The Red Dragon Seed Bank

A beloved multi-purpose powerhouse in the Red Dragon’s garden, Pacific Beauty Calendula shines with cheerful blooms in sunny shades of gold, orange, and apricot. This generous self-seeder returns year after year, offering beauty, resilience, and healing. We harvest its petals for soothing teas, nourishing balms, and skin-healing salves, while its vibrant flowers invite pollinators and help deter garden pests. A true herbal ally, Calendula is both medicine and magic in bloom.

Coreopsis often called tickseed, is a cheerful, long-blooming perennial or annual valued for its bright, daisy-like flowers in shades of sunny yellow, gold, and warm red tones. Exceptionally hardy and drought-tolerant once established, coreopsis thrives in full sun and lean, well-drained soils, making it a staple of native plantings, pollinator gardens, and meadow-style landscapes. Blooming from early summer well into fall, it attracts bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects while requiring minimal maintenance. With its ability to self-seed gently and return reliably year after year, coreopsis embodies resilience, simplicity, and the effortless beauty of plants perfectly adapted to their environment.

Four O’Clocks are fast-growing, old-fashioned annuals cherished for their fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers that open in the late afternoon and remain open through the evening, earning them their timeless name. Thriving in full sun and poor to average soils, these resilient plants bloom abundantly in shades of pink, yellow, red, white, and often striking bi-colors or speckled patterns—all on the same plant. An especially interesting trait of four o’clocks is their nighttime schedule, which makes them a favorite nectar source for moths and other dusk pollinators, offering beauty when most gardens are winding down. Easy to grow from seed and quick to self-sow, four o’clocks bring color, fragrance, and a touch of garden magic to warm summer nights.

Foxglove is a striking biennial or short-lived perennial known for its tall spires of bell-shaped flowers in shades of purple, pink, white, and cream, each bloom delicately freckled within. Thriving in partial shade to full sun, foxglove prefers rich, well-drained soil and naturalizes beautifully in woodland edges, cottage gardens, and pollinator pathways. Beloved by bees—especially long-tongued pollinators—it brings vertical drama, old-world charm, and a sense of enchantment to the garden. Traditionally associated with intuition, thresholds, and the unseen realms, foxglove carries a powerful presence and should be grown with respect, as all parts of the plant are toxic if ingested, making it a plant best admired for its beauty and ecological role rather than handled casually.

This striking heirloom brings gothic elegance and pollinator magic to the Red Dragon’s garden. Towering and dramatic, Nigra hollyhocks flaunt deep maroon, nearly black blooms that beckon hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees with their old-world charm. A true conversation piece, this tall beauty adds vertical drama to borders and garden beds while supporting biodiversity. Easy to grow and stunning in bloom, Nigra hollyhock is a bold expression of nature’s mystery and magnetism.

Indian Blanket Flower is a bold, sun-loving native wildflower celebrated for its fiery red, orange, and yellow blooms that resemble woven blankets glowing in summer heat. Exceptionally drought-tolerant and well adapted to poor or sandy soils, this resilient annual-to-short-lived perennial thrives where other plants struggle, making it ideal for pollinator gardens, meadow plantings, and ecological restoration projects. Indian blanket flower is a magnet for bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects, blooming generously from late spring through fall with minimal care. Its long-lasting color, self-seeding nature, and deep-rooted toughness embody endurance, vitality, and the quiet strength of native landscapes reclaiming balance.

Larkspur is a graceful, old-world annual known for its tall spires of blue, purple, pink, or white flowers that dance above finely cut, fern-like foliage. Easy to grow from seed and well suited to cottage gardens, pollinator plantings, and wildflower meadows, larkspur thrives in cooler temperatures and prefers to be direct-sown, where it can establish deep roots and naturalize gently over time. Beloved by bees and butterflies, it brings vertical beauty, softness, and movement to the garden while symbolizing openness, protection, and lightness of being. Once established, larkspur readily self-seeds, offering a reliable return each spring and a living reminder of nature’s quiet generosity and resilience.

Maltese Cross is a striking heirloom perennial known for its vivid scarlet, cross-shaped flower clusters that rise above sturdy stems in early to midsummer. Thriving in full sun to partial shade and adaptable to a range of soils, this long-lived garden classic brings bold color and vertical structure to cottage gardens, pollinator beds, and perennial borders. Highly attractive to bees and butterflies, Maltese Cross offers reliable blooms year after year once established and is especially valued for its ability to hold strong color without fading in summer heat. With its rich history in old-world gardens and symbolism of courage and vitality, it adds both visual intensity and enduring character to any growing space.

Marigold is a vibrant, easy-to-grow annual prized for its cheerful blooms in shades of gold, orange, and deep amber, as well as its remarkable usefulness in the garden. Thriving in full sun and a wide range of soil conditions, marigolds are valued companions in vegetable beds and pollinator gardens, where they help deter pests, attract beneficial insects, and bring long-lasting color from late spring through frost. Exceptionally resilient and quick to bloom from seed, marigolds are ideal for gardeners of all skill levels. Long associated with protection, vitality, and solar energy, this humble yet powerful flower offers beauty, balance, and practical magic in equal measure.

Mexican Sunflower is a fast-growing, heat-loving annual celebrated for its blazing orange-red blooms that seem to glow against deep green foliage. Native to Mexico and Central America, this bold plant thrives in full sun, poor soil, and intense summer heat—often growing 6 to 8 feet tall in a single season with almost no fuss. An irresistible magnet for butterflies, especially monarchs, Mexican sunflower is one of the most reliable nectar sources in the late-summer garden, often outperforming traditional butterfly plants. Its hollow stems and rapid growth make it a fascinating example of how plants prioritize height and visibility to attract pollinators, turning sheer abundance into ecological generosity and dramatic garden presence.

Poppies are iconic, delicate-looking yet surprisingly resilient flowers known for their silky, paper-thin petals and vivid colors ranging from fiery red and coral to soft pinks, whites, and purples. Best direct-sown where they are to grow, poppies thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, often flourishing in lean or disturbed ground where other plants hesitate. Their brief but breathtaking bloom period is followed by distinctive seed pods that dry beautifully and readily reseed, ensuring future generations with minimal effort. Loved by pollinators and gardeners alike, poppies embody impermanence, renewal, and quiet strength—reminding us that even fleeting beauty can leave a lasting legacy in the garden.

Sweet William is a classic cottage-garden favorite cherished for its dense clusters of richly colored flowers in shades of red, pink, white, and bicolor, often edged or patterned with intricate markings. This hardy biennial or short-lived perennial thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers well-drained soil, rewarding gardeners with fragrant blooms in late spring through early summer. Sweet William is highly attractive to bees and butterflies, easy to grow from seed, and well suited to borders, pollinator gardens, and cut-flower arrangements. With its old-fashioned charm, spicy clove-like scent, and dependable nature, it symbolizes harmony, gratitude, and the simple joy of flowers shared generously with both people and pollinators.

1500 Year-Old Cave Beans are a rare and culturally significant heirloom bean variety preserved through generations for their resilience, nourishment, and living history. Originally discovered in ancient cave dwellings, these beans have been carefully stewarded as a symbol of survival, adaptability, and continuity across centuries. Vigorous and reliable, they produce hearty, nutritious beans well suited to diverse growing conditions, improving soil health through natural nitrogen fixation. Growing these beans is more than planting a crop—it is an act of remembrance and preservation, connecting modern gardens to ancestral food systems and the timeless wisdom of seed saving as a sacred responsibility.

Butternut Squash is a beloved heirloom winter squash known for its smooth tan skin, elongated shape, and deep orange flesh with a naturally sweet, nutty flavor. Thriving in full sun and warm soil, this vigorous, disease-resistant vine produces reliable harvests even in challenging conditions, making it a favorite for both home gardeners and food growers. Butternut squash stores exceptionally well, providing months of nourishment, and shines in soups, roasts, purees, and baked dishes. With its long keeping quality, high nutritional value, and generous yields, butternut squash embodies resilience, warmth, and the enduring comfort of homegrown food.

A time-honored staple in the Red Dragon's garden, cowpeas are a symbol of resilience and abundance. These heat-loving legumes thrive in poor soil, require minimal care, and return nutrients to the earth as they grow. With their creamy texture and rich flavor, cowpeas are perfect for fresh eating, drying, or saving for seed. Dependable, versatile, and deeply rooted in tradition, cowpeas are a must-have for any self-sufficient garden.

Golden Hubbard Squash is a vigorous heirloom winter squash treasured for its hard, knobby blue-gray rind and dense, golden flesh with exceptionally rich, sweet flavor. Known as one of the best storage squashes, it improves in taste over time and can keep for months when cured properly, making it a cornerstone of traditional food security gardens. The sprawling vines are highly productive, thrive in full sun, and produce large fruits ideal for baking, roasting, soups, and long-term winter nourishment. Valued for both its culinary depth and reliability, Golden Hubbard represents abundance, patience, and the old wisdom of growing food that sustains well beyond the harvest season.

Okra is a heat-loving, fast-growing annual that brings both beauty and productivity to the garden, featuring striking hibiscus-like flowers followed by tender, edible pods. Thriving in full sun and warm soil, okra excels during the hottest months when many crops slow down, making it a staple for summer food gardens and resilient growing systems. Beyond its culinary value, okra’s deep taproot helps improve soil structure, and its flowers attract pollinators, blending function with elegance. Long revered in traditional foodways for nourishment and adaptability, okra embodies abundance, strength, and the quiet intelligence of plants evolved to flourish under the sun’s fiercest conditions.

Peas are cool-season favorites prized for their sweet flavor, tender texture, and early-season abundance, often marking the true beginning of the garden year. Thriving in cooler temperatures and full sun to partial shade, peas grow quickly and climb gracefully, making them ideal for trellises, fences, and vertical garden spaces. As natural nitrogen fixers, they enrich the soil while feeding both people and pollinators, producing delicate white, pink, or purple blossoms before setting pods. Simple to grow and generous in yield, peas embody renewal, cooperation with the soil, and the quiet promise that nourishment often arrives just when it is most needed.