Staggeringly impressive recent introduction of this Solomon Seal species from - wait for it -  Vietnam.  This is similar to our favorite Polygonatum huanum (formerly as kingianum) but is just more of everything that is good.  Large red flowers snug the whorled leaves on stems which this year in the garden reached 15' tall and which remain green for us until temps drop below 20F.

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.

This collection by Crug Farm from Fansipan in Vietnam of this very distinctive clumping grass is especially yummy with showy pink flowers in this form. The evergreen leaves are bold, broad and lightly pleated with the flower heads mingling among the upper reaches of the leaves.  Solidly dramatic!

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.

This gesneriad (African Violet family) is from our collection just miles from the China-Vietnam border. Small narrow-necked yellow flowers over evergreen rosettes of leaves. We have seen this species in numerous sites including southern China growing on mossy rocks, fallen logs or epiphytically.

A collection of this rare and usually epiphytic evergreen Solomon Seal from Vietnam by Aaron Floden.   A small species less than a foot tall with small rounded white bells under the arching stem as the new shoot elongates and matures. These are flowering size and hardiness is unknown but would think zone 8 for sure especially with mulch during frigid spells.

Small winter-flowering species collected by Kettle and Wynn-Jones on Mt Fansipan in northern Vietnam. This is nice little ginger given varietal status due to its larger flowers and much larger sagittate anthers. Sagittate anther envy - it happens even in the plant world. Stems to 28" with very nice spidery white lightly scented flowers

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?

From Vietnam by Floden-Mitchell-Wynn-Jones of this surely lovely Ginger family member.  We say surely because most Alpinia are lovely and we've grown this for ten years with nary a flower.  No fault of the plant but of our cool climate with no summer heat.  Dense clumps to 30" tall.  Let us know when it blooms.

A 2011 collection by Floden-Mitchell-Wynn-Jones from 1700 m at Lao Cai, Dragon's Tooth, Vietnam as aff. tengchongense and offered by us as such but upon flowering for Floden, proved to be spicatum which Wynn-Jones disputes.  Plant Fight!  H. spicatum from other areas has proved quite hardy for us,  White and salmon flowers.

Staggeringly good foliage Begonia collected by Ozzie Johnson at Bai Dat Sun in northern Vietnam that we previously offered as cf. villifolia.  Large tan-green leaves with a later than 5 o'clock shadow of red hairs. Pink flowers play peekaboo in the foliage. A species not fully trialed for hardiness but zone 8b with protection

Shayne Chandler's collection from Vietnam of this assuredly tender but most enchanting Begonia. Long stems gloriously hirsute in red hairs hold broadly rounded palmate leaves whose upper surface is studded with carefully spaced green hairs and the underside veins bristle darkly. Pendulous white flowers are small but wow with calyces bearded thickly in Viking red. We easily overwinter this in a cool greenhouse.

Blackberry Lily. Our collection of this extremely widespread Asian species which not only has attractive deep orange flowers that are overlaid in a plethora of red spots but also the seed is curiously attractive looking for all the world like a large blackberry. This has wide application in traditional Chinese medicine and our collection is likely an escapee from the local mountain village.

A lovely shrubby epiphytic Indochina gesneriad in the same genus as lipstick vine.  That comparison made, this should be an excellent houseplant although we speculate that it ought to take a brief light frost.  A lot of the exposed limestone ridges radiate heat away at night making them colder.  Red tubular flowers.

This is likely the first introduction of this curious Tea family member from our collection in Guangxi Province. An evergreen shrub to 10' in the wild with long slightly drooping olive-green leaves prominently hirsute especially along the margins. Flowers are small and white and give way to small black fruit. We are thinking hardy to zone 8.

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.

Chinese Bald Cypress. Another one of those monotypic genera we love! This deciduous conifer is the only species in the genus and highly threatened by habitat loss in the wild. This will get to be a big tree which your yet unborn child's children can sit under. In their boat. Fairly slow - ours is in our bog garden pond.

A collection by Shayne Chandler from the Five Fingers mountain range in Vietnam.  This zone 8 hardy shrubby gesneriad was first introduced by Steve Hootman over 20 years ago from China and it is good to have another collection from a new area.  Tubular red-orange flowers and boxwood-like leaves.

A collection from northern Vietnam of this evergreen epiphytic species which is hardier than supposed as the similar subspecies tonkinensis has been fine in our garden.  Chubby white bells cluster like piglets in the leaf axils and are followed by reddish fruit.  Very, very rare and adds a bit of cocky plantsmanship to the garden.

Distinctive Asian conifer forming impressively large trees up to 100' and we've been very fortunate to see large specimens in Guangxi Province. The dense branchlets are flattened much like a Thuja and extremely handsome. Ours is thriving in full sun/wind exposure. Recently moved to Chamaecyparis and then back.

Our collection of what we presume to be this species although given the distribution from Nepal into China and Vietnam, we wouldn't be shocked to see this species broken into varieties or subspecies. If it is this species, give it some room as it can hit 40' tall as a venerable old-growth specimen but expect much less in the garden. Upright evergreen with pale butter-white flowers and blue-black fruit.

An exciting tender perennial Impatiens from Vietnam we brought in via the UK. Deep green leaves with magenta undersides on a stout 3'-4' upright plant are quite enough but add the late orange-yellow flowers with red lips and be ready for involuntary expletives and religious exhortations.  We saw this in the wild and were blown away.

This smaller Schefflera is a very ornamental species from our collection northern Vietnam from a mountain previously unexplored by westerners.  Loose panicles of presumed creamy flowers and black fruit.  Similar but different to Schefflera sp. NV 023.  Pretty cool!

This is a collection from Lao Cai, Above Silver Waterfall, Vietnam 2150 meters just in case you are in the neighborhood and want to check out the original plant.  This is a reasonably narrow shrub which flowers very young with small pale pom-poms of clustered tiny flowers which are followed by black fruit.

Collected in northern Vietnam at Lao Cai, Y Ty at 2340 meters. This, like most Clethra, will make a nice deciduous shrub that is open in habit when young and like a small tree when mature. Scented mid to late summer white flowers that individually are larger than usual for Clethra. This has done well in a colder garden in Sequim and certainly good in Zone 8 if not colder. This has become a favorite here at the nursery.

A Vietnam species which has been hardy to 15F.  Great container plant with tubular red flowers which can easily be moved inside for the winter where it can serve as a houseplant  until it is time to go back outside.  Or keep it outside until there is danger of frost and then hustle it in and bring it back out when safe.

Awesome tree Witch Hazel family from north Vietnam where this Josh McCullough collection hails from.  We saw this broadly vase-shaped 50' tree in the Dayaoshan in China.  Large evergreen leaves unfurl with bronze tones from large flattened stipules.  Small filamentous reddish flowers which we have yet to see.  Zone 9 and hoping for warmer parts of zone 8.

This choice evergreen Tongue Fern is notable for the yellowish variegation on its evergreen 12" long leaves and is likely conspecific with the clone sold as 'Variegata',  Pyrrosia are easy but require great drainage and unless you are planting it in a stumpery, rockery or slope, you will need to seriously amend with gravel, bark or assorted detritus of life.

Tongue Ferns are widespread in China and Japan where they can be epiphytic as well as lithophytic on rocks.  Fantastic variants are being selected by the cult followers of Pyrrosia in Japan and "Tachiba Koryu' is one with evergreen blade-like leaves sporting rounded lobes along the margins.  Does fantastic at Peckerwood Gardens near Houston.

A Hinkley collection from Vietnam of this stunning foliage species whose bullate rumpled leaves are covered in imposing bristle-like hairs.  A gorgeous container plant or if you live where the frost is light and infrequent - and you know who you are and just so you know, we hate you - then this is fine out in the garden.  Flowers white if memory serves.