China

Very hardy Jack in the Pulpit which is the Asian equivalent of our eastern US Arisaema triphyllum. This Jack is native to the Russian Far East, northern China and Korea and is a variable species but always has green flowers with stripes that are usually white but can be sort of a chocolate purple. Good bulb for light shade to morning sun. We sold this for some years as triphyllum ssp. pusillum before being enlightened that it is the closely related Arisaema amurense. Similar but different. An easy Jack in the Pulpit increasing nicely my offsets. Good moist soil.

Uncommon species which has proven durable in containers and in the garden where it handled a nasty 12F winter with equanimity. Pink-backed white flowers followed by red fruit on stiffly upright stems. From Erlangshan in Sichuan growing with the rare Epimedium flavum on a slope with Cardiocrinum in the wet thicket behind.

Higher elevation Chinese species favoring a moist and rich with compost spot in part sun. This has long been a favorite species of ours with its pendant rose-purple flowers held on long pedicels heavily coated in white mealy farina and carried aloft on tall stems up to 2 to 3 feet. Sue grew this in northern VT.

Exquisite woodlander from China that can reach 3' in height with well branched stems with dangling red flowers. This is far showier than the typical green flowered forms more commonly found. Not that they are all that common. Good rich humusy soil that retains moisture.

A candelabra type which we found growing in a high boggy meadow in Sichuan in October 2012 where it mingled with other Primula species, Gentiana sino-ornata in bloom and hummocks of dwarf Rhododendron. This had small seed capsules with short pedicels closely set in whorls on the scape reminiscent of Primula wilsonii. We have now flowered here at the nursery and see that it is a good form of Primula poissonii with large magenta flowers in tiers on the tall stems. We had previously offered this as a candelabra Primula species. Fairly sun tolerant if given ample moisture or tolerant of what passes for sun here in the maritime Northwest.

Chinese version of our East Coast Diphylleia cymosa. If you are into herbaceous Berberidaceae, right - that is all of you so of course this is a must-have! White flowers and blue fruit on red pedicels about rounded scalloped foliage. Some have this merged into Podophyllum. We don't. Divisions from our own plants.

A very good form of the species collected by Dan Hinkley in China. All parts - leaves, scape or flower stem, flowers - larger than typically found in the species at least when compared to the 8 or 9 clones we grow. Fresh grass green leaves are marked in silver and the up to 20" + flower stems bears a snowstorm of simple white flowers with their diagnostic longer lower two petals which places this species in Section Irregulares. This will thrive in the moist shade garden but prefers light to bright shade.

Roof Iris. These are seed-grown from our plant from an Eric Hammond collection in China. This species actually does grow on thatched roofs in Japan and China and is quite easily grown in the garden Large, 5-6 inch lilac-blue flowers are very nice on stems to perhaps 18" tall. Happy in zones 4-9, this is easy but watch for slugs on the new growth as these might attest.

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.

RBG Kew and us are gonna have some words! How dare they merge Rosa mulliganii into another species? This was named to honor beloved Seattle icon, Brian Mulligan, who was Director of Washington Park Arboretum for 27 years. Very vigorous beautiful rose with fragrant white flowers and blood-red hips. And the foliage turns autumnal colors of yellow and red as well. Be aware that you are loosing The Beast as this really needs A Lot of room and is displayed to its fullest most awesome glory when given large trees such as our Douglas Fir to climb upon.

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.

From Hubei comes this smaller form of Saxifraga stolonifera which, before taxonomic lumping, might have been called S. veitchiana. Found growing in moss on a shaded cliff face in Abies fargesii forest. This will spread by strawberry-like stolons and makes a sweet little evergreen groundcover with airy white flowers.

A collection from Asia from an area rarely visited by westerners. This rhizomatous species has leaves variably marked in pale patterns topside and varying shades of red beneath. Upright stems to 10"-18" with pink flowers. Hardiness unknown yet but the mantra of "grow until you can split it then try outside mulching like heck for winter" applies. Thinking maybe mellower Zone 8b.

An exceptional selection by Duane West of presumably consanguineum. What sets this apart is the sultry smokiness of the new growth - the expanding radial array of leaflets colored darkly in alluring Mystery and Promise. The pseudostem leans strongly against the bar and beckons, allowing the olive flowers to stand proud.

A rare introduction of this small alpine Allium that is scarcely represented in cultivation. Small flattened leaves arch close to the ground and the short-stemmed blue flowers are quite pleasing. The leaves distinguish it from the similar but with rounded leaves, Allium cyaneum, which it shares habitat.

Rad new introduction to cultivation of this tremendously adorable Vireya section Rhododendron collected on a shaded rocky cliff face not far from the Vietnam border. Small glossy green leaves colored in bronze when in new growth. This is essentially a creeper as it was truly hugging the rock growing in little humus pockets. Nice and cheery small open-faced yellow flowers are borne over a long span. Cute quotient is pretty much pegged right at the max. Hardiness is unknown as there is no track record on this species but the mainland Vireyas have surprised with some species like R. rushforthii being quite good in the Seattle area. To be safe, lets start at a warm zone 8b and hopefully work down with experience. Easy in a pot and can be overwintered in a cool sunroom until more is known and probably the best thing to do its first winter with you anyway.

Uncommon evergreen Deutzia and we may be the only nursery in the US that carries it! This has glossy dark green leaves with a white underside. Early summer brings subtle clusters of small, star shaped white flowers with pronounced golden anthers. From a Peter Cox collection in the Cangshan.

A good form of this Chinese Jack in the Pulpit from plantsman Darrell Probst which sports the eye-catching and very elegant white-striped purple flowers typical of the species but here with the added ornament of dark stems rather than green.  This used to be known as var. liubaense, for the lack of ciliate hairs on the spathe rim but this is a minor distinction and is no longer recognized.  An excellent increaser by offsets, resulting in a proper colony over time.

Ok, here is a weird one. In the family Helwingiaceae there is but one genus, Helwingia which has 3 species. Helwingia has epiphyllus flowers which means they bloom from the midrib of the leaves. This male plant was collected by Hinkley in Sichuan and will be evergreen. Small light pink flowers.

This gesneriad comes from southern Jiangxi Province in China via an Atlanta Botanic Garden collection. Hemiboea defy what we know inherently to be true by being surprisingly hardy when they look very tender. Broad leaves with large foxglove-like white flowers spattered in red dots with a yellow throat. This should do fine down to zone 8b and probably lower especially with mulch - we've seen a different species of Hemiboea in Ann Arbor.