A Steve Hootman collection from China of this quite unique creeping Honeysuckle.  This is a Kinnikinnik or Arctostaphylos uva-ursi alternative making a mat of small rounded green leaves turning rich purple/red/bronze tones in winter.  Small light yellow Honeysuckle flowers are sprinkled throughout.  Very cool.

This has grown into one of our favorite small deciduous shrubs which we grow near our bog garden.  Collected in China on the Sino-British Expedition to Cangshan in 1981 which was one of the first western botanic expeditions to China in modern times.  Copious rosy-pink flowers on a 4'-6' tall shrub.  Zone 6 at least.

A rare Myrtle fromTierra del Fuego which is quite hardy here and just the sweetest thing with evergreen aromatic leaves and small white flowers in summer which are followed by pink/white pearly edible berries.  A perfect little plant.  Good moist soil in some shade.

This is thought to be an intergeneric hybrid between 2 of New Zealand's shrubby daisies.  This gives a fabulous textural addition to the Mediterranean garden like some happy marriage of heather and rosemary.  Small white flowers cluster at the tops of the stems.  Good drainage, tolerant of some dry.

Uncommon species which has proven durable in containers and in the garden where it handled the 12F nasty winter of 2016-17 with equanimity.  Pink-backed white flowers followed by red fruit on stiffly upright stems.  From Erlangshan in Sichuan growing with the rare Epimedium flavum on a slope with Cardiocrinum in the wet thicket behind.

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.

Gorgeous groundcover whose oak-like leaves with burgundy-copper new growth are complemented by the red feathered combs of flowers in early to mid summer.  This is doing great at the Miller Garden in Seattle as well as the Barca garden on Whidbey Island where it is sited against the house gacing south in a raised gravel bed.  Can grow 4+ feet across.

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!

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.

Fabulous Award of Garden Merit shrub that has lovely pinnate Pea-like foliage and scads of luscious pink Pea flowers for several weeks from early to mid-summer.  Quite pest free and wanting only good sun and drainage.  A little light pruning for shape once a year and you are set to enjoy.

Small scale evergreen Hebe and one of the hardier ones for the PNW.  This is attractive in flower or out as it has very tidy foliage and a pleasing mounding habit. The flowers are small and white and sometimes with a bit of a mauve tinge but anyone would say white.

Very hardy winter blooming shrub from Tasmania which Ciscoe proclaims as his favorite plant of all time or at least until he talks about the next plant.  We agree though - this plant totally rules.  No problems whatsoever but little or no fertilizer. Buff orange flowers.  Shorter selection.

A very good hardy hybrid Hebe from the UK which handles our winters here with no problem.  This is a low sprawler getting only about 6"-8" high and 20" wide or so.  Leaves of a nice gray olive green (or something like that) and nice flowers of blue-mauve.  A cross between H. allanii and H. pimeleoides.

A fine hardy hybrid from Deb and Ron Monnier whose nursery, Monnier's Country Gardens in Woodburn, OR closed in 2009.  This knockout will keep the memory alive for years to come.  Maroon tube and sepals embrace a corolla that is black velvet eggplant in color with an optical texture that is almost 3D.  To 3' and hardy in the PNW.  Mulch in winter.

A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering.  We have gotten rather picky about collecting Viburnum as there are some that simply don't cut the mustard ornamentally but this one caused not even momentary hesitation.  Glossy evergreen leaves with constellations of small gleaming blue fruit in the fall made an altogether dashing presentation.

First US offering of this mind-melting mega must-have plant zombie drenched sheets fever lying about the price without a second thought to husband-wife-partner-mother forget to feed the dog dream Araliad.  BIG leaves and sprays of snowball flowers.  Go ahead, google it but don't say we didn't warn you. Young plants but will grow quickly.  Tender but when has that stopped you?

A bushy hardy Fuchsia with arching branches and largish leaves which is good because they are one of the good things about this selection being richly colored in red if grown in ample sun.  The flowers are no slouch either and they have to bring it to keep up with the leaves and that they do with a red exterior and a double purple interior corolla.  Winter mulch.

This collection is from what we regard as the southern form of this populous Asian species. What makes this special is that this was from the 10000' summit of this virtually unknown mountain and surely must be the highest elevation that this form grows.  That, plus being one of the toughest days we have had in the field. This makes a good show

This sweet little New Zealand groundcover is perhaps best known by its former name of Parahebe olsenii.  Soft lavender flowers with a yellow eye rimmed in cerise feathering are held just above the small rounded evergreen leaves that have tones of green olive.  Tidy is a word that comes to mind.

We adore the Halimiums as they have proved to be amply hardy here at Far Reaches, the nearest thing to a Russian Steppe that western Washington offers.  Low growing evergreen shrub clad in grayish foliage and not shy at all yellow flowers with precise carmine pyramids at the base of each petal.  Good drainage.

One of the class acts of the winter blooming shrub world.  This lemon yellow-flowered selection of the Paper Bush is an affirmation of spring with its late winter flowers on bare stems.  The common name comes from the high quality paper once made from its bark.  Sun to part sun for best bloom.

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.

We wouldn't have guessed we could grow Acacia here in our cold pocket garden but we had a random seedling of this appear in our never-water Arctostaphylos/Garrya bed and it has not had a bit of damage from several winters down to 10F.  Poofs of yellow flowers among the evergreen leaves.  Lean soil, great drainage and dry.

Evergreen alpine Aussie growing in the same habitat as Snow Gums.  This has billowy gray-green foliage and 1" white flowers borne on last year's wood.  With age the bark exfoliates and reveals a very shiny trunk which adds to the allure.  Sun, good drainage, dryish and phooey to the deer.

An uncommon species collected by Steve Hootman, one of the best plant hunters of the modern era.  Steve is the Director at the Rhodendron Species Botanic Garden and he found this in the Chinese Himalaya.  Smaller and more prostrate than R. laurifolium.  Greenish flowers.

Chilean Fire Tree.   Our classic all-time Desert Island plant where if we were stranded and could only choose one plant etc. we would be sitting beneath an Embothrium munching a Tyler Street Pesto Savory Scone and drinking a Townsend Bay Pinot Gris.  A 4 alarm inferno of flame red flowers.

Incredibly exciting rare ornamental Araliad from Taiwan where it can reach 30 feet tall.  Don't be scared by that as it will likely not attain those dimensions in your garden at least while you are the gardener!  Broadly orbicular leaves with 3-5 shallow lobes on stout branches makes this a riveting centerpiece.  These are seed-grown and best in mild gardens.

F2 plants from the original wild collection of this rare species. This is a very handsome thing with superb glossy textured leaves and showy displays of red fruit. Just looking at it, we thought - bummer, can't possibly be hardy but heard from one of the collectors that it handled zero Fahrenheit so woohoo!  We later saw for ourselves the reason why as we climbed on Mt Fansipan, "The Roof of Indochina' and saw this growing near the summit.  A portion of the proceeds goes to support the mission of Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy.

Mountain Holly.  This is one of the hardiest of the New Zealand Olearia as it gets well up into the subalpine zone.  This makes a large evergreen shrub with leaves edged in friendly prickles.  This flowers in early summer with corymbs of fragrant white daisy flowers.  Should be deer resistant which is extra bonus points.

Tender South American shrubby succulent making a 3'x4' mound of thin stems with small fleshy leaves  Flowers unknown and we are perfectly willing to accept that this might well be a different genus entirely!  Pairs well with cactus, bromeliads and xeric shrubs.  Let us know what it looks like when it flowers!