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A fine conifer showing an enviable muscularity growing from the slopes of a rugged limestone mountain. Eschewing an unimaginative verticality, these old trees favored a more imaginative approach to what constitutes being a tree without sacrificing but rather enhancing, beauty. The evergreen needles are more blunt than similar populations in Vietnam and on female plants, the green, small olive-like seed is borne at the end of larger fleshy aril that as it ripens, turns from red to an evening purple. This dispersal mechanism is well-adapted to animals and especially birds, as they can travel great distances, efficient flocks of Johnny Podocarpusseeds. This appreciates some shade to prevent yellowing and has been hardy here at Far Reaches to 10F.

A fragrant free-flowering and good perennial blue Corydalis. That blue is displayed in a quantity of such a pure intensity that it can leave one in a state of unintelligible, ecstatic glossolalia. It is best to dress accordingly as you want to be looking fine if that happens. To 12"+ and wider, rich and moist.

A rare wild collection by Bjornar Olsen of this small species from Hailuogou, Luding, Sichuan at 2750 meters. A creeper to low climber in the wild, this collection comes from a cold and wet area so hardiness should be better than usual. This has pendulous hanging yellow flowers that would look great in a hanging basket, raised planter or in a rotted stump for moist bright shade. In the right setting, pretty much an awesome bit of clematical botanical wonderment. I've never been one to let the lack of a recogiized word impede dialogue!

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.

Giant Himalayan Lily. Outrageous Lily family member which can reach 14' high in flower with huge 10" long Easter Lily white flowers flushed purple in the throat. This has an intoxicating fragrance which rides on the breeze throughout the garden especially in the evening. Large green heart-shaped leaves evocative of a Hosta ever increasing in size until it is old enough to bloom which is usually around 7 years of age. Once it is old enough, it sends up this amazing flower stalk in spring culminating in flowers in the latter part of June. This requires so much energy that the main bulb dies but it usually makes several offsets to carry on in subsequent years. As a bonus, the dried flower stalk with its decorative seed pods makes for an arresting bit of indoor decor. Considering the time involved, the sheer magnificence coupled with the poetic finality, flowering is an event that demands a party with plenty of sparkling wine. It's a great excuse for a little justifiable bragging. Plant shallow in rich and moist soil.

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.

Aptly named, a Crocosmia of truly majestic proportions and grandeur of flower. Arguably the finest large-flowered cultivar, this indeed has the largest flowers among the dozens of varieties we grow. Wide open rich orange yellow faces with dark red-orange backs on 40" stems. It totally rules. It's no despot but a kindly monarch who just likes to party hard in late summer. It needs a little room to spread so grant it the space and allow it to bestow upon your garden a late summer bonfire of color. A George Henley introduction from 1918.

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.

Collected in northern India by the intrepid plant hunting duo of Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones, this species offers some midsummer exotica with yellow flowers emerging from soft red calyces on 2' stems. Yet another hardy-for-us species in the Zingiberaceae that we are enamored with.

Good and vigorous hybrid between two excellent blue species, Corydalis flexuosa and C. elata. This will put on a show in spring into June with lots of vibrant blue, nicely scented flowers on reddish stems which stand above the foliage which looks somewhat like the result of a tryst between a maidenhair fern and a meadow rue. Perfect in the shade garden where it needs moisture. This will go fairly dormant in the dog days of summer but will start up again in early fall. We saw both parents of this hybrid growing and flowering on the same day in May of 2006 in their native haunts in Sichuan near the Wolong Panda Reserve.

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.

Lily of the Valley. A good selection of this stalwart species with a yellow margin to the leaves and said leaves are larger than average as well. Typical scented white flowers. There are numerous spellings of the cultivar name but since this is an American introduction, we can only assume this is correct.