China

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.

Excellent Irish selection formerly called 'Helen Dillon' but determined to be properly 'Irish Crimson' One of the most requested plants in our garden and forever associated with the amazing gardener Helen Dillon. Small upright leaves brilliantly colored in winter with vivid pink flowers. Very few from division. Best color in full sun.

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.

From the Tian Shan Mts comes this tough little subshrub that is among the finest expressions of silver foliage to be found. Eversilver aromatic leaves on an 18" rounded plant with yellow button flowers in late summer. I bet the deer find it repugnant. Good drainage, some to little water.

Sweet little gesneriad (African Violet family) from our collection in Asia in an area not botanized by westerners. This was common in soil pockets on rock faces where it formed rosettes of evergreen leaves with scapes (flower stems) to 10" tall. Up to 9 tubular light purple flowers on each reddish stem and we've had 6 stems in a 4" pot so we're talking some serious floral output here. Given its collection location, we expect this to be at least zone 8b hardy. Proceeds from this offering go to support the mission of Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy.

Stunning introduction by the equally stunning Steve Hootman from the rich forests of the Myanmar border area. This epiphytic blueberry cousin has luscious pink, tubular, ribbed flowers accented by red squiggly chevrons with provocatively inviting, recurved yellow tips ringing the corolla mouth. Likely tolerates light brief frosts.

Lives up to it's common name of Felt Fern. Felty-soft, three to five-lobed fronds stay evergreen and have coppery undersides. Growing as an epiphyte in its native range, this prefers good drainage and a partly shady spot.  Spreads very slowly, but definitely worth the wait. What we are selling here is a predominantly 3-lobed form that is going around incorrectly as P. hastata.

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!

This clone came from a knowledgeable plantsman in Vietnam and no data as to whether it was from a wild collection or a cultivated plant originating from China. Evergreen Solomon Seal relative with white bells under upright and slightly arching stems clad in alternate green leaves. Hardy in Kansas.

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?

Distinctive Asian conifer forming impressively large trees up to 100' and we've been very fortunate to see large specimens in Guangxi Province. The dense branchlets are flattened much like a Thuja and extremely handsome. Ours is thriving in full sun/wind exposure. Recently moved to Chamaecyparis and then back. Young plants. 

Bringing the rare stuff out! This is a very newly described species from the Cangshan in Yunnan and collected by those intrepid folks at Crug Farm in Wales. This one requires room as it is stoloniferous which to our knowledge, is unique in the genus. If you want a tidy clump, we have a lots of other options but if you have space to fill and want something no one else has then feel free to do as we did and pick one up! Bright purplish smaller flowers on this rare species.

Very pleasing collection by Jens and Remy Nilsen from China of this ornamental broadleaf evergreen. In the Theaceae or Camellia family, this has small but pretty white flowers and presents a carefully curated package of attributes with clean foliage coloring well in winter, good form and complementary flowers. Ours survived fine one winter at 10F and expired another at 13F. This was in full exposure to both sun and wind and typically in the wild, these grow in mixed woodlands often on the edges enjoying some shelter much like Rhododendrons or Camellias which would have made all the difference. Plants - such sublime torture.

Collected as Tupistra in 1997 in the Cangshan above Dali at 10,000'. This was in a slump of debris on the road from the cliff above and located just past the 1981 SBEC collection of Rhododendron edgeworthii which was recognizable from expedition photos as the same plant growing on top of the same massive boulder. Narrow evergreen keeled leaves create a dense clump. Flowers a basal persistent cudgel of green buds which open to small strange green flowers turning to amber drops with age which delight the botanically inclined. This was fairly recently moved from Tupistra to Campylandra and in 2003 into Rohdea for those of you keeping taxonomic scorecards. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering.

An impressive member of the witch hazel family with showy red flowers in the latter half of summer. We had our world-view of Rhodoleia shaken like a snow globe when we saw an imposing old growth tree of this species in southern Yunnan with a straight clean trunk going on and on. Evergreen leaves usually glaucous beneath. Wish it was hardier.

Unidentified species of a seriously good Asian Pittosporum. This was an attention-grabber being essentially a small 15' tree with large - for a Pittosporum - evergreen leaves. What really stopped us was the large green seed capsules like small figs. These split open when mature to reveal showy orange seeds. Young seed-grown plants. We are hoping these will have good hardiness growing as they were a stone's throw from Acer griseum. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering. Proceeds from this offering go to support the mission of Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy.