J.L. Hudson, Seedsman

Here’s a real throwback: a seed company without a single photo on its Web site. Why check it out? For the fabulous selections, of course.

When I first got the J.L. Hudson catalog many old age ago , it was a fleck intimidating . There were no beautiful photos — no photos at all , actually . Just disastrous and ashen pages full of Latin names . But oh , the plants ! Whoever J.L. is , I love his gustatory perception in plants . They lean toward the new or strange , and are seldom the expected .

For instance , one of my favorite plants isSolanum quitoense , a Lycopersicon esculentum relative grown for its big , blurred leaves and the vicious , rich purple spikes along its foliage veins . It ’s implausibly easy to uprise from cum , and it ’s a star thespian in my containers every yr . I wondered if there were any similar plants that I should be produce , and a quick head trip to the Web site reveals five more solanums with intriguing descriptions .

Even vernacular plant life like basil have a few strange cousins that you’re able to find here . delay out the option below , pack word for word from the Hudson entanglement web site . It ’s a mixture of both the standards and a few exotic specimens you wo n’t rule everywhere :

— Basil , Cinnamon . ( 1000 ) OCIM-1C.Packet : $ 2.50 , sprouting : 96 % test : 9/08 , Oz : $ 9.00 , 1/4 lb : $ 27.00‘CINNAMON BASIL ’ . Spicy odor , purple flowers , to 30″. A o.k. variety . Germinates in 1 – 4 calendar week .

— Basil , Large Sweet . ( a!,h ) OCIM-1S. Packet : $ 1.50Germination : 88 % Tested : 9/08 , Oz : $ 6.00 , 1/4 lb : $ 9.00The most democratic and widely grown variety show . scented and aromatic 2 – 3″ leave . To 1 – 2 human foot tall .

— Basil , Lime . ( a , h ) OCIM-1L. Packet : $ 1.50 ORGANIC SEEDGermination : 96 % prove : 9/08 , Oz : $ 6.00 ‘ LIME BASIL ’ . Has a spicy calcium hydroxide flavor .

novel — Ocimum BasilicumRed Rubin . ( a!,h ) OCIM-1RR.Packet : $ 2.00 , sprouting : 84 % test : 9/08 , Oz : $ 6.00 , 1/4 lb : $ 18.00Dark purple - red leaves with a good tang . shaggy-haired plant life to 18″ , a selection from Dark Opal , more compact and stays flushed longer into the summer .

— Basil , Ocimum gratissimum(=urticifolium)(b , h ) OCIM-3.Packet : $ 2.50‘TREE BASIL ’ , ‘ EAST INDIAN BASIL ’ . White or purplish tinged peak in 6 – 9″ long spike . Woody shrub to 4 – 8 feet tall , with highly aromatic , sweet - scented 4″ leaves used in cooking . India , Africa , S. America . Said to repel mosquito , and is engraft around houses for this use . Used to season tobacco in Africa . Grows well in the tender areas of the U.S. , especially recommend for S. California . spring up as annual in cold-blooded areas . Germinates in 1 – 4 weeks .

— Basil , Holy Basil ( Ocimum holy ) . ( a!,h ) OCIM-24.Packet : $ 2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED 1/4 Oz : $ 8.00‘HOLY BASIL ’ , ‘ TULSI ’ . Sweetly fragrant bushy perennial to 1 – 3 feet , grown as an one-year in cold climate . Profuse purple or white blooming , & sometimes purplish - touch leaf . Tropical Asia . Held sacred by the Hindus & grown around temples . section of the stem - bases are used in rosary . The leaves are used in salad , and the oil is an in effect antibiotic , and the leave are used medicinally . prissy , distinctive clove - similar flavor , adept in cooking , salads , or for Camellia sinensis . near in herb dough and herb butters . Good bee plant . Germinates in 1 – 4 weeks . Organically grown .

— reviewed by Michelle Gervais

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