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.

Frosted Jade Ajuga.  Hard to believe that this is an Ajuga but it is true.  This choice selection has fantastic foliage and very good dark cobalt flowers.  Not a spreader - this makes a clump with 16" tall stems.  Challenges all of your comfy notions about Ajuga but in a good way.  Great in our shade garden.

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!

We received this as the Pioneer Mountain form of Erythronium revolutum and indeed, there is revolutum in them as well as californicum.  These are obviously natural hybrids which do occur and perusing "Erythroniums in Cultivation" by Ian Young, these fit his description nicely especially with the parallel, narrow filaments.

A very good form of the species collected by Dan Hinkley in China.  All parts - leaves, scape or flower stem, flowers - larger than typically found in the species.  Fresh grass green leaves are marked in silver and the flower stems bears a snowstorm of simple white flowers This will thrive in the moist shade garden but prefers light to bright shade.

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.

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.

Long my favorite Bergenia with large upright broad paddles of leaves which turn the  best maroon in the winter of any in the genus.  Oh sure, the dark pink flowers are good in spring but this plant is one of the few reasons I look forward to winter.  Galanthus for contrast - oh my.

Seed-grown plants of a rare form of a rare lily rarely available from one rare plant grower in the UK.  We are eschewing subliminal suggestions and going right to the heavy hammer of repetitive rarity.  This form came about in cultivation from seed-raised plants in the UK and when mature is twice as tall as the typical species.  Nice soft pink flowers.

An interesting Asian Lysimachia which we have not yet identified.  These genus is widespread and varied in Asia with over 170 species and varieties in China alone.  It is so much easier to key out monotypic genera where there is but a single species.  This is from lower elevations and we have not trialed it outside yet but looks frost sensitive.

This really would benefit from the heraldry of trumpets when it blooms since royalty does enjoy the pomp of lavish circumstance.  But the flowers are such a nice fuchsia purplish pink with a red throat that the trumpets and all the trappings are implied.  And with the same good mottled leaves.

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.

Lavender 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 lavender! Perfect in the woodland garden, very hardy and with impeccable provenance.

Foetid Adders Tongue.  How can you not love a plant with a name like this?  Trillium relative native to the coastal Redwoods of California, this ranks as one of our most favorite plants.  Sure the intricate early spring flowers smell of gym locker wet dog but how cool!  And what foliage!

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.

This sweet little Trillium from the Siskiyou Mountains has been moved into its own genus of which it is the sole representative.  This is known as a monotypic genus and we are drawn to such isolated species.  This is quite diminutive but is very beautiful with usually white flowers but can be pink or have varying degrees of dark pink spotting.  It increases well by division - these are nice freshly divided plants.

This clone came from a knowledgeable plantsman in Vietnam and no data as to whether it was from a wild collection or a cultivated plant originating from China. Evergreen Solomon Seal relative with white bells under upright and slightly arching stems clad in alternate green leaves.  Hardy in Kansas.

No ignoring this Primrose in flower! Some Primula are wee subtle things with no greater effect than the sound of a distant flute teasing the edge of hearing. This Primula is a full triumphant symphony with you sitting in the orchestra pit. Big heads of many nodding orange/yellow fragrant flowers. Rich and moist.

Our selection from near the extirpated location of a dwarf population above Carbonado relayed to us by NW plant legend Edith Dusek.  This has proved to be very atypical in that it produces a zillion crowns in a single plant,  A one gallon pot plant had 50 divisions, a large garden clump over a thousand.  Smaller than lowland clones.

A collection by Hinkley from Myanmar at 9000' of this handsome species with nicely patterned leaves.  We have not flowered this yet but are putting a lot of chips on the table for either pink or white.  Hardiness is also unknown but would guess a warm zone 8 with a good winter blanket of mulch in colder zone 8 at least until more is known.

A robust hybrid of E. tuolumense showing broad lightly mottled leaves and 12" flower stems bearing multiple sulphur yellow flowers with a light brown ring in the throat.  A vigorous increaser by offsets - not seed.  In just a few years you will have a truly impressive clump.

Initially, we placed this in the genus Loxostigma but upon flowering, the arrangement and shape didn't quite fit. Fortunately, FRBC taxonomist Cody Hinchliff keyed it out. This is from the Vietnam -Yunnan border region which is a hot spot of Gesneriaceae. Large pink flowers on a vigorous plant.  Protect from freezing.

White 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 white!  Perfect in the woodland garden, very hardy and with impeccable provenance.

A robust form of the species collected by Dr. Peter Zale.  We have long been enamored by this genus and this fine form simply fans the flames of our ardor.  Here in March, the exotic pink flowers stand proud over the evergreen rosettes of leaves. We view the recent merging into Helonias with skepticism.

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.

An awesome - and I don't use this word lightly - hardy Impatiens from Africa.  John Grimshaw in the UK speaks highly of this species.  To 6' tall in morning sun or light shade with awesome (there i go again) 3" wide flat-faced white flowers with a red throat.  Gorgeous.  Perennial big tuberous roots.  Not a seeding thug.

Butcher's Broom.  Stiff branches of these were gathered into brooms for the serious sweeping required in European shops.  This is the choice metrosexual form not needing a partner to set red marble fruit right on the "leaf" surface.  Slow growing, evergreen, drought tolerant.  Medicinal.

We are smitten with Veratrum and this is an exciting addition to the mix.   This one has pale petals and darker eye pattern to the center, and narrow pleated leaves in an open and airy arrangement on the 3' flowering stem.  A rich moist soil in part shade will be just the ticket.  Our thanks to Aaron Floden for sharing this plant with us.

One of the pleasing elements of our PNW woodlands is this Fairy Bell which always feels like we have just bumped into an old friend when we come across it hiking.  Recently moved from Disporum into Prosartes, this has small white flowers in spring and nice orange fruit in mid to late summer.

This Lamiaceae species comes from woodlands in Japan such as Fukushima Prefecture.  All summer you get to enjoy the subtly interesting leaf shape and texture, pondering what possessed you to grant this space in your overplanted garden.  Once the riot of summer color is gone, the lavender spikes of this uncommon species brings clarity.