Phacelia tanacetifolia Cultivated originally as a honey plant, this native California wildflower is now used widely as a beneficial insect attractor and cover crop. Breaks down rapidly after incorporation for quick nutrient release. Winter kills at about 18 °F, leaving behind a weed smothering biomass that prepares no-till beds for early spring transplants (most effective from an August 1 sowing around here). May be sown from early spring onward as bee forage, for insectary field borders and intercropping strips. Beautiful lavender-blue flowers unfurl from fiddlehead cymes, and are constantly visited by pollinators and nectar lovers of every kind. Used for cut flowers all season long. Seeds Per Packet: 300 Seeds Per Ounce: 14,000
Best Find We looked at 5 different strains and varieties of Phacelia at Avoca Farm this year, comparing growth habits, flowering fecundity, seed head size and conformation, and smothering biomass. The best kind turned out to be the one we had purchased from a grower locally years ago, unnamed. We named it.
Phacelia makes a smothering cover that can be employed almost any time of the growin... pricing and more
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