Products

A Cistus-introduced selection of this superb species which is nearly worth drilling into your neighbor's walls or delving into that abandoned meth lab house down the street for, Probably a novel experience for you PNW'ers. Regardless of your Appalachian bonafides the rich burnished look of the leaves and buds of this are definitely worth their weight in semi-precious metal. Adds extra year round value to the exquisite smelling pure white flowers of the species.  

The promise and potential of a fat unripened bud, many times we have fallen prey to the relentless teasing of flowers which appear JUST ABOUT TO OPEN for days or weeks on end. Well, you might just keep waiting on this one, but really that's not too bad a thing when it comes to Magnolia flowers. Personally I find the globe or chalice stage of magnolia flowers to often be the choicest moment. This species takes that to a high art, with large orbs of white brushed with purple, which in the rare instances they do open, reveal luciously white tepals centered by a circle of blood-red stamens. Plus the tree itself is nothing to turn your nose at, attractive large evergreen leaves and suprisingly hardy given it's Northern Vietnamese heritage. Forms a large shrub to small tree but fast growing, and however reticent to flower in full, these are known to flower at a relatively young age. So at least you won't be kept waiting to be kept waiting for too long.

SHIPPING RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY
One of the great Mahonia species or Berberis as they are now sometimes known. We saw this growing on Wawushan in Sichuan where it exhibited it's characteristic waxy white underleaf. Loose sprays of pinky-orange flowers in late summer and early fall are followed by nice fruit. Easy and a connoisseurs foliage plant. 

Perhaps the penultimate perennial in our shade garden. This Asian False Solomon Seal species reaches the pinnacle of expression in this pink-purple flowered form. In time, this will develop thick stems variably black or green and less commonly coated in a subtle pale peach fuzz of small hairs. These impressive shoots arise from the soil in spring as if the imaginings of some wild fever dream about asparagus. At full maturity which will take some years, these will be pushing 6' in height and when in flower will render even the most consummate gardener speechless.

(David Culp, author of 'The Layered Garden', was not without speech when he dropped to his knee upon seeing this blooming but the words were disconnected and for the most part unintelligible. He said almost a year later in conversation "You know, that was was just one of those moments in your life").

The large panicles of small pinkish purple flowers appear usually the first week of June for us and own the shade garden. We have many striking plants in the garden but when Martha Stewart Living wanted to know when to come out and shoot the garden, we said "First week of June - Maianthemum oleraceum will be blooming". It will be a few years before these become contenders for the best thing in your garden but if ever a wait was worth it, this is that wait.

One of the finest False Solomon Seal's around and rarely obtainable. These are spirit-breakingly slow to grow from seed. However, these are of such perfection when mature with stout 24"-30" stems arching gracefully and each bearing a terminal plume of flashy white flowers that once again we forsake common sense for beauty. 

Kelly likes to bang on about Maianthemum oleraceum or even, god forbid Maianthemum fuscum, but this may be the true underappreciated gem of the genus. Pairs of glossy pleated leaves set so close together you'd be forgiven for not seeing the stem from which they spring. Grows big like its impressive relatives but stays low and arrays itself horizontally gently proffering gleaming sprays of flowers in a variety of purple hues with a pleasingly sweet smell which travels. A presence of beauty and charm without stealing the show, simply very likeable.