'Speed Sprout' is the NEWEST and EASIEST way to germinate seeds. Simply add your seeds to the 'Speed Sprout Pouch'. And in a
few days, your seeds have started germinating.
NOTE: We did an extensive study on seed lines that most often failed for home gardeners. We concluded that the following types of seed were giving customers the most problems:
Acers ( Maples ), not surprising since many types of acer seeds take 12-30 months to germinate.
Betula ( Birches ), another long, erratic germinating species.
Pinus ( Pine Trees ), not as many problems as the acer and betula, but still far more problems than other types of seeds.
We are making them available under the following conditions:
We will still stock and sell the acer, betula and pinus seeds, but they will be offered "as is" with no "Replacement Warranty".
Note: We recommend CAPE seed germination primer
be used for these seeds. More info on this primer is at the bottom of this page.
ACER PALMATUM ATROPURPUREUM ( RED LEAVED JAPANESE MAPLE ) ( ACER01 )
A very showy, versatile species. Use as a single specimen or in borders or groupings. Can
be a single-stemmed small tree or multi-stemmed shrub. Leaves are reddish-purple in
spring and again in fall. Grows to 15' to 25', 20' spread. (zones 5-8).
Red leaved parents . Seedlings will exhibit the characteristics of the parents to varying
degrees. Seedlings may be visually inspected and green leafed seedlings removed.
Seedlings grown inside fiberglass greenhouses may not exhibit the red leaves until grown
in natural sunlight.
$4.50 Per Pack of 20 seeds.
ACER BUERGERIANUM ( TRIDENT MAPLE ) ( ACER10 )
The trident maple is a very popular species for bonsai, due to its small, three-lobed leaves,
a readily-thickening trunk, and thick, gnarly roots which adapt well to root-over-rock
style. A small tree, the trident maple usually grows only to 20 ft. in nature with yellow
blooms in early Spring.
Hardiness Range: 5A - 9A, Mature Height Outside: 25' to 50' / 7.60m to 15.20m
Outside Requirements: prefers partial shade or partial sun to full sun; soil should be
moist.
$3.50 Per Pack of 20 seeds.
ACER CAMPESTRE ( FIELD MAPLE ) ( ACER15 )Sold Out
Small tree with small yellow green flowers. Grows well first 20-25 years to 30-45 feet,
mature at 50 years. Coppices strongly and suitable for hedges standing clipping. Leaves
yellow in autumn but also red or golden brown. Habitat is typically edges of woods and in
hedgerows. Prefers heavy soils calcerous at depth but not lime free (pH 5.5 to 7.7).
$3.50 Per Pack of 20 seeds.
ACER CINNAMOMIFOLIUM ( YUNNAN OR SOUTHERN MAPLE ) ( ACER20 )
A small evergreen tree ( South ) from SE Asia, fast-growing. Evergreen to semigreen in
Northern range. Primarily used as an ornamental plant, hardy to zone 8.
$3.50 Per Pack of 20 seeds.
ACER CIRCINATUM ( VINE MAPLE ) ( ACER25 )Sold Out
Deciduous tree, to 20 meters high, it has a short, crooked trunk, with twisted, spreading
limbs and a low, irregularly shaped crown. The trunk sometimes grows almost
horizontally and may root if it touches the ground.
Vine maple occurs most frequently on moist soils, rich in nitrogen, particularly along the
banks of streams and wet sites. It can live in the shade but also occurs in openings in the
forest. Vine maple and alder are often the first trees to establish after landslides.
Indians have used vine maple occasionally for bows and frames for fishing nets. Some
groups used the wood for making snowshoes and cradle frames. Its long straight shoots
are appreciated for making an openwork basket with a crossed-warp twine or a
broad-spaced checker board weave. These baskets are used for general household utility,
such as carrying wood, clams, and fish. Some used saplings as swings for babies' cradles.
Also salmon tongs were made from the wood. In many places it is used for firewood, and
the charcoal was mixed with oil for black paint.
$3.50 Per Pack of 10 seeds.
ACER DAVIDII ( SNAKEBARK MAPLE ) ( ACER30 )Sold Out
Also known as David's Maple. Deciduous tree with attractive green and white bark. Dark
green leaves turn glorious orange in autumn. Grows to 45 feet outside. This tree has green
bark with thin white stripes. Better grown in partial shade to avoid bark scald damage by
the sun in the Winter.
$3.50 Per Pack of 20 seeds.
ACER HYRCANUM ( BALKAN MAPLE ) ( ACER35 )
Hardy to zones 5B - 8A. Mature Height: 30' to 40'. Prefers partial shade or partial sun to
full sun; soil should be moist most of the time. Yellow blooms. Wood is renowned for
making violins and musical instruments.
$3.50 Per Pack of 20 seeds.
ACER MACROPHYLLUM ( BIGLEAF MAPLE ) ( ACER40 )
A deciduous tree, growing up to 100 ft tall, ascending becoming rounded, shallow root
system. Leaves, opposite, simple, 20-30 cm across, lustrous dark green above, pale
beneath. Flowers in early spring are greenish-yellow, fragrant, in drooping clusters, male
and female flowers occur in the same cluster. Foliage yellow to gold in fall.
Prefers full sun to part spade. Prefers a cool moist environment as that in the Pacific
Northwest. Hardy to Zone 6. Native from Southwest British Columbia to Southern
California.
Because the bark of this tree retains moisture, in the Pacific Northwest its trunk and large
branches are often covered with mosses, liverworts, and ferns. When cut down, the
remaining stumps sprout vigorously, growing over 3 m in a single year.
$3.50 Per Pack of 10 seeds.
ACER NEGUNDO( BOXELDER MAPLE ) ( ACER45 )
Boxelder is interesting because it is the only maple with compound leaves, and because it
has an extraordinary range - found in southern Canada through the southwestern US It is
a very tough tree, and grows well where no other tree will grow. It has some landscaping
value for use as a windscreen. For Zones 2-8.
Leaves are compound with 3-9 leaflets, opposite, and deciduous. Boxelder is the only
pinnately compound US maple. Twigs are green to purplish-green with white fuzzy
lateral buds. Leaf scars are V-shaped. Bark is gray-brown and grooved. Fruit is a double
samara that matures in fall. Boxelder has the widest range of North American maples and
is found on a range of sites, usually near rivers, lakes, and swamps, in the east and central
US. Intolerant of shade.
$3.50 Per Pack of 10 seeds.
ACER PALMATUM ( JAPANESE MAPLE ) ( ACER60 )
Green leafed, upright Japanese Maple widely used as a landscape specimen in Japanese
gardens. Hardy to zone 5, grows to 30 ft. tall, but can be grown as an interesting container
plant when young.
$3.50 Per Pack of 20 seeds.
ACER PALMATUM ATROPURPUREA ( JAPANESE RED MAPLE ) ( ACER61 )
The most sought after maple! Foliage is purplish-red becoming green in late summer,
deeply lobed. Red fall color. Good for zones 5-8 outside, but becoming a favorite indoor
patio plant and bonsai specimen. Insignificant small reddish-purple flowers in May-June.
Deciduous.
$3.50 Per Pack of 20 seeds.
ACER PSEUDOPLATANUS ( SYCAMORE MAPLE ) ( ACER65 )Sold Out..
Sycamore Maple is a large broadleaf tree native to Europe which is more common in
mountain areas. It is somewhat shade-tolerant and wind-firm and the species produces a
highly valuable timber.
A deciduous tree, 40-60 ft tall, upright, spreading branches, oval crown, bark similar to
that of a sycamore (flaking in small rectangular scales). Leaves are dark green and
glabrous above, greenish-white below. Fall color a dingy brown. Sun to light shade, best
on well-drained soil, tolerates alkaline to acid soil conditions, sensitive to heat, good near
the sea shore, a salt tolerant species. Hardy to USDA Zone 4. Native to Europe and
western Asia
$3.50 Per Pack of 10 seeds.
ACER RUBRUM ( RED MAPLE ) ( ACER66 )
A small to large tree often planted as an ornamental with notable variation in size and
form depending on its site. While this tree may attain a height of 120' and grow 5' in
diameter under ideal conditions, it more commonly grows 40'-50' in height with
diameters of 1 1/2' - 2 1/2'. It has a narrow or rounded compact crown, and due to prolific
sprouting, this tree often grows in clumps of stems from one stump. It also occurs as a
single boled tree.
The Red maple is a native American tree found throughout the eastern United States
from the Atlantic ocean to the prairies, from South Florida to Canada. Although it is most
commonly found on moist bottomlands or in swamps, it also occurs in drier soils.
This versitile tree is suitable for shade as an ornamental, with the added bonus of adding
spring and fall color. Known as soft maple to the forest products trade, red maple lumber
is used in the furniture industry and smaller trees are also used to make high quality
paper. Suitable for zones 4-9, this handsome shade tree displays red coloring
during different seasons of the year. It has the distinction of having the greatest north to
south distribution of all trees on the east coast. Pioneers once made ink and
cinnamon-brown and black dyes from an extract of the bark. Red maple is prized as an
ornamental shade tree because of its rapid growth, highly colored flowers and fruit and
spectacular fall colors.
$3.50 Per Pack of 20 seeds.
ACER SACCHARINUM ( SILVER MAPLE ) ( ACER68 )Sold Out..
Very fast-growing. Leaves are green on top and silvery-white on the underside,
shimmering and dancing in the breeze. Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions. Plant
10' or more from sidewalk or drive. Grows to 50' to 80', 50' spread. (zones 3-9)
Silver maple produces abundant annual seed crops; the seeds are eaten by
many birds, including evening grosbeaks, finches, wild turkeys and other
game birds, and small mammals, especially squirrels and chipmunks.
Silver maple seeds were the most important food in the diet of
breeding wood ducks in southeastern Missouri. The early buds of
silver maple are an important food for squirrels when cached food is
depleted. Silver maple bark ranks high as a food source for beavers in
southeastern Ohio. White-tailed deer and rabbits browse the foliage.
$3.50 Per Pack of 10 seeds.
ACER SINENSIS ( CHINESE MAPLE ) ( ACER70 )
Leaves green above and blue-green beneath. Flowers are greenish-white. Leaf petioles are
usually red. Hardy to zone 6. Nice landscape plant.
$3.50 Per Pack of 20 seeds.
ACER SPICATUM ( MOUNTAIN MAPLE ) ( ACER75 )
Also called Moose Maple. Large shrub or small, tree up to 25 feet tall and 6 inches in
diameter. Leaves are coarsely serrated margin, 3 to 4 inches long; dark yellowish green
above and paler somewhat hairy below. Twigs are slender, yellow green in summer,
generally pale red in winter with short gray fuzz, buds 1/4 inch long, stalked and valvate.
Bark is thin, grayish brown to light brown, initially smooth but later splitting and
developing shallow furrows. Hardy to zone 6.
$3.50 Per Pack of 20 seeds.
ACER TATARICUM ( TATARIAN MAPLE ) ( ACER80 )
Tatarian Maple is quite similar to Amur Maple and the two species readily hybridize
when grown together. Tatarian Maple grows slightly larger and is naturally more tree like
in growth habit. Samaras are slightly larger and usually develop a good red coloration
when maturing. Fall color is usually yellow to reddish brown and less striking than that of
Amur Maple. A good tree for planters or patios. Hardy to zone 3A. Grows about 20 feet
tall. Requires well drained soils. Tolerant of shade. Fairly drought tolerant.
$3.50 Per Pack of 20 seeds.
CAPE "Super Smoke Plus" SEED PRIMER
For treating seeds of many types of trees, cacti, palms, grasses,
strelitzias, and many, many other varieties.
Cape Super Smoke Plus is an absorbent paper that is impregnated with
fynbos-smoke-saturated water. The paper is then dried and sealed in a polythene
packet. When dormant seeds require "smoking", a predetermined volume of water is
added to the paper in a suitable container and the seeds are "smoke-primed" by
soaking in the smoke-water solution for 24 hours. In order to have the maximum
effect in breaking seed dormancy, a range of natural germination stimulators has
been added to the smoke solution to overcome other forms of seed dormancy found
in many species.
Each standard packet contains five papers, and 50ml water should be added to
each paper. Each packet is thus sufficient to make up 250ml solution ( approx.
8½ oz. ) and enough to treat approximately 500 large seeds.
