That's only two of the complimentary adjectives that spontaneously pop
into my mind and best describe our beloved, native Dentaria
laciniata, one of the earliest plants to flower in the
Spring.
Known to legions of wildflower lovers worldwide as "Cutleaf
Toothwort", the bloom can be so prolific that the ground seems
carpeted by snowfall when the long lasting white flowers open.
But exquisite flowers alone shouldn't be your only motive for growing the
ever perennial Dentaria laciniata, as the fabulous, finely
filigreed, fancy, free-flowing, fantastic foliage is variably delightful
and the 6"-12" tall plants are a welcome addition to any
garden. I've had equal success growing them in full sun and full shade.
Actually, there isn't much shade this time of year except for the shadows
of large tree trunks. Dentaria laciniata is not very particular of
soil type, texture or fertility. In the wild, I've seen it growing in a
host of situations, all except for wet, soggy conditions.
Despite the delicate looking foliage and dainty flowers, Dentaria
laciniata is one helluva tough plant! This past Winter, temps
plummeted to minus 12 degrees Fahrenheit with 45 mile per hour arctic
blasts and all of my Dentaria laciniata was outside unprotected by
their usual blanket of snow. They survived beautifully and are now ready
for a new home in YOUR garden.
The common name of the genus is "Toothwort". It acquired
this moniker and the scientific name, Dentaria (which means teeth in
Latin) because of the irregular angular ribs, or "teeth", which
are actually leaf scars from the previous season's growth. This effect is
more apparent on the related species
Dentaria diphylla as Dentaria laciniata grows from a
more tuberlike rootstock. As for the other common name of the genus
Dentaria, "Pepper Root", it's said that Native Americans
enjoyed the peppery taste of the root. They also used the root
medicinally although I haven't been able to find the exact medicinal
attributes.
This is an extremely effortless plant to grow and before you know it,
you'll have a great colony of bright white flowers in early Spring.
Propagation is easy by seed. By the way, the brown seed pods are called
silique and contain dark brown seeds that mature about 4-5 weeks after
flowering. The seeds can be collected and sown in pots or you can just
let Mother Nature do her thing.
I've been building a good stock of Dentaria laciniata and
Dentaria diphylla to share with you.
What you'll receive are 5 year old bareroot, blooming size plants.
They'll arrive on your doorstep wrapped in long fibered, unmilled
sphagnum moss. This material is antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and
a very useful material.
And...........as incentive for you to try both species of Dentaria in
your garden, you can take an extra 10% discount when you buy ANY quantity
of both. There's a place on the order form for you to subtract your
discount.
The prices shown below include FREE SHIPPING on bareroot plants out of their 2" pots. If you would like to receive the plants undisturbed, in their pots, please add .95¢ per plant to cover the extra cost of shipping soil and pots.
7 for $ 35.00 delivered ($5.00 ea)
10 for $ 45.00 delivered ($4.50 ea)
15 for $ 60.00 delivered ($4.00 ea)
20 for $ 70.00 delivered ($3.50 ea)
50 for $150.00 delivered ($3.00 ea)
Larger quantities at even lower prices upon request.
Ordering couldn't be easier! Just fill out the
order form.
