A fine variegated selection originating at Cally Gardens in Scotland and given to us by the late Michael Wickenden who named it.  Michael was a plantsman of the keenest sort and he is sorely missed.  Good clean cream margins on the young leaves which turns white as the foliage matures.  The variegation plays well with the red flowers atop the two foot stems.  We reckon this is the first introduction of this choice plant to the US and we have just a few.

One odd little plant from the Andes possessing neither flamboyance of flower, nor headiness of perfume, nevertheless, it's pretty damned cool.  We've never noticed it blooming, the flowers being so small but the resultant edible but insipid white fruit are attractive as is the foliage and habit.  Great in the rock garden.

A collection from Guatemala at 8000'-9000' by Josh McCullough where he found this gowing both epiphytically on Oak trees and terrestrially.  Cool new world False Solomon's Seal that is likely best brought in during the winter.  We haven't flowered it but this has long 10" pedicels.

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.

A superb Argentine & Chilean shrub to small tree for the mildest of gardens. There are ridiculously mild gardens around here that can grow this and it is a ceaseless lament that ours is too cold for this fantastic plant. Related to Embothrium or Chilean Fire Tree, this has intricate flowers of yellow and red but the Silk Oak-like foliage outshines the bloom. Has the Proteaceae dislike of phosphorous.  Very few.

An uncommon New World subtropical blueberry relative native to the Andes. Can be epiphytic and has hanging thin branches up to 5' long but usually shorter with rounded pale green leaves. Just looks like it wants to be on a dipping cliff by a waterfall.  Egg-shaped flowers that are white-pink with darker tips followed by translucent violet-tinged edible berries much like Agapetes. No frost. Way nifty.

This is not a Fuchsia to which one can remain indifferent. A tender species from South America, this is a winter-bloomer with long, thin flowers appearing at leaf fall and then adorning the 3'-5' bare stems. The distinctly softly lavender-pink flowers lack an inner corolla presenting a very pleasing minimalist design aesthetic and the large orange fruit which follow are an unexpectedly discordant delight.

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 and a balm to a mind jaded by the cartel commodification of plants.  Which is ironic considering the vast greenhouse plant factories in Central and South America owned by multinationals which produce mainstream young plants or cuttings for sale in the US.

High elevation Bolivian evergreen pinnate-leaved tree in the Rose family whose gorgeous irregular shape and exceptional exfoliating bark gives us fever dreams. Flowers are apetalous nothings but given its abundance of attributes, expecting showy petals is akin to disappointment in the physical shortcomings of the Duke in The Bridgertons.