A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Landscape trials and triumphs Gardening in the Shade Bloodroot available

This fall, I'll have bloodroot rootlets available for the Gardener's Forum membership in the USA. Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is a shade loving plant, and once mature, will be one of the earliest forest plants to bloom.

I'm not asking for any trades at the moment, only postage reimbursement for shipping costs. Let me know if you would like a few roots to add to your shade garden.


Rod A.

Welcome, Rod. I would be a little tentative about sending off money or even a self-addressed bubble envelope to an unknown person. You should drop in and tell us a little about yourself and your gardens. Blood root would struggle here in my dry desert atmosphere.

You are right Tina, bloodroot or any of the other woodland plants that I cultivate would not do well in a desert climate.

I'm from Northeast Nebraska, and my woodland garden site is in western Iowa near Council Bluffs. I've been cultivating medicinal woodland plants for the past 30 years, using organic growing techniques, and harvesting of these plants is on a sustainable level.

Besides bloodroot (which I seem to have a surplus of at the moment), I also grow American ginseng, goldenseal, black cohosh, mayapple, Jack in the pulpit, wild ginger, and Virginia snakeroot. Many of these plants are listed on the "At Risk" listing of United Plant Savers.

I'm cleaning up some of my beds to make room for more ginseng, and the bloodroot is taking up bed space. So is the black cohosh. I'd be willing to send some monster black cohosh plants to anyone who has a home for them.

Also, I have black cohosh seed that I can share with the membership, and from time to time, some mayapple. It all depends on what I decide to harvest on any given weekend.

Ultimately, my goal is to grow quality plants and provide small batches for the home herbalist for tincturing and medicinal purposes.

So, that's a little bit about myself and my business "Loess Roots".

The offer still stands for anyone that wants to obtain some free bloodroot planting stock, let me know if you are interested and I'll arrange to get some roots mailed out to you this fall.

And Tina, if there is a better place on this forum to introduce myself, please advise and I'll work up a little bio. Thanks.

Rod A.

You did well right here. I am very happy to meet you. Someone may come along and ask you for a recipe or two for using your medicinals. I love reading about the natural edibles and other uses of my desert flora. I have collected a lot of info but have never really used anything other than eating some.

Oh . . . recipes for medicinals - that's something that interests me; we have a lot of wild prunella growing on the lot - it's supposed to be the 'all healer' plant. But I've never seen instructions on how to use it.

heal all (prunella Vulgaris) has been put through several scientific studies and has been found to have no medicinal valu, and through personal experiance with the herb i can say that its pretty true. Bloodroot on tyhe other hand is a diuretic astringent and antiseptic. One of my favorite uses for it is to powder the root and snort it if you are having any sinus trouble.

if you insist on using the prunella it can be made as a salve for minor abrations and cuts. Just slightly boil the leaves and apply to the area in distress.

Rod A if you have any black cohosh seeds i would greatly appreciate being able to aquire some from you.