China

A rare species from northern Myanmar and adjacent Yunnan, this is even a rarer opportunity to purchase bulbs from seed collected in the wild by Bjornar Olsen. Nomocharis in cultivation live in the Summer of Love and welcome without reservation any pollen from any other Nomocharis nearby resulting in hybridity. These are direct wildlings and flowers vary a bit which is not uncommon in a population.

An uncommon variety of the standard evergreen Tongue fern found across East Asia. To this already attractive species 'Keikan' adds wide fronds with rippling deeply lobed margins resulting in a striking flame-like effect. Best grown in a well drained location or on a slope where it will happily spread by its trailing rhizomes.

Impressive hardy begonia collected by Ozzie Johnson on Emei Shan in Sichuan. This rhizomatous species looks tender as all get out but has overwintered in a number of Zone 7b gardens - admittedly not 7b for weeks at a time but still - heck yeah! Brilliant red undersides and a burnished upper surface to the leaves are meant to go with the white flowers. Some speculation that this is a natural hybrid with pedatifida but we know for sure it is a dandy. Mulch in winter.

A Hinkley collection of this very collectible Trillium relative from China. The 7-12 narrow leaves are arranged like spokes on a wheel and have short deep purple petioles. The flowers are the typical Paris expression of atypical nonconformity with lots of green and spidery filaments. We have not keyed this yet to verify the name but it is quite rhizomatous and is not of the widespread polyphylla clan.

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.

An impeccable Scottish source provided this indispensable Candelabra Primrose. Burnt orange flower buds open to orange flowers held in tiers on short, 12" dark stems which pair perfectly with the reddish midrib of the leaves. Shorter than most Candelabra types, this space-saver can move to the path edge for easy viewing. From high, moist meadows and seeps in Yunnan.

Neat species widely distributed from Thailand to China and into the Himalaya to Bhutan. This has stout stems that can reach 4' on old large bulbs with many leaflets arrayed like the spokes of an umbrella. Large green flowers often tinged with purple followed by red fruit. With such a broad range, there is variation in the species but a constant seems to be consistently good growers in the garden. Ours often don't appear above ground until early June so be patient! These are medium-sized bulbs and yes, we agree with you that we should have these sized by centimeters.

Climbing Monkshood. This seedling from our collection on the Chongqing-Guangxi-Guizhou expedition in 2010 sports gold to chartreuse new growth in an attractive pop of contrast that helps to tide you over while waiting for the light to mid-blue flowers on stems that can reach 10'-15'. This a widespread and variable species in China and one we find most appealing.

This charmer with white unarmed Thistle-like flowers may well be ssp. insularis but there is a dearth of both information as well as time to review that information. Maybe this winter when the plants are dormant. Under a foot high with nice showy white flowers in mid to late summer.

A very charming lithophyte from our collection in China where it clad the upper portion of an appliance-sized boulder in the shade of an open broadleaf evergreen forest. This evergreen to semi-evergreen fern has leaflets so soft they rival the downy belly of a baby chinchilla - pure conjecture but accurate. There was heavy usage from grazing in the area this was found and there were examples of Lithocarpus being felled by keeping a fire burning at the base of the trees. The grazing benefited Rhododendron spinuliferum however, which turned these gangly shrubs into perfect dense, upright specimens that Peter Cox said were the best he had ever seen.

Our collection of this large species from Fanjinshan in China where we saw it growing in the open with mixed scrub. This was a leafless 10' rounded open shrub with seed capsules at the ends of the branches. We have not yet flowered this but Flora of China has this as the only species that grows in this area so that works for us. Expect white flowers tinged pink aging to red or some variation thereof and being fairly profuse in May. May is always a safe month to say when you have not flowered something. Gives you a little wiggle room. If you've got the room in a naturalistic wild garden or want something big summer screening, this could be the ticket. This would be excellent backing for tall Joe Pye Weed for example. Aside from appealing to hummingbirds with its broadly tubular flowers, this is the type of shrub that is begging to be nested in. Good branch angles, nice shell of exterior concealing foliage and relatively open interior. Channeling my inner bird.

Bold gray-green foliaged Chinese Salvia collected by plantswoman June Sinclair. Deciduous species and tough as nails. Multiple arms of flowering stems splay out from the leafy crown bearing many rich purple tubular pouchy flowers. This has been a trooper in our garden. We previously offered this as S. bulleyana but are refining our best guesses. Oh to have more time with a hand lens and the Flora of China.

We quite love the Roscoea clan and we have a special affection for this one which challenges for top honors as having the smallest flowers in the genus. Why would I want the small flowered one you ask? Because these small orchid-like flowers are an intensely colored black-maroon like a Lapin Cherry reduction dessert sauce is why.

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.

Dramatic Bergenia from legendary OR nurseryman Russell Graham and we have named it so in appreciation and to keep this clone distinct. One of the most frustrating plants in our garden, not for us but for pleading customers as we've never offered it. Deciduous leaves up to a rounded square foot and white-pink flowers.

One of the jewels in the tiara of shade garden royalty which is supposed to sound aristocratic and appealing and I believe it does. Put this little Chinese gem in a special spot where you can enjoy the white flowers over the patterned foliage. This would likely thrive in a moist rotting stump. Found up to 12000' in alpine meadows, we've also seen a tiny form in forests in Chongqing. These are from our own divisions.

Our collection from Guangxi on a mountain area little explored by Westerners. This Mondo Grass had leaves to 2' long and fairly lax. Flower stems just 3" tall with surprisingly nice mauve flowers that give way to typical shiny Ophiopogon fruit in the fall. Excellent textural evergreen for shade with a bonus of good flowers. Just a few. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering

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.

A silver-patterned selection of this durable garden species of Jack in the Pulpit. A silver wash plays along the midrib of each leaflet spoke in the radial foliar wheel which makes this exotic leaf even more exotic. Green flowers with a long drip tip on the spathe limb cap turn into fruit like an orange ear of corn and you are on your way to lots more.

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.