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Heart-leafed Globe Daisy. This is a pleasing little alpine from the mountains of southern Europe and over to Turkey. Low and slowly spreading domes like a small overturned pie with evergreen leaves and lavender-blue pom-pom flowers on short stems. Easy and tough enough for a beginner, sweet enough for the rock gardener who has grown it all. Give this a sunny spot in the rock garden or trough. Takes dry or a good bit of water if given really good drainage.

One of the classic alpines for rock gardens and one that should be on the "Easy Alpines for Beginners" list if it isn't already. Low tight mats of small evergreen leaves topped by fuzzy spherical violet-blue flowers in early summer, this looks good all the time. This particular one is from a Hinkley collection in Turkey.

Chinese Bald Cypress. Another one of those monotypic genera we love! This deciduous conifer is the only species in the genus and highly threatened by habitat loss in the wild. This will get to be a big tree which your yet unborn child's children can sit under. In their boat. Fairly slow - ours is in our bog garden pond.

Tender South American shrubby succulent making a 3'x4' mound of thin stems with small fleshy leaves Flowers unknown and we are perfectly willing to accept that this might well be a different genus entirely! Pairs well with cactus, bromeliads and xeric shrubs. Let us know what it looks like when it flowers! A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering.

Hybrid seedling that came up in OSU Grevillea researcher Neil Bell's garden at the base of his Grevillea victoriae so carries a preponderance of the all the good traits of the parent. What are those good traits, you say? Hardiness, showy reddish flowers in summer, evergreen, tough, hummingbirds love it, deer hate it. Grow dryish and lean.

Narrow evergreen leaves and clusters of rusty yellow flowers suitable for hummingbirds on this zone 8 hardy Aussie shrub. In the family Proteaceae which for garden purposes could be Latin for "hates phosphorous" so no need to fertilize. perfect for the gravel garden in full sun. Young plants, fast growing. Hardiness is increased by withholding water in later summer and fall to harden off and by growing it lean in soils low in organic matter. Can easily prune to size.

Our friend Ian Barclay's introduction from Desert Northwest Nursery (awesome plants!) of this seedling of 'Leanne' and an improvement of that selection. Darker green foliage and lighter yellow flowers in mid to late winter and a small rebloom in fall. Grows fast and leave it some room like all Grevillea but very amenable to pruning. Prefers mineral soil, no fertilizer.

Endemic to the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, this dons prickly, Acanthus type leaves (hence the species name) and pinkish purple toothbrush type flowers. Evergreen and tough, this can tolerate more shade than other Grevilleas. The flowers are known for their sweet nectar and the birds will thank you for this one!

We saw this at the O'Byrne's in Eugene and Plant Lust caused our pollen to shed and our stigma's got a bit sticky. It is so embarassing but Ernie and Marietta are used to it. Completely hardy here and clothed in small white crinkled fragrant flowers in Apr-May. Yes. Yes. Yes! Yes! Yes!
(photo thanks peganum Wikipedia Commons)

This is one of the hardier of the larger Grevilleas handling temps down to 10F and being quite drought tolerant. A good drying off in late summer and fall and grown in lean soil will add to its hardiness. Flowers for months in the yellow to salmon range. This was grown at Heronswood as miqueliana but Ian Barclay sleuthed the subspecies. As with all Protea family members, don't fertilize with any fertilizer except low phosphorous but you don't need to really fertilize this anyway unless it is looking hungry which is unlikely.

Carrington Falls Grevillea. Of limited distribution in New South Wales Australia where it is found along streambanks, this was not formally described until 1960. To 6' tall and spreading, this has great foliage coupled with light pink flowers with long stamens. Mr. Grevillea, Ian Barclay, rates this as good to 10F but grow it lean and low to no phosphorous for best results when it gets to the mid to low teens.

Very hardy winter blooming shrub from Tasmania which Seattle's gardening guru Ciscoe Morris proclaims as his favorite plant of all time or at least until he talks about the next plant. We agree though - this plant totally rules. No problems whatsoever but little or no fertilizer as it dislikes phosphorous. Buff orange flowers in late winter into spring. This is a shorter and broader selection with larger flowers than typical. There is gorgeous 5' tall by 8' wide plant on F Street here in town which grows outside the fence above a rock wall and gets no water or attention plus get the full brunt of winter winds and looks fabulous all the time.

Quite the distinctive Grevillea being a true groundcover growing very flat to the ground. The oak-like leaves are bronze when young and mature to a dark green both colors providing a fine backdrop for the large feathery combs of red flowers. This is likely not hardy below the low 20's but is grown successfully at the Barca garden on Whidbey Island in a raised bed against a south facing wall and also is luxuriant at the Miller Botanic Garden in Seattle where it flows down a slope and where curator Richie Steffen gave us our cuttings. Sun and good drainage and low phosphorous if you do fertilize. At least this is easy to cover being flat in the event of a severe cold snap!

Variegated version of the Broadleaf Griselinia. This New Zealander is an evergreen shrub with laurel-like green apple leaves whose margins are painted in cream as if from a palsied brush. Insignificant flowers bear little mention which is saying something coming from us, Champions of the Botanically Interesting. The foliage is of first-class stand-alone merit and why chance the potential clashing distraction which flowers might bring to a broad-leaf evergreen of this caliber? Excellent shrub responding well to pruning or hedging and suited for mild gardens such as near the water or in urban heat sinks here in the Puget Sound metro area. Try it as a south or west wall plant in areas frustratingly on the periphery of its hardiness range. The straight green-leafed species has been a stalwart at Washington Park Arboretum for decades in Seattle and this version will be no different.

Beautiful variegated form of this new Zealand Griselinia. As the species name suggests, this favors coastal conditions and can take the wind. We saw the typical form growing happily at Robin's Hood Bay in England as we finished the Coast to Coast walk. Think a much more refined laurel and you are in the ballpark. Easy to prune, gets to 12', zones 8b-9 or warm 8a. Flowers insignificant.

Very rare groundcover species from Southland and Stewart Island, New Zealand where this is restricted to just 4 small coastal populations comprised of just 6 individual plants. The plants form flattened brown-gray rosettes - and spread by stolons in moist dune hollows. Our plants have green leaves which may refer to our soils or geography and weathered our 12F winter with a bit of mulch. Quite uncommon in cultivation and usually found in botanic gardens and a very few, ahem, exceptional specialty nurseries.

A mat-forming, creeping bit of amusement from New Zealand where it grows from Auckland south. This is related to the monster Gunnera of cast concrete leaf fame but is just a tad more manageable. Great at pond's edge in the shaded woodland and small pipecleaners of reddish flowers are a pleasant surprise. The orange fruit against the small rounded brownish leaves is a welcome bonus track.

A decidedly unBaby's Breath Baby's Breath. This is a delightful deciduous creeper that absolutely covers itself in lavender tinged white flowers with darker pencilings. Very nice in the rock garden or rockery. Appreciates good drainage but some moisture in the soil.

Hardy species in the Gesneriaceae or African Violet family from Greece and Bulgaria where it favors shaded rocky outcrops. Our old mama plants fill a 3 gallon pot with a packed dome of evergreen leafy rosettes that give rise to 4"-5" stems with flowers of pale lavender faces and dark corolla base. Great starter plant for newbies to hardy gesneriads and it is so rewarding that even the long-time collectors have to confess to feeling that familiar thrill when it flowers. Good drainage, excellent in north-facing crevice of rock wall.

Rio Grande Rain Lily. This little bulb has the cheeriest yellow flowers with burnt orange streaking which appear without leaves in late summer to early fall with the onset of fall rains if grown in a sunny dry spot. These get 6" tall but are wicked cute and will self sow to make an enviably vibrant patch in time. Native to the Southeast and Mexico. Hardy to zone 7.