arizona near the Four Corners.  They used the dark black seeds to produce a purple or gray dye for wool and baskets.  It's conceivable that Sunflowers have been a cultivated crop in North America for 5000 years. Grows to 6-12' tall depending on fertility and spacing.  Produces a large main flower at the top of the stalk up to 12" across with numerous side branches that flower later with smaller blooms.  The seed from the central head is large enough to use for hulling for human consumption or animal feed.  Pictured here is a sample of fabric dyed with the seeds of this sunflower. Check out photographer/ natural dye artist Rachael on her instagram @think_natural_ Packet - 2 1/2 g (~45 seeds) 1 oz * These can also be grown for delicious sunflower sprouts grown in shallow trays (see pictures)  ...

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Sunflower, Red Sun (70-90 days) Helianthus annus - A wonderful polyheaded variety for cut flowers and bold color displays in the garden. Grows to 5-7’ tall and produces 8-20 5-6” flowers per plant with dusky orange, burgundy to deep scarlet red petals, black centers and dark chocolate seeds. We did our best to rogue (remove) plants that didn’t have the darker burgundy petals, however, our original seed produced about 20% gold petaled plants, so expect some variation. The standout individuals are well with the variability.  Packet - 2 1/2 g (~45 seeds)...

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