Tight clumps with blue flowers with a yellow button in June-July.  Very hardy.  First introduction to the US. Fantastic little plant from South Africa which used to be Aster natalensis but is now in the genus Felicia.

This is a hybrid named by Sean Hogan which was found at the Ruth Bancroft gardens and is a suspected cross between the creeping Ficus pumila and the big edible fig, Ficus carica.  It does seem to be perfectly intermediate.  A rambler/scrambler for a sunny spot good for winding through shrubs.  Zone 8, tiny figs.

Steve Hootman saw this growing and established in a Pennsylvania garden and with a puzzled "What the hell?", immediately took cuttings.  This evergreen groundcover Ficus is most often grown as a houseplant but this Pennsylvania selection should do well in the PNW.  Will cling to walls or rocks.

We first encountered this species on the mid to lower slopes of the Cangshan Mountains. This species formed broad carpets of evergreen foliage covering the large rocks so as to give the impression of a tumultuous green sea frozen in place.  If you  have only very light frosts this would be a fine groundcover. This does have small reddish figs but stick to the ones you get at the store.

Sweet little evergreen groundcover from southern Taiwan where it grows at low to mid elevation in littoral thickets. Small rounded leaves and yes, there are very small figs but it would take a lot to make figgy pudding. Zone 8 hardy and grows at the Zone 7 Raulston Arboretum in a sheltered spot where it is deciduous in cold winters. Tolerant of shade.

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.

This weird variant of the Alpine Strawberry was discovered by John Tradescant in 1627 near  Plymouth in Devon and is often called the Plymouth Strawberry.  The white petals of the normal flower have been replaced by green leafy bracts and the fruit follows suit cloaking itself in spiky green appendages.  Not a treat for the table but a historical and fun treat for the garden.

A Chilean collection of a very large form of this showy species. You can correctly infer that since this is larger, it is showier! Four foot tall or more flower stems arise from the bold basal rosettes of ruffled rounded leaves to display in grand fashion the wands of white-throated pink flowers. If size is important to you and if we are all being honest, it is, then this is the Francoa to which others must be measured and found lacking. Mild gardens here.

A subtly appealing Frit for the bulb enthusiast and one which does well in the garden (as opposed to fussing in containers or growing in bulb frames) This has up to 3 bell shaped flowers of a blend of olive-green and purplish-brown. Sun to half sun and decent drainage and increases quite well.  Flowering size.

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.

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.

This hardy bush Fuchsia is quite a pleasing addition to the garden where it performs admirably in a sunny spot with lots of narrow hanging white flowers which are touched in faintest green on the tepal tips.  Recent winters have put a whupping on reliably hardy plants so if it is going to turn nasty, mulch the base and trunk well.  Easy and gratifying.

A cold-tolerant species from Brazil that was discovered in 1934.  This not-so-common species gives the effect of a smaller Fuchsia magellanica with the small deep pink and purple flowers but on a smaller scale.  In our cooler climate, this will get to 3' or so while in warmer, longer season zones, perhaps to 5'.  Once well established, this will spread gently via rhizomes but easy to keep in bounds and perfect for sharing, furthering your propagation reputation.

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.