China

A seldom-seen species of Sweet Pepperbush from our seed collection in the wild where it was leafless branches and a multiplicity of finger-like panicles bedecked with small seed capsules. This has proven itself in the garden here with a profusion of summer white flowers literally alive with pollinators. This species can become a tree but this collection is currently a large shrub.

Our collection of what we presume to be the species psilophyllus although the immature seed capsules match corymbosus. Time will tell and either way, a fine deciduous shade tree with panicles of white flowers in May and June. Flora of China does not list either species as growing at the collection location which is cool.

This clone of this fabulous Iris introduced by Darrell Probst is one of our favorite plants of all time. Very fine grassy foliage making a large lax dense mound that is festooned with small white jewels of flowers. It won't happen overnight, but give this a few years and you will have some serious bragging rights. Not that we ever concern ourselves with things like that...

Chinese Lily of the Valley is so much easier to say isn't it? But the satisfaction gained of articulation is worth every effort especially when you roll it out in an fluid yet casual offhand manner. Make no mistake that underneath that thin green veneer of gentility, gardening is a blood sport and one or two well-practiced pronunciations can often render your position unassailable. Just sayin'. This is an uncommon shade-loving evergreen relative to the familiar Lily of the Valley from China and doing very well here spreading more slowly than its cousin to create a mat of evergreen foliage. Instead of the familiar white bells, this has stems of small white starburst flowers backed to good effect by the broad green leaves. We had hoped to see this during our 2015 plant hunting trip to Anhui and Zhejiang but it eluded us. Hardy to zone 5b.

Cardiocrinum is exciting enough but variety yunnanense with its burnished copper new growth causes pulses to elevate along with dilated pupils and flaring nostrils. When this is blooming it is almost as good as sex. It takes a few years but purple flushed white flowers on 12' stalks - oh yes!

Tall form of Polygonatum prattii from our collection in Asia. This has pink tinged stems especially when young and nice small rounded leaves with pettily delicate yet tubby pink urn-shaped flowers. We like all the prattii quite a lot and the sweet vanilla scented flowers contribute to the allure.

These are cutting-grown from a plant Steve Hootman found growing in a garden in Philadelphia where it was defying conventional wisdom as to its hardiness. Being a savvy sort of fellow, he snagged a few cuttings thinking this might prove to be very useful. We think so too although we have not yet trialed it out in our garden. So many plants, so little space. This does seem promising and if your are looking for a small-leafed evergreen creeper that will cling to rocks or a wall, then this might be just the ticket.

Our collection of this small Roscoea species where it grew in alpine turf. This sports wider leaves than R. scillifolia and with flowers of similar size. I realize this only helps if you are familiar with that species but the muse has disabled the backspace button. A 2020 study by Chinese researchers proposed that this be split from R. tibetica into a new species, R. lingbaoshanensis but we have not seen any formal description and this name has not been currently accepted. A hardy tuberous Asian genus in Ginger Family, Zingiberaceae, this will self-sow if allowed, to create a small turf itself.

A reintroduction of this rare species that has been introduced just once by Steve Hootman in 1995. This is from the same population but does provide a bit more genetic diversity as the ones cultivated from the 1995 introduction come from just one or two plants. Hardy in Seattle. These are young plants. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering

From Guizhou Province in China where this mingled with Disporum cantoniense, Tricyrtis, Codonopsis, Enkianthus, Magnolia and Meliosma to name but a few of the amazing floral diversity. Graceful species with dusky new growth expanding to broadly lanceolate leaves with the white bells hanging beneath. Good show of black-purple fruit.

Mondo Grass. Our collection from Asia. This was shorter-growing than the other species we observed in the area and the leaves were comparatively glossier. The autumn blue fruit was oval shaped and we could only hope the flowers would be good. Our hopes were not misplaced as the white flowers are large for an Ophiopogon and different than our other collections. This is a dense carpeter rather than a clumper.

This is from seed collected in 2010 at 3500' from cliffs on the lower slopes of Fanjingshan in Guizhou. What fun it was to see this gesneriad in the wild! Purplish flowers are held on short 4" stems and this is a must-have if you fancy Afican Violets and Streptocarpus. Frost-free and good drainage.

A collection from Japan by the Wynn-Jones from the higher elevations in the mountains of the Kinki Peninsula in central Honshu. This is very similar to the clone 'Maroon Beauty' which is no diminishment. Good purplish leaves with paler highlights and impressive flowers for a Sax with tall stems bearing flocks of white blooms. Moist and shade.

We first encountered this species in the fall of 1997 when we were on the mid to lower slopes of the Cangshan Mountains looking down to the barely discernible 3 Pagodas of Dali fronting the broad expanse of Lake Erhai. This groundcover species formed broad carpets of evergreen foliage covering the large rocks on the boulder-strewn slope so as to give the impression of a tumultuous green sea frozen in place. The day sounds much better than it was, for back in 97 there was but a rough single track road to the higher elevations and on that day our jeeps were blocked by a massively overloaded lorry whose driveline had failed under the weight of massive marble blocks quarried from the higher reaches. The truck was gradually sinking into the mud with just a few inches of clearance and a young skinny boy had been fetched from downslope to slither underneath and effect repairs, which was going to take many hours at best. This meant we were stranded at low elevation with a bunch of botanically fascinating, marginally hardy plants which was not our goal. We made the best of it and one of our new acquaintances was this Ficus.

We were pleased as punch when our friend Jim Fox gifted us with cuttings he took from Roy Lancaster's garden where it is growing as a foundation plant against his home. It was not a stretch to think that this plant was from the same population we had seen as Roy had traveled this same road years earlier as part of the Sino-British Expedition to Cangshan. Sadly we can't grow this outside here in our gardens but if you are lucky enough to have only very light frosts or none at all, then this would be a fine groundcover. This does have small reddish figs but stick to the ones you get at the store.

A mouthful we'll grant you, for this Epimedium from Guizhou, China. Vigorous evergreen species with long leaves in 3's in stems to 18" tall. This can get to 4' or more wide and will provide a mass of inspired texture. The mist of up to 150 tiny white and yellow flower motes per stem are curious contrast to the substantial foliage. Does well at Chicago Botanic Garden.

No shipping to the State of: OR A nice dwarf evergreen Blueberry from Yunnan and Sichuan where it is found growing epiphytically in large trees of evergreen oak and hemlock. This is a very good garden plant needing an airy organic soil. The foliage has salmon to red colors depending on the season. Fall small fruit.

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.

Second-generation plants from our original collection of this large shrub to small tree in southern China. Glossy evergreen leaves and large fried egg flowers - white petals with a yolk of yellow stamens - in October-November. A gorgeous plant for mild gardens where frost won't turn the white blooms Camellia brown.

Our collection from a previously unbotanized remnant old-growrth forest in China. It was like walking in a mountain valley in Appalachia with massive Beech, Chestnuts, Hornbeams, Magnolias and Rhododendrons all hundreds of years old. Just writing this - it is like we're there. Good evergreen fern - guessing on species.

We haven't yet flowered this twining Campanula relative which we received as seed labeled Codonopisis - Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh form. RBGE is Mecca for plantspeople with one of the finest collections of plants in the world. This is a herbaceous vine to 6' with likely blue flowers. Zone 6 at least.

Ok, update as of this summer 2016. This has pale yellow-green flowers netted heavily with purple veins and variable leaves ranging from ovate to ovate-lanceolate with leaf margins all over the map running from serrate to crenulate, entire to lobed. Historically this has been regarded as Codonopsis rotundifolia var. angustifolia but Hong in his recent taxonomic revision of the genus now places this in the new species, C. bomiensis. Fits perfectly with his description and photos in the monograph and our thanks to Bob Armstrong for assisting us with identification. Native to China and Tibet, zone 6 for sure and very likely lower.