At Adaptive Seeds we grow flowers for many reasons and every year we seem to grow more and more. They are a great addition to any food garden or vegetable farm. Flowers really do add a bit of joy as well as diversity to the landscape.
Below are some special flower attributes to help you decide which ones might be right on your farm or in your garden.
Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii. Perennial in zones 4-11. A decorative relative of tomatillos and ground cherries, Chinese Lantern has a dark orange papery wrapper that surrounds inconsequential fruit. A festive addition to autumn-themed arrangements and also great for everlasting bouquets since the color remains vibrant after drying. Plants grow to 2’ tall, with cutting stems…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Trifolium incarnatum. An excellent winter or spring cover crop known primarily for its nitrogen fixing properties and high biomass production. Large, strikingly beautiful crimson flowers appear in the late spring and are great food for bees and other pollinators. In regions where the winter stays above 0°F, Crimson Clover is sown in the late summer…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Aquilegia vulgaris. Perennial in zones 3–8. This old fashioned European columbine has hypnotic, bicolored purple-black and white blooms that reach 2” across. Flowers are held high above foliage and are attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies. The low growing ferny green foliage also adds an attractive visual texture. Shade tolerant and deer resistant. Harvest for bouquets…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Coreopsis tinctoria. Annual coreopsis with dark red blooms. These small plants grow to about 1′ in all directions. They fit perfectly in tight spaces where a splash of color is desired, and look great in a pot on the porch. We like that the plants care for themselves with little help, and are very attractive…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Coreopsis tinctoria. Tall Plains coreopsis is the true original of the coreopsis clan. The plants are loaded with bright yellow flowers that have dark maroon centers. Blooms reach 2” across, petals have nice jagged edges. Plants grow to 3′ with ferny foliage. A great low maintenance addition to the flower garden, with a sea of…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Coreopsis tinctoria. Most plants grow to 30″ and produce daisy-like flowers with red centers and vibrant yellow edges. There is some slight variation in bloom types, including all red and more pinnate petals. Very attractive filler in flower bouquets. Pollinators and other beneficial insects also love them. Blossoms can be used to make a yellow…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Cosmos sulphureus. Semi-double, fiery orange blooms on 3-4′ tall plants that flower early. Prolific would be the word to describe Buddha’s Hand Cosmos. A favorite of bumblebees and honey bees. We have been growing this variety ever since our days as farm apprentices in 2004 and we hope to keep it around for the long…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Cosmos bipinnatus. A tall, productive, and attractive cosmos covered with unique blooms. Plants grow 5-6′ tall. Daydream cosmos flowers have a nice rosy center surrounded by pale pink. The bulls-eye pattern must make nice targets for insects with infrared vision because they are very attractive to pollinators. Stealing a few from the bees is worthwhile…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Cosmos sulphureus. Bright yellow, 2-3″ wide flowers are like little stars in the garden. Can quickly grow into a hedge covered in yellow blooms, which the bees love. Bushy plants grow to 4’ wide and tall, and bloom all season long in the Pacific Northwest. In other latitudes, or when planted mid summer, Kenikir cosmos…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Cosmos bipinnatus. A dynamic flower that changes color as it matures, from a deep wine maroon to a muted rose, with many shades in between. Single flowers with yellow centers appear atop ferny foliage. Upright plants grow to about 3 ½’, making Rubenza shorter than most cosmos so they do not need staking. Begins flowering…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Leucanthemum x superbum. Perennial in zones 5-9. Classic, 3-4” white petaled flowers atop tall plants. Blooms throughout the summer if deadheaded regularly. Long stems on 3′ plants make Giant Shasta Daisy a great cut flower. If sown early in spring, this perennial will bloom in its first year. This variety was bred by plant genius…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Echinacea purpurea. Perennial in zones 3-10. North American native prairie wildflower with pretty purple daisy-like flowers that reach 3” across. Begins blooming in second year. Once common in the wild, but now mainly grown under cultivation with many varieties developed for ornamental purposes. This strain was sourced from a wild population and has been stewarded…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Oenothera biennis. Biennial. Produces 2″ yellow, sweetly fragrant flowers on 3-5′ tall central stalks from June to September in second year. Leaves and roots are edible, with a peppery taste. Flowers are edible and sweet, may be added to salads or used as a garnish, and are attractive to pollinators. Roots, bark, and seedpods are…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Tanacetum parthenium. 60-70 days. Perennial in zones 5-10. This short lived perennial medicinal herb produces shrubby plants that grow to 3’ with small, non-double white flowers with a yellow center. Plants are highly fragrant with bitter aromatics that are not universally appreciated and in fact repel some insects. For this reason, it is sometimes planted…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Tanacetum parthenium. 60 days. Perennial in zones 5-10. Clusters of double, ½” daisy-like flowers with yellow centers form on each stem and make an excellent filler for arrangements or a nice bouquet all on their own. Plants grow to 2′ high and are very productive. Also dries well for use as an everlasting. Very easy…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Digitalis purpurea. Biennial / Perennial in zones 4-9. Beautiful spires of bell-shaped flowers that range in color from white to pink and bloom in their second year. Bigger flowers with more bold colors than the wild foxglove that is established throughout the Pacific Northwest. Blooms in early June for us. Flower spires grow to 6′…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Digitalis x fulva. Perennial to zone 4. Stunning pink-peach bell shaped blossoms form on 2-4′ tall spikes that bloom for weeks and make a great cut flower. Hummingbirds and pollinators love the flowers. Strawberry foxglove is the result of an interspecific cross made almost 200 years ago and is not invasive like the wild types…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra. Perennial in zones 3-9. Fiery yellow 2-3″ daisy-like flowers with red centers sit atop dark purple foliage. When planted in blocks, Burning Hearts creates a sizable and beautiful seasonal hedge that dies back in the winter. A reliable perennial that grows to 4.5′ tall and 18″ wide. Pollinators, butterflies, and other…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Hyssopus officinalis. Perennial in zones 4-10. Easy to grow, True Hyssop is a useful ornamental herb that easily fits in a perennial or medicinal herb garden. Small (12-18”), evergreen, drought resistant plants would make a good short hedge and do well in containers. Plants will flower in the first year and in subsequent seasons, will…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Consolida ajacis. 65 days. Towering spires hold dozens of 1.5” flowers that bloom continuously up stems reaching to 5’ tall. Sydney Blue Picotee’s petals are white in the center and gradually transition to dark lavender at the edges for a romantic cottage garden feel. Larkspurs are a bit difficult to germinate and notoriously finicky about…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Leonotis nepetaefolia. 60 days. Delightfully unique tubular orange flowers appear on spiky pincushion-like spheres that form at intervals up stems. Klip Dagga is very easy to grow and absolutely stunning in late summer waving in the breeze. Plants grow 8-12′ tall and may require staking late in the season and in high wind areas. All…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Tagetes patula. 65 days. We have been growing this stunning heritage marigold since 2007 and are excited to have enough harvested and cleaned to share. Ildkongen is not your average marigold. While other marigolds are short, Ildkongen forms tall bushy plants that grow to 4′ and produce lots of flowers right up until frost. Bloom…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Tagetes erecta. 60-70 days. Orange flowers have been selected to be the most vibrant, vivid orange color possible. Kees’ Orange marigold is an “African” marigold (aka, Mexican marigold) that is a great choice for cut flower production. Plants grow 3-4′ tall and produce many 3” wide double petaled blooms. Marigold flowers are well known for…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Tagetes patula. 75-85 days. Aptly named, the flowers of Red Metamorph marigold are a deep red in the cooler temperatures of spring and fall but shift towards orange and yellow in hotter weather! Small blooms are 1.5” – 2” across with uniquely scalloped petals. The sturdy plants grow 2-3’ tall and bloom continuously from June…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Tagetes tenuifolia. 60-65 days. Tiny, orange, edible, marigold flowers form on dwarf plants that do well in containers. A cheerful little bedding plant, looks great when planted densely. Blooms all summer long right up until frost, and is highly attractive to pollinators and other beneficial insects. Lovely citrusy scent is fun to experiment with in…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Tagetes erecta. 55 days. With big yellow pom-poms that seem impossibly bright, Yellow Supreme Marigold appears dayglow when the light hits it just right. To borrow from the description for Yellowest Yellow paint by Stuart Semple, “Visible light is powerfully reflected by this high pigment” … flower. Sunglasses are recommended. This ultra-bright flower is available to…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Tithonia rotundifolia. 75 days. A great summer bloomer with bright orange flowers that attract butterflies. Thrives on neglect, turning into bushy shrubs by the end of summer. This strain lacks the dwarf nature and muted colors of the newer varieties, Torch and Aztec Sun. We prefer this larger Mexican Sunflower as we, and our pollinators,…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Asclepias speciosa. Perennial to zone 3. Showy Milkweed is native to all Western states and is the most common species of milkweed native to Oregon. Plants grow to 4’-5’ tall when irrigated, with large, pale green, lobe-shaped leaves. Milkweed is known to thrive along roadside ditches and other neglected areas, where it tends to grow…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Setaria italica. Foxtail millet. Foxtail millet is the type used for bird food. Small seeds have yellow hulls that must be removed before humans can eat it (not an easy task). Very easy to grow, but difficult to save seed from unless you have zero birds in your garden (but who would want that?!). Try…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Setaria italica. Foxtail millet. This is an awesome foxtail millet. Beautiful, dense, fingery heads are a reddish brown, leaves and stalks are purplestreaked green. Tolerates cooler summers. Very productive, easy to hand harvest (if you can get to it before the birds) and gorgeous in flower arrangements. Plants grow to 6′ tall. From Don Kluever…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Agastache rugosa. Perennial in zones 5-9. Very delightful, aromatic leaves with a sweet, minty licorice flavor. One of Andrew’s favorite herbs for tea, second only to wild yerba buena. The beautiful blue flower spikes can grow to 8” tall and provide excellent forage for beneficial insects. Blooms over a long period and especially well late…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Amaranthus sp. Flower/Grain. 65-95 days. A fun and beautiful way to explore amaranth diversity. Amaranth Alliance contains flower and grain types in a rainbow of colors, with several reds, plus pink, green, bronze, and bicolors in the mix. Very ornamental – a festive backdrop for the garden. Equal parts Copperhead, Coral Fountain, Green Tails, Love…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
