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Native plant with lanceolate leaves, which produces beautiful lavender-colored flowers from late summer to early fall.
Propagation by roots (rhizomes), can thus form large colonies. Popular with pollinators including hummingbirds.

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

The seeds must undergo cold stratification, see the information on this subject on the stratification sheet

The verbena hastata, also known as blue vervain, is a plant traditionally used for its tonic properties. Native to the western and central regions of Quebec, as well as the northeastern United States, it is commonly found near lakes and rivers. This hardy perennial produces long spikes of blue flowers in the heart of summer, attracting a multitude of pollinating insects and seed-eating birds. Easy to cultivate, it prefers moist and cool soils and can self-seed readily. For production, direct sowing in the fall or pot seeding after stratification are recommended.

Steps for stratifying blue vervain seeds:

1- Place the blue vervain seeds in a moist substrate such as peat, soil, or sand.
2- Put the substrate with the seeds in a container with a lid slightly perforated to allow air to pass.
3- Store it in the refrigerator, where the temperature is generally around 4°C, for 2 to 4 weeks.
4- Check the moisture regularly.
5- After this period, plant the seeds according to the instructions.

Number of seeds per packet:

This fragrant tobacco is a popular ornamental plant for its scented flowers. It exhibits visually and olfactorily appealing features, making it a popular addition to gardens for those seeking a plant that is both aesthetic and fragrant.

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
If you are planting tobacco for leaf harvest, remove the flowers. The leaves are picked when yellow or brown. If you want to collect seeds and leave food for pollinators, let the flowers bloom. You can also harvest the leaves, but there will be fewer of them.

Before the introduction of cotton and synthetic fibers, linen held a significant place in the households of old Quebec. It was used everywhere, from sheets to socks! And even before that, this plant has quite a history! Linen was probably the first plant fiber to be woven. It is believed to have been first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent region. Remains dating back 36,000 years have been found in a cave in Georgia. It was also a preferred textile in ancient Egypt. The fiber yields a flexible, lightweight, absorbent, thermoregulating, and durable fabric, which explains its popularity. The plant is easy to grow, and its delicate blue flowers are charming. The fibers are located in the core of the stem and are extracted through a controlled decomposition process called retting.

The Palestinian linen is part of the Linen Preservation Program. It is cultivated for its fibers.

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Little information exists about this linen. It originates from Palestine and was cultivated before 1955.

Number of seeds per packet: 200

Before the introduction of cotton and synthetic fibers, flax held a significant place in Quebecois households of yore. It was used everywhere, from bed sheets to stockings! And even before that, this plant has quite a history! Flax was likely the first plant fiber to be woven. It is believed to have been first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent region. Remains dating back 36,000 years have been found in a cave in Georgia. It was also a preferred textile in ancient Egypt. The fiber produces a fabric that is supple, lightweight, absorbent, thermoregulating, and durable, which explains its popularity. The plant is easy to cultivate, and its delicate blue flowers add to its charm. The fibers are found in the core of the stem and are extracted through a controlled decomposition process called retting.

The flax from Romania is part of the flax preservation program

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS Information and photographs provided by Kevin Prescott during his participation in the Program.

Number of seeds per packet: 200

Swamp milkweed. is a perennial native to Canada, like its cousin the Syriac milkweed. There both absolutely essential to monarch butterflies in addition to offering beautiful pink/red and fragrant flowers. This is the only plant on which its caterpillars feed. It does not require much maintenance and it can grow very well in poor soil. It is a must for gardeners who want to contribute to biodiversity

CARE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:

This plant requires stratification! For more information, visit our stratification guide in our "Blog" menu.

Dyer's coreopsises are originally from the North American prairies. Their bloom is abundant, colorful, and a delight for pollinators. As its name suggests, it is commonly used for natural dyes. Coreopsis gives rich yellows, oranges, and rusty browns. It works especially well on fiber proteins such as wool and silk.

Hopi Black Dye sunflowers grow tall and strong, and their flower have sunny yellow petals with a dark purple center. This sunflower variety comes from the Hopi, a Native American tribe, who used it for dyeing. They used it to create grey and purples hues on their basketry and textiles, like cotton and wool. The seeds are edible for humans and birds, and are rich and easy to shell.

CARE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS : Towards the end of September, sunflower seeds start to reach maturity. The stem dries up and the flower starts to bend down. It’s time to harvest! Cut the entire flower heads. Let them dry in a dry space. Check regularly to make sure the sunflowers are not getting moldy. After a few days, the seeds will sound ‘hollow’ and ‘dry’ when running your fingers over them. You then only need to rub over to remove what’s left of the flowers, and scratch with your fingers to detach the seeds.

These giants won’t go unnoticed in your garden!

Indeed, mammoth sunflowers can grow over 3m in height, and they produce gorgeous yellow flowers that can reach more than 30 cm in diameter.
Despite their height, they do not require any tutoring. They can however be a tutor themselves for your other climbing plants such as beans!
Thanks to their fast growth, these sunflowers can also create seasonal plant walls, hedgerows and windbreaks.
The seeds are rich and can be enjoyed by birds as much as by humans!

CARE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS : Towards the end of September, sunflower seeds start to reach maturity. The stem dries up and the flower starts to bend down. It’s time to harvest! Cut the entire flower heads. Let them dry in a dry space. Check regularly to make sure the sunflowers are not getting moldy. After a few days, the seeds will sound ‘hollow’ and ‘dry’ when running your fingers over them. You then only need to rub over to remove what’s left of the flowers, and scratch with your fingers to detach the seeds.

This perennial variety of lupine has cut foliage, in rosettes, and beautiful pink flowers. Its early flowering will brighten up your garden in the spring. In addition to being ornamental, lupine has the ability to improve your soil by fixing nitrogen since it is part of the Fabaceae family. In addition, once implanted, it requires little maintenance. Stratification and/or scarification helps enormously with germination.

BOTANICAL INFORMATION:

Latin name: Lupinus polyphyllus
Common names: Lupine, wolf grass
English: Lupinus, Lupine, Lupine, bluebonnet
Family: Fabaceae

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
******STRATIFICATION OR/AND SCARIFICATION HELPS GERMINATION HUGELY******

Mugwort annual is an annual herbaceous plant native to Asia. Used in traditional Chinese medicine to fight fevers, it has been present in its pharmacopoeia for more than 2,000 years. Apart from its interesting medicinal properties, it is a good companion in the garden and its sweet fragrance will enchant you. To go further.

BOTANICAL INFORMATION
Latin name: Artemisia annua
Common names: Mugwort annual, Chinese wormwood
English: Artemisia annua, sweet wormwood, sweet annie, sweet sagewort, annual mugwort, annual wormwood
Family: Asteraceae

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Putting the bag 24 hours in the freezer before sowing helps germination. For the seed harvest, October-November but before the frosts

Welcome this charming biennial to your garden. The Pope's currency is a bee plant giving small purple or white flowers. Its fruits, or siliques, look like slightly silvery coins, very decorative you can use them in bouquets of dried flowers!

BOTANICAL INFORMATION
Latin name: Lunaria annua
Common name: Pope's currency, coin grass
English: Money plant, annual honesty
Family: Brassicaceae

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
Sow indoors in April or directly in the garden after the risk of frost. Or directly in the fall

Cornflower is an adorable, bright blue flower with great potential. It is rich in nectar, which makes it a food of choice for pollinators. And it's edible for humans too! It decorates salads and desserts nicely, and you can even extract a blue food dye from it. Cornflower also has medicinal properties. It strengthens the body and the immune system and helps the liver for better digestion. Gargled, it can help with irritated gums and ulcers. However it is for the care of the eyes that it is particularly recognized, helping to reduce irritation, fatigue and even dark circles.Cornflower cornflowers bloom from June to August and the flowers can be picked to make bouquets of cut flowers .

BOTANICAL INFORMATION
Latin name: Centaurea cyanus
Common names: Blue cornflower, cornflower, barbel, audifoin, Blavelle, eyeglasses breaker or flower of Zacharie
English: Centaury, centory, centaureas, cornflower, bachelor's button
Family: Asteraceae

What is called annual lavatera or annual mallow corresponds to particularly floriferous cultivars of Malva trimestris. Originally from around the Mediterranean where it can grow naturally in the fields, Malva trimestris looks a lot like the wood mallow (Malva sylvestris) as well as the perennial shrub lavatera. It has a bushy shape and its pink flowers, with minutely ribbed silky petals, are a pleasure for the eyes.

BOTANICAL INFORMATION
Latin name: Lavatera trimestris * now Malva trimestris
Common names: Lavatère, Annual Mallow
English: Lavatera, annual mallow
Family: Malvaceae

Echinacea is a perennial plant that will bloom all summer long. Native to North America, it is a robust plant that will beautify your gardens. It attracts butterflies and other pollinators during the summer while birds come to feed on its seeds during the winter. Its large pink flowers are magnificent in fresh or dried cut flowers. Purple echinacea is used in traditional herbalism as an immune system stimulant.

CARE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:

This plant requires stratification! For more information, visit our stratification guide in our "Blog" menu.

This mixture of pink and white mallows will charm you with its pretty flowers with five petals, its long flowering period, its musky scent and its ease of cultivation. Perennial and able to reseed itself, it will bring a magical touch to your garden for less effort.

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Reseeds itself.

Before the introduction of cotton and synthetic fibers, flax held a significant place in the households of yesteryear Quebec. It was used everywhere, from bed linens to socks! And even before that, this plant has quite a history! Flax was probably the first plant fiber to be woven. It is believed to have been first domesticated in the region of the Fertile Crescent. Remains dating back 36,000 years have been found in a cave in Georgia. It was also a preferred textile in ancient Egypt. The fiber produces a flexible, lightweight, absorbent, thermoregulating, and durable fabric, which explains its popularity. The plant is easy to grow, and its delicate blue flowers are quite lovely. The fibers are found in the core of the stem and are extracted through a controlled decomposition process called retting.

The Nathalie flax is part of the flax preservation program

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Harvest one month after flowering, or two weeks after seed capsules have formed.

Number of seeds per packet: 200

Medicinal plant with many uses. Motherwort was used in China and ancient Europe to cure, as its name suggests, all kinds of ailments related to the physical and emotional heart. Brother Marie Victorin reports that it was used against asthma. It would also be useful for problems related to the menstrual cycle. The first western mentions of this plant date back to antiquity. Its foliage is dark green and the leaves are serrated and lobed. It flowers from August to September and its many spikes of small pinkish flowers are well appreciated by pollinators.

BOTANICAL INFORMATION
Latin name: Leonurus cardiaca
Common names: Cardiac motherwort, heartwort
English: Motherwort, throw-wort
Family: Lamiaceae

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
To be monitored and pruned to prevent it from becoming invasive.

Beautiful perennial, aromatic and medicinal plant with a bushy habit. Hyssop is used in the composition of the famous ''Herbes de Provence''. Its small shiny green leaves can be used fresh or dried as a condiment. The ideal way to keep them dried is to cut them before flowering. Its delicate flowers form beautiful deep blue spikes which can also be eaten fresh in a salad, or as an infusion. To make the most of their aromas, it is interesting to cut them at the start of flowering. Very melliferous and appreciated by pollinators.

BOTANICAL INFORMATION
Latin name: Hyssopus officinalis
Common Names: Hyssop officinalis, Sacred Herb, Hyssop
English: Hyssop
Family: Lamiaceae (Labiae)

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Not susceptible to pests

Boreal vanilla! This very easy to grow plant will add a unique flavor to your desserts. The essence is extracted from the flowers, but the young leaves are eaten in salads, and the seeds can be used as a spice. Its sweet fragrance is reminiscent of tonka bean and vanilla. Honey plant very popular with pollinators. Nitrogen-fixing, which makes it an excellent green manure, very interesting for enriching poor soils.

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
White sweet clover can be very invasive! To limit its expansion, cut the flower stalks when they begin to dry out.