New and Restocked Plants

If the nursery catches on fire or there is an EF5 tornado bearing down or skies darken from a locust plague of biblical proportions, this is in the first armload we grab. A gesneriad from our collection in Asia where this grew on shaded, mossy rock faces enjoying Acer griseum and Emmenopterys henryi as neighbors. Gloriously large, totally tubular lavender-pink flowers awaken urges long forgotten. Should be hardy here in the maritime PNW. Some authorities have transferred this to the genus Oreocharis although this has not yet been universally accepted. A portion of the proceeds goes to support the mission of Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy.

Surely one of the finest Trillium species and perhaps the most fervently desired plant in our shade garden.  This is an uncommon species growing in southern Oregon and Northern California.  Dark red sessile flowers with a slight twist of the petals stand at attention above maculated leaves.

More art than flower and more flower than one's soul can bear.  Almost anyway, as each spring we gasp back to awareness from the horticultural fugue state that these flowers send us to and while we don't know where we've been or what we've done, we do know that it was amazing.  Narrow black-red petals evoke a dark and sinuous eroticism that tests your limits.

Three year old bulbs of this incomparably garden-worthy species.  This is from a slightly more eastern extension to its range than currently recognized and was found just as drier Pinus forest changed to wetter, mixed deciduous forest.  Fragrant white flowers with some purple coloration in the interior on stems 8'-12' tall is 3-4 years.  A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering

A newly described (2013) species found in..............wait for it.............Tennessee in just three locations.  Incredibly rare and a very exciting find.  These are newly-potted divisions from our plants of the type specimens used to describe the species and do not impact the wild population.  Small yellow flowers with a maroon base.  A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering.

Rock Soapwort.  This is a lovely and tough rock garden or crevice plant from the Pyrenees where it grows in exposed sheer rock faces.  Dense cushions of close-packed rosettes with narrow short green leaves.  Pink-purple flowers are held on short 2" stems in groups of one to three.  One becomes a group when hanging with the Threes.  Full sun, good drainage, zones 3-8.

Beautiful variegated form of this new Zealand Griselinia.  As the species name suggests, this favors coastal conditions and can take the wind.  We saw the typical form growing happily at Robin's Hood Bay in England as we finished the Coast to Coast walk.  Think a much more refined laurel and you are in the ballpark.  Easy to prune, gets to 12', zones 8b-9 or warm 8a.

Our friend Ian Barclay's introduction from Desert Northwest Nursery (awesome plants!) of this seedling of 'Leanne' and an improvement of that selection.  Darker green foliage and lighter yellow flowers in mid to late winter and a small rebloom in fall.  Grows fast and leave it some room like all Grevillea but very amenable to pruning.  Prefers mineral soil, no fertilizer.

Mountain Coyote Mint. A Washington State native whose range extends from BC to CA and east to UT, inhabiting drier slopes in mid-elevation montane settings to subalpine settings. Very variable in flower color, this one has pincushion heads of pink-purple flowers.  The flowers and the powerfully aromatic foliage, has been used historically in a decoction for flatulence.

A serious bit of yellow on this rock garden gem.  The dome of small silver leaves is completely obscured by the mass of yellow flowers in May and June here.  We let ours go to seed so we can enjoy more seedlings.  This is visually nearly identical to three other distantly related species in the Mediterranean and may reflect parallel evolution from similar habitats.

Fine Buckwheat from seed collected in Kern Co. CA at 7830'.  This population is one of the most compact forms of this variety with very small, gray-white leaves on a low mat that can eventually get 2' across.  The flower stems can be 16" tall, and unlike its pom-pom flowered kin, the white to pale pink flowers are ranked along the stem to nice effect.  Dryish mineral soil zones 5-8.

Pink flowers in whorls on stems to 4'-5' with soft gray-green leaves. Blooms for months. We have ours planted in our never-watered Arctostaphylos bed where it can go three months between rains with no ill effect. This is one tough Spaniard!  This regrows each spring vigorously from the base so a late season whacking back to a foot or so is good.  Dry, deer proof, bilingual.

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?

Compact little plant that lends itself to formal edging as it is naturally a very tight, small rounded dome of small green leaves that gets its groove on with a shameless display of yellow button flowers.  We will never be confused with formal and in keeping, our plant is immensely happy in our free-form dry garden.  Just a quick shearing of the spent flowers and good to go.  Deer proof.

Rocky Mountain Elderberry. A black-fruited variant of our native red-fruited Elderberry. This is found in Canada down to Utah and this collection is from seed collected by botanist Alex Wright in Idaho.  We find that variants, deviants, the odd miscreant adds considerable not only but the garden as well and this does just that.  A necessary addition to your native plant palette.

Chinese Bleeding Heart.  This is a departure from the ferny foliaged Dicentras we are used to by sporting broad leaflets looking more Astilbe than Dicentra.  Another departure is the cream to soft yellow flowers.  Vigorous in moist rich soil, this makes an impressive patch quickly.

This choice Chinese perennial is related to our native Ginger or Asarum and Saruma being an anagram of Asarum is what passes for humor in botanical nomenclature.  Felty heart shaped foliage bronze when young and half inch yellow flowers right away and through the summer.  Easy.

A refined selection with rich bright red flowers and named in 1993 by Cornwall gardener John Hogan for Lana de Savary.  We can't fault the name as a cursory google search reveals that the socialite Lana de Savary is not only red-haired but apparently both bright and ungodly rich.  We have more cool plants than her though.

There ain't nuthin' like this.  Early spring yellow stars followed by leathery lobed green leaves in a dense low mound.  It is the early yellow flowers that steal the show in part because they have so little competition and in part because they are so unique.

A rare Myrtle fromTierra del Fuego which is quite hardy here and just the sweetest thing with evergreen aromatic leaves and small white flowers in summer which are followed by pink/white pearly edible berries.  A perfect little plant.  Good moist soil in some shade.

A no-fuss restrained yet refined evergreen Cardamine which is nearly faultless.  We haven't found a fault yet but most overachievers are hiding something deep under that charm and industry.  Rest assured, this will never go postal in your garden.  Dark green dense leaves set off  flowers of of purest white in early summer.

There is no ignoring this Primrose when it is in flower.  Some Primula are wee subtle things with no greater effect than the sound of a distant flute teasing the edge of hearing.  Primula florindae is a full triumphant symphony with you sitting in the orchestra pit.  Big heads of many nodding yellow or orange shaded fragrant flowers.

This clone of this fabulous Iris introduced by Darrell Probst is one of our favorite plants of all time.  Very fine grassy foliage making a large lax dense mound that is festooned with small white jewels of flowers.  It won't happen overnight but give this a few years and you will have some serious bragging rights.  Not that we ever concern ourselves with things like that.............

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 very rarely offered hardy terrestrial orchid from northern India that is an Asian counterpart to our own native Epipactis gigantea.  This has freakishly nice rosey-pink flowers as many as 15 per stem.  Easy in the garden and a good multiplier.  We've wanted to offer this one for a long time and the opening bell has finally rung.  Feel free to comparison shop on this baby.

A favorite of ours from South Africa.  We have this growing in front of our greenhouse and the first winter I mulched it and covered with a a tarp.  No damage. 2nd winter just tarped it - no damage.  Last winter I didn't protect at all and no damage at 17F.  Yellow daisy flowers - good drainage.

Large lavender blue flowers with a darker reverse grants this little slowly creeping Wood Anemone its own small fiefdom in the shade garden while it is in bloom.  Very pretty indeed.  Of course by mid summer the peasants and serfs rise up with scythes and cudgels to reclaim their land but next year the glorious cycle of rule and revolution is repeated.

Long have we had a love affair with this most noble of the weed clan Plantago.  Hailing from Spain where sun and good drainage and robust olive oils and sturdy red wines are so critical to properly growing and appreciating this gem, this adapts easily to the NW.  A delight in the rock garden

Our collection as cuttings from the Cangshan in Yunnan of an especially small leafed form of this evergreen species.  Steve Hootman of the Rhododendron Species Botanical garden now and again mutters about giving it a clonal name.  Probably best in a mild garden.

Alpine Bush Mint.  This high elevation Aussie handled our 2010-11 Winter of Horror with scarcely a whimper.  Dense shrublet with rounded packed leaves minty when crushed and white flowers with red-yellow-purple in the throat from spring and sporadically until fall.  Excellent plant.