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Our native creeping dogwood from seed collected during one of our many hikes in the Olympic Mountains. This deciduous groundcover is such a good plant with obvious white dogwood flowers on 4"-6" stems followed by clusters of red fruit. We like it when it climbs a bit up mossy trunks and logs. Loose soil with a good organic content.

This is a rather luscious selection that arose in Peter Korn's Swedish garden and has soft purple full heads of tubular flowers accented by white throats. Hard to say for sure on parentage - I'm only 100% of my mom - but the thought is that Corydalis capitata is heavily in the mix.

This is perhaps the first of the hybrids to be introduced between Corydalis flexuosa and Corydalis elata and remains one of the best. The derivation of the name 'Spinners' can be traced to this being a chance seedling in Kevin Hughes garden who then brought it to work which was the renowned Spinners Nursery in England. Researching this, we discovered the rather more interesting Urban Dictionary definition could also possibly apply given its dainty appearance and enthusiastic performance in the garden. Scented blue flowers aging to purplish from mid spring to early summer in moist shade to part sun down to zone 6. Hopefully plantsman par excellence Ed Bowen who shared this with us doesn't mind that we are doing what nurserymen do - propagate and sell! We had better check with him PDQ. (Until he gets back to us - it is open season on Corydalis!)

One of those spring ephemerals we totally groove on. This tuberous Toothwort is native to the woodlands of the former Yugoslavia so current geography is from Bosnia through Croatia and into stable Austria. This will form a little colony but is not annoying in the least and is so delightful with its sizable white flowers in March. This will go summer dormant so no need to call when that happens.

An imposing selection fitting perfectly in the garden style of Big, Bold and Beautiful. it is not often one extols the merits of Crocosmia leaves but these wide blades with pleated ridges stand en garde against other substantive companions such as Canna or dark-leafed Ligularia. To 5' tall with narrow tubular orange-red flowers. This is one we brought to the US from a visit with the late Michael Wickenden of Cally Gardens in Scotland.

An Aaron Floden collection of this Eastern US native clematis with vibrant hot-pink to purple bell-shaped flowers with a cream-colored interior conjuring up cheerful memories of berries and cream on a hot summer's day. Herbaceous and needs a good whack each year but will reward you with annually increasing robustness for your efforts.

Rare little offering from Siberia with very thin creeping rhizomes making a small ferny colony in light shade. One of the last to bloom of the tuberous species, this usually shows its mauve-pink small tubular flowers in May. Loves a woodsy soil which would make a Primrose happy. Very hardy. Don't be dismayed by the lack of roots that should be filling the pot as this is just not what they do. If dormant, you can separate the thin yellowish rhizomes and spread them out slightly pointing them in different directions for a bit speedier cover.

Very intriguing perennial with intricate light brown flower buds that appear to be spun glass art depicting the skeletal structure of some microscopic sea creature. From the center extends the feathered pinkish petals. While not spectacular compared to a Dahlia, we think it spectacularly interesting but then we are certifiable plant loons.

Great little frothy mound of silver foliage that deserves a place in the plant petting zoo. The yellow button-like flowers dance on wiry stems in late spring and early summer. Too cute. On the dry side. Thanks to David Mason and Susie Grimm of Hedgerows Nursery for sharing it with us.

A seedling found in the gardens at Pan Global Plants in England and named by the proprietor Nick Macer. This is a hybrid between two of the blue flowered Chinese species, C. flexuosa and C. elata that combines excellent vigor with blue scented flowers for moist shade to zone 6 at least. This was named by Nick for the conservative members of Parliament or "true blues". Nick is a heckuva plant hunter as well who could probably retire early if he moved to the States and had his own TV gardening show. Not only does he know plants but he has that damned charming accent and is way too good looking. Thanks to Ed Bowen for sharing this selection with us and who rivals Nick in everything but the accent.

From Peter Korn in Sweden to Ed Bowen in Rhode Island to us in Port Townsend - an interesting study in anthro-assisted ornamental plant dispersal. Beautiful blue flowers with white throats opening from amethyst buds. This is much slower to increase than the flexuosa/elata group. Best in cool gardens. We mean temperature not plant palette because if you are shopping here, then interesting gardens is a given.

Fabulous tough evergreen large shrub from a Randall Hitchin collection in Chile. Copious white flowers late August to October which provides the often underappreciated attribute of sound from the sheer variety and numbers of bees! Takes dry but fine with more water. Deer proof.

A good hardy form of this Sedum-like species from Rick Lupp of Mt Tahoma Alpines who has grown this in his sand beds for over 20 years where it has taken single digits in the winter. Low, fleshy green leaves are a perfect backdrop for the salmon-red 3"-4" flower stems with nice heads of small white flowers accented by a small salmon-pink eye. Perfect in our crevice garden.

Sought after and desirable spring ephemeral from the cold forests of northern Japan. This bulbous species - think Corydalis solida for comparison - is one of the best of the blue flowered species in the opinion of the UK's national collection holder of the genus. A single flowering size bulb of this gem but they multiply!

A chance seedling in our gardens with some affinity to "Purple Leaf' and other clones out of England. The similarities are such that we were reluctant to clutter the field with another named Corydalis but it is good enough to share so an "unofficial" descriptive is our solution. Purplish new leaves and scented lavender-blue flowers,

A lovely gold leafed sport of 'Cream da Mint' that Rick Sawyer found in his Fernwood Nursery in Maine. This truly glows particularly in spring when the gold coloration is at its best. The larger than usual white scented flowers are a fine accompaniment. Slower spreading than many selections.

This is a true jewel and one we always look forward to seeing in the fall when the tabletop sized patch of low dense dark green leaves are alight with outrageous large white daisy flowers. Talk about contrast with so many of the hot colors of Autumn! In taxonomic flux, we previously offered this as Nipponanthemum nipponicum. The white flowers take on some pink-lavender tones as they age and all looks quite good over the dark green foliage.

This exceptionally large flowered selection is going to be a star in any sunny garden where it's unrivaled flower size leaves most other Crocosmias wishing they hadn't been mired in ethical dilemmas and just gone ahead and done the testosterone injections. Introduced in 1910 by George Davison and was a sensation at the time garnering every accolade and award available at the time. 100 years old and it is still showing the newcomers a thing or two as it has few rivals for size of flowers and stoutness of stem. Timeless excellence. Our plants came from NW icon Russell Graham some years back.

One of the most sophisticated ornamental small trees and a well-grown mature plant is without rival. Broad spreading branches in well-spaced layers superbly display the foliage and lacy white flowers in May which are followed by bird-yummy black fruit. No anthracnose issues which so afflicts our native Cornus nuttallii. These are young plants on their own roots and not grafted. When we think of this tree, we cannot help but think of John Massey's private garden at Ashwood Nursery in England where this perfectly sited and impeccably grown tree stands at the focal nexus of garden magic.

Speckled Wood-lily is common name as white flowers are lightly speckled in green and purple. The flowers are held in an umbel clustered atop stems up to twenty inches tall if the plant is in its happy place, The flowers are replaced by round black fruit. The tongue-like green leaves make a dense cover and this is gently rhizomatous creating a small carpet in time. Good soil in shade and reasonably moist. These are our own divisions and not bought-in wild collections.