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.

A selection we imported via Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy from the UK that was propagated from plants which survived the prolonged Big Freeze of December 2010.  An event like this winnows the posers and despite the horrors, is a great opportunity to assess which plants have some unforeseen hardiness genetics. Evergreen shrub to small tree with gorgeous exfoliating cinnamon colored bark, white fragrant flowers and edible blue-black fruit.  A portion of the proceeds goes to support the mission of Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy.

Our collection of this Chinese mayapple from Yunnan China.  Pink flowers in spring followed by large red roma tomato fruit in Fall.  Rich moist soil.  Great foliage.

Chinese Bleeding Heart.  This is a departure from the ferny foliaged Dicentras we are used to by sporting broad leaflets looking more Astilbe than Dicentra.  Another departure is the cream to soft yellow flowers.  Vigorous in moist rich soil, this makes an impressive patch quickly.

Hamilton Dwarf Cranberry. This is one of our desert island dwarf shrublets. Granted, we would be bundled up on the beach as this would be a cool northern island for this to be happy but that is a small concession for 12 months of beauty.   Perfection in a small package with very slow growth, evergreen leaves turning burgundy in winter, tiny pink flowers and red fruit - yea, verily!

Annointed as the "Queen of the Umbels", this is what Queen Anne's Lace would look like after a top design team makeover.  The refined supreme lacery of foliage and polished presentation of 8" white platters of flowers belies a certain innocent muscularity. The epitome of texture.

This is maybe the best variegated Red-Twig Dogwood selection with green leaves boldly margined in golden yellow and the contrast with the red twigs is pretty darn good.  The red twigginess is showy in the winter and great foliage spring and summer - what more do you need?

The classic Solomon's Seal that we all know and one of the best.  Hybrid vigor produces waist high strong stems with lots of hanging white flowers.  Surprisingly good cut flower and also surprisingly drought tolerant.  Tolerance and thriving are different matters of course.  Great clumps in average conditions.

This is maybe the best variegated Red-Twig Dogwood selection with green leaves boldly margined in golden yellow and the contrast with the red twigs is pretty darn good.  The red twigginess is showy in the winter and great foliage spring and summer - what more do you need?

This choice Chinese perennial is related to our native Ginger or Asarum and Saruma being an anagram of Asarum is what passes for humor in botanical nomenclature.  Felty heart shaped foliage bronze when young and half inch yellow flowers right away and through the summer.  Easy.

Allegheny Brook Foam or Brook Saxifrage.  A never common species native streamsides and moist locations in woodlands from West Virginia down into Alabama and Georgia.  Reddish stems and attractive leaves with nice white flowers in late spring.  This adds to the necessary layer of complexity in the shade garden.

A great Dianthus which was like pulling teeth to get Sue to part with a couple.  Makes a fine blue mat of foliage which is covered in eyes-a-popping single magenta pink flowers which have an intoxicating fragrance.  First class rockery plant - killer with that black quarry rock.

A very rarely offered hardy terrestrial orchid from northern India that is an Asian counterpart to our own native Epipactis gigantea.  This has freakishly nice rosey-pink flowers as many as 15 per stem.  Easy in the garden and a good multiplier.  We've wanted to offer this one for a long time and the opening bell has finally rung.  Feel free to comparison shop on this baby.

Gray Pine or California Foothills Pine.  What are the chances that you might be interested in a drought tolerant, deer-proof tree?  Pretty damned good if you live in Port Townsend with its Mediterranean climate and way too many bold as brass deer.  Gray-green needles on a tree 30'-40' tall which can get taller but not in your lifetime.

Chinese Mayapple. One of the great shade plants with just outrageous new growth when the bold and distinctly lobed leafed are colored in ochre velvet with complex dark patterns like something seen during guided psychotropic therapy. Broadly rounded and lobed leaves shield the red flowers

A collection from Kyushu, Japan by the Wynn-Jones of Crug Farm.  Deeply incised palmate leaves with long finger-like lobes are visually arresting in themselves while the early to mid summer large yellow daisy flowers just piles on the eye candy.  Structure, beauty, form and function - only the most bitter cabbage would fault this for not being edible!

This is maybe the best variegated Red-Twig Dogwood selection with green leaves boldly margined in golden yellow and the contrast with the red twigs is pretty darn good.  The red twigginess is showy in the winter and great foliage spring and summer - what more do you need?

This is maybe the best variegated Red-Twig Dogwood selection with green leaves boldly margined in golden yellow and the contrast with the red twigs is pretty darn good.  The red twigginess is showy in the winter and great foliage spring and summer - what more do you need?

False Solomon Seal. This Chinese species is one of our favorites in the shade garden and we delight in its ribbed leaves with elegantly understated small violet daubing at the base of each leaflet followed by the precise detail in the small greenish flowers. In the late summer into fall, it has strut-your-stuff full heads of bright orange fruit.

A perennial (usually anyway) thistle relative from South Africa which makes a multicrowned clump of softly spiny leaves which by themselves merit nothing more than a good hosing of Roundup but the large purplish flowers are the swan emerging from the ugly duckling.

Our collection of this Chinese Ash which we are guessing might be the species paxiana.  This will develop good fall color of rich burgundy and purples and the May-June white flowers are held in 8"-10" panicles.  A showy and good large tree rarely offered for sale.  Through our nonprofit Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy, we have donated plants of this to the US National Arboretum in Washington DC.

Our collection from Asia of what we presume to be the super-hardy Zingiber mioga but there are a lot of species to choose from! Corn foliage and cute ground-level soft yellow orchid flowers at ground level which are a worthy reward for a deep bend at the waist. These flower weeks earlier than our CDHM 14723 collection and have a wider labellum with the whole flower evenly colored. A worthy reward for a deep bend at the waist.

Toad Lily.  Our collection from Asia   This toadie was found on the lower flanks of the mountain we were exploring where it favored openings in the forest where it got dappled light and a brief bit of direct sun.  Distinct softly haired velvety leaves with white flowers ruby spotted on the reflexed tepals.

A refined shade plant that would grace any plant connoisseur's garden yet is perfectly happy to hang with us average Joes. Leaves evoking Anemone and pendant flowers combining pastels and lavenders in an understated parasol of exquisite design and dimension. A plant that is not on the radar of a lot of gardeners so let's keep it to ourselves.

Chinese Mayapple. One of the great shade plants with just outrageous new growth when the bold and distinctly lobed leafed are colored in ochre velvet with complex dark patterns like something seen during guided psychotropic therapy. Broadly rounded and lobed leaves shield the red flowers

Annointed as the "Queen of the Umbels", this is what Queen Anne's Lace would look like after a top design team makeover.  The refined supreme lacery of foliage and polished presentation of 8" white platters of flowers belies a certain innocent muscularity. The epitome of texture.

Second generation plants from Steve Hootman's collection from Sichuan China and first time recorded in that province.  Statuesque tall Lilies with scented big white trumpets colored outside in puce.  Puce?  That's never gonna sell.  Stained outside in a soft Pinot Noir.  Really nice plants.

A purported G. papilio hybrid, our mama plant when in bloom with its 5 foot stems of red-mauve flowers sporting dark eye patches, frequently caused plant geeks to start speaking in tongues and offer creative enticements in exchange for a wee bit.  We have had to say "No." until now.

Award of Garden Merit from the RHS, this has wonderfully elegant flowers of a long thin waist and two narrow long recurved petals one top and one bottom.  The flowers are nicely scented and open white and then age to a soft yellow for a pleasing two-toned effect.  Evergreen, hardy in the PNW with good vigor.