Home Up About Us Hours and Directions Pottery Shop Calendar FAQs

Home
Up
Our Plants
Printables
What IS a Native Plant?
Current Photos
Links

This is a Work in Progress.  Feel free to look, but, for the moment, these plants are only available for pick up at the nursery.

Lonicera sempervirens  

Coral Honeysuckle

Lonicera sempervirens 'Major Wheeler'

Extra long-blooming version of our native Coral Honeysuckle. Coral honeysuckle typically blooms in heavily in the spring and lightly thereafter, however, ‘Major Wheeler’ blooms heavily in the spring and continues on through the summer. It is possible to have blooms on this vine on Christmas Day! Red trumpets are golden yellow inside. Round, semievergreen leaves surround the stems. Needs support such as a board fence, trellis or large shrub. Blooms best in full sun, but can tolerate partial shade, too.  The original plant was found on the NC coast. 

Why do we like it?  It is heat tolerant and drought resistant once established, and hummingbirds love it.  It is a great improvement over "Magnifica", the selection we used to like the most.

We have very vigorous plants in quart pots for $8. 

 

Text Box: Coral Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens 'Major Wheeler' 
Extra long-blooming version of our native Coral Honeysuckle. Coral honeysuckle typically blooms in heavily in the spring and lightly thereafter, however, ‘Major Wheeler’ blooms heavily in the spring and continues on through the summer. It is possible to have blooms on this vine on Christmas Day! Red trumpets are golden yellow inside. Round, semievergreen leaves surround the stems. Needs support such as a board fence, trellis or large shrub. Blooms best in full sun, but can tolerate partial shade, too.  The original plant was found on the NC coast.  
Why do we like it?  It is heat tolerant and drought resistant once established, and hummingbirds love it.  It is a great improvement over "Magnifica", the selection we used to like the most.
We have very vigorous plants in quart pots for $8.  
 

 

 

 

Japanese Beech Fern

Thelypteris decursive-pinnata  

Handsome, graceful fronds and a vigorous, spreading habit make this an excellent groundcover.  Can produce large colonies, but spreads via short runners, so control is possible.  Tolerates short periods of drought.  Semi-evergreen.  12-24 inches tall. Moist to average soil, part shade.

Why do we like it?  Well, it is a fern...  Fronds are very distinctive in shape, and the plants are vigorous and grow beautifully.  Has potential as a useful groundcover for shady areas. It is a new one for us, but I think destined for good things. 

Available in three quart pots for $10 each. 

 

Text Box: Japanese Beech Fern 
Thelypteris decursive-pinnata  
Handsome, graceful fronds and a vigorous, spreading habit make this an excellent groundcover.  Can produce large colonies, but spreads via short runners, so control is possible.  Tolerates short periods of drought.  Semi-evergreen.  12-24 inches tall. Moist to average soil, part shade.
Why do we like it?  Well, it is a fern...  Fronds are very distinctive in shape, and the plants are vigorous and grow beautifully.  Has potential as a useful groundcover for shady areas. It is a new one for us, but I think destined for good things.  
Available in three quart pots for $10 each.  
 
Thelypteris decursive-pinnata

 

 

Herrenhausen Oregano

This perennial herb is hardy, vigorous, and drought tolerant.  It grows to a compact 2 feet by 2 feet, and forms a dense mass of dark green leaves.  Flowers are a deep shade of purple that looks great set against the leaves.  Makes a nice cut flower, either fresh or dried, with the added bonus of a light, spicy scent.  Useful in the kitchen, too, though not as potent as Greek Oregano.  Would be a nice edging plant in any sort of perennial bed, not just an herb garden.  Also lovely in pots.  Three quart pots $8

Text Box: Herrenhausen Oregano
This perennial herb is hardy, vigorous, and drought tolerant.  It grows to a compact 2 feet by 2 feet, and forms a dense mass of dark green leaves.  Flowers are a deep shade of purple that looks great set against the leaves.  Makes a nice cut flower, either fresh or dried, with the added bonus of a light, spicy scent.  Useful in the kitchen, too, though not as potent as Greek Oregano.  Would be a nice edging plant in any sort of perennial bed, not just an herb garden.  Also lovely in pots.  Three quart pots $8

Origanum laevigatum 'Herrenhausen' (Oregano, Herrenhausen)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Herb Seeds

 

Sweet Basil

Baja Basil

Dark Opal Basil

Finissimo Verde A Palla Basil

Genovese Basil

Lemon Basil

Lettuce Leaf basil

Lime Basil

Mammoth Basil

New Guinea Basil

Serata Basil

Swiss Sunset Basil

Thai Basil

Queenette Basil

 

Borage

Calendula

Chamomile

Chives

Feverfew

Garlic Chives

Hyssop

Lavender

Lemon Balm

Lovage

Malabar Spinach

Marjoram

Gem Marigolds

Nasturtium

Greek Oregano

Parsley

Passionflower

Pennyroyal

Rosemary

 

Sage

Summer Savory

Winter Savory

 

Society Garlic- Plants Only- These are truly pretty plants with their strappy foliage and their crowning bloom in a vivid shade of pinky purple.  We have both the green and variegated versions available.  $4 a plant plus shipping

Sorrel- Rumex acetosa This is not the True French Sorrel, but it is delicious, productive, and far more vigorous and long lived than its French relation.  I think the flavor is the same when this one's leaves are young and tender.  Honestly, I have given up trying to grow the French type for now, because it never does well for me.  This one is a workhorse that will grow for years.  The leaves have a lemony tang to them that is quite pleasant.  I use mainly in soups and green salads.

Bloody Dock or Blood-Veined Sorrel- Rumex sanguineus- Excellent perennial herb that will provide you with delicious, nutritious leaves for soups, sandwiches, and salads.  Produces nearly year round in our climate- curiously, it takes a break in early summer here.  Very attractive landscape plant, useful in edging, in planters, and other applications where a burst of burgundy foliage is welcome.  Full to part sun, likes a little extra fertility.  Easy to grow in the garden, and easy to grow from seed.

Salad Burnet- Great little perennial herb that makes loads of tender flavor packed leaves to use in dips, cheese balls, salads, sandwiches and other ways you'll discover.  Attractive plants grow to about 18 inches tall and bear unusual flowers that are also edible.  Usually long lived and vigorous.  Sun to part shade. Easy to grow in the garden, and easy to grow from seed.

Anise Hyssop Agastache foeniculum Aromatic native herb useful in brewing garden fresh teas.  Pretty and long-blooming plant attractive to bees and beneficial insects.  Purplish spires of flowers all summer. 

Texas Tarragon - Tagetes  Also known as Mexican Mint Marigold.  Wonderful substitute for tarragon for those of us who's climate French Tarragon does not like.  I actually prefer the flavor of this plant to the better known French Tarragon.  It is not especially attractive, but does bear small yellow flowers and is vigorous.  Annual.  Plant after danger of frost.  Easy.

French Thyme- The ultimate thyme for true rich thyme flavor.  Lovely little plant is hardy, drought tolerant and long lived as long as it doesn't have wet feet.  A must-have.

Creeping Thyme- A great groundcover sort of thyme.  No thyme can withstand lots of foot traffic, but this one is good for filling gaps in lightly trod paths, or govering ground between taller plants in the herb garden.  Seldom blooms for me, and I confess I can't say for sure the color.  If pressed I would guess white, because the leaves haven't a trace of red or pink.  As for flavor, I always use French Thyme for cooking, but his one has a lovely aroma.

 

Heritage Vegetable and Heirloom Tomato Seeds

Lettuce- Bibb, Butterhead, Romaine, Leaf, and Blends

 

Heirloom Tomatoes  All tomatoes sold as a pack of 20 seeds for $2.00

A Grappoli Corbarino  75 days                                                                                                                                                             Grape, Pomodorini type, bright red, long, oval, very sweet, thin skin, fresh or canned

Amish Paste Heirloom Tomato  85 days 
Very productive, flavorful and reliable.  Bigger and better than Roma.  Makes the ultimate sauce. Flavor is complex and slightly tart.  

Aunt Ruby’s German Green Heirloom Tomato  85 days
Yes, they’re green, but they have a wonderful flavor you won’t believe!!  Fruits up to a pound have an amber pink tinge on the blossom end when ripe.  Sweet, tart, rich and spicy. From Ruby Arnold of Greenville, TN.

Black Krim Heirloom Tomato 80 days 
Iridescent purple with dark green-black shoulders.  Very productive.  Grows to 1 ½ pounds.  Juicy yet meaty texture, rich smoky flavor.  Indeterminate.

Box Car Willie Heirloom Tomato  80 days
Expect a very heavy crop of good-sized, smooth, delicious, red tomatoes from this heirloom.  Fruits range from 6 to 10 oz, and are borne over a long season. A good choice for your “main” tomato crop.

Brandywine Heirloom Tomato Sudduth's Strain 85 days 
The pink beefsteak that inspired the heirloom tomato revival.  The perfect blend of sweet, tart, and rich tomato flavor.  Meaty, 1 ½ pound fruits. Honestly, this has never been a personal favorite, but I am trying a new strain this year in hopes of achieving better yields and more disease resistance out of this customer favorite.   When I say new strain, I mean new to me, as this one is one of the oldest, possibly the original Pink Brandywine strain. 

Bull’s Heart Heirloom Tomato 87 days  
This is a very old Russian variety bearing large, pink oxheart-type tomatoes with excellent, sweet flavor.  Strong plants produce abundantly, with some fruit growing to 2 lbs. and more.  Many people around here are really fond of ox-heart tomatoes;  they do tend to have an especially rich flavor,

Cherokee Purple Heirloom Tomato 77 days 
A Tennessee treasure.  A top 10 heirloom.  Flavor is outstanding; rich, smoky, and wine-like.  10-13 oz fruits are dusky brownish-purple with dark green shoulders and brick red flesh.  Indeterminate, but with short vines.

Fargo Yellow Pear Heirloom Tomato  82 days 
Great tomato taste in a pear shaped tomato?  That’s Fargo! Produces lots of tasty one ounce fruits (about 2x the size of other pear types.) 

German Giant Heirloom Tomato  77 days 
This family heirloom produces an abundance of deep pink tomatoes that are just huge and brimming with luscious flavor.  Potato leaved.  Smooth in shape, 2 lbs. or more, and full of that rich but sweet taste that make a tomato scrumptious.

German Johnson Heirloom Tomato 80 days 
An old heirloom probably from Virginia or North Carolina. Mild, sweet, pink tomato that is one of the parents of the famous Mortgage Lifter. Meaty fruits often exceed 1 pound.  A favorite of many of my local customers.   

German Queen Heirloom Tomato  80 days 
Luscious, sweet pink beefsteak fruit have an incredible flavor and are large and meaty.  Perfect for slicing.  Tomatoes average 1 lb. and grow on tall, vigorous, potato-leaved plants. 

Giant Belgium Heirloom Tomato 90 days
Fruits AVERAGE 2 pounds, but have been known to reach 5 (FIVE).  Deep pink, meaty, sweet and delicious.  One to grow if you’re looking for a whopper. 

Green Zebra *New* 75 Days                                                                                                                                                                        Unique salad type, 3 oz amber with green stripes, real taste treat.  I'm growing this variety at the request of several customers.

Hillbilly Heirloom Tomato 85 days 
From, (where else?), West Virginia.  Huge yellow-orange tomato with red streaking.  Sweet, fruity flavor. Fruits usually 1 to 2 pounds. It’s a good’un.

Hog Heart Paste Heirloom Tomato  86 days 
Large and meaty fruit are often double and resemble hearts.  Great flavor fresh, frozen or canned.  Originally from Italy, via Massachusetts.   

Howard German Heirloom Tomato  80 days 
Local tomato guru Sandee Cook’s favorite tomato.   The Amish also call them "Pepper Tomatoes". Prolific harvests of 5-1/2 inch long, weirdly pointed paste tomatoes that weigh about 5-8 oz., very meaty with a good, rich flavor. An old variety great for canning, paste, or sauces. Also delicious right off the vine in salads. Just the best all purpose tomato. Very resistant to disease and bugs, as well!

Italian Sweet Heirloom Tomato 85 days  
Large and luscious red beefsteak tomatoes.  Original seed came from a 3 pound tomato found at a farmer’s market.  Incredibly juicy and sweet, and full of that old-fashioned tomato flavor.  This was new to my list last year, but it has gotten rave reviews form customers who grew it.  (The rush of spring and our limited space for tomatoes in last year's garden combined to make me neglect to grow it out myself, a situation which I plan to remedy this season.)  

Lillian’s Yellow Heirloom Tomato  88 days  
Tennessee heirloom unique for its pale, not golden, yellow fruit.  Superb, creamy consistency, meaty flesh, and complex, rich flavor. Sweet & juicy, but with few seeds.  A top 10 heirloom.  Make a yellow tomato soup, salsa or pie.

Mama Leone Heirloom Tomato   75 days 
This excellent, large pointed plum tomato comes from Italy via a family who immigrated to New York.  You can expect a large harvest of these 5 to 6 oz. bright red tomatoes.

Mexico Heirloom Tomato 80 days 
It is rare to find a beefsteak tomato with outstanding flavor that is produced in large numbers over a long season, but Mexico does just that.  Fruits are 1 lb. plus, and wonderfully tasty.  From the Midwest, where it was grown by a family from Mexico.  

Mortgage Lifter Heirloom Tomato  85 days
Pink, well-shaped, large, meaty fruit famous for its flavor.  An amateur plant breeder developed this tomato over years of selection.  He paid off a $30,000 mortgage in thee years (way back in the day) by selling plants and tomatoes from his radiator repair shop.

Mr. Stripey (Tigrella) Heirloom Tomato 56 days
HUGE crops. These 2 inch tomatoes are red with clearly-defined yellow stripes. Rich, tangy flavor.  Beautiful in salads, either whole or sliced. 

Old German Heirloom Tomato 75 days  
Yellow with orange center, oblate 16 oz, sweet flavor.

Opalka Heirloom Tomato 85 days  
So sweet and refreshing, it can be eaten straight off the vine, but is highly prized for sauces and canning.  Fruits are far richer and more flavorful than most paste tomatoes.  A long, pepper-shaped type, fruits grow to 4 to 6" long.

Persimmon Heirloom Tomato  80 days
One of the best flavored of the orange tomatoes.  Beautiful, golden-orange and BIG- between one and two pounds, and averaging 5 inches in diameter.  Meaty with few seeds.  Vigorous and productive, too.

Pineapple  Heirloom Tomato  82 days
My favorite bicolor tomato.  Originally from Kentucky.  Meaty and smooth texture, with lots of juice. Fruity and sweet, low acid flavor.  Large, up to a pound or more.  Fruits are absolutely gorgeous; yellow with red streaking.  Especially pretty sliced.

Polish Linguisa Heirloom Tomato 73 days  
Loaded with vitamins, fiber and potassium, but low in fat and sodium! This 19th Century heirloom has vigorous plants that set loads of fruit.  Fruits are large, 7 to 10 oz. and pie-shaped. Flesh is soft and very sweet.

Purple Russian *New* Heirloom Tomato 80 days  
Plum shape, purplish black 3-4", 6 oz, sweet meaty taste, crack resistant, good shoulder.  

Principe Borghese Heirloom Tomato  75days
Grow this variety for fantastic sun-dried tomatoes. From Italy.  Determinate, but has a long season anyway. This is the seed strain with a nipple at the blossom end, generally considered to have the best flavor.

Pruden’s Purple Heirloom Tomato  72 days 
Not really purple, but pink. Great old-time flavor.  Silken texture.  Productive, disease resistant, and early for its size.(1 lb. on average) A top 10 heirloom.  

Red Pear Heirloom Tomato  70days 
Medium-sized plants yield plenty of small, red, pear-shaped fruits with very few seeds. Perfect for salads, sauces or pickles. One of the rarest of the heirloom varieties. Determinate.

Reisentraube Heirloom Cherry Tomato  80 days
The most true tomato flavor you will find in a cherry type.  The name means a giant bunch of grapes, and that is just what they remind one of. Red fruits are oval and pointed at the blossom end.  Extremely productive.

Rose be Berne Heirloom Tomato 80 days 
A superior medium-sized pink tomato with the robust flavor of the beefsteaks. A rich sweetness that other smaller tomatoes just can’t match, and very pretty, too.  Productive plants yield a heavy crop.  A Swiss heirloom. 

Speckled Roman Heirloom Tomato 85 days  
A cross of Antique Roman and Banana Legs. Orange-red, 5" long fruits are a speckled paste-type, marked by irregular yellow stripes. Meaty fruits, real tomato flavor and few seeds. One bite is sure to make it one of your favorites!

Sprite Tomato *NEW* 60 days  Determinate  
One of my tomato seed suppliers insisted I try this productive little grape tomato variety. This plant will stay short and manageable, even in the smallest gardens.  Try it in container plantings with basil, if you like.  Extremely productive; sweet, red, thin skinned fruit.

Tidwell German Heirloom Tomato  *NEW* 80 days
Large crops of 1 to 2 lb. pink, meaty beefsteak tomatoes with a sweet and exceptional flavor.  The variety is a family heirloom from David Pendergrass of Tennessee, whose family has been growing this tomato since at lease the 1920's. 

Tiffen Mennonite *New* Heirloom Tomato 80 days 
Large, dark pink, great flavor, smooth texture.

Todd County Amish *New* 85 Days                                                                                                                                                            Pure heaven on a plate!  Big, luscious dark pink fruit.  Handed down from an Amish family living in Minnesota.  Flavor is rich yet sweet, and the interior is almost as meaty as an ox-heart type.  Excellent productivity.  

White Cherry  75 days
Very small cherry tomatoes are a pretty, creamy white.  Very sweet and mild flavor, and extremely productive.  Often requested by name.  Really pretty in salads with edible flowers.

Blueberry- Patriot, Bluecrop, and Blueray

Raspberry- Caroline, Cumberland, Latham

Gooseberry- Pixwell

Rhubarb- Crimson Cherry

 

Bareroot fruit trees  available this spring

We are ordering a small number of bareroot apple, peach, and other fruit trees from my favorite wholesale supplier.  These should be a nice size for planting, not too big, yet healthy and well branched (you may want to read up on planting and pruning a new fruit tree...).  The following varieties are on my list:

If you would like to have any of these fruit trees for yourself, please call the nursery to reserve yours today.  Prices will be around $20 each, more or less dependent upon shipping costs. 

A deposit of $10 per tree is required at the time you place your order.

Text Box: If you would like to have any of these fruit trees for yourself, please call the nursery to reserve yours today.  Prices will be around $20 each, more or less dependent upon shipping costs.  
A deposit of $10 per tree is required at the time you place your order.
Apple- Freedom  Many people don't know this apple, but it is one of my favorites, and I have tried lots of good locally grown varieties.  Freedom is exceptionally productive, but the fruit is smaller than most.  I actually prefer this size for eating fresh.  It is so practical if you just want a little snack, and don't want to eat a great big apple.  If you do want more, just eat two. (Great for little ones who might waste most of a big apple, too.  I have a friend who calls Freedom the lunch box apple...)  Flavor is superb- spicy-sweet and rich, flesh is crisp and juicy.  Great for fresh eating and keeps reasonably well.  A great variety for low-spray or attempts at organic growing.  Skin is yellow based with 50% or more red blushing.  Ripens October- keeps until January or so.  Developed at Cornell in the early 80's.

Apple-Liberty Another great disease resistant variety that is also a good companion for Freedom (Freedom and Liberty sound like they should go together, no?)  Flesh is firm, juicy, and flavorful.  Medium sized fruit borne mid-season.  Skin is yellow, but blushed 85% or more red.

Apple-Yellow Transparent  A local favorite that produces medium to large, sweet, juicy, rich fruit, with greenish yellow skin and light flesh.  Tree should bear fruit from a young age, and bears early in the year, too, from late June into early August.  A Russian heirloom from the 1870's.

Apple-Wolf River  An heirloom dating from 1875, fruit is VERY large, with dull red blush over yellow skin.  Great for baking, apple butter, and one of the best for drying.  Vigorous, disease resistant, productive tree.

Peach- Red Haven  A knowledgeable customer turned me onto this variety.  It is a freestone type, and should be a really good one to grow in this area.  I am completely new at growing peaches, so can't be of much help as far as describing this one or telling you how to grow it.  I'm planning to grow it myself, if that encourages you...  If you want one, call.  I think we're sold down to one.

Pear- Seckle- To my mind the most lovely pear in appearance and flavor.  Juicy and rich, the flesh is smooth and did I say juicy...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Send mail to shyvalley@aol.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2007 Shy Valley Farm Native Habitat Nursery & Herbary
Last modified: 10/10/08