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A very attractive introduction by us from Yunnan if we do say so. Broad lightly hairy leaves in a dense clump with lots of large soft lavender daisy flowers fringed heavily in very fine petals surround a prominent dark "cone". This steals the show in mid to late July here in our gardens. Karen, a friend of ours who has exceptional taste was strolling the gardens last night (July 20), saw this Aster blooming and said "I want that plant!". And she had barely touched her glass of wine so it was a completely valid assessment. When shipped in the fall, we'll need to cut this plant back.

One of those plants that turns you to jelly when you see it blooming. We saw this grown to perfection at the Charlton-Sale garden in North Vancouver BC where it had grown over a stump in the woodland and crept over to the fissured bark of a nearby Douglas fir and was creeping up the furrows with over-sized red-pink trumpets of flowers which left us stricken dumb in the wilderness. Fortunately it was right on the path and we could see the house and Charlie was nearby, so we were able to stumble along muttering "Asteranthera - must have Asteranthera" in relative safety until our wits returned. Now we are haunted by what other treasures we might have missed along the way while we were blinded by beauty. This Chilean and Argentinian gesneriad demands a cool, humid, acidic, moist, somewhat shaded and relatively mild situation to thrive. If you have these conditions, then this an automatic add to cart. A small-leafed evergreen groundcover which will climb tightly appressed over or up boulders or logs. Given time and proper conditions, it will climb up tree trunks or shaded brick walls to 10' or bit more and leave you steeped in wonder when it flowers..

One of the jewels in the tiara of shade garden royalty which is supposed to sound aristocratic and appealing and I believe it does. Put this little Chinese gem in a special spot where you can enjoy the white flowers over the patterned foliage. This would likely thrive in a moist rotting stump. Found up to 12000' in alpine meadows, we've also seen a tiny form in forests in Chongqing. These are from our own divisions.

A fine little dwarf Astilbe native to Japan and one that has proved to be very enduring as well as endearing. This is one Sue used to grow at her old place in northern Vermont and charmed her to the point that it made the cut and followed her out west lo those many years ago. Low mounds of dense and finely cut foliage with short spikes of soft pink fluff in early summer. We grow this out in the full sun with ample water.

Dense congested foliage especially beautiful in spring as the new growth is a reddish bronze. Stout full flower spikes of a good pink stay under a foot tall. This received the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticulural Society so you know its good!

A big look for the shade with magnificent rounded leaves to 3' wide and early summer panicles of plumed white flowers on stalks up to five feet high. Loves a rich moist soil and shovelful or two of cow, horse, goat or llama poo would be most welcome.

Pencil Pine. Very interesting conifer from the highlands of Tasmania where it is threatened due to fires and degradation of habitat from grazing and too many Eucalyptus. The leaf scale are tightly appressed to the stem so the green branchlets do look very pencil-like. A moderate grower with old-growth trees 30'-60' but you won't have to worry about it - it takes a while.

Our collection from an end-of-day hunch-driven venture up a nondescript dirt track into forested hills which remains one of the best two hours we have ever spent in the field. A deciduous species with upright fronds 20"-30" tall on plum-colored stems (stipes and rachis). Texturally, graceful and light. Spore-grown by us. Tolerates deep shade and rabbits.

Distinctive Chinese species with this variety being especially so with its narrow evergreen leaves well-measeled in creamy yellow spots. Clustered small red-purple flowers give way to large red fruit in fall which is just another bit of ornament for this tough plant which can tolerant dark shade and neglect. This brings a full helping of textural necessity to the shade garden.

One of the better selections of Aucuba and very rare in the nursery trade. This was brought to the US by the now defunct Asiatica Nursery and shared with us by Lance Reiners. Narrow leaves consistently freckled in gold presents as major pizzazz with unmistakable elegance. A tough evergreen tolerant of dry shade once established. Zones 7-9.

This petite Patagonian evergreen fern would make a lovely groundcover if planted in mass. Alternatively it plays nicely with crevices and can be a delight in a small easily seen location. Tightly spaced, glossy, pinnate sterile fronds grow to only about 5" and splay low to the ground while the more alien spore-bearing fertile fronds stand central and upright.

Alpine Water Fern. Found at higher elevations in Australia's New South Wales and Tasmania growing in grasslands, moist rock crevices and sphagnum bogs. A stalwart fern and go-to evergreen low groundcover because it looks great despite your prolonged attention lapses from Netflix binge-watching.

Nomenclature. Kew retains the genus Blechnum while others accept the newer Austroblechnum and at this point, we're not changing it back to Blechnum! This small form of the subspecies was shared with us by the Fern Madam, Judith Jones of Fancy Fronds Nursery. Excellent dense groundcover fern for moist spots. Can take full sun in cool sun areas if moist.

This a bigger version of the little B. penna-marina ssp. alpina commonly found in nurseries. We never see this offered which is just a shame since it is a great fern. Well, not such a shame since a little exclusivity never hurts. This makes a dense groundcover of evergreen foliage.

This is pretty much our default tree whenever anyone asks about a good small tree. This has zero bad habits that we know about it and is a rapid grower with small evergreen leaves and minute yellow flowers that smell heavenly of marzipan or something similarly decadent.

Those dang taxonimists submerged our beloved Bolax glebaria into this newfangled genus and it jes' turns us into a couple of ornery ol' cusses. Oh well, a name is but an artificial convention that is nowhere near what the plant calls itself. Tight little hummock former for the rock garden.

A collection by Shayne Chandler in Ecuador of this shrubby evergreen species as Baccharis buxifolia except its folia is not buxus-like in that the leaf margins are serrate and not smoothly entire.  We've not flowered this and honestly, are quite pleased it is not buxifolia as that is a bit of a yawn ornamentally.  The leaves of this look close to Baccharis arbutifolia which is much more ornamental with raspberry-colored flowers accented by white stamens which would be a Siren's song to a seed collector.  Deer resistant.

A unique evergreen member of the Myrtaceae family native to moist, rocky areas within alpine and subalpine regions of Australia. This forms a dense mound with arching branches, 3ft by 4ft with early summer small white flowers en masse. Diminutive leaves become coppery in winter, smelling lovely when crushed. Appreciates some summer water during dry spells.

Fricking taxonomists - we were so happy with Scilla scillioides. Choice and seldom offered Chines/Japan/Korean bulb that flowers in late summer with 10"-15" stems of Scilla-like pinkish-lavender flowers without the distraction of its grassy leaves. Pretty cool and easy naturalizer that we can finally offer.

One of the very best woodland plants from China. This Ranunculaceae Family memeber has evergreen rounded glossy leaves evoking some exotic wild ginger. The plant forms a tidy dense clump with lots of comparatively tall stems bristling with puffs of white flowers. Moist soil is best.