C

Interesting genus in the Bellflower or Campanula family and we try to grow as many different ones as possible. Just how long can we last growing unprofitable plants is a question we ponder. This is one of the better ones for the garden making perennial carrot roots and annual vines to 4' with tubby cream flowers with purple corolla lips. Z5 at least.

Silver Cloak Fern. At home over a broad stretch of Asia from Vietnam up to Siberia where it favors growing on rocks or walls in degraded - some say rotted - moss and organic matter. A low growing evergreen fern with startling white undersides to the leaves. Low water requirements once established. Most folks say zone 5 but we'll say 6.

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.

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.

Free-blooming groundcover that is evergreen with yellow button flowers on 8" stems from spring until fall. Very few demands from this plant and as such, we expect few complaints from you. This will grow and perform ably given minimal attention. Indicator plant for a new hobby.

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.

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!

This little beaut seems so architectural that I always imagine it to be a cathedral for the fairy folk. Rigid, vertical spires (non denominational - it's not Catholic) are robed in dark green leaves and blessed with soft lavender flowers of an open-faced innocence. Uncommon of course.

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.

Everything good about this yellow hybrid from David Tristan in the UK. Densely clumping and quite respectful of its allotted space in the garden. Flowers are a rich clear yellow with a good open flared aspect and rounded petals of distinct substance. There is a lot of flower for a compact 24" plant!

Little gray-foliaged low small cushiony clumper. Pinky lavender flowers on stems of a few inches in length. Easy and quite hardy.

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.

Fantastic New Zealand tree-like Asparagaceae member, its cousin C. australis isn't uncommon as a houseplant or tropical, winter garage-dweller; but this rarer species features broader leaves and slightly more cold tolerance. Still relegated to summer-only or houseplant status for most of us, and a bit trickier to grow in exchange for its elevated appearance. Requires moist but very well drained soils and doesn't cope well with intense summer heat. For those looking for a rewarding challenge and a unique appearance not easily found elsewhere there is a lot to enjoy here.

A cool tolerant species from the Himalaya, we keep this in our 40F greenhouse over the winter and it seems to like it. We're not traditional orchid growers as a rule but this has been super-easy, even in pots like everything else here. These are non-flowering divisions in gallon pots and could and should bloom next year. White flowers are of good size.

This widespread little fern is of Scottish provenance where it is abundant and easily found in rock cracks and sundry centuries-old architectural features such as stone walls, stone bridges, stone follies and stone buildings that combine to make villages and gardens so damned picturesque especially when covered in ferns. The spores are covered by a bubble-like indusium which inspired the common name of Bladder Fern.

From the breeding work of Bob Brown comes this crazy good plant. On very stout stems, the big flowers with broad rounded tepals are bunched together in nice fat heads and the flowers are a melange of peachy apricoty pink hues. One of the very best of the recent introductions. Expect this to get 36"-40" and it is a slow clumper so it will be awhile before you need to divide it.

We would have been thrilled to have Paul's second or third best yellow judging by what he regard's as his best. This is an awesome plant with very large flowers of excellent substance clustered in dense heads which compounds the visual impact. Tall stems to 40" just to make sure you won't miss seeing this in bloom. A good even rich yellow that is not brightly strident but very capable of mingling with other colors and more than enough self-confidence to carry the display load on its own if required.

A fine Corydalis collected by Hinkley in Sichuan and there is speculation that it might be a flexuosa x elata hybrid. What we know is that it is an excellent garden plant with loads of light blue flowers which puts on quite the show. Best in light shade or morning sun and moist.

One of the better of the clear yellow hybrids with nicely presented flowers that while of good size are not so overly large that they bow down the stems. We've come to like the clean yellows as they bring something refreshingly uncomplicated to the garden bed and the fewer issues in bed, the better.

A selection we received years ago from Piping Tree Nursery in West Virginia which was known for their eponymous native plant selections. This is a big honker of a Lily of the Valley with very large leaves towards the upper limits of the variety. We are near certain of this being variety montana but have not looked at the flower bracts to confirm, hence the cf. qualifier. Familiar white scented flowers in a magnified format that literally puts this head and shoulders above the rest.