Our collection from northern Vietnam of this very attractive maple species which logic dictates should not be hardy but it has been even in our comparatively harsh environs.  As Spock would say: "Fascinating". Good unabashedly Maple foliage that is a cut above with clusters of salmon-red winged samaras that ably fill the floral void.  Best in part sun as bark can scald in full sun.

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.

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.

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.

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.  The pendulous white are small but wow with calyces bearded thickly in Viking red.

Staggeringly good foliage Begonia collected by Ozzie Johnson at Bai Dat Sun in northern Vietnam.  Large tan-green leaves with later than 5 o'clock shadow of red hairs.  Pink flowers play peekaboo in the foliage.  A species not fully trialed for hardiness but we are speculating zone 8b or a little less with judicious applications of mulch for winter freezing.

FMWJ13290.  Collected at Lao Cai, Phansi Pan, Vietnam 2930 meters.  Quite a new plant to cultivation and early indications are is that it will have quite handsome foliage.  Many plants from this area are proving to have surprising hardiness in the PNW so we have hopes this will be the case with this Berberis.

A collection from Lao Cai, Phansi Pu valley in northern Vietnam at 1760 meters. A lot of plants have been proving hardy for us coming out of north Vietnam and we look forward to testing this 2011 collection. This looks like it will be a fine tree with bronzed new growth. We're guessing zone 7 until we know better. An interesting rarity.

This Beauty Berry is from the extensive Callicarpa collection at Stephen F. Austin Arboretum in Texas which they graciously shared with us.  Softly hairy leaves somewhat dark tinged and the usual flamboyant display of purplish fruit in late summer and fall.  Good heat tolerant species.

Our selection of an exceptional seedling from a Vietnam collection. Typically green-leafed, this one has lustrous red new growth looking pretty amazing spring through fall and darned good in winter too since it is evergreen. We haven't flowered it yet but expect creamy yellow flowers in summer.  Young plants, cutting propagated.

Originally from Maurice Foster who is one of the UK's great plantsmen who would not gladly brook an inferior form.   This can hit 10' in height with a narrow aspect and generally deciduous willowish or bamboo-like leaves.  Small purplish flowers and outrageous jester's cap fruit with dangling orange arils.

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.

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.

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

New introduction from Lao Cai, Phansi Pu, Vietnam at 2100 meters.  Little is known about this climbing species in regards to how it does in the garden.  This a vigorus and interesting evergreen vine with scented flowers and large almost sausage-like fruit which make a nice trail snack if the locals haven't scarfed them up.

Species recently introduced from Vietnam and hardiness not known but warmer zone 8 and above is safe.  Well worth taking a chance on as the lacecap flowers have that little sumpin' sumpin' that made this the staff favorite here.  White sterile flowers surround fertile florets of pink to indigo depending on pH and clonal differences.

An ornamental shrub from northern Vietnam from the Floden-Mitchell-Wynn-Jones collection in 2011 to which we were privy to a large share of the seed spoils.  We've put a lot into Karma and we've a good balance going.  From an area where plants are hardy for us, this will have classic St  John's Wort yellow flowers.

An epiphytic gesneriad (African Violet family) from a Josh McCullough collection in Vietnam.  This is a pretty cool and indeed, prefers cool partly shaded conditions.  Not hardy, it might be able to cope with a very light frost but best moved inside for the winter or at least for frosty periods.  Big tubular whitish flowers washed in pinks.

Extraordinary yellow-flowered evergreen species from northern Vietnam on this collection. The trees in the wild were all small second-growth trees with mature examples nowhere in evidence. That night we slept in a nearby farmer's house with our sleeping bags on wide flooring planks of magnolia wood - mystery solved where the big trees went. Best in a sheltered spot from freezing winds.

This is a hardy evergreen Magnolia (formerly Michelia) that Hinkley collected in northern Vietnam in 2006.  This has made a fine small tree quickly at Windcliff where it has weathered some bad winters.  This is grown from cuttings from that plant and you can expect nice white flowers in just a few years.

As yet, an unidentified species of this ornamental genus.  This evergreen shrub to small tree possesses interesting ovate-lanceolate leaves with a distinctive acuminate drip tip.  In other words, the leaves are long and narrow but rounding in the middle like some of us do and have a skinny pointy end.  Likely white flowers and black fruit.  A rarity no doubt and all the more so from this wild collection.

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.

This is a remarkable species in the Theaceae or Camellia family,  Native to Yunnan, Myanmar and Vietnam with this collection hailing from the latter.  Evergreen trees rarely reaching 50' or more but doubt if you will have to contend with that eventuality!  Large white flowers with yellow anthers occur in late winter and early spring.  Suitable only for very mild gardens and worth trying on a wall.

Seed collected at 4650' at the summit of Damingshan in Guangxi.  This summit experiences good freezes on occasion.  Very handsome plant with large white flowers when seen on11/9/2010 when seed was collected.  Related to Camellias and looks similar in leaf, habit and flower.  Nice bark too!  Should be hardy in Seattle area.

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.

A precocious species which can flower the first year from seed with spherical clusters of dusky cream florets. The flowers, while quietly attractive, are eclipsed by the showy fruit congregated in impressive large black balls which many find quite favorable. This was found growing epiphytically on a large fallen log spanning a streamlet and is a good choice for smaller gardens.

A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering. A bold plant of 12' forming part of the species-dense broad-leaf forest margins on the incredibly steep slopes of a mountain previously not visited by westerners to our knowledge. It was a long day's climb which ended in the dark with rain and wind on a bare ridge hoping the tent didn't blow away with us in it. Fortunately, after 20+ miles and 5800' feet elevation gain, sleep came easy! Broad leaves with up to 14 leaflets held on petioles touched in red. Cream flowers and black fruit on dendritic panicles. Proceeds from this goes to the FRBC.

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.

This is exciting even as a young seedling with new growth colored in reddish tones and besides, what is not to like about any Stewartia?  The leaf petioles on this species have an upper slight wing to them hence the species name.  A small tree which can get to 35' in the wild.  Small white flowers in late spring show its relation to Camellias.  A sheltered spot is best.

Intriguing new introduction of this collection from northern Vietnam at 1700 meters in 2011. Surprising number of plants have been proving hardy here from Vietnam and hopefully this will number among them. Small rounded lobed leaves clad vertical stems.We can hardly wait see these get some size and flower. Our thanks to Aaron Floden.