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.

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...