A very distinct form of this species which was collected in Nepal by Tony Schilling and shared with us by David Mason of Hedgerows Nursery.  A good spreader rather than a clumper, the rounded ping-pong paddle leaves offer much as a small-scale groundcover.  White flowers in early summer.  Deciduous to semi-deciduous.

A expert grower friend in Scotland gave us seed of "proper" 'Lingholm' after he could no longer bear seeing the dark blue verging tinged purple flowers of the US 'Lingholm'.  We told him that gardeners here are near brought to tears by our domestic blue poppy and he said just wait.  Large flowers of the most piercing, unsullied sky blue. Cannot be grown anywhere it gets hot and/or humid in the summer.

Pretty awesome evergreen fern because not only is it cool but it increases fast enough to make a statement in the garden before you are in your dotage and have forgotten why you bought this yet not in that rampaging acreage-eating Borg-assimilating manner that is sometimes described as "a good nursery plant".

Offering from division of this excellent selection by our friends at Crug Farm who collected this in Nepal while plant-hunting with Dan Hinkley and Jamaica Kincaid.  The species is typically very robust and stout and this is no exception with green leaves and a red pseudostem.  The white flowers with a light lavender wash are a nice departure from the norm.

A hardy Ginger relative from our seed collection near eastern Bhutan.  This is a rare offering of this collection.  Narrow petals of white and peach are floral whimsy and always amuse us.  Unscented flowers which compensate by having the showiest seed display in the genus.  Mulch in winter.

An undescribed species from a recent Hinkley collection in eastern Arunachal Pradesh.  A staggeringly good foliage plant fully clad in large deeply divided leaves and sporting yellow flowers - such a nice departure from pink!  These admittedly mingle within the foliage and teasingly tantalize in their allure.

Named for the stringently impeccable plantswoman and designer, this large-leafed deciduous Bergenia with pink-white flowers is a worthy namesake. She had a deserved reputation of not brooking fools gladly but strangely was always pleased to see us - perhaps a case of the exception proving the rule.

A favorite from the Himalaya, this thistle mimic is pretty outrageous in the garden. Robust clumps of gently spiny leaves and taller stems bejeweled in rank upon rank of long-tubed, white flowers which turn pink when pollinated. Nice to see we aren't the only ones who get a sexual flush during pollination.

Chinese version of this species which gets into the Himalaya as we've seen in Arunachal Pradesh. Softly banded in mocha as the new green leaves emerge, the white flowers show nicely below the expanding leaves. Late summer, round orange fruit appears.  A different collection from what we've offered previously.

Climbing Hydrangea we received from Crug Farm Nursery in Wales.  They collected this in Sikkim in the forest near Yuksom.  This has the typical small coral-green lacecap flowers and will self-adhere to a wall or tree-trunk as do the others but what sets this selection apart is the generally evergreen leaves which turn purple in the winter.

This hardy true ginger relative is good down to zone 7b with enough mulch for short durations to single digits, and happy in bright shade to mostly sun.  This species blooms reliably every year with white crane fly flowers highlighted by salmon-pink working parts.

A Hinkley collection of this rhizomatous Begonia from 9500' in the far eastern Himalaya. Attractive foliage with red hues and veins underleaf and we presume, pink flowers. Hardiness is unknown but we would mulch it well in zone 8 gardens. Ideally, overwinter frost-free until large enough to divide off a piece for trial outside in your garden. This would be a trial lamb.

Nice hairy-leafed species from the Himalaya ranging from Nepal to Pakistan. This is semi-deciduous in our area and will go totally deciduous in colder zones. Like most Bergenia, this can take full sun,  but late spring frosts can ding the new leaves and pink flowers. Rounded hairy mid-green leaves with reddish petioles.

This epiphytic Vaccinium relative - indeed some have merged the two genera - is a stunner. Growing on trees in the cloud forests of the Himalaya, this forms woody lignotubers from which arise the branches clad in evergreen leaves which hold the narrow pendant yellow flowers in late winter and spring. This is an especially good form with red calyces. Tolerant of light frost and needs very good drainage.  Our overwintering hummingbirds love this in our greenhouse.

Blackberry Lily. Our collection of this extremely widespread Asian species which not only has attractive deep orange flowers that are overlaid in a plethora of red spots but also the seed is curiously attractive looking for all the world like a large blackberry. This has wide application in traditional Chinese medicine and our collection is likely an escapee from the local mountain village.

Himalayan Maidenhair Fern.  Evergreen to semi-evergreen creeping fern making the the most textural groundcover imaginable.   Salmon pink new growth goes to light olive and finally green leaflets on black wiry stems just 8"-12" high.  Likes a loose moist soil but will tolerate dry when established.

We originally received seed of this back in the 90's from a Chris Chadwell collection in Nepal.  An exceptional foliage plant with long silken silvery leaves and tall loosely arrayed yellow flowers in early summer.  This is one of our favorite herbaceous Potentillas which Chris just ID'd for us this summer of 2013.

We always think of this as an easy and affordable substitute for orchids as the flowers are reminiscent.  In the ginger family, this is easy Asian tuberous plant can be grown in part sun to light shade.  It will get a foot or more high and will have a succession of showy purple-pink flowers and clump quickly.

The genus was named for William Roscoe, who founded the Liverpool Botanic Garden way back in the 1800's and is in the same family as culinary ginger, Zingiberaceae.  We have lost our minds over this genus, collecting and hybridizing with abandon.  This is a superb selection out of the UK with dark stems and leaves with pale lavender-tinged flowers.

Fantastic Roscoea only discovered in the 1980's  in Nepal and still scarce as hen's teeth in the nursery trade and always commanding very high prices.  Why is this so good?  It represents a color break in Roscoea with large red flowers which resemble some exotic orchid except this is easier to grow!  It's a show-off plant for sure.

A rare grand foliage plant from lower elevation in the eastern Sino-Himalaya.  Allied to Schefflera, this differs in its armor of spiny prickles and whose terminal inflorescense produces black fruit.  We offer this with some trepidation in fear of sparking a feeding frenzy among the Araliaceae collectors who are a particular subset of plant nerds that walk the knife edge of obsession that separates reason from Poe's " A Descent into a Maelstrom".  Before you knee-jerk and click add to cart, take your meds and wait an hour.  Of course this may well be sold out by then..........  A portion of the proceeds goes to support the mission of Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy.

A Chadwell collection from the Himalaya which we've grown for over two decades.  This species is found at higher elevations than B. pacumbis which shares the same range.  The green leaves are not uncomfortably large but pleasantly average.  I've used this description before - seems familiar somehow....  White flowers.

Rare in cultivation, this NW Indian Solomon's Seal is mainly an epiphytic species growing in mossy trees and rocks.  The speckled pale pink flowers hang as small bells as the new growth elongates.  Very charming.  This is an evergreen species in mild areas.   Good drainage.

Nepal Lily. One of our favorite Lilies and one we've had the pleasure of seeing in the wild in Arunachal Pradesh near eastern Bhutan growing in low scrub on a sunny hillside. This is not from that trip but is a good form with very large pendant yellow-green flowers with a stunning chocolate maroon throat.

Cool member of the true Ginger family, this has torches of soft yellow flowers held above the corn-like foliage.  Blooms reliably here unlike a lot of it's kin with flowers in July & Aug.  Adds an easy tropical look.  This has been sold as C. lutea and C. gracilis.  Rich & moist but not boggy.

Codonopsis are curious things. These are herbaceous vining relatives of Campanula or Bellflowers and seem an unlikely expression of such. From an almost bulbous root arises several tendril shoots which love to twine into surrounding shrubs from which to display their 2" dusky lavender star shaped flowers.

This is a lovely deciduous scrambling twining and vining shrub from Nepal with scented narrow tubular yellow flowers in clusters followed in fall by black pea-like fruit.  Quite a nice alternative for the small arbor or trellis on a wall.  And we are pretty sure it is deer resistant as well!

Giant Himalayan Lily.  Outrageous Lily family member which can reach 14' high in flower with huge 10" long Easter Lily white flowers flushed purple in the throat.  This combined with an intoxicating fragrance is an event that demands a party with plenty of sparkling wine.  Plant shallow, rich & moist soil.

Seed-grown from the plants we grew from our collection in 2003. This species had been lost to cultivation due to garden hybridization so this reintroduction was quite important in the blue poppy world. These have been better than many at remaining perennial after flowering in all of their inky-blueness. Cannot be grown anywhere it gets hot and/or humid in the summer.

Collected by Crug Farm of Wales under collection number BSWJ2165a on Singalila Ridge in the northern Indian Himalaya.  We are excited to introduce this to our side of the pond.  Slow spreading perennial with bronze tinted leaves and large showy pink flowers on 2'-3' stems.