European Wild Ginger. Rounded, heart-shaped most excellent evergreen leaves (evergreen in mild winters or our Z8 garden) hug the ground close and dense, hiding the small flowers and their lack of ornament We have a slightly paler leaf clone that is most apparently pale when planted next to this clone.

Fun newish selection of the recently moved to Bistort from Persicaria with softly golden foliage which is a great backdrop for the 24"-36" flower stems bearing spikes of flowers the same color as Dorothy's ruby slippers. Easy, hardy, bright shade and gangbusters in rich moist soil.

Excellent member of the Crassulaceae which means it is a succulent basically, but one that eschews the arid sunny spot in favor of lusher environs like our shade garden with dairy manure mulch.  Makes a thick clump of fleshy green leaves with taller stems of pendulous strings of beads yellow flowers.  Very easy to please and a show stealer in bloom.

Choice rock garden species from rare wild collected seed from the Tien Shan Mts where they extend into NW China.  This makes nice dense clumps of close set sivery-green foliage and typical Potentilla golden yellow flowers.  Easy care and tolerant of our abuse.

This native Afghani is unrivalled among Thalictrum for textural achievement and presentation of foliage. A diaphanous haze of small gray-green leaflets makes this well worth growing despite the insignificant flowers. Normally we insist on nice flowers but this foliage woos one and all, lasting long after any bloom.

Miniature Joint Fir.  Choice species from the bleak areas of the "stans" - Afghan, Uzbek, Kazak, Krygh, Paki and Tajikistan.  This primitive Conifer relative likes it rough - just good drainage and a hot, sunny dry spot are it's simple wants.  This is small enough for a trough planter.

Double Flowered Solomon's Seal.  Hard to come by and desireable double form of this excellent garden plant.  The extra petals looks like a little green rose when lift one of the dangling white bells and peer inside.  It is one of those little surprises that makes the garden so fun.

This Campanula was collected in Russia at Karachayevo-Cherkessiya, Terbeda, Gonachkir Valley at 1800 meters so next time you are there, keep an eye peeled for it.  This potentially can reach 3'-5' tall in flower with nice heads of pale lavender to white flowers in midsummer.  Is it hardy, you ask?  Da!

Maidenhair Spleenwort.  I love common names.  I must dig out our 15th century Herbal and read up on how to properly decoct this sweet little fern for afflicting humors of the spleen.  Or I can just grow it in a gritty well-drained shaded rock garden and enjoy its evergreen delicacy.

From Wendy Perry of Bosvigo Plants in S. England comes this unfortunately scarce and choice Campanula.  Gently and very controllably spreading to make an impressive clump with spires of pure white flowers.  Pairs impeccably with Hosta 'Patriot'.

Giant Pincushion Flower.  We saw this used to great effect in numerous cottage gardens in northern England during our coast to coast walk in June-July 2012.  Impressive zone 3 perennial whose open, branched stems can exceed 6' tall and bear creamy yellow flowers.  Perfect for mixing with lower bushy plants.

Little gray-foliaged low small cushiony clumper.  Pinky lavender flowers on stems of a few inches in length.  Easy and quite hardy.

Uncommon species which has an understated wowness.  Not flamboyant this nonetheless garners lots of attention with its clusters of copper-orange Pea flowers in mid to late spring which are set off nicely by the dense light green leaves.  Long-lived and choice perennial.

Native to the Caucasus and northern Iran where hardline clerics have been known to set aside fiery rhetoric while getting dirty bedding out plants of Eryngium caucasicum at their villas in the Elburz Mts.  The Eryngium flowers are a natural cleric mellowing agent making them feel like the Ayatollah of Sea Hollyola.  Small blueish flowers in quantity.

This used to be var. kolenatiana from the Caucasus but this widely distributed circumarboreal species has had the species equivalent of a taxonomic black hole occur with numerous varieties, subspecies and genera all ascribed to this one species being sucked into the vast maw of botany never to be seen again.

Not one you will easily find, this tough rarity hails from China's Xinjiang Province and neighboring Kazakhstan & Kyrgyzstan. High moist meadows are home sweet home for this blue-lavender drumstick Primula dusted in farina.  Sue brought this west from  VT over 20 years ago. Said it was tough!

Tough Sage from Asia Minor -Turkey, Georgia and Iran - where it grows on stony slopes up to 11000 feet so check the boxes on hardiness zones 5-10, good drainage, full sun and moderate water needs.  While you have your pencil, check deer and rabbit resistant, white flowers, summer blooming and 30 inches tall.  Now you are free to doodle.  Seed shared with us by horticultural mega-icon Panayoti Kelaidis from his Denver garden.

Grown from seed given to us by xeric, steppe and rock garden guru, Panayoti Kelaidis of Denver Botanic Garden.  Brilliant plantsman who, if you gave him an hour lead time, would be conversant in aquatic plants native to Lake Malawi and the nearby Great Rift Valley.  This Central Asian species grows natively on rocky, sandy slopes and in the garden, is quite drought tolerant.  Thrives in Denver, this will get 3'-4'+ with pink flowers in summer.

This uncommon Daphne calls the Caucasus Mountains home and we find even its glossy green leaves an ornamental asset but really, one grows Daphne for the flowers.  This has terminal clusters of narrow yellow flowers which are very pleasant and the fun continues after blooming with good display of showy red fruit.  Which is where these came from.  Best in part sun and does great at woodland edge.

Young bulbs of this choice variable species from the Caucasus.  Impressive displays of up to 24 scented creamy flowers whose reflexed tepals expose the soft yellow throat and fine maroon stippling in this form.  This is a hardy early bloomer which is ideal for those cold northern gardens with short growing seasons.

European Wild Ginger. Rounded, heart-shaped most excellent evergreen leaves (evergreen in mild winters or our Z8 garden) hug the ground close and dense, hiding the small flowers and their lack of ornament We have a slightly darker leaf clone that is most apparently dark when planted next to this clone.