What Does it Mean?

Domesticated Species and Exotic Garden Varieties

Some of the species we offer are categorized as "Domesticated" species and are not considered native North American Wildflowers. We also offer a few exotic garden varieties which have been genetically altered from their true wild form. For your convenience, we have denoted the "Domesticated" species and the exotic garden varieties with the symbol D (green box) throughout the catalog. These species will produce a beautiful display of color the first year, but in most situations will not reappear the following season. In order to achieve the same colorful display, the "Domesticated" species and exotic garden varieties will need to be replanted each year.

Some of the species we offer are categorized as "Domesticated" species and are not considered native North American Wildflowers. We also offer a few exotic garden varieties which have been genetically altered from their true wild form. For your convenience, we have denoted the "Domesticated" species and the exotic garden varieties with the symbol D (green box) throughout the catalog. These species will produce a beautiful display of color the first year, but in most situations will not reappear the following season. In order to achieve the same colorful display, the "Domesticated" species and exotic garden varieties will need to be replanted each year.

The following colored symbols are used throughout the catalog to indicate the life cycle of each variety.

A=Annual (blue box continuing the letter "A")

P=Perennial (red box containing the letter "P")

B=Biennial (yellow box containing the letter "B")

Annuals- Plants that perform their entire life cycle from seed to flower to seed within a single growing season. All roots, stems and leaves of the plant die annually. Only the dormant seed bridges the gap between one generation and the next.

Perennials- Plants that persist for many growing seasons. Generally the top portion of the plant dies back each winter and regrows the following spring from the same root system (e.g. Purple Coneflower). Many perennial plants do keep their leaves year round and offer and attractive border or groundcover (e.g. Tickseed, Shasta Daisy, Ox-Eyed Daisy). Note: When starting perennial plants from seed, blooms will be observed in either the spring or summer of the second year and each year thereafter (e.g. Ox-Eyed Daisy planted in the spring of 1999 will not bloom until the spring of 2000).

Biennials-Plants which require two years to complete their life cycle. First season growth results in small rosette of leaves near the soil surface. During the second season's growth stem elongation, flowering and seed formation occur followed by the entire plant's death.

Annual/Perennial- A plant can behave as an annual or a perennial depending on the local climatic and geographic growing conditions. In the southern portion of the United States, these plants tend to grow much quicker than in the north due to the warmer weather and extended growing season. For example: A Black-Eyed Susan would behave as an annual if grown in Louisiana; where as, if grown in Ohio, a Black-Eyed Susan would behave as a perennial.

A=Annual               

P=Perennial

B=Biennial