Happy Easter - 2014 updating

Happy Easter!

Long live the Easter Bunny and all who hunt his/her Eggs!
Long time, no blog. Lots of things happened in the past few months, mostly good things... some annoying things, others just part of life. We are entering into another Autumn, and I cant believe we are almost half way through 2014. The time just flies.

The garden has suffered in the past few months, lots of water, not enough time to do the weeding, and a lot of self sown natives. Ive taken to potting up the natives, and have managed to catch some of the seeds from the new varieties. I have pink larkspur and tall blue delphiniums, Flanders poppy,and a few others on the way this year. Mexican sunflowers and cerise and pink cosmos drifts are still flowering in this mad wet Autumn weather where floods are the major hassle at present... So much water on the ground here in Christchurch, especially where the red zone houses have been removed.

Still planting - I have a good crop of Kale (Red Russian) and Broccoli (Waltham) growing this Autumn. The cuttings I have taken from the berry bushes are in position, hopefully their energies are growing sturdy roots under the ground. The separating of the rhubarb went well, and I have around six new plants to pot up for sale eventually. The lettuce we have growing to seed are an oakleaf that has red edges, but is crunchy and greeny-brown, and some of the heirloom Freckles, which is green and cos-type. It has been our stop gap while the Buttercrunch and the Austrian Greenleaf take a rest...

Strawberry (Chandler) still prolific even in Autumn!

Blue borage has spread throughout making a fine display of bees on the very limited fine days, and the calendula sprout whenever the wind takes them... I love the nasturtium that have decided to wind their way through the pea straw amongst the last of the tomato plants... Ive just taken out the grey crown pumpkins that lasted once the landlord went through with the whacker to clear the side garden. We got two plants out of 17 but they werent nearly as good as they have been, despite being hand pollinated this year.

Ive planted out my beautiful Christmas pot that my son Gee gave me.
I put the purple ruffled petunias in it, and in the middle planted a Lavender (grosso) that has just had a wee trim to keep it tidy.
It looks lovely!
The new pots I got this weekend for Easter are a green glaze that has trickles down the side... so Im thinking of some ideas to plant out in them...

This is our new baby - well, not ours. But he lives with us at the moment, and we love him!~ Brutus is almost six months old, and is about five times the size of what he was at Christmas. He is a bull mastiff X anatolian shepherd and his mother is huge! Im thinking although he has almost grown into his paws, he still has extra skin everywhere else, and he very long! Hes a very gentle, proud dog who loves cuddles and is motivated purely by FOOD. Its so nice to have somebody to walk with, even in the rain!

So thats it from me for now,
Im hoping to get back to blogging a little more regularly than once in a blue moon :)
Take care
XX

Updated Seed lists... 2013

Hello! Im just updating my seed list. All seeds listed are available - see my sales on Trademe  HERE

Sunflower Russian Giant
Nigella Blue
Forget me not Blue
Snapdragon - Magenta Mist
Swiss Chard
Golden Beet
Lima Bean
Soy Bean
Kale - Winter
Sweet Cicely (Myhrris Odorata)
Marigold - various
Strawberry Chandler
Pumpkin Autumn Crown
Pumpkin Winter Squash
Lavender
Ladybird Poppy
Poppy - Opium Red
Lettuce - Buttercrunch
Lettuce - Austrian Greenleaf (frilled)
Broccoli - Waltham
Bean - Borlotti
Bean - Scarlet Runner
Tomato - Yellow Pear, Black Cherry, Missouri Love Apple (pink)
Parsley - Afro Triple curled
Fennel - Bronze AND Green
Mizuna Green & Red
Anise Hyssop

Calendula Orange & Yellow
Calendula Sunshine Flashback
Calendula Orange Resina
Broad Bean Aquadulce
Allium schoenaoprasum (Chives)
Digitalis  White & Purple
Echinacea Majus - purple coneflower
Hollyhocks - many colours - please ask if you dont see it - pink, red, purple, yellow, white, blush, salmon pink, pink ruffles
Aquilegia - single white, double purple
Figwort
Balm of Gilead
Rainbow Thai Chili
Bunching Onions
Carrot - St Valery - French Heirloom

Dont forget your companion plants :)

I also have Aloe Vera pups for sale, and usually small plants of clumping herbs, eau de cologne mint, costmary, tansy, figwort, balm of gilead, some strawberries and yam & Ulloco starters which grow quicker than planting some seeds, please ask
Happy Gardening!
Blessings

Lynne
  earthbutterflyseeds@gmail.com

Broccoli Waltham - Brassica oleracea - GREAT GREENS!

0015 BROCCOLI - Waltham - Brassica oleracea

BROCCOLI - Waltham is a Tall sturdy variety that tolerates the cold well. 
It is also drought tolerant. 

A great way to get nutrition - Broccoli is full of fibre, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants - Boil heads, or eat raw - salads, stir fries etc. 

Blue-Green medium sized heads on long shoots - offshoots also head up, freezes well.
Dont forget to collect seeds to have again next season... 
Heirloom named in 1950 - 74 days approx to maturity
Full sun, Fertile soil - Direct sow or plant in pots until plants have 2-3 leaves.

SEE MY LISTINGS on Trademe HERE

BALM OF GILEAD seeds - Mint Family - BEES LOVE IT!

0014 Balm of Gilead - Cedronella Canariensis

 BALM OF GILEAD - 
Attractive strongly scented herb that looks great in a pot.
Growing 2-3 ft,Tall bracts of light pink/lilac flowers in Summer. The plant releases its pleasant camphor scent when brushed or pruned. 

Medicinal uses include reducing  the congestion of  the lungs when used as an inhalant, as a balm to ease sore joints and muscles,  or a cream to aid healing of scratches, bites and sunburn.

Seeds are small, black and hard. Scarify lightly by rubbing them on sandpaper, sow in pots, keep moist until the plant is through,  plant out (full sun) when frost is past, soil is warmer & plant has started to grow leaves. Likes moist, fertile rich soil. Full sun.
Seed pods are formed as long bracts that brown and dry, then expel the seeds into the soil below which if conditions are ideal, continues your Balm supply through to the next season. 
Cut back lightly (shape) in Autumn, plant does not like the cold and will not survive extreme (temps in the minus!) cold, but it will survive with mulch if roots are kept warm (in a pot) 

Note, there is also a tree known as Balm or Balsam of Gilead. This is the HERB that is known by the name Balm of Gilead.

Have a look at my listings HERE on Trademe

Strawberry - Fragaria x ananassa - CHANDLER - Sweet Large Fruit, Easy Grow

0013 STRAWBERRY - Chandler

Strawberry - Fragaria x ananassa - CHANDLER is a very desirable productive strawberry, with large sweet fruit. 

Plant seeds inside, keep moist and plant out once the plants have four good sized leaves and frosts are past. 

Plant out in moist well-drained fertile soil with a Ph of 6, in full sun. 
Plants must be given regular water to produce the best fruit. 
Strawberries grow and multiply, and the runners can be cut off, or planted alongside. 
CHANDLER has a high yield, but needs a little love (potash, mulch,and fertilizer) between flowerings.
Snuggle plants into a bed of pea straw over Winter, it lifts the fruit off the wet ground, avoiding slugs and other sucking pests.

SEED LISTINGS HERE on TRADE ME

Website in Progress - EARTH BUTTERFLY SEEDS

Thanks for viewing my website.
I am currently listing seeds I have available on this site in depth, but until that is complete, please check out my Trade Me Listings HERE - I will be adding to both sites as seeds become available.

Many Thanks for taking time to look :)

Lynne Absolum
Earth Butterfly Seeds
Avonside,
Christchurch

SWEET CICELY - Myrrhis Odorata - Sweet Aniseed

0012 - *Sweet Cicely* - Myrrhis Odorata 

An under-rated Sugar-saver herb, something a little different! 

Sweet, aniseed-scented leaves and stalks (fresh or dried) add a very pleasant flavor to sweets and desserts, saving about half the sugar. (enhances the flavour of rhubarb and gooseberry especially, I have found) Of particular interest to diabetics. 




Because the seeds NEED to undergo a period of cold and wet to germinate, they are BEST SOWN IN AUTUMN OR WINTER. Like to be planted out in dappled sunlight, will co-exist under berry plants for example. 

Seeds can be saved in the second year of growth. Attractive lacy white flower, fern-like leaves. Prolific once growing, dies down in Winter, remove brown foliage. Mulch.

Check Listings HERE

Tomato - BLACK CHERRY - Prolific

0011 TOMATO - BLACK CHERRY

Medium sized dark dusky purple fruit. 
Heirloom Tomato with prolific growth and high yields of fruit. 
Juicy toms, good for just eating off the vine, or pizza, stir fries etc. 
Lots of green-black flesh and seeds - dont forget to save some for next season, or wait and let them self-seed. 

Full/partial sun in fertile soil 
75 days approx to mature 

Tomato - Missouri Love Apple - Med-Large Pink

0010 TOMATO MISSOURI LOVE APPLE

Medium to large sized pink fruit. Heirloom Tomato. 
Juicy fruit, good for just eating off the vine, or preserving, saucing etc. 
We eat them with some rock salt, olive oil and some basil... yum! 

Missouri Love Apple was first grown in the times of the American Civil War...thank goodness they kept the seeds - now you can too! 

Full/partial sun in fertile soil 
78 days approx to mature 

Calendula Officinalis *Sunshine Flashback*

009 CALENDULA - SUNSHINE FLASHBACK 

*Pot Marigold* Or Calendula - This variety *Sunshine Flashback* (sounds like a race horse?) is daisy-like - it has yellow petals, and a brownish centre. 

Calendula grows well almost anywhere, is an awesome bright coloured flower for the garden, acts as a companion plant - is given a lot of credit for deterring pests! 
Great for encouraging the kids to participate in gardening activities, as they grow and change regularly, picking spent blooms encourages them to keep flowering. 

Sow directly or seed into pots, depending on where you are - these plants are hardy and will grow almost anywhere, and do bloom through Winter, as they do in my own garden.

LISTINGS HERE

BORAGE - Borago Officinalis - STAR FLOWER

008 Borago Officinalis - Blue

A beautiful blue prolific flowering herb with a delicate cucumber flavour, perfect for adding to salads or Summer drinks. A fantastic display in the garden that bees enjoy. 
Drops seed once the bees have pollinated the flowers, so you can have an ongoing supply. 

*Self pollinates. 
*Easy to grow. 
*Bees love it. 
*Flowers are a pretty blue that are edible, can be added to salads etc. 

FOXGLOVE - Digitalis Purpurea - Tall Flowering Spikes

007 FOXGLOVE - Digitalis Purpurea

Foxglove (rich crimson) makes a tall showy display at the back of your cottage garden, great for borders down a driveway and they often choose to self seed right where you think you dont need them until you see their dramatic floral display... Gorgeous! 
Bees and Bumblebees love them - they can be heard inside the flower chambers as they buzz!

Sprinkle seed when frost is past, mine have been relatively forgotten amongst the other plants, but have certainly made themselves known with a striking display! 

Easy to grow, but remember foxglove is toxic, and should be handled with care.
Snap off the spent flowering spikes to avoid spreading the seed everywhere. 

Medicinal use - professional only
TOXIC PLANT - all parts.

CALENDULA OFFICINALIS - Pot Marigold - Companion Plant

006 CALENDULA Officinalis - Orange & Yellow

This is a very *Happy* plant -they are always flowering, and brighten up your garden areas where other plants perhaps struggle to gain momentum. Bees and other beneficial insects love them too!

This selection contains several different types of flower - some are daisies with button centres, others have none. There are a few orange, but most varieties we grow are yellow. 

Calendula grows well almost anywhere, is an awesome bright flower for the garden, acts as a companion plant and is given a lot of credit for deterring pests! 
It can be used medicinally to aid healing in the skin, on burns or wounds, and alleviate issues such as nappy rash and eczema when made into an ointment. It is also dried to use in cooking and called *Poor Man's Saffron*. 

Great for encouraging the kids to participate in gardening activities, Calendula are hardy, grow quickly and change regularly, and picking spent blooms encourages them to keep flowering. 

Sow directly or seed into pots, depending on where you are - they will often bloom through Winter, as they do in my own garden here in Canterbury. 
Dont put spent flower heads with seed pods into your compost. They can survive, and will seed through your garden. 


Check out my Listings HERE

SUNFLOWER - Russian Giant - helianthus annuus

005 Russian Giant Sunflower 

Strong thick green stems that support a single large head, the inside where the seeds come from is browny green and the surrounding petals a lovely golden yellow.Beautiful Russian Giant sunflowers tower between 5-7 foot if well composted, watered and fed before they bud. They can get tall and the faces of them get larger which means more seeds! 

They are one of the safe-to-eat varieties, the seeds can be eaten!

Great for encouraging the kids to participate in gardening activities, as they grow and change regularly and dont take too long to grow. Also they have a high germination rate. This year we planted earlier, just as first frost passed, and planted again just in the New Year. They look spectacular when you grow them next to your corn (companion planting)

Best type of sunflower for edible seeds - great for feeding to the chooks too! Wild birds will also have a taste!
Approx 50 days to maturity 

Sow seeds  directly, depending on where you are - plant when frost is past, soil is warmer  - these are pretty strong, but may need staked against wind! 

FENNEL - Florence Fennel - Finochio

 004 Fennel FINOCCHIO - Florence Fennel 

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) 

Florence Fennel or Finocchio is a highly aromatic herb that grows well almost anywhere and is prized for culinary uses and medicinal properties. 
Tall with yellow flowers, Florence fennel has a swollen bulb-like stem that can be used in cooking - sauteed  grilled or raw. Leaves can be eaten too in salads or cooked as in a stir fry or cultural dishes from India, Pakistan or the Middle East. 
Attractive to insects, seeds valuable for medicinal syrups & tea, esp for intestinal upsets and flatulence.


Sow directly into the soil once frosts are past and soil is starting to warm up.
Very Tall  (6ft plus)- may be invasive to other plants because of its size, so plant out of the main garden alongside a fence or driveway and admire the tall graceful flower heads. 

Once seed sets, fennel will reseed easily. 

AUSTRIAN GREEN LEAF LETTUCE - Frilled

003 Sweet Frilled LETTUCE - Austrian Greenleaf

Austrian Greenleaf - Frilled looseleaf lettuce, mild and sweet - lasts well. 
Direct sow into the soil - tolerant of the cold, mine are up and growing throughout the year. 

Very adaptable lettuce - use for baby leaf or wait for larger salad leaves. 
Awesome sweet taste - our favourites! 
A compact lettuce that can be plucked and it will keep growing. 
Approx 58 days to maturity 
These guys self sow easily, dont forget to let one grow taller so you can collect seeds for next year! 
- Black Seeds.

Direct sow is possible, most lettuces tolerate cooler weather... 

Scarlet Runner Bean - Easy to grow Heirloom

002 Scarlet Runner Bean - Organic, Easy To Grow

<Phaseolus coccineus>

Scarlet Runner Beans, collected seed from my own garden, originally given to me from a friend in the West Coast. These have been around for a long time throughout NZ, a gardening staple. 
Attractive little scarlet flowers that bear big pink & black seeds, planted when the ground warms up, directly sown where you wish to grow them. 

These are prolific, will wind around everything in their bid to reach the sun, will possibly need staking and dont like the wind. Can be eaten directly from the plant (yum!) or put in stir fries, salads ... what could be easier? 
Full of natural goodies. 

Plant when the air temp is warmer, the danger of frost is passed. Staking is advised. Stagger plantings across the first couple of months of planting so your bean supply is continuous. They say the more you pick, the more they grow, but I dont know about that... Scarlet Runners in flower attract bees and bumblebees readily.

Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin -

001 Winter Luxury Pumpkin - GREAT FOR PIE

An Heirloom variety, this Winter Deluxe pumpkin (C.pepo) grows well and produces around 6-7lb per fruit and 4-5 per vine. Flesh is webbed and sweet, perfect for pie, not so hearty for soup though.

Loves sunshine and compost, a gross feeder. 

6 organic seeds in handcrafted envelope 

Enjoy pumpkin pie, custard or cheese cake? This dessert pumpkin is something a bit special, sweet and fleshy, dont forget to keep some seeds to produce next seasons plants! 

Start seeds off indoors just before last frost, plant out when the weather is starting to warm up, and the days are lengthening. Pick when the Autumn is setting in, vine will wither with frost or extreme cold, a good sign to harvest. Wipe down and store for a few weeks, but because of their fleshy nature, they will not store as well as others.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

Earth Butterfly Seeds, Avonside, Christchurch, New Zealand

Thank You for reading about Earth Butterfly Seeds. My name is Lynne, I am an organic gardener, and I save seeds. Once you start, you find it is an awesome way to learn more about the plants you are growing, and I love plants!
All my seeds are handpicked, dried and sorted and hand packed into little packets I make from 100% NZ recycled paper.
My seeds are grown as naturally as possible without too many additives. I use horse poo mainly, sometimes a dressing of seaweed, and neem oil spray IF required.
I choose to companion plant, and I am fortunate that we do not have significant losses to disease.
My family and gardening blog is here - EARTH BUTTERFLY GARDENING BLOG

Beginnings...

Earth Butterfly Seeds was born in Avonside, Christchurch in 2011.
I realized my need to grow food to sustain my family, and found gathering seeds was fascinating because of all the different types.
We had just had two major earthquakes, and whilst dealing with the aftermath, we lived from a very small square foot garden that grew silver beet,  coloured chard, lettuce, onions, beans and several herbs.
For about a month, it was really the only fresh food we had available. Not only were some supplies slow in arriving in Christchurch because of damaged info-structure and buildings, also, everywhere you went, there were huge queues and delays. It seemed the better option to be staying home, to be safe, but also picking your own produce - of course it IS the better option!
It is also thrilling to watch what you have planted  grow, and then getting the benefit of eating what you grow... so satisfying! You dont get that from going to a supermarket !

Now in 2013, my garden covers around half of my lawn space.
I have extended my food plants to include  fruit trees and berry bushes. I rent my home, so like others in my position, I have to make sure these can be shifted. It has proven difficult, but we can shift our trees if we have to. Likely this year I will shift because of EQC repairs.

Currently I have over 200 different varieties of plants, mostly food, herb or companion plants growing. We supplement each meal with our own produce, and I collect seeds to ensure a regular supply for us, and I sell the surplus to be able to extend our range. I aim to grow more with each year. My surplus last year was given away to neighbours and the school my children go to. I am learning how to propagate my trees and bushes so I can show others, then pass them along. There is always someone in need of a plant or two.

Part of my vision is to be able to use my seeds to help others with a similar need of sustainability.
Food Forests are fun! There is always something new growing, or seeding.
Gardening teaches us to have patience, explore our vision and  continue nurturing our plants through difficulties and seasonal changes.
There are insects, there are birds and there are people you can share things with. It is a source of fantastic natural education for us all.
Children need to know where their food comes from, and how they can do it for themselves!
Picking plants to eat, that you have nurtured is an awesome feeling. Being able to share your surplus is so worthwhile. With this knowledge comes an understanding of Nature, and the cycle of life.

Thanks again for reading,
Happy Gardening!

Lynne

If you would like to purchase seeds, you can find my Trademe listings HERE
If you see others you would like to purchase, but there are no listings for them, drop me a line
earthbutterflyseeds@gmail.com