Dear Growing Friends:
Welcome to our 35th annual seed catalog!
The season started in early February with my usual trip to Tucson for the annual 69th Gem and Mineral Show. It was obvious plenty of winter rains had fallen since the plants around Tucson and up into the Santa Catalina Mountains were starting to green up. I was looking for a larger population of Anemone tuberosa than the ones I had seen in the past. I was lucky enough to find such a population and they were just starting to bloom on a rocky hillside, the delicate pale pink flowers swaying in the wind. Upon returning a couple of months later, the first collection of the season yielded quite a bit of seed of this ephemeral yet wonderful wildflower.
During the same trip in early April, I visited a site known for its fine display of Amsonia grandiflora, seed of which I would later be graciously granted by a friend who grows a few plants up in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson. Also during this trip, I made friends with a director of one of the churches on the south side of town where I noticed were growing old specimens of the Texas ebony tree (Ebenopsis ebano) and Hesperaloe funifera. I’m very grateful that she allowed me to collect quantities of seed from both species.
On April 8, a total eclipse of the sun occurred across a large swath of the U.S. from Texas to Maine. I had tried to make plans to be in the path of totality but every motel and even my friend’s house in Hillsboro, TX was full to the brim, so I was content to see a partial eclipse in western Colorado as I was returning from the above trip. At least I saw the total eclipse up in Wyoming back in 2017 so I didn’t miss out on much.
Also in April, I decided to replace my old Toyota 4-W drive truck with something a little more gas efficient so I purchased a Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness. It has about the same clearance (9.4 inches) as my truck but it gets over 30 miles per gallon (up to 35 mpg.) and it’s such a breeze to drive compared to the truck. The only downsize is there’s far less room to haul stuff but I’ve become an expert at packing tightly.
My first trip with the new car took me to the western slope of Colorado to climb Mt. Garfield , a 2000-foot climb over 2 miles. It’s the notable escarpment to the north towering over Palisade and Grand Junction as part of the Book Cliffs which run over a hundred and fifty miles into eastern Utah near Price. The first half-mile is very steep where I had to stop about every 100 feet to catch my breath. Once you hit the small valley about 1000 feet up, the trail levels out a bit until it reaches the climb just under the sandstone cliffs. The trail ascends briskly, then heads up more sandstone cliffs where you’re encouraged to do a bit of route finding. Atop the cliffs, the trail gently ambles onto the summit. There was a large U.S. flag waving up there in years past but it was no longer attached, only the pole remains. After the descent, my body hurt in many unfamiliar places so the most I could do was sit in the car and drive to southwest Utah for a visit to the Beaver Dam Mountains. I read there was a population of Ranunculus andersonii v. juniperina and I figured it would be in seed already by early May. I found lots of dessicated plants of the ranunculus up on Hellhole Pass but it bloomed very poorly and there was hardly any seed. There was, however, many Phlox austromontana cushions scattered all over the limestone hillsides, along with lesquerellas and other assorted desert species. Pushing on, I decided to drive through southern Nevada to get a sense of conditions there and was pleased to see winter rains had fallen here too. Arctomecon californica was in bloom with its golden yellow flowers held high above the bristly rosettes, Enceliopsis argyrophylla and Atriplex hymenelytra were already in seed, Anemopsis californica sprang out of a spring and Mentzelia tricuspis was in bloom everywhere. Farther along, in the Mojave desert mountains between Needles and Barstow, California, I found Eremalche rotundifolia already in seed and a hill full of Echinocactus polycephalus in seed. It seemed the season was slightly behind because a population of canescent gray Sphaeralcea emoryi plants were still in full bloom compared to 2017 when the plants were in seed by early May. I never did get back to collect any. Up in the southern Sierra Nevadas, I was searching for Phacelia nashiana where I had seen it years ago but I was too late for seed then. Alas, I could not find a single plant. Lots of other desert annuals were in full bloom including abronias, eriastrums, mentzelias, langloisias, camissonias and the most exciting find, a huge colony of Pholisma arenarium. No seed unfortunately but I had to publish a photo to show this remarkable species.
In late May, I decided I wanted to visit Horseshoe Canyon and see the famous rock art galleries found there. I had been put off in the past given the long drive (30 miles) across the remote San Rafael desert to the canyon rim but emboldened by my new all-wheel drive car, I figured chances of having a mechanical breakdown were remote as well. I set off at 9:00 in the morning and it took about an hour driving this 30-mile sandy dirt road across a remarkable array of landscapes, including pink dunes. A cold front had come in during the night and dropped the temperature to a brisk 48 degrees F. At the trailhead above the canyon rim, there were already a dozen parties there. At the start of the 7 mile hike, you drop 800 feet into the canyon and before long come up to the first of four galleries, the High Gallery and the Horseshoe Shelter. A little farther up, the Alcove Gallery came into view. But the Great_Gallery is considered one of the best examples of pictographic art in the world, comprising dozens of figures intricately painted, many of which are larger than life-sized. I highly recommend a visit for those willing to expend the energy. The entire trip took all day, considering I had to drive all the way back to civilization after hiking out of the canyon.
The next day, I drove up to the Albion Mountains in southern Idaho to see what was blooming there. I had been exploring this area for several years in the past but was always too late to see the earlier-blooming flora. I wasn’t disappointed either; a partial list includes Fritillaria pudica, F. atropurpurea, Hydrophyllum capitatum, Balsamorhiza hookeri, miniature Erythronium grandiflorum, Allium parvum, Mertensia paniculata with pink flowers, Sidalcea oregana, Calochortus eurycarpus, Berberis sp. and a few others. This was at only 6000 feet. Higher up, many other species would come into bloom, include Phlox austromontana, Phlox multiflora, Castilleja christii, Erigeron nanus and many others. The next day, I drove some dirt roads on the Snake River Plains north of Idaho Falls and discovered a cute dwarf form of Sphaeralcea munroana with stems lined with shaggy white leaves and loads of orange flowers. I was after Ranunculus andersonii again where I had collected it years before but alas, it appeared the winter snows were sparse for there was no seed of this nor of the Viola beckwithii populations here. Primula cusickiana did manage to bloom however so the trip wasn’t a total loss.
I did not venture out again until late June, spending most of the month on outdoor plantings and greenhouse repair. On the high plains north of Laramie, Wyoming, the Hymenoxys acaulis v. caespitosa population was just coming into seed but unfortunately it was much less fruitful than usual due to a rather dry winter and spring. On the opposite side of Laramie Peak, however, the eastern plains of Wyoming did remarkably well, allowing a splendid collection of Astragalus barrii and Xylorhiza glabriuscula. It was horribly dry a couple of years earlier when I made the same attempt. Then I made my way back to the Albion Mountains to collect seed of several of the species noted above. I continued on north into the Boulder Mountains above Ketchum, Idaho and finally found a population of Ranunculus andersonii in sufficient seed to offer in the catalog. Apparently at 9000 feet, enough snow had fallen to allow Allium simillimum, Mertensia oblongifolia, Draba oligosperma, Erigeron compositus, Dodecatheon conjugens, Castilleja covilleana and Phoenicaulis cheiranthoides to perform well. Heading south into Nevada towards Elko, I was shocked to see not only how dry it was but to encounter millions of Mormon crickets eating away at everything in their path. The roads were slick with crushed cricket goo, even signs were posted warning of slick road driving hazards from the crickets. I wanted to go out to California and Oregon to collect some of the erythronium and fritillaria species but with fires breaking out all over the Pacific Northwest, I decided it was best to drive straight home. After a couple of days rest, I spent a pleasant day in the Canyon City area collecting such favorites as Melampodium leucanthum and Lesquerella calcicola. Later in mid-July found me in the Gore Range collecting the tiny Lupinus caespitosus with its very short spikes of sky blue flowers. Up in Wyoming again, along the Beaver Divide, I was disappointed to find drought had taken hold here too. Astragalus simplicifolius, A. aretioides, Phlox pungens and most everything else here in this floristic hot spot had barely bloomed, let alone set any seed.
Early August found me in the Mosquito Range of Colorado searching for Eritrichium aretioides and I finally found a good population that had set seed above 12,000 feet.
On August 6 I traveled down I-25 to New Mexico to look for a population of Sphaeralcea polychroma. I was intrigued by a report of a population in many different colors and south of Belen, that’s exactly what I found. Along a side road I found a population of fairly large plants, 3 to 4 feet tall, in most every color, the typical orange was actually the rarest, the most common being shades of pink to magenta with a few white and pale blue flowers thrown in. There were no muddy colors either, each shade was clear and distinct. This most interesting genotype would be a hybridizer’s dream. Along the way to Silver City, I picked up a few Amsonia fugatei and Opuntia clavata seeds, both of which I was nearly out of. As I came over Emory Pass towards Silver City, I realized conditions here looked really good, it seemed everything was blooming along the roads and hillsides. Calylophus hartwegii ssp. fendleri was in full seed and reblooming. Huge mounds of Mirabilis longiflora with hundreds of white flowers over 5 inches long adorned the stems. Several species of acacia were blooming, I especially liked A. greggii with its sugar-pink flowers but the stems are wickedly spiny. I found a whole new area to explore north of Silver City, the Pinos Altos and Mimbres Ranges, a complex system of infinite hills, mountain ranges and valleys. Along one jeep trail, I saw colorful hillsides adorned with Agastache pallidiflora, Penstemon barbatus, Silene laciniata, Aquilegia desertorum and Potentilla thurberi to name a few. A couple of days later, I was in the Graham Mountains southwest of Safford, Arizona, a famous “sky island” notable for its succession of flora as you ascend its slopes. Some of the more interesting plants are the abundant Arctostaphylos pungens and A. pringlei bushes at about 6000 to 7000 feet, a colony of Stachys coccinea, the hardiest population known at 7200 feet, Erysimum wheeleri above 8000 feet, and a nice group of Aquilegia chrysantha plants at 9000 feet. Abundant Agastache pallidiflora and Penstemon barbatus occur here too along with a salvia lined with tiny blue flowers, S. arizonica.
In late August, seeing that I had sold all of my Aquilegia jonesii seed and really didn’t want to drop such an iconic species from my list, I drove up to the Big Horn and Beartooth Mountains of northern Wyoming. Despite the dry conditions, above 10,000 feet, there had been sufficient moisture to allow the aquilegia to produce a few seeds. I also managed to collect Draba ventosa, Antennaria aromatica and Hulsea algida. Unfortunately, no eritrichium seeds were available. Back down to the dry northwest plateau of Colorado, I checked the populations of Penstemon yampaensis and found enough seeds for collection. Unfortunately, the Penstemon acaulis populations about 100 miles farther west yielded nothing. Similarly, the large Asclepias asperula population yielded nothing. So I headed south in Utah where I figured conditions might be better, as paradoxically as that sounds, and sure enough on the Markagunt Plateau I found plenty of seed of Ribes montigenum and Eriogonum umbellatum v. porteri. Farther south, in the Pine Valley Mountains, I was fortunate to find several whips of Agave utahensis in full seed, this population regarded as being perhaps the hardiest of this taxon.
I spent a few days in September collecting seed of a few more species in the high mountains of Colorado and retracing some of the routes noted above for any late-maturing seeds. But most of the time I spent in the greenhouse on my bench plantings, threshing previous collections and hanging out with my family. I did not venture out again until late October. It didn’t help that much of September and October was unseasonably hot, although it did help to finish off many late-maturing seeds around the yard and greenhouse.
By late October, it seemed the fires had diminished enough in southern California to make a trip worthwhile (and safe!) to collect a few more species that I really wanted to put back in the catalog, especially Salvia pachyphyllawhich I introduced to horticulture back in 1994. I also collected Penstemon clevelandii ssp. connatus, Arctostaphylos glauca, Nolina parryi, Hesperoyucca whipplei, Amorpha californica, Nama rothrockii and Malacothamnus fremontii. An impending cold front and snow in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountain signaled the time to return home. While staying in Flagstaff, Arizona, the storm dumped an inch of rain on the town and several inches of snow on the San Francisco Peaks. Home two days later, I had just two days of decently warm weather to thresh all of the remaining new collections before a snowstorm dumped almost three feet of snow (that's a yardstick in the snowbank on our deck) here at home. Thus endeth the 2024 collecting season.
As noted last year, my seed inventory has become considerably depleted over the past few years due to my inability to collect enough quantity and variety to maintain that inventory because of family responsibilities (caring for my father) and the pervasive drought throughout the western states. I have made considerable strides towards building that inventory back up with more travel and collections over the past two years but I still have a long ways to go, especially in the flora from the Pacific Northwest and California. I plan to re-evaluate year by year whether to continue with the seed business or not. I enjoy the exercise and travel opportunities this business provides, not to mention all of the friends I have made over the years talking about varied botanical subjects from seed germination to ecology of wild flora. I hope I can continue to offer these seeds until either my body gives out or becomes financially untenable.
Also, seven seasons ago, I decided to discontinue publication of the printed catalog. I did issue a letter to all customers the year before and I think by now all of my customers have gotten the message. I’m grateful many customers have continued to follow me on the website alone and to continue supporting me in my endeavors.
And in the interest of self-promotion, I would like to mention, mostly for the benefit of new customers, the following:
In late 2011, I had the great honor to receive the Marcel Le Piniec award from the North American Rock Garden Society for "enriching and extending the range of plant material available to American rock gardeners." It has been a privilege to collect seed and introduce to the horticultural public many new species of plants. My customers are the cognoscenti of the horticultural world and are a wonderful group of people who have shown me nothing but kindness and encouragement in my endeavors. Thank you sincerely for all of your patronage and support over the years!
We also continue to offer seed from the extensive cactus and Yucca collections of Jeff Thompson, an expert in this area for over 30 years. Now numbering nearly 200 different kinds, they can be identified by the "JRT" (field) and "TC" (cultured) numbers in the listings.
We also thank Donnie Barnett for a selection of Opuntia seeds, indicated by "DB".
-- Alan D. Bradshaw,
Proprietor |
