A favorite of ours from South Africa.  We have this growing in front of our greenhouse and last winter I didn't protect at all, and no damage at 17F. Yellow daisy flowers - good drainage.

Silver Wings Evening Primrose. Narrow grayish leaves in a low branched rosette of leaves are perfect with the large 4" yellow flowers that open as the sun sets. Plant these where you can enjoy them during the evening wine stroll through the garden and then follow up with your morning coffee mosey.  Good drainage, lean soil and sun.  Well-suited for the rock garden, this Kansas and Nebraska native can take some dry.

Pewter Moon Evening Primrose. A fine very large flowered form with green to gray leaves and reddish stems. Big rounded golden yellow flowers open at dusk and carry on well into the next day.  A good hardy and drought tolerant plant that works it in the rock garden or Garden of Neglect.  Worth growing just to watch the Sphinx Moths go delirious in the gloaming. Good drainage.

A white flowered form with purple stripes of of our native Grass Widow. Like all of our Olsynium selections, this has been a long process of a decade or so to get this to a size where division is possible and we feel like we can safely release a few. Early flowering in Feb-Mar and fully dormant by summer. Myriad variants can be found in flower shape, color, size, time of bloom etc.

Large purple flowers with narrow petals in this selection. Like all of our Olsynium selections, this has been a long process of a decade or so to get this to a size where division is possible and we feel like we can safely release a few. Early flowering in Feb-Mar and fully dormant by summer. Myriad variants can be found in flower shape, color, size, time of bloom etc.

An especially good striped flower form in this selection. Like all of our Olsynium selections, this has been a long process of a decade or so to get this to a size where division is possible and we feel like we can safely release a few. Early flowering in Feb-Mar and fully dormant by summer. Myriad variants can be found in flower shape, color, size, time of bloom etc.

An especially tall, purple-flowered form in this selection. Like all of our Olsynium selections, this has been a long process of a decade or so to get this to a size where division is possible and we feel like we can safely release a few. Early flowering in Feb-Mar and fully dormant by summer. Myriad variants can be found in flower shape, color, size, time of bloom etc.

A floriferous form of of our native Grass Widow with rounded petals. Like all of our Olsynium selections, this has been a long process of a decade or so to get this to a size where division is possible and we feel like we can safely release a few. Early flowering in Feb-Mar and fully dormant by summer. Myriad variants can be found in flower shape, color, size, time of bloom etc.

A very uncommon pink form of of our native Grass Widow. Like all of our Olsynium selections, this has been a long process of a decade or so to get this to a size where division is possible and we feel like we can safely release a few. Early flowering in Feb-Mar and fully dormant by summer. Myriad variants can be found in flower shape, color, size, time of bloom etc.

A fine dark purple selection of of our native Grass Widow. Like all of our Olsynium selections, this has been a long process of a decade or so to get this to a size where division is possible and we feel like we can safely release a few. Early flowering in Feb-Mar and fully dormant by summer. Myriad variants can be found in flower shape, color, size, time of bloom etc.

Surely one of the best with electric blue flowers nearly twice the size of the species. Vigorous and not fussy coarse foliaged groundcover perfect under Rhododendrons.

One of the cutest Mondo Grasses around!  This little Chinese species has very fine leaves making a tight little mound which is decorated with white flowers in spring.  The flowers are not what grabs us though as they give way to rounded oval shiny blue fruits that beg to be admired.  Easy in part shade.

A subtle sport of the Black Mondo Grass 'Nigrescens' with the thinnest edge of white along one side of the leaf. This was introduced by Collector's Nursery and named by the late clever wordsmith Bill Jansen who was one of the owners.  Bill had a gift for naming plants as many of you conifer collectors well know.

Black Mondo Grass. One of the classiest ornamentals and maybe the best for providing color and textural contrast, this can find a home in any garden. Fairly drought tolerant but thriving in more moist situations, this has evergreen (or everblack) leaves with pink flowers and shiny black pearl seeds.  The cultivar names 'Nigrescens', 'Niger', and 'Black Dragon' have been very recently subsumed into 'Kokuryu'.

Mondo Grass. Our collection from Asia.  This was shorter-growing than the other species we observed in the area and the leaves were comparatively glossier. The autumn blue fruit was oval shaped and we could only hope the flowers would be good. Our hopes were not misplaced as the white flowers are large for an Ophiopogon and different than our other collections.  This is a dense carpeter rather than a clumper.

A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering.  Keying Ophiopogon requires a keener taxonomic mind than we possess plus a bottle of sippin' whiskey within easy reach as it is a frustrating endeavor.  This is a little gem forming loose open tussocks of fine bladed grassy green leaves which provides excellent viewing of the comparatively large brilliant blue fruit.

2011 collection of this very attractive species from Dragon's Tooth in Lao Cai, Vietnam at 1700 meters. This rare Mondo Grass makes good evergreen clumps with narrow arching leaves up to 20" long with showy lavender flowers with darker flecks. Any plant from a place called Dragon's Tooth should be pretty tough as well as bringing a bit of magic to your garden.

Our Asian collection of yet another Ophiopogon or Mondo Grass.  Through the Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy, we are very keen on acquiring documented collections of this complex and taxonomically challenging genus as such collections are needed to get the genus properly sorted. Narrow grassy leaves to 15" and purplish fruit.  Flowers unknown.  A portion of the proceeds goes to the Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy.

This is an indicator plant useful for delineating highly refined plant geeks.  Perfection of scale and form with very narrow slightly curled leaves and delicate white flowers followed by improbably rich blue shiny fruit.  Involuntary moaning is perfectly acceptable.  Very slow clumper.

A wild collection introduced by Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy hoping to shine some light into the taxonomic murkiness that is these genera.  Perhaps our unflinching ambiguity in assigning it to two possible genera is an indication.  From a high elevation within its range, this should have good hardiness.  Evergreen leaves 18" long by 1/2" wide with blue fruit.  Flowers unknown. A portion of the proceeds goes to the Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy.

This gesneriad (African Violet family) is from our collection just miles from the China-Vietnam border. Small narrow-necked yellow flowers over evergreen rosettes of leaves. We have seen this species in numerous sites including southern China growing on mossy rocks, fallen logs or epiphytically.

This is from seed collected in 2010 at 3500' from cliffs on the lower slopes of Fanjingshan in Guizhou.  What fun it was to see this gesneriad in the wild!  Purplish flowers are held on short 4" stems and this is a must-have if you fancy Afican Violets and Streptocarpus.  Frost-free and good drainage.

This hybrid Oregano done works whats it gots to da max. This is made to order for heat waves, drought conditions, and hungry bees.  Lean soil with great drainage? Check. Dry summers? Check. Ravening hoards of deer and rabbit? Check. Loads of amethyst-pink flowers from light green bracts in summer.

Fabulous hybrid ornamental Origano (O. rotundifolium x O. scabrum) which is both heat and drought tolerant and a perfect choice for the sunny rock garden or top edge of rockery wall.  This really does need sharp drainage to perform its best.  In the Midwest, it is used as an annual in window boxes.  Light pink flowers all summer long.

Got lots of sun and sandy or well-drained soil with average to low fertility in a dryish garden beset by rabbits and deer but still want lots of flowers for the bees and other pollinators? Look no further as this will nicely fill the bill. Mature plant has hundreds of pink papery bracted flowers in midsummer on drooping stems. Best displayed in a raised bed.

Fragrant Princess False Holly or so the translation goes.  You cannot help but like this diminutive version with its deep green miniature hollyesque leaves and its scented typical Osmanthus-sized white flowers.  This grows ridiculously slow and should you live long enough, plan on having a garden party when your aged Fragrant Princess reaches 3 feet tall.  On second thought, better plan on that party when she reaches 2 feet.

A plant this diminutive just can't be this sassy but what a show!  Finely cut green leaves in a dense mound and showy flowers of vivid blue merging with striations into the purple center.  A class act on trough or rock garden.  Good drainage and a gritty soil.

This little bulbous jewel from South America takes a back seat to no bulb.  A bantamweight in size but this flowers at a weight class much higher.  A perfect bun of green foliage with lots of flowers whose pale pink chases dark feathers down to the white center.  Gritty and drainage.  Trough or rock garden.

Sweet little groundcover whose double white flowers resemble fluffy bits of white popcorn strewn on the leaves. Perfect underplanting for other shade plants to pop up through and great between stepping stones. Gently spreading and not hard to keep in bounds. Darnn near perfect.

Perfect fine texture with a silver sheen all year long.  This is a gorgeous evergreen that further delights in the summer with small white flowers.  Pinch it if you want it bushy and don't treat it too nice - it prefers a leaner soil that drains well.  Tolerant of dry when established and likes full sun.