Our collection from Guizhou in 2010 of this mouth-watering shade perennial.  Branched stems to nearly 3' with large reddish-purple pendulous flowers followed by shiny black fruit.  We like this one so much we went back to the same mountain in 2012 and collected more seed!  Gonna rock the shade garden.

A no-fuss restrained yet refined evergreen Cardamine which is nearly faultless.  We haven't found a fault yet but most overachievers are hiding something deep under that charm and industry.  Rest assured, this will never go postal in your garden.  Dark green dense leaves set off  flowers of of purest white in early summer.

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.

This is a surprisingly hardy terrestrial Orchid that is quite easy to grow given a couple of rules.  Loose crumbly organic/gritty well-drained soil and fairly dry in the winter.  We've friends who grow these easily in Port Ludlow unprotected in rotting logs, stumps and deep moss on rocks.

Rare and elusive denizen of the New Jersey Pine Barrens which when in flower,  always strikes me as looking more extra-terrestrial than a product of our own earthly evolution.  Bizarre pink cones studded with blue anthers are just a giggle.  Rich moist soil in some shade.

Beautiful clumping species that may well be the queen of the genus.  Or are we granting royalty because it is new on the scene?  Maybe, but it is awfully good. This makes a stout small clump of evergreen fern-like leaves from which emerge in spring the peculiarly Coptis greenish-yellow flowers.  From China.

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.

Neat species from China and into the Himalayas of Northern India, this has some stout stems that can reach 4' on old large bulbs with many leaflets arrayed like the spokes of an umbrella with long filamentous drip tips at the ends of the leaflets.  Large greenish to purple or white striped flowers.

Distinctive Chinese species with this variety being especially so with its narrow evergreen leaves well-measeled in creamy yellow spots.  Clustered small red-purple flowers give way to large red fruit in fall which is just another bit of ornament for this tough plant which can tolerant dark shade and neglect.

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.

A collection of this prized Asian culinary species from the Korean island of Jejudo which used to be Cheju or Cheju-do.  This is a true Ginger but in the case, it is the deep yellow flower buds that are eaten which open to lilac-pink flowers held at ground level.  The corn-like leaves get about 3' tall and this is hardy to zone 6 and even zone 5.

A collection by Tony Avent from South Korea as Polygonatum odoratum but it has been found to be a different species and one seldom seen in gardens.  Familiar arching stems to 3' with narrow white bells tipped in green hanging underneath.  These flowers are scented with lemon and is most noticeable as you stroll the garden with your morning coffee.  Zone 4 to zone 8b.

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.

This is indeed the king.  One of our most coveted plants, this is an especially fine form from our friend Philip MacDougall.  This beauty can reach 12' tall with subtle hooks on the leaf tips to help it hang onto neighboring plants.  The best thing is the ORANGE flowers in abundance in the leaf axils.  Swoon City.

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'.

Alpine Water Fern. Found at higher elevations in Australia's New South Wales and Tasmania growing in grasslands, moist rock crevices and sphagnum bogs. A stalwart fern and go-to evergreen low groundcover because it looks great despite your prolonged attention lapses from pandemic Netflix binge-watching.

These we grew from seed we received which are a bit of a mystery as half the plants were as expected and the other these delightful rogues.  We've not flowered them but certainly looks to be allied to Lingholm but whether these will be sky blue or violet blue, we can't say other than either will be lovely.

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.

Great foliage on this Wild Ginger from China which keys most closely to the species caudigerellum. A mist of white spray droplets on the leaves is especially vivid on the young foliage making this very desirable.  Small tan to soft red flowers are a welcome addition. We have seen nice clumps of presumably this species in Vietnam looking fabulous on the forest floor among the bright buff trunks of Camellia trees.

Pretty cool False Solomon's Seal whose terminal display of small, narrow-tubed yellowish to green flowers carries more interest than might be implied.  This is genetically distinct from the white flowered M. henryi from Yunnan and has a pure, sweeter fragrance than the more cloying white form.  We love them both.  Sometimes seen as the invalid species ginfushanica.

Rare plant found only in limited areas in central Honshu, Japan where it likes the forest fringes in the subalpine areas and is known as hiiragi-sou or holly tree-leafed weed.  Hiiragi-sou sounds better than the translation.  This selection has dark blue flowers and is a deciduous clumper to 16" tall - very nice!

This is easily the best disappointing plant we have.  This is one we imported from Japan - at some significant coast - as a Gold Leaf cultivar.  The first year was magic with leaves like pure sunlight but never again.  The best part is that it is an exceptionally good, vigorous clone with big flower heads and superb foliage.

Gorgeous little gem out of Japan with a rich yellow center to the leaf  surrounded by green with some nice feathering details.  This will increase quickly but not aggressively and adds a nice splash of color in the shade garden.  The white flowers go well with the whole package.

A rare offering of a rare species of this choice little bit of botanical collectable necessity.  Found by Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones in Taipingshan, Taiwan, this is a beautiful representative of one of our favorite obscure genera.  Evergreen rosettes and slowly forming companion rosettes, this has enchanting white flowers on 4"-7" stems.  Moist and shade.

A very good and stable selection from Japan of this little woodland creeper.  Dark green leaves are well-marked with feathered yellow tips and in spring this has pendant white starry flowers.  This will increase to create a definite bit of visual velcro in the garden because as your eye roams the plants, it will stop abruptly on this one.

A rare species from northern Myanmar and adjacent Yunnan, this is even a rarer opportunity to purchase bulbs from seed collected in the wild by Bjornar Olsen. Nomocharis in cultivation live in the Summer of Love and welcome without reservation any pollen from any other Nomocharis nearby resulting in hybridity.

A False Solomon Seal collected by the good folks at Crug Farm Nursery during a plant hunting trip to Central America.  They found this once common species in Guatemala relegated to remnant populations at higher altitudes above 9000 feet where it found it spread rhizomatously to form small colonies.   White flowers and mulch well in winter.

Evergreen Solomon Seal relative from Taiwan via plantsman Ozzie Johnson. Loves moist shade in zones 7-9 where the rounded leaves on stems up to a foot shelter the hanging white bell flowers.  Combines well with all of those shade garden plants that any self respecting plant collector loves so rest assured that garden harmony will remain intact.

Extreme rarity from the summit of Jinfoshan where this was found growing in moss and leaf litter atop a narrow shoulder of hard limestone napped in snow from the night before. A diminutive species to just 3" tall with small evergreen thumbnail leaves and small white flowers touched in rose on the interior. Light lavender fruit follows.

An extraordinary variant from Linda Cochran's (of course) old garden which she allowed us to salvage when moving.  Distinctly mocha foliage in early spring, with various plant parts retaining dark tones.  Notably, the flower stem is very dark as are the bracts enclosing the flower bud.  The flowers are lovely, white and richly colored in dark maroon.  These are bulbs from isolated, hand-pollinated seed.