First introduced to cultivation by Joseph Hooker, one of the preeminent botanists of the 19th century and buddies with Charles Darwin. Our fern and rhododendron greenhouse is named for him. This is a strong growing, fine-petaled yellow daisy whose flowers emerge from fuzzy buds so intricate they might befit some beautiful undersea reef creature.
If you have a very mild garden, this is worth every effort to cultivate. Related to Chilean Embothrium, this SE Aussie similarly will rock your world when it flowers. A dense crown of 35-60 crimson flowers are packed together like a fair dinkum hummingbird buffet. This has grown and flowered on Bainbridge Island and thrives in Brookings Oregon. Ixnay on the phosphorous
One of those dramatic ferns which cannot help itself from stealing the spotlight. This spreading Chilean relative to our Deer Fern loves a rich, moist spot where it makes a colony displaying its awesome-by-anyone's-definition leaves. Leaves, which in the endless buffet of nutrient-laden compost and with ample water, can reach 4'-5' tall. Evergreen except in hard winters.
A luscious, tender Nerine sarniensis hybrid worth every effort to overwinter. Related to Amaryllis, this bulb is summer dormant with the leaves appearing in winter and flowering in fall. The flowers are the rich pink of promise speaking directly to the limbic brain conjuring ancient cave responses as though confronted by sex, ripe fruit or blood. Civilization is but a thin veneer.
A choice Snowdrop with very large single flowers and one of the earliest to bloom. This was found in the garden of John Gray in England and is a hard one to come by. Increases moderately well and seems to be a survivor with a good constitution as it is going strong here while more effete selections have dwindled.
An introduction which is a very curious departure from the norm for blueberries as this has pink fruit. Can you still call it a blueberry if it has pink fruit? Yet it still tastes like a blueberry....I haven't had my world turned this upside down since I first ate white chocolate. Tasty fruit on an attractive deciduous plant.
The largest of the Spaniard Grasses, this is native to sub-alpine montane grasslands on the South Island of New Zealand where it does experience snow. The plant forms large tussocks whose needle sharp blue-green leaves can reach 3' long. Perhaps best of all, it has a spike of soft yellow flowers up to 9' tall. Not a true grass but in the carrot family.
We got our plant from Stephen F. Austin Arboretum in Texas and while it is frost sensitive, the good display of blue flowers in late summer and fall makes this worth overwintering in the sunroom or cool greenhouse as it is perennial and such overwintered plants will start struttin' its flowers earlier in the summer with that typical Texan swagger.
Very good plant in the upper echelon of perennials and highly valued for its mid summer blooms of thickly textured intriguing yellow flowers on the terminals of the stems. These gets nice broad leaves on herbaceous stems that in shape is not unlike a Hydrangea. Imposing at maturity.
A wild combination of bright magenta flowers and dark foliage which, after our initial recoil of horror, we have come to appreciate and indeed, admire. We have enough botanically interesting plants with green flowers and things ending in "minutiflora" that a blast of color is a rush and a good reminder that color is fun. We can leave our Dahlia in the ground over winter here.
Honorary member of the Odd Plants Society. This tough shrublet is related to Asparagus and the apparent leaves are not leaves at all but modified stem parts called cladodes and in the midvein of these rests a tiny inconspicuous (and that is being generous) flower. This is a male clone and it would be great to get a female plant for the showy red fruit sitting on the surface of the "leaf"
Dwarf form of Sweet Myrtle that should be a great addition to the evergreen shrub palette here in PT. Hardiness is increased with less water in summer and likes a nice sunny spot - we can do this! Aromatic foliage when crushed with small fragrant white flowers late summer. This has got to be deer resistant although the cute vermin are cultivating a palette for deer-proof food.
A graceful thin-leaved evergreen shrub from Australia which has not been even slightly damaged by our occasional winter lows to 10F. Great texture and the profuse white clove-scented flowers in midsummer sends our various bee species into a frenzy of nectar and pollen gathering! Phosphorous sensitive so skip the fertilizer.
Choice dwarf form of the former Pernettya mucronata from a Vojtech Holubec collection at Torres del Paine, Chile above treeline.. This little evergreen gets 6"-12" tall with small white flowers and white to lilac berries. Gently rhizomatous and a good rock garden candidate liking acid soil. Thanks to Ben Kamm for making this goody available.
Sweet little evergreen groundcover from southern Taiwan where it grows at low to mid elevation in littoral thickets. Then there is the virtual 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.
A collection by our friend Steve Hootman, the Indiana Jones of plant hunting, of this quite beautiful Asian species from a fairly cold area so this should have good hardiness. Attractive foliage on 10"-15" stems with showy white parasols of flowers in mid spring which brings light to the dark of the shade garden. Gently spreading to just the right extent and rare in cultivation.
Mountain Avens. Rare Washington State native, this is circumpolar in tundra areas including alpine areas in the Cascades and Rockies. Good evergreen groundcover with tough textured leaves hugging the ground. 8 petaled white flowers showing it belongs in the rose family are followed by festive plumed seed heads.
Yellow Coralbells. Heuchera relative native to subalpine and alpine scree slopes and ledges in the Olympic and Cascade Mts in Washington and British Columbia. This collection is from Snohomish County by Alex Wright. Small rounded 1"-2" leaves can form dense mats and the creamy yellow flowers are 4"-10" stems are pretty nice especially if a dark rock mulch is used.
Pretty cool and needless to say, rare rhizomatous evergreen perennial taxonomically wandering among genera from Tupistra to Campylandra to currently Rohdea which we have written in pencil. This has proven nicely hardy here in the PNW making a statement with elegant narrow green leaves with a muted amber central stripe. Flowers curiously interesting.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Collected by the Wynn-Jones in Guatemala at higher elevation where it was growing as an epiphyte. Our mama plant is in a container and is one of the showiest Maianthemum or False Solomon Seal we grow. And we grow a lot btw! Lovely light salmon stems of 24"-30" seem to bow under the weight of the large inflorescence with a galaxy of white stars opening from cream buds.
Our collection from Asia of this low growing - prostrate actually - creeping Cotoneaster. It is one we admired as it crept over a rock face along the trail and we kept going, not intending to collect seed. Looking back, we saw our friend and great plantsman Peter Cox collecting seed so we scampered back to do the same. Found in the range of C. dammeri but there are 111 species in China alone.
Hamilton Dwarf Cranberry. This is one of our desert island dwarf shrublets. Granted, we would be bundled up on the beach as this would be a cool northern island for this to be happy but that is a small concession for 12 months of beauty. Perfection in a small package with very slow growth, evergreen leaves turning burgundy in winter, tiny pink flowers and red fruit - yea, verily!
Grand deciduous shrub which brings a strong visual sashay to the garden with unapologetically brazen variegated leaves. This makes eye contact and holds it until you respond. Then the scented white flowers appear and you know you should leave but your feet don't move leaving you in the best sort of trouble.
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.
