China

Dan Hinkley collection of this incredible member of the Witch Hazel family. Glossy evergreen leaves emerge as flattened paddles and unfold into a shape best described as a rounded duck's foot held on yellow-green petioles all making for an extremely unique silhouette. The Vietnamese collections of this species tend not to be hardy in Zone 8 but this collection of Hubei provenance is growing well at Windcliff, so here's to hoping!

Rhizomatous species from southern China with excellent foliage colored light red on the underside and olive-buff green on top with a ring of silver-white spots just in from the margin. This makes a fine clump to 20" tall in a container, more than holding its own with just foliage but the late season white flowers are welcome frosting on this particular Begonia cake. This has been hardy here in the zone 8 Puget Sound with winter mulch. One of our better collections for sure.

A frost-tender gesneriad from China formerly in the genus Briggsia. In the wild, this is found at low elevations growing on mossy rocks in moist shaded positions. This has comparatively big white flowers whose QR code pattern of yellow and red in the throat starts to make sense, telling you things, if you stare at it long enough. Great for the cool greenhouse or African Violet culture.

Cannot ship to DE, MA, ME, NH, RI, WV. An uncommon species collected by Steve Hootman, one of the best plant hunters of the modern era. Steve is the Director at the Rhodendron Species Botanic Garden and he found this in the Chinese Himalaya. Smaller and more prostrate than R. laurifolium. Greenish flowers.

From Sichuan where this was growing in an open position in a lightly shaded glade at about 10000' in elevation. This has small leaves shaped much like a pointed canoe paddle with flower stems to 10"-15" tall bearing small round heads of white flowers sometimes with a diffused pink keel to the outer petals as many in this collection do. We always like finding this species as they do vary and finding an Allium that is at home in the shade garden is not a bad thing. This will continue to gain stature with maturity and do a bit of clumping.

A perennial mainstay in Europe and a key player in the Dutch and German Waves of garden design is this nearly perfect Fleece Flower and for darn good reason. This behaves itself and doesn't run or seed, just clumps and blooms all summer until frost. The white flowers provide critical contrast and a cooling point for the hot colors of the summer border - a visual iceberg for your fevered eye to stretch out belly flat like your hiking dog buddy does on that lingering snowbank high in the mountains in late summer. Very hardy, very easy, this works with nearly everything and will make you look like you have realized your potential.

Our collection from Asia of this Solomon Seal where it grew at 5500' in a mixed old growth forest of broadleaf evergreen and deciduous trees along with massive Rhododendrons. This was handsome in fruit with black fruit hanging under the leaves on the 18" tall arching stems. Two to six small white flowers in the leaf axils.

Our collection of this verticillate (leaves in a spoke or whorled arrangement on stem) species from a chilly mountain summit at almost 11000'.  Even at this elevation, there was still active grazing by domestic animals and tasty morsels like this were to be found only in the embrace of woody and unappealing shrubs like Berberis.  Wreathed in gloomy and mysterious hill fog, the red fruit on this Polygonatum shone like baubles most desirous.  A smaller species, upright 16"-24" tall and fairly sun tolerant if that is your only choice rather than the preferred part to light shade.

Hearkening back to our 1997 collection in Yunnan, this persistent little onion is testament to what keeping calm and carrying on can do for you. Thin, grassy clumps of leaves with small heads of pink flowers held above makes this daintily appealing. This likes a reasonably moist, rich soil. Often seen with the name "amabile" appended to it, which is an invalid synonym.

One of the class acts of the winter blooming shrub world. This lemon yellow-flowered selection of the Paper Bush is an affirmation of spring with its late winter flowers on bare stems. The common name comes from the high quality paper once made from its bark. Sun to part sun for best bloom.

We have just a handful of young plants of this uncommon cultivar from Japan. Nioi means "scent" in Japanese and while we do appreciate that, it is the larger than usual heads of yellow flowers that we appreciate and is the largest of the clones we grow.

This is likely the first introduction to cultivation of this curious Theaceae or Tea family member from our collection just north of the Vietnam border in Guangxi Province. This is serious 99% pure Plant Crack and even we have to cut this stuff to be able to function well enough to do things like buy groceries. An evergreen shrub to 10' in the wild with long, slightly drooping olive-green leaves prominently hirsute especially along the margins. Lamentably insignificant cream flower whose petals barely exert themselves beyond the green sepals whose reduced number and size places this as var. glischroloma according to the Flora of China. Look beyond the transience that is flowers, if this had any to speak of, and be wowed by what is really good foliage on a very handsome shrub that will mark you as an irredeemable plant nut. The flowers give way to small black fruit. No idea how hardy this is but we are thinking zone 8 as this mountain endured a serious cold and ice event in 2008 and we saw no evidence of damage to these plants in 2010. We returned in 2012 and it is this collection that is being offered.

Young plants of a rare offering of this graceful woodland species from the borderlands of China and Vietnam. Upright plants to 10' that rarely branch with expected Schefflera - we mean Heptapleurum - green leaves. Umbels of black fruit in a raceme. Hardiness unknown but let's start with not very. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering

One of the cutest Mondo Grasses around! This little Chinese species has very fine leaves making a tight little mound which is decorated with white flowers in spring. The flowers are not what grabs us though as they give way to rounded oval shiny blue fruits that beg to be admired. Easy in part shade.

Lilium rosthornii is an uncommonly interesting lily from China whose flowers reflect a design concept taken to its ultimate expression by an inveterate tinkerer. Three foot stems carry large, vivid orange flowers whose narrow petals are recurved into an impossible backbend with a twist thrown in for good measure. The exposed faces of the petals fairly bristle with polyp-like papillose projections while the revealed open throat displays a dark green star from which unashamedly project the very long stamens and pistils. Having traveled in India, the outlandish floral corollary that popped into our minds was of a sadhu performing in Cirque du Soleil. Google images for sadhu and all will be clear. Lilium rosthornii is similar to L. henryi but flowers a bit later with peak bloom in September for us and has narrow vertical seed capsules as opposed to more globose and pendant in L. henryi.

A vigorous shrub outstanding for the wild edge or "natural" garden. A mass of thin kitty-wampus stems but with a general arching cascade effect. Delightful cigarillo shaped pink flowers. Good screening plant for creating a wall of a garden room. Deciduous and easy.

Superb small tree from an area not botanized by westerners. This will have showy panicles of white flowers in late spring - early summer and is notable for having slightly bronzy new growth which adds to the allure. It has done superbly in full exposure here for several years - mute testament to its tolerance of adversity!

First US offering of this mind-melting mega must-have plant zombie drenched sheets fever lying about the price without a second thought to husband-wife-partner-mother forget to feed the dog dream Araliad. BIG leaves and sprays of snowball flowers. Go ahead, google it but don't say we didn't warn you. Young plants but will grow quickly. Tender but when has that stopped you?

Our collection from Sichuan of this variant on the Jasminum humile theme. A scrambling, weaving and somewhat scandent shrublet with thin stems that infiltrates the marginal spaces among shrubs and can grow up through them for a little support. Bright yellow flowers which are unscented but cheery nonetheless. This form is doubtfully or at least very scarce in cultivation so good on us. Now for a bit of botanical esoterica. Enrico Banfi proposed in 2014 that the Alternifolia section of Jasminum to which this belongs, be moved to a new genus, Chrysojasminum and if this gets adopted, then we would have Chrysojasminum humile var. microphyllum. Do we know how to have fun or what?

A hardy and excellent selection from Japan with deeply divided and ruffled leaves, providing a unique texture for the shade to cool sun garden. Fall color is often a rich burgundy red. Best coloration in light shade during hottest part of the day. Panicles of pure white flowers with red-pink centers appear in early to mid-spring.