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A large-flowered and very dark blue selection bred by Scotsman Ian McNaughton. The October trumpets are so dark that a distinct wash of purple plays in the outer throat of the corolla as I look at it on this October 8. This wee bairn of Ian's breeding meets his goals of bigger and more flowers - a bonny Gentian!

A strong-growing form favored among some of the remaining specialty nurseries in Oregon. Dense evergreen mats of tight foliage erupt in spring and sporadically thereafter, with improbably large and impossibly saturated deep blue trumpets. This mountain species is no effete alpine, moist rich soil is its cup of tea.

Selection out of Germany of this darned fine species. Evergreen tight mats of small green leaves with impossible azure blue trumpets standing at attention looking very superior and perfect. Well, it is a German selection after all and this shows a certain adherance to standards which the lesser gentians can only dream about attaining.

Evergreen mat-former with very large cobalt blue trumpets spring to early summer. This might ruin your other blue flowers for you as they will look embarrassingly insipid in comparison. A rich moist soil in full to mostly sun is best. Despite popular opinion, these are pigs and thrive on a good manure mulch! Thanks to our friend Urs for sharing.

A selection of this outstanding European alpine species notable for having large flowers and being quite a good bloomer. Not all acaulis flower freely but 'Krebs' brings it with large upward-facing trumpets of impossible blue except they are right there in front of you so it must be possible but how can such a tight mat of small green adpressed leaves produce such a fantastical display of color intensity? The good thing is we don't have to know how and why about everything and sometimes it is quite enough to have your senses left reeling by a wee bit of green that does something so flamboyant that it would leave Sir Richard Branson shaking his head in rueful acknowledgment at having been thoroughly bested. We were so excited to finally get this clone that we told all of our friends we got 'Krebs' and it was a long time before we noticed no one was coming over or inviting us to dinner. Our friends aren't plant people for the most part so the misinterpretation was understandable and most have come back once we explained but we really miss Rich and Karen.

One of the largest flowered selections of Gentiana acaulis, this is truly a showstopper with its big, deep blue trumpets in spring and lighter reblooms after. It may owe its vigor to hybridity but whatever the reason, we are down with it! Moist, rich soil in sun and stand back and enjoy. Gentiana acaulis 'Maxima Enzian' is likely the same as Enzian is German for Gentian.

A few think is a hybrid or perhaps the closely related G. angustifolia but it makes no difference in the garden however as this is riveting with freely produced large trumpets that scream BLUE!!!! Really quite impossible to assess this taxon objectively when you are totally gobsmacked by the flowers. A selection we brought home from Scotland.

A fine selection with seasonally variable light blue trumpet flowers which we received from our friend Urs Baltensperger. Most folks instantly gravitate towards the impossibly dark blue selections and while these are critical to have, consider how much darker they will look with this growing alongside. Just sayin'. Evergreen mats in rich soil.

I want my burial mound covered solid in this - seriously, it's that good. Wavy edged leaves on a low evergreen clumper with big deep blue trumpets on 2"+ stems. An established clump of this is simply riveting with dozens of big flowers the blue you dream of. Rich soil and moist. Loves food.

A close relative to Gentiana acaulis and regarded as being in the acaulis group. This is one of the forms found in the nursery trade here in the PNW which means it is a good grower. Maybe a little mongrel vigor from G. acaulis to pump up the volume on those big blue trumpet flowers above an evergreen spreading mat.

Willow Gentian. One of the truly excellent late summer/early fall blooming plants which jazzes up the shade garden with lots of stems in a circular arching vase shape with ranks of blue to lavender blue flowers ranked along the stems. Just what you need when you are sick of Hostas.

White Willow Gentian. One of the truly excellent late summer/early fall blooming plants which jazzes up the shade garden with lots of stems in a circular arching vase shape with fountains of white flowers along the stems.

Pink Willow Gentian. Thanks to Claire Cockroft for sharing these with us so we can pass them along to you. Choice and scarce pink form of one of the classic fall blooming gentians, this develops into a robust plant with many arching stems ranked with pink flowers. An easy wow.

Our collection from a wet alpine meadow in Sichuan at 10,000 feet where this mingled with lepidote Rhododendrons, Primula and Polygonum. A tantalizing array of forms of sino-ornata, but this one's veitchiorum gestalt with its dark blue flowers and somewhat broader foliage kept resisting positive ID, so we are open as always to outside confirmation. Pretty sure there are no papillae on the stems but have not taken a lens to them, so likely just a good dark sino-ornata. Amazing how running a nursery cuts into your hand lens time!

Rich deep blue trumpets with exterior pale striping on this collection from a 10,000' alpine moist meadow where it mingled with too many Primula, dwarf Rhododendron and a Bistorta that unexpectedly threatened to steal the show. This requires rich, moist acid soil with afternoon shade in hot sun areas.

Excellent selection of this species in the acaulis group which has large flowers of a particularly good dark blue on long stems well, long for this species anyway. Evergreen mats in rich moist soil in full sun with main bloom in spring and some rebloom in late summer. Endangered species in its native Balkan Dinaric Alps.

A tough perennial from the southern Caucasus which has steadfastly refused to die despite some of our unintentional best efforts. This will, in time, make an impressive small clump of numerous upright stems to 12" or so which are tipped in late July to September with multiple blue flowers with pale whitish throats. This is happy in limestone conditions and is happy here in neutral to moderately acid. It wants to please. Does well in Denver Botanic Gardens as well as gardens in Sweden.

Exceptional color form on this compact selection of this very hardy Gentian. Big magenta buds open to purple-pink flowers in late August to October giving your garden a kick in the pants when other plants are packing it in for the year. Small enough to work in containers.

We love the Asiatic Gentians and want them all as they are easy, hardy and put on such a show in late summer/early fall. We were thrilled to get this one from our friend Urs of Edelweiss Nursery who brought this in from a German gentian specialist. Not your typical blue, this has white flowers with pale yellowish stripes. Moist and sun.

Our collection of this as yet unidentified Gentian from an isolated peak with difficult access. This was growing on steep open banks overhung with Schefflera fengii and Rhododendron sinofalconeri where it made rounded small shrublets with semi-woody stems covered in clusters of shades of blue flowers.