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.

Plant Addict Alert!  If you have problems coping with uncontrollable acquisition, step away from this plant.  Take a few minutes, walk through the garden and if you are still besotted, know that it is ok because this is totally cool!  Crazy Ethiopian species for a hot sunny spot with red flowers late summer into fall.

One of the sweetest little bulbs imaginable!  Summer dormant with dainty white flowers on 6"  stems appearing in Aug into Sept.  This grows in Portugal, Gibralter and Morocco and is just as happy growing with Madrona in the PNW as it is Olives back home.  Grassy foliage up in fall and winter.

Our collection of this distinctive vining Monkshood from the wooded slopes of Longshou in Sichuan.   We think this is quite superior to other color forms of this rare species and have given it the name 'Monk Gone Wild' because it is a pretty crazy color for a Monkshood plus this monk managed to remain technically celibate yet still have lots of children via stem bulbils.

Rollicking twining Monkshood from China that delights in scrambling up into shrubs or onto thin trellage.  Although a fine and aristocratic perennial, it remains devoid of snobbery embracing chainlink as if it were ornate wrought iron at an Antebellum mansion.  Dusky lavender flowers.

Fabulous wine-colored (red - not white) vining Monkshood that cannot fail to please with late summer into fall flowers.  Perfect for sun to light shade, this will make annual growth of 10'-15' if it has something to twine onto.  Best part, it's poisonous - take that, deer!

This is from our seed collection on the Chongqing-Guangxi-Guizhou expedition in 2010.  We found this on the summit of the previously unbotanized highest peak in the Wumingshan where it was clambering about on the top of the short scrub.  We were struck by the large seed pods.  Light blue flowers on this vining Monkshood.

This vining monkshood is from our seed collection of this herbaceous vine which was growing in a large shrub hanging out over a stream in a cold rain.  The potential for becoming even wetter was pretty good and fortunately, such a risk proved well worth it as this has large blue flowers with a pale white lip.  This has been a star in our shade garden flowering in late August into September.

Our collection of this most impressive vining Monkshood.  Sumptuous flowers of a good blue with a white interior  This one is a real cracker and these will easily grow 8'-12' or even 15' tall provided they have something to twine onto.  An immense treat in August and September.

Bugbane.  A dusky, dark-leafed plant that appeared as a seedling in our shade garden a few years ago.  We are windy here and which seed from which black-leafed, named form blew in from our sales tables, we cannot say.  We let it be where it landed until it got too large and now it is divisions in pots.  To 4' with late season wands of whitish fragrant flowers.

Crug Farm collection from Chejudo Island in Korea from a slightly larger form.  This was found growing in a shaded dry streambed as just 8" tall plants.  The amenities of cultivation has fattened them up nicely and expect 18" or so.  Glossy leaves and white bottlebrush flowers.  Very cold tolerant.

Doll's Eyes Baneberry.  Striking woodland plant in fruit - the white puffs of flowers in late spring are ok but the fruit is serious business.  An elongated fruiting spike holds with red stems, round white berries each with a small black pupil.  The common name is immediately obvious and is either clever or creepy depending on how many "Chucky" movies you have watched.  We think it is clever.  All parts poisonous which means deer proof.

A subtle woodlander for most of spring and summer until late summer and fall when it suddenly busts a move and starts strutting its stuff.  Fern-like foliage backs small white puffs of flowers in May which become showy clusters of bright white fruit in late summer & fall.  The white version of our red fruited native.

Ultra-choice dwarf form of our Western Maidenhair fern that is currently known from just a few coastal cliff sites on Vancouver Island and historically on the Olympic Peninsula.  Short black stems hold dense perfection of classic maidenhair leaves on plants not exceeding 8" in height.  These are established divisions from our plants originating from the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden.

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 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 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 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.

Our collection from an area little visited by Westerners and part of our ongoing effort to collect and grow comparative specimens from across its range in Vietnam and China.  Same genus as Lipstick Vine, this shrubby gesneriad has proven hardy in mild gardens here in western Washington.  Tubular red-orange flowers.

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.

Our collection from the lower slopes of Mt Japfu in Nagaland at around 7000'. (NAPE= Nagaland/Arunachal Pradesh Expedition 2203)   This is an epiphyte growing below frost zone with showy red flowers with narrow petals.  Best cool in loose airy mossy soil treated like an indoor fern.

Staggeringly good introduction by Jens Nilsen from the China-Myanmar border region.  This incomparable Lipstick Vine species is comment-provoking even out of flower with abruptly pendulous branches holding thick, long leaves. The red tubular flowers are the cherry on the Aeschynanthus sundae.

Choice little alpine from the heights of Syria, Lebanon and Turkey which is remarkably hardy.  Sue brought this out west with her from her garden in northern Vermont in case you think we're making stuff up.  Which we do but we're not this time.  Perfect low mats of small rounded gray leaves and white spring flowers.

This is a fine selection quite comparable to "Back in Black" but a bit more compact in stature aspiring to attain 3' in height.  This makes it much more workable for the front of the bed or as a container element.  Dark stems holding dark blue-purple flowers in late summer.  Mulch if very cold but has been fine here in the Puget Sound area.

This was selected at Bressingham Gardens by the legendary Alan Bloom and is derivative from the garden-proven Headsbourne hybrids that are noted for hardiness and excellent flowers. This pick of the litter has 2-1/2' stems with baseball-sized flower-heads of a good dark blue. This will be good down to zone 7 with a nice deep mulch.

A compact little guy carrying very nice white flowers which benefit from extra petals giving it a little more floral punch.  If you can and no one complains, then why not?  Mulch in winter and decent drainage and feel free to plant it in a very sunny hot spot.

Tastefully narrow deciduous leaves with medium small flower heads of a good clear mid-blue.  Hardy and a good performer in the garden.  Sun and deer resistant.

Lily of the Nile. One of the top hybrids bred by Steve Hickman of Hoyland's and is well-regarded among those in the know for its large powder-blue flowers on 30" stems.

A sterling selection of a smaller Agapanthus which has lots of small heads of dark blue flowers,  We dug this from the personal garden of our friends from Hedgerows Nursery upon their retirement and moving away.  A very choice selection and not to be confused with the clone 'Midknight Blue'.

This is one hell of a plant.  Flower stalks to 5 feet tall with admittedly small heads of flowers but the individual florets are large and quite long.  These drooping pendants are the color you dream about in Agapanthus - a deep and dark smoking blue-black that you can look at eye to eye.