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1772 products
1772 products
Our collection from a compact population near the summit of Leigongshan in 2010. These were exceptionally handsome rounded evergreen shrubs with clusters of small white flowers in June and umbels of red berries in the fall. This will become a familiar plant in the landscape in years to come. A subsequent collection from the same population has been given the name 'Thunder's Dwarf'
Mountain Toatoa. Middle-earth mind-bender of a conifer in the Podocarpaceae from the mountains of New Zealand. At first glance and even after a period of unhurried contemplation, this defies easy categorization. Small flattened phylloclades take up the photosynthetic reins from the vestigial leaves and the narrow pyramidal shrub has no comparatives in the garden. Sl-o-o-o-w growing.
This is a dwarf form we received from plantsman John Weagle in Nova Scotia. Uncommon in the trade to say the least, this has typical white bell-shaped flowers which are of good size for a dwarf plant. Our plants have not exceeded 20" in height over the last 15 years although it may get a little taller in the ground.
A Wynn-Jones collection of this fantastic climbing hydrangea relative from Northern Taiwan. A plethora of glossy evergreen sickle-shaped leaves hanging down like so many executioner's blades make for a truly stunning wall cover, add to that the airy foam of white flowers in summer and you've got an elegantly understated taste-maker that deserves a pairing of fine brick or stonework. It could also use the radiant heat of said masonry as it is slightly adverse to cold winds, likes its shady and wet but a bit more sun may provide a bit more flower.
On the spectrum of hardy aroids Pinellias fall somewhere between Arum and Arisaema with the attractive heart shaped leaves of the former and the hooded long-tongued flowers of the latter. Take that mix and shrink it all down and you get this lil cutie which reproduces itself by offsets and bulbils held on the leaves while not being as weedy as some other Pinellias. I have some qualms on calling this and the other larger marbled "form" the same thing but whatever the correct name it is still well worth having.
Our collection from Yunnan in 1997 of this cream of the crop higher elevation Piptanthus. Imagine our excitement seeing just 3 plants growing in a rubble outflow at the base of a steep hill after hours of walking across the valley of the Gang Ho Ba. Great silvery silken trifoliate foliage and large yellow pea flowers. This makes a multistemmed rounded shrub to 6' tall in our border. Most folks mistake it for a shrubby Argyrocytisus (Cytisus) battandieri until it blooms with flowers evocative of Laburnum. We've grown and killed several collections of the green-leafed P. nepalensis but this variety (which we have offered in the past as P. aff. tomentosus and much earlier as P. forrestii) is far hardier having withstood early November 14F with strong winds despite not being hardened off as the previous week had been in the 60's. Thanks to Grahame Ware for sharing recent research in the genus and hopefully nailing down the correct name. With botany however, never say never.
A Hinkley collection from Taiwan of this surprisingly tough broad-leafed evergreen shrub. We have planted it out in full exposure here in our heinous windy maritime steppe and it survives far better than it should having taken 10F. We should really be brought up on charges. We can imagine if being glorious in a more sheltered position where it can grow 10'-15' tall with rounded clusters of fragrant small yellow flowers.
Unidentified species of a seriously good Asian Pittosporum. This was an attention-grabber being essentially a small 15' tree with large - for a Pittosporum - evergreen leaves. What really stopped us was the large green seed capsules like small figs. These split open when mature to reveal showy orange seeds. Young seed-grown plants. We are hoping these will have good hardiness growing as they were a stone's throw from Acer griseum. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering. Proceeds from this offering go to support the mission of Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy.
Long have we had a love affair with this most noble of the weed clan Plantago. Hailing from Spain where sun and good drainage and robust olive oils and sturdy red wines are so critical to properly growing and appreciating this gem, this adapts easily to the NW. A delight in the rock garden
Curious and uncommon walnut relative from our Asian seed collection where we found this as part of the rich mixture of trees and shrubs on steep mountain flanks. Pinnate leaves harkening to the family Juglandaceae but instead of nuts in a hard shell, this has nutlets in vertical ornamental cones which persist all winter. Too cool for school! The small cones have very small and insignificant yellowish flowers in June and July but the value comes from the long winter interest.
An unusual Asian hydrangea relative that has quietly won us over by growing larger each year and consistently flowering under a regime which could only be generously described as one of benign neglect. This makes a small broadly rounded twiggy deciduous shrub to 2'-3' in the garden although older specimens in the wild are said to get to 5'. Narrow willow-like green leaves with small teeth along the margins combine well with the late summer-fall small white flowers. The 4-petaled fertile flowers have a prominent yellow button of stamens which the infertile flowers lack. We have seen accounts of this growing well in North Carolina and southern Indiana. This will be happiest in light shade or part eastern sun. Platycrater hails from southeastern China in provinces near to Shanghai and also from Shikoku in Japan. These two geographical populations are separated by some authorities based on hairs on the leaf underside and we are making a note to self to take the hand lens to a leaf as soon as we can. Why not now you ask? How can you leave us hanging in such suspense? It is winter as we type this and there are no leaves but we will get to it asap!
An Ian Butterfield cross between P. pleionoides and P. humilis, this easy orchid has large flowers of pink-lavender with a fringed lip and interior well-spotted in red with a beckoning bee runway of yellow. Typical Pleione culture - the internet is full of great advice for growing in containers and also fantastic in mild gardens where it will thrive in mossy logs and stumps. Great drainage first and foremost.
This has consistently been a head-turner here when it is in flower. A hybrid by Butterfield and registered in 1981, this fine selection is finally becoming available. Rich pink flowers of good size and a large fringed lip or slipper pouch which is decked out in orange-pink spots with the interior all orange ruffles and flourishes. A good increaser and best suited for pot culture where it can be brought in and left to go dormant in a cool spot over winter. Unless of course you garden in a very mild setting and then this is great outdoors where it can be tucked into a partially shaded rotting log or mossy rock outcrop. Pleione orchids require excellent drainage and we've seen them in China and Arunachal Pradesh growing on mossy cliffs or tree trunks.
Part of the Vesuvius series of hybrids by Ian Butterfield, this bulbocodioides crossed with x confusa has it all working. Rich deep pink flowers are a perfect frame for the psychedelic rabbit hole of a fringed floral lip whose base color of yellow-orange is heavily overlaid by carmine conjoined spots. And it's legal.
This is a surprisingly hardy terrestrial Orchid that is quite easy to grow given a couple of rules. Loose crumbly organic/gritty well-drained soil and fairly dry in the winter. Oh yeah, real cold is not the best either. We have friends who grow these easily in nearby Port Ludlow in rotting logs, stumps and deep moss on rocks with a tarp thrown over in winter to shed rain but that is in a mild maritime garden. Traditionally this is grown in containers and overwintered in a cool sunroom or coldframe. Were making this sound harder than it is and we don't mean to as it is worth the minimal fuss. Pink and white Cattleya-type flowers on such a little plant. This increases freely by small bulblets which is how we have come to offer these to you.
A very lovely selection of this terrestrial and sometime lithophytic orchid. These are hardy outside in mild winters or given protection. They need great drainage like planted in moss on a rock or in a stump or rotting log and protected during severe cold snaps. Traditionally grown in pots and brought in a cool spot for the winter, these are quite easy.
A tried and true selection that really puts out with classic orchid flowers with rich pink petals backing a white cup that is nicely fringed on the lip with some light spotting on the interior and touched in yellow in the throat. An amalgamation of attributes in one flower. Good increaser needing good drainage like a rotting log and overwinters here in Puget Sound.
While typically grown in pots and overwintered in a cool frost free spot, we've grown these in rotted cedar logs or on mossy boulders and simply protected them during cold snaps and have had excellent success with these outdoors. Excellent drainage is key. These will increase nicely through small offsets and who doesn't love orchids in the garden?
Beautiful flowers on this selection from the Versailles grex of the cross between P. limprichtii and P. formosana. Large rich pink-lavender flowers with an expressive fringed lip invites you to explore the voluptuous inner hollows colored sensuously in orange and yellow. Why silk pajamas, candles and Bolero just popped into mind is curious........and not a bad idea.
Striking hybrid with yellow flowers, nicely fringed lip and interior heavily spotted in red. We have seen one reference to this as being a hybrid between P. albiflora and the lovely yellow P. forrestii. We have seen forrestii in the Cangshan and despite it being fall and thus no leaves or flowers - just dormant pseudobulbs packed into a rock crevice, we still did a botanical St. Vitus dance. This has filled that void magnificently.
It's worth noting that some in Pleione circles believe this to be a case of mistaken identity in which Pleione 'Ducat' was exhibited incorrectly under this name and has since been usurped by the impostor name in the trade. We have here preserved 'Golden Gate' due to its prevalence and it being the name we received it under. Regardless an excellent and beautiful plant!