Spring Vetchling.   One of the stars of the early spring garden, this perennial bush Pea makes a soft-textured clump with scads of lavender-pink Pea flowers.  Combines well with Hellebores and Narcissus and is virtually pest-free.  Low-maintenance - cut back in fall.

Very intriguing perennial with intricate light brown flower buds that appear to be spun glass art depicting the skeletal structure of some microscopic sea creature.  From the center extends the feathered pinkish petals.  While not spectacular compared to a Dahlia, we think it spectacularly interesting but then we are certifiable plant loons.

An intriguing curiosity that combines beauty with novelty.  In this selection, the flower petals have become lacy green petaloid structures that are perfectly arranged to create amusing and intricate green flowers.  A fun addition to the shade garden.

A choice woodland creeper for the shade or partly shaded garden where it behaves like Anemone nemorosa - making a mat of ferny foliage but in this case, it has vibrant yellow flowers.  A patch of this is to be coveted.  Very hardy and goes mid to late summer dormant.

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.

One of the largest flowered selections of Gentiana acaulis, this is truly a showstopper with its big, deep blue trumpets in spring and lighter reblooms after.  It may owe its vigor to hybridity but whatever the reason, we are down with it!  Moist, rich soil in sun and stand back and enjoy. Gentiana acaulis 'Maxima Enzian' is likely the same as Enzian is German for Gentian.

Presumably a selection by rock garden pioneer H. Lincoln Foster. Tight rosettes of silver-encrusted leaves are complemented by tall sprays of deep red flowers in spring. Thrives in the rock garden, containers, or other sunny areas with excellent drainage. Classic choice for tufa planting should you be so lucky.

This Dog Tooth Violet can really gussy-up the shade. Perfectly formed light rose pink flowers touched with warm caramel in the throat add a lightness and sort of tasteful elegant extravagance to the shade garden. The mottled leaves extend the interest. Imagine this in Barbie's garden...

One of the larger flowered varieties of Wood Anemone, this has excellent white flowers which are more than enough to stand alone or perfect in a supporting understory role to larger shrubs and perennials.

A Great Plant Pick, and rightly so because this performs in the garden.  Thin spikes of soft pink flowers are held nicely upright, more so than many other cultivars and pair wonderfully with the bold green foliage to create a ethereal pinkish floral haze above the bulwark of green.  Not weedy or aggressive, this is good.

To our knowledge, not available in this country and very scarce elsewhere.  An early bloomer, in fact, it is flowering now this late December in its pots sitting outside unprotected as we have had a relatively mild winter so far. Huge flowers, increases well and a good performer in the garden.

Hardy species in the Gesneriaceae or African Violet family from Greece and Bulgaria where it favors shaded rocky outcrops.  Our old mama plants fill a 3 gallon pot with a packed dome of evergreen leafy rosettes that give rise to 4"-5" stems with flowers of pale lavender faces and dark corolla base.

This excellent clone of the Wood Anemone has larger than usual white flowers held nicely above the foliage with better than usual substance and poise.  Hard to describe precisely but like some things that are elusive in definition, you know it when you see it.

The typically blue-flowered European species but from a great source.  Thanks to our friend and Hepatica guru John Massey of Ashwood Nurseries for sharing seed. We have flowered these plants and they are indeed blue! Perfect in the woodland garden, very hardy and with impeccable provenance.

A free-flowering, lower carpeting form of this choice species that is ideal in the rock garden and one we acquired from our friends at Rumbling Bridge Nursery in Scotland.  This Croatian native has a tidy personna, showy mauve-pink flowers and small leaves coloring well in winter.  When we say carpeting, it's more of a place mat.

Lily of the Valley.  A good selection of this stalwart species with a yellow margin to the leaves and said leaves are larger than average as well.  Typical scented white flowers.  There are numerous spellings of the cultivar name but since this is an American introduction, we can only assume this is correct.  Sad.

Soldanellas completely bewitch us wih their dual charms of excellent evergreen foliage and incredibly cute flowers.  When these little guys flower, we just smile because this is such a little overachiever with its lavender fringed flowers in April.  Reddish leaf petioles and leaf undersides are subtle allure.

Excellent selection of this species in the acaulis group which has large flowers of a particularly good dark blue on long stems well, long for this species anyway.  Evergreen mats in rich moist soil in full sun with main bloom in spring and some rebloom in late summer.  Endangered species in its native Balkan Dinaric Alps.

A close relative to Gentiana acaulis and regarded as being in the acaulis group. This is one of the forms found in the nursery trade here in the PNW which means it is a good grower.  Maybe a little mongrel vigor from G. acaulis to pump up the volume on those big blue trumpet flowers above an evergreen spreading mat.

Pink flowered version of the typically blue-flowered European species. Thanks to our friend and Hepatica guru John Massey of Ashwood Nurseries for sharing seed. We have flowered these plants and they are indeed pink! Perfect in the woodland garden, very hardy and with impeccable provenance.

Soldanella is a Primrose relative native to the high meadows in the mountains of Europe.  This is one we received from Collector's Nursery with dark violet flowers - very choice!  It looks to be a match to the Bulgarian Soldanella rhodopaea.  Evergreen and clumping, this takes the same conditions as Primroses.

White Willow Gentian. One of the truly excellent late summer/early fall blooming plants which jazzes up the shade garden with lots of stems in a circular arching vase shape with fountains of white flowers along the stems.

Wood Anemone.  This is a good blue form with flowers darker than many of the blue selections and even though the individual flowers are a little smaller than typical, we don't care as this is such a lovely thing.  Found in the Estonian woodlands by Mart Veerus and introduced we think by Janis Ruksans.

Willow Gentian.  One of the truly excellent late summer/early fall blooming plants which jazzes up the shade garden with lots of stems in a circular arching vase shape with ranks of blue to lavender blue flowers ranked along the stems.  Just what you need when you are sick of Hostas.

In the Solanaceae Family, this deciduous perennial gets many stems that start blooming almost upon emergence in early spring with thimble-shaped chocolate flowers that are yellowish on the inside.  Very cool.  This likes part sun and is broader than tall at 2' x 3'.

These were shared with us by Kelly's mentor and fair to say, hero, Steve Doonan of Grand Ridge Nursery.  A superb selection with petaloid stamens giving this a robust doubled appearance.  Always hard to come by and much sought after, this will in time make a nice carpet of ostentation.

One of our most favored small trees is this princeling of a cornel.  Late winter flowers of yellow filamentous buttons followed by perfectly clean white variegation in the leaves and are further accented when the flowers turn into edible reddish fruits in late summer.

This widespread little fern is of Scottish provenance where it is abundant and easily found in rock cracks and sundry centuries-old architectural features such as stone walls, stone bridges, stone follies and stone buildings that combine to make villages and gardens so damned picturesque especially when covered in ferns.

Beautiful Primrose family member with evergreen rounded leaves and numerous upright stems from which hang fringed lavender bells in spring.  Truly a plant of elfin charm.  This is very good garden plant and easy to please.  Native to European high meadows.  Showy beyond its size.

Newer double Campanula we received from England.  This has big medium blue flowers like 2 shallow cups nested together.  These are on strong stems which don't blow over and we can testify to that living on the windswept Port Townsend Plateau.  Good clumper - a great plant.