Plants will ship early June 🙂
Skullcap, Baikal (Scutellaria baicalensis) potted plant, organic
$8.50 – $21.95
Family: Mint (Lamiaceae)
Hardy to Zones 4 to 8
(Skullcap, Baical; Huang-qin, Scute Root) Herbaceous perennial to 18 inches. Native to the shores of Lake Baikal, Mongolia, Siberia, and the Chihli and Shantung provinces of China. The purple flowers are like schools of dolphin breaking through green waves in a summer sea. The part used in traditional Chinese medicine is the dried root. Traditional usage (TCM): antiallergic, diuretic, hypotensive, antibacterial, antiviral, tranquilizing and fever-reducing, commonly used for treatment of dysentery, hepatitis, staph. Source of flavones baicalin and wogonin. This is one of the best Chinese plants to grow organically in America. Not only is it a very striking bedding plant, bearing one of the nicest flowers available from this catalog, but there is on-going demand for the root, which attains harvestable size after only 2 years. Plant prefers sun and regular garden soils. It is extremely drought-tolerant. Space plants 2 feet apart.
Potted plant, Certified Organically Grown
Elise Villemaire –
Is there any zone-extending techniques that could let me successfully plant this Chinese species in zone 9b very dry semi-coastal NorCal? I’d like both the S. lateriifola AND baicalensis for their differing superpowers! Perhaps more shaded for the zone 8 S. baicalensis? I think they both like it dry.
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Richo Cech –
Hello Elise, thanks for contacting. you’re right in that the upper limits of the zone designations are about heat tolerance more than overwintering. Baikal skullcap likes a dry, sunny exposure and i do think its well worth trying in your area. The official skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) likes shade and moist soils. Richo
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Lynn (verified owner) –
I planted three small plants late last summer. They didn’t have enough time to get a great foothold, and I was worried that I had lost at least one of them over the winter. But all three are back and developing into nice, husky plants! Can’t wait to see the flowers, and use the roots after a couple more years. I’m in zone 5.5 in Pennsylvania, in a bit of a cool, very windy pocket in the highlands.
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Aurora –
What is the best skullcap to plant if I’m pushing the zone envelope on the hot end? I’m in a humid subtropical area, but at 3000 feet, so 10-15 degrees cooler than the coast. I’ve grown zone 9 plants, and am experimenting with a few zone 8s that tolerate high humidity. Sounds like the Baikal plant doesn’t need as much cold. If i’s drought tolerant, doe sthat mean it’s less tolerant of high humidity?
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Question
Svetlana Petrowizky –
Is it deer resistant?
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Richo Cech –
yes
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Question
Leisha –
It’s October! Will you have some more I stock soon? Thank you so much!
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Richo Cech –
all our stock went dormant so we zeroed it out until spring. r
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thenaekedgardener –
Hello!
Will you be enabling seeds this year or, will you have some to offer later?……
Thank you!
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Richo Cech –
yes, we will have them fairly soon, it is a good year on these. richo
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Question
Melanie Brown –
Hello,
I am in Massachusetts. Do you think this plant will do well planted in my garden in September? Or should I wait for seeds and grow next Spring?
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Richo Cech –
Hi Melanie,
Generally fall planting of perennials is most successful, and indeed a desired practice, in zone 7 and up. If you’re in a colder zone than that, then yes, I think it would be better to start in the spring.
Richo
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Dejan Pljevljakusic –
Do you know if the seed needs a cold treatment to break the dormancy and if so, I would ask you for details.
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Richo Cech –
No, Unlike Scutellaria lateriflora, the S. baicalensis responds best to standard horticultural technique. I got 100% germ from last year’s seeds in 1 week under T-5 grow lights. r
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