New and Restocked Plants

Robin White's hybrid which was a gift to us from John Massey at Ashwood Nursery and typical of anything from Robin, this is freaking awesome.  Stout of stem, bold of leaf and arresting of flower, all is colored a rich purple in June and July later mellowing somewhat but still freaking awesome. Unavailable in the US.  Except here.

From our breeding work with Podophyllum, comes a very vigorous hybrid between a good form of pleianthum and a robust delavayi hybrid. These have large, rather olive-green leaves touched in mottled light bronze especially when young and has red flowers that are well-displayed.  This is not flamboyant but has a redoubtable solemnity of purpose and inherent courtliness which has earned our respect.

'Red Panda' was an O'Byrne hybrid seed strain of somewhat variable copper-leafed beauties and we sell the best we have seen of this strain as 'Red Panda'.  We've duplicated the cross with similar results and are calling the progeny 'Red Panda Group'.  These are good plants and approach the 'Red Panda' clone.

A hybrid from the breeding work of plant fiend Andy Navage, Director of Horticulture at the fabulous Bloedel Reserve.  A lovely plant of good vigor, this has deeply lobed large green leaves that are clouded in light dull bronze.  The leaf petioles and flower pedicels are hairy and the flowers are light pink.

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A collection of this very elegant species from Lao Cai, Vietnam by Peter Zale. This is closely allied to L. poilanei and the range of the two species overlap in this area. Large pendant white to creamy yellow flowers with strongly recurved tepals (petals) which shows off the vivid maroon interior blotching. Awesome bit of dramatic rareness.

A lovely gold leafed sport that Rick Sawyer found in his Fernwood Nursery in Maine. This truly glows particularly in spring when the gold coloration is at its best. The usual white scented flowers are a fine accompaniment. From a garden standpoint, a posi

Palm Leaf Begonia. Thanks to Nancy Heckler who annually logs her robust plant late in the year to aid in overwintering and shows up at our door with an armload of stems several feet long for cuttings. It's all in who you know. Serious container plant for the summer and fall and should be brought in prior to frost.

A Mexican species growing in the mountains as far south as Oaxaca and found on rocky cliffs or open woodlands from 7000'-12000' elevation.  This will make a low spreading shrub or an upright plant to 6' or so which matches our parent plant.  Pink to red flowers with red-orange fruit.  Super good drainage in low fertility soil in dry conditions.

California native conifer from seed collected from the Pygmy Forest in Humboldt County. This unique population is naturally dwarfed from growing on nutrient deficient podosol soil with a high aluminum content that overlays a high iron hardpan. This will grow normally for you becoming a lovely drought tolerant tree.

We presume this is simply a good form of Dactylorhiza maculata as the leaves are broader and the purple-pink flowers held in fatter heads than many of the forms we see around.  A good plant and one we have slowly increased by division and now have a scant few to offer.  Leaves are nicely spotted.

The luscious double flowered form of this aristocratic woodlander from Japan.  Extra petals on the lightly blue-pink tinged white flowers takes this to the next level.  This is certainly one of the 3000-4000 plants that we would grab first if the greenhouses were ablaze.  Our own plants from our divisions - not imported.

A very vigorous form from a Quarryhill collection that is much taller and has larger green leaves than any of the others we grow.  The usual early spring white flowers in March and April here.  We have a just a few of these from division here in late winter and these may not be fully rooted out on early orders.

Seedlings from a floriferous red-flowered selection from Russell Graham.  Russell had one of the most beloved specialty nurseries in the Northwest and to say he knows a good plant is stating the obvious.  The parent plant is a short, dense clumper with small red flowers that rule by their majority.  This has pride of place in our garden, widely separated from our other Dierama, so hope is for similarity on these children.

An extraordinary variant from Linda Cochran's (of course) old garden which she allowed us to salvage when moving.  Distinctly mocha foliage in early spring, with various plant parts retaining dark tones.  Notably, the flower stem is very dark as are the bracts enclosing the flower bud.  The flowers are lovely, white and richly colored in dark maroon.  These are young 3 year old bulbs from isolated, hand-pollinated seed.

Dwarf Mountain Ash.  Our collection of the grand little 2' species from NW Yunnan where we found it mingling about in a little wooded copse with Nomocharis aperta as a friend.  Creamy white flowers in clusters followed by pinkish red fruit.  Decent fall color as well.

An exceptionally rare and fine form from Newfoundland of this northern tier species.  It actually dips into NE Washington.  This selection just kicks butt on the typical form.  Nice spring catkins but it's the foliage!  Soft silver gray leaves on a plant wider than it is tall.  See it in our border.

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.

Awesome rare lily known only from NE India where Frank Kingdon-Ward first collected it in either Manipur or Nagaland and named it after his wife whose maiden name was Macklin.  Pale pink flowers in late spring and early summer are a lovely thing indeed on this smaller collector's lily.  Frank's wife must have been an exquisite creature.

Staggeringly good False Solomon Seal from China which owns its corner of our shade garden when it is in bloom.  The very gratifying terminal white flowers are a reward unto themselves but on a big clump like we have, the fragrance from these makes this a multi-sensory experience of the very best sort.

This is one of the stars in the understory of the towering coastal redwoods, Sequoia sempervirens.  Wide fleshy green leaves would not look out of place in the subtropics and that impression is only enhanced by the umbels of red flowers which become visually luscious blue-purple fruit.

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.

Midwestern native Hepatica whose name has been changed to Anemone acutiloba or some prefer Anemone nobilis var. acuta.  We cling to Hepatica, kicking and screaming.  This has leaves with sharply pointed lopes and white flowers well-displayed on erect stems above the leaves. Good plant for the woodland garden where it plays well with the early Trilliums, Cardamines and various early spring ephemera.

Solomon's Seal.  Mighty fine selection and surely one of the very best variegated perennials for shade.  Good clean white variegation that illuminates where it is planted.  Stunning enough to stand alone with a simple groundcover at its feet or schmoozes easily  with other garden glitteratti.

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.

These were shared with us by Kelly's mentor and fair to say, hero, Steve Doonan of Grand Ridge Nursery.  A superb selection with petaloid stamens giving this a robust doubled appearance.  Always hard to come by and much sought after, this will in time make a nice carpet of ostentation.

One of the little gems of the woodland is this scarcely encountered selection which we have planted under our Disporum 'Night Heron' in our shade garden.  A gentle infiltrator wending amongst plants of stouter stature, this carries a joyous light in its white edged leaves and pale bell flowers.

Codonopsis are curious things. These are herbaceous vining relatives of Campanula or Bellflowers and seem an unlikely expression of such. From an almost bulbous root arises several tendril shoots which love to twine into surrounding shrubs from which to display their 2" dusky lavender star shaped flowers.

A purported G. papilio hybrid, our mama plant when in bloom with its 5 foot stems of red-mauve flowers sporting dark eye patches, frequently caused plant geeks to start speaking in tongues and offer creative enticements in exchange for a wee bit.  We have had to say "No." until now.

Fabulous hybrid Hepatica that in time will form mats of great lobed foliage with loads of light medium blue flowers in early spring.  A durable plant with few if any faults.  Great with Ranunculus ficaria and Hellebores.

Very cool Candelabra type Primrose with whorls of rich black cherry flowers.  Very distinctive and definitely eue-catching.  Loves a moist rich soil where it will gently self sow and frankly boogie until dawn.