A remarkable arborescent species endemic to the Sierra de la Laguna of Baja California where this grew on a shaded ridge in mixed oak-pine forest at 5800'. This can get over 20' tall with a 10' inflorescence with yellowish to white flowers but that height might be for your child's child's child's child to enjoy - it will take a while!

Originally introduced by Cistus Nursery from a seed collection at 8000' in La Siberica, Mexico. These have been undamaged in brief nighttime drops to 10F and have formed new crowns after flowering so the show will continue. It is mandatory to have a series of parties when these bloom, btw.

White Velvet Tradescantia.  This gets great cobwebby silver-white foliage with light purple flowers nestled in the leaf axils. Likes it on the drier side thank goodness.  Far hardier than we thought, this overwintered in the ground outside at plant maestro Brian McLaughlin's garden at 10 degrees.

We were gifted this from plantsman Ian Barclay of The Desert Northwest Nursery as a potentially cold hardier form from 6000' in Mexico.  We can't attest to that - too much compassion to trial this at our 10F dips some winters.  It is a heckuva container plant rapidly increasing with new rosettes and orange flowers to boot.

Formerly in the genus Cheilanthes, this dryland fern is found in Mexico, Central America and Argentina and just recently, one site in Brazil.  Evergraygreen fronds of fine texture are densely vertical on this smaller fern.  Perfect candidate for the rock garden or container for milder gardens - doing well at Berkeley Botanic Garden

A rare relative of our local Salal (Gaultheria shallon) collected by Jeanette Kunnen in the mountains above Oaxaca in Mexico. We were given cuttings by the late Ericaceous collector Art Dome who grew this to perfection at his Seward Park garden in Seattle. Scrumptious new growth and lots of pink bells followed by blue-black berries. Art grew his against a terraced wall on a slope where it got morning sun and it was a happy camper.

Nice Sedum from 10000' in Mexico that has more cojones than you might think handling 10F here just fine. This has yellow flowers in late winter-spring from gray-blue rosettes on lax stems evocative of Echeveria on a stick.  Some compulsives cut back after blooming to tighten up rosettes but we go with the flow.

This Central American epiphytic blueberry relative calls the cloud forests home and enjoys cool conditions with no frost. Brilliant red new growth, tubular soft red flowers with red calyces followed by darkly intriguing fruit. Will develop a caudiform lignotuber in time. This is a visual feast for months on end.

A very slow-growing tree-form yucca from an Ian Barclay collection near Rodeo, NM. Doesn't need great age and trunk development to produce tall stalks of creamy white flowers which is good because if you are like us, you're buying ripe bananas. Ian is a font of knowledge on cold-hardy, drought tolerant plants.

Sporelings of the Mexican Chain Fern originally introduced from the mountains near Oaxaca.  A rarely seen beautiful species surviving many years in a Seattle garden.  The same garden has a glorious container of this which overwinters frost-free in the sunroom where it not only survives but thrives.  Thanks to Jeanette Kunnen for sharing.

We like so totally rock.  Did you ever expect a little nursery in Port Townsend to offer this choice Tigridia species from arid Mexico?   Ashy gray, purpley black and burnished buff combined in a mind-twisting combo of fly-wing veination and reptilian patterns.

Rio Grande Rain Lily.  This has the cheeriest yellow flowers with burnt orange streaking which appear without leaves in late summer to early fall with the onset of fall rains if grown in a sunny dry spot.  These get 6" tall but are wicked cute and will self sow to make an enviably vibrant patch in time.  Native to the Southeast and Mexico.  Zone 7.

As perennials go, this Mexican Pea Tribe member is staggeringly impressive.  From a woody base, there appears in spring stout stems reaching 8 feet..  On a mature plant, these stems are numerous and it becomes a dominant seasonal shrub. Pinnate leaves with 4 leaflets, large discoidal purple- veined stipules and big yellow flowers in fall.

One of those perennial Lobelia that shouldn't be as hardy as it is but mountainous areas of southern Arizona and northern Mexico have plants with surprising hardiness.  A graceful clump of thin willowy leaves on stems 15"-24" tall with a profusion of midsummer tubular red flowers with a bright yellow throat.  Deciduous in winter, ours handles our brief drops to 10F with mulch.

Yellow Jacob's Ladder. A nice unexpected departure from the usual blue flowers of Polemonium as these are yellow with lacquered tomato. This little flowering powerhouse hails from the Southwest and northern Mexico and can put all it has to give into the many flowers so save seed and you can let it self-sow.

Named for the Mexican State of Sinaloa, this compact and showy blue-flowered Salvia is like having a festive small mariachi band in your garden.  Well-drained soil is a must as cold, heavy soil in winter will be the Day of the Dead.  Just 8"-10" tall and a bit wider, purple calyces and purple-tinted leaves add allure.

Thanks to Adam Black of Peckerwood for sharing cuttings of this shrubby winter-blooming Senecio.  This is a collection from Mexico and has proved to be a good plant in Texas as well as hardy in North Carolina.  Pretty new to us so we can't vouch for it yet in our maritime steppe climate but late season yellow flowers would be sweet.