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1721 products
1721 products
Endemic to a small region of central Chile, and vulnerable in the wild, this is like the rare collectible variant of Lobelia tupa, with much the same habit and cultural requirements, meaning full sun and decent drainage, especially in the face of winter wet. The flowers present as a flurry of frilly pink corollas that conjure images of the fabulous tails of tropical birds, honed for years by evolution to attract flirtatious females. The flirtation here is with hummingbirds, endowed with the perfectly adapted slender beaks; or with coastal climate gardeners endowed with the perfect mild winters. Likely slightly less hardy than L. tupa and will be reset to the ground each winter. These are from wild seed collected by FRBC board member and botanist Cody Hinchliff.
If you have the spot for this plant then there is no reason to not to grow this unless you simply don't do red because this is a smoldering fountain of saturated pigmentation celebrating the red spectrum. Red foliage and bright red flowers on 3'-4' stems in late summer. Moist and rich.
Amazing Chilean Lobelia that is perfectly hardy here if you mulch it during nasty cold snaps. This is one of those perennials that when you see it grown well and you aren't familiar with it, has an almost concussive visual impact. Even when you do know it well, it still seems like a freak of nature it is so beautiful. This gets multiple stalks to 7' high with spires of tubular red flowers for 6-8 weeks which beckon hummingbirds from afar. Highly dramatic and surprisingly easy given good drainage. This grows in sandy areas in Chile so drainage is key. These are from wild seed collected by FRBC board member and botanist Cody Hinchliff. We preserve the cf. here only because we haven't yet flowered this collection but are fairly sure it's tupa.
One of those perennial Lobelia that shouldn't be as hardy as it is but mountainous areas of southern Arizona and northern Mexico have plants with surprising hardiness. A graceful clump of thin willowy leaves on stems 15"-24" tall with a profusion of midsummer tubular red flowers with a bright yellow throat. Deciduous in winter, ours handles our brief drops to 10F with mulch. Good drainage aids in winter survival.
A collection by Philip MacDougall from Taiwan of this predominantly Chinese species. The pale flowers spring from the leaf axils of the arching stems and are just touched in pink and purple and will never be accoladed as showy but are charming. The reddish fruit are quite nice and dangle as showy little orbs. We have come to quite enjoy it's understated charms. This was once placed in the genus Pratia.
A superb Argentine & Chilean shrub to small tree for the mildest of gardens. There are ridiculously mild gardens around here that can grow this and it is a ceaseless lament that ours is too cold for this fantastic plant. Related to Embothrium or Chilean Fire Tree, this has intricate flowers of yellow and red but the Silk Oak-like foliage outshines the bloom. Has the Proteaceae dislike of phosphorous. Very few.
The Tree Lomatia from Australia. As the name implies, this can get large - up to 20' or so. Here in the PNW, this will likely be a large shrub, getting taller as you move down the west coast. Bewildering array of leaf shapes within the species, this is but one form. White, scented flowers in summer.
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. This can tolerate shade as it is a forest understory plant but the flowering is better with more sun.
Guitar Plant. Choice evergreen Tasmanian Proteaceae family member whose vaguely guitar shaped flower buds open to a wild riff of white flowers that will have you playing the air trowel. Hardy to a normal zero degrees and drought tolerant when established. Needs no fertilizer.
One of the wildflower kings of the Columbia Gorge. This is an awesome Desert Parsley that can be found near Lyle on the eastern Washington side of the river growing out of basalt rubble outcrops in the grasslands. Billowing mounds of blue green ferny foliage and big rich pink flower umbels. One of the finest species in the genus and to our minds, one of the most spectacular wildflowers in the State. This has thick deep roots reaching through the tumbled rock into the volcanic clay soil beneath. This endures baking heat and drought in the summer and as a consequence, completes its growth cycle quickly and goes dormant in early summer. Great larger perennial for the rock garden. Young plants not blooming size.
Our seed collection of Martindale's Desert Parsley from our nearby Olympic Mountains. This West Coast native umbellifer is found from sea level to the mountains where it inhabits dry meadows and dry. often rocky, slopes. Yellow flowers from this population where it grew with 3 species of Allium and Delphinium menziesii. Goes summer dormant and great for the rock garden.
A Steve Hootman collection from the Sino Himalaya of this quite unique creeping Honeysuckle. This is a Kinnikinnik (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) alternative, making a mat of small rounded green leaves turning rich purple/red/bronze tones in winter. Small light yellow Honeysuckle flowers are sprinkled throughout. Very cool.
Twinberry Honeysuckle. This the southern variant of our native shrubby Honeysuckle which here in Washington has tubular yellow flowers but down in southern Oregon and California, these flowers are little firecrackers of orangish-red. Tough plant liking wet sites but quite tolerant of drier spots. Hummers like this!
This is a dynamite cultivar also called 'Florida' but names aside, the flowers totally rock. White and dark red fragrant flowers marry nicely with the rich purple-tinted foliage. We keep ours trimmed to an informal shrub but it can be a vigorous vine. Nice orange fruit.
A tender but prized Hydrangea-like shrub collected in North Vietnam by Port Townsend's native son Josh McCullough. Not a prayer of growing this outside here but oh what a container plant! Evergreen with pink to white 8" clustered flower heads with a heady jasmine scent.
Gold Chilean Myrtle. This outrageous evergreen shrub is best suited for mild gardens such as the urban heat sink of Seattle, against a wall or near the water. Fragrant white early summer flowers, cinnamon peeling bark, pink tints on the new growth, blue-black edible but insipid fruit.
A selection we imported via Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy from the UK that was propagated from plants which survived the prolonged Big Freeze of December 2010. An event like this winnows the posers and despite the horrors, is a great opportunity to assess which plants have some unforeseen hardiness genetics. Evergreen shrub to small tree with gorgeous exfoliating cinnamon colored bark, white fragrant flowers and edible blue-black fruit. A portion of the proceeds goes to support the mission of Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy.
Our plant was gifted to us by Kenton Seth of crevice garden fame who also happens to be a keen plantsman. This is native to the coastal areas of the West coast where it is found in moist meadows and along streams where it can naturalize in gravel bars. Blue and white flowers are awesome for pollinators. It will tire out after a few short years but save seed or let it naturalize via self-sowing.
Dwarf form of this evergreen sun perennial with cheerfully fluffy double white flowers somewhere between a pom-pom and a many-pointed star which rebloom from early spring onwards with deadheading and are further complemented by maroon tinted basal foliage. Plays nice with it's smaller sister 'Petite Jenny' or perhaps half-sister as this one seems to have gained some French parentage.
A sport of 'Jenny' found at Bressingham Gardens in England. This is a compact and dwarf double pink flowered perennial mound of delight. The main display is May-June but there is some rebloom clear into Fall. The double flowers are sterile so there is none of that pesky reseeding which can be an issue with Lychnis. Zone 6b and sun.