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Superbly vigorous 2nd generation hybrid of S. carpatica x S. pusilla from the vaunted Edrom Nursery in Scotland and we may be the first to introduce this to North America. If you are into small ornament of ingenious construction, the maximization of minimalism, a totally improbable flower to foliage ratio - we have you so covered! Soldanella are alpen sophisticates that should be grown more in northern cool climates. This hybrid retains the vigor of the comparatively coarse S. pusilla and brings in superior flowers and foliage of S. carpatica. Evergreen tiny round leaves and 4" salmon pink flower stems with lavender-blue fringed bells in early spring is an impeccable combination. Loose gritty-humusy soil in dappled light or morning sun is great.

Tiny-leafed hybrid of Soldanella carpatica and S. pusilla . This very small scale little creeper with tiny evergreen leaves surprises in spring with over-achieving light lavender fringed bells. Similar to 'Spring Symphony' but flowering a bit earlier. One of the easiest Soldanella to grow. This is one we picked up in the UK a few years back.

Soldanellas completely bewitch us wih their dual charms of excellent evergreen foliage and incredibly cute flowers. When these little guys flower, we just smile because this is such a little overachiever with its lavender fringed flowers in April. Reddish leaf petioles and leaf undersides are subtle allure.

A pretty little thing from the alpine world. The genus name comes from the Italian for 'Little Coins' which fairly represents the diminutive rosettes of perfectly circular evergreen foliage. For the less money-motivated the bright purple-pink flowers held a few inches above the flowers call to mind an egregious fringed lampshade from the lava lamp days. Closely related to primulas and happy with much the same treatment.

A less commonly encountered species which calls the Rhodopi and Pirin Mts of Bulgaria home. This lavender-blue flowers finely fringed in very narrow petals on a flower that is more widely open than related species. Small rounded evergreen leaves are a pleasure all year but it’s the flowers that makes your toes tingle in spring.

Least Alpine Snowbell.  Perhaps the daintiest Soldanella, we have this from three different sources as Soldanella minima 'Alba', S. austriaca 'Alba' and S. carpatica 'Alba' and can see no difference between the three and are putting them under the umbrella of Soldanella minima 'Alba' based on the "minima" size of the leaves and plant. How's that for technical taxonomy? Allied to Primula and native to the eastern Alps where it grows in low turf, rock outcrops and crevices. This is the less-common white form and while smaller by half or more than the more familiar species, it is just as tough as the full-sized versions, despite being an ideal choice for the fairy garden.  Light shade to morning sun.

One of the best little plants you will ever have. An evergreen member of the Primrose family from high grassy meadows in Europe, this has multiple stems to 10" bearing sweet fringed lavender bells. This forms a nice clump in time and has no discernible faults and remains attractive even out of flower. A key component to the elfin garden.

This Greek representative of the delightful alpine primula relative hails from the eponymous Pindus mountains. Characteristic glossy evergreen 'little coin foliage' underlies the distinctive fringed cone flowers. Those flowers take on a lovely dusky purple that pronounce it's maturity and propensity for depth and pretension over its more common, populist cousins, a real kill joy at family gatherings, but an understated joy in the rock garden.

This is what we have offered previously as Soldanella species. It looks to be a match to the Bulgarian Soldanella rhodopaea and the seedlings come true so we are reasonably confident of the identification. Soldanella is a Primrose relative native to the high meadows in the mountains of Europe. This is one we received from Collector's Nursery with dark violet flowers - very choice! Evergreen and clumping, this takes the same conditions as Primroses.

This is the Type A of the Soldanella clan which is related to Primroses. It spreads faster, has more flowers, is more vigorous and has more hair on it's petioles - what a show-off! But hey - great rounded evergreen foliage and the light purple fringed fringed flowers would not be out of place in Fairyland. Our friend June Sinclair has this growing in the moss and forest duff atop old second growth stumps and logs in her fabulous woodland garden on Hood Canal. We come home from visiting her with a bad case of stump envy.

These are from seed from the good hardy form at the UW Arboretum. This makes an impressive multistemmed shrub to 10 or 12 feet fine textured in foliage but what a knockout in bloom. Loads of heavy textured hanging yellow flowers like Kirengeshoma followed by ornate knobbly long bean pods.

Dwarf species of this cool New Zealand legume. This Little Baby has evergreen leaves on branchlets that zig and zag and interlace and weave in and out making this a fine bonsai specimen and rock garden candidate. The comparatively large pendulous yellow flowers are a delightful surprise. This should be deer resistant. Baby the first winter or two.

This was an interesting Mountain Ash with entire leaves which we found in the Dayaoshan in Guizhou. We had seen other entire leafed Sorbus on the trip which seemed to fit into Sorbus meliosmifolia but this was obviously different. This had a smoother surface to the leaves without impressed veins and a broader and more open habit on what was a small tree in the wild. The fruit was perhaps not fully ripe when we picked it as it was green going to russet. Surely good to zone 6 at least.

Second generation plants from our collection from the Cangshan, Yunnan in 1997. This was midway down the mountain sprawling among and on top of a tapestry of 4'-8' shrubs. The red fruit with brilliant pinnate scarlet foliage was pure eye candy. Expect multiple trunks with a liberal interpretation of vertical. An excellent Mountain Ash for smaller gardens.

Dwarf Mountain Ash. Our collection of the grand little 2' species from NW Yunnan where we found it mingling about in a little wooded copse with Nomocharis aperta as a friend. Creamy white flowers in clusters followed by pinkish red fruit. Decent fall color as well.

Mountain Ash. Our collection from Dragon's Elbow Mt in Sichuan from 4300 meters where this was a graceful small tree to 25' with pendulous clusters of small pink-flushed fruit. The bipinnate leaves are dainty in appearance with each leaflet quite small and taking on good scarlet-red coloration in fall. Clustered small white flowers in late spring.

Exceptional Mountain Ash form our collection on the summit of Leigongshan in Guizhou where this was a multi-trunked small tree/large shrub to 10' with nice clusters of white berries. This species is being grown in the UK but they have yet to put a name to it. From the highest point in its range. Freakin' Cool!

A pinnate-leafed Mountain Ash with long narrow leaflets. This was a sizeable tree to 30'-40' where it joined the canopy of other trees such as a nearby Gamblea. The tree itself had a muscular grace in its open and clean lines of trunk and branch, large red terminal bud and red and yellow fall color. From an area infrequently visited by western botanists. Few available.

Chinese Lily of the Valley is so much easier to say isn't it? But the satisfaction gained of articulation is worth every effort especially when you roll it out in an fluid yet casual offhand manner. Make no mistake that underneath that thin green veneer of gentility, gardening is a blood sport and one or two well-practiced pronunciations can often render your position unassailable. Just sayin'. This is an uncommon shade-loving evergreen relative to the familiar Lily of the Valley from China and doing very well here spreading more slowly than its cousin to create a mat of evergreen foliage. Instead of the familiar white bells, this has stems of small white starburst flowers backed to good effect by the broad green leaves. We had hoped to see this during our 2015 plant hunting trip to Anhui and Zhejiang but it eluded us. Hardy to zone 5b.

An uncommon New World subtropical blueberry relative native to the Andes. Can be epiphytic and has hanging thin branches up to 5' long but usually shorter with rounded pale green leaves. Just looks like it wants to be on a dipping cliff by a waterfall. Egg-shaped flowers that are white-pink with darker tips followed by translucent violet-tinged edible berries much like Agapetes. No frost. Way nifty.