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439 products
Our collection from the the summit of Guizhou Province's highest mountain in the southern Wumengshan. This was an area of severe deforestation and grazing but we secured 5 seeds of this very nice pink flowered species hiding at the edge of a boulder in the cropped turf and after propagation, can now offer this rare and possibly new to cultivation beauty. We have been thrilled with the performance of this in our garden where it grows at the foot of a large Baptisia where it wends it way through the stems to 3' tall and fronts the Baptisia with a skirt of pink flowers for going on three months. It is actually giving the Baptisia a bit of a complex because the Baptisia flowers for about a week and takes up a lot of space while meantime the Geranium is just a little energizer bunny.
A collection from Guizhou of this species in the Sinarisaema section and which is likely part of the variable Arisaema consanguineum complex. This has up to 8 radially arranged leaflets with attractive green flowers with pale white stripes held beneath. The long, attenuated drip-tip of the spathe-limb is softly chocolate colored and adds considerably to the allure. This has been a durable plant in the garden.
We've gotten this excellent small species over the years with various names attached such as 'Sky Blue' and 'Cobalt' and there is not a bit of difference between them. As a species, this is perfectly capable of standing on its own merits without the needless marketing ploy of a seductive name although there are differences in shades of blue but we have not had them. Small heads of dark violet blue flowers on 6" stems in June and July are held above dense clumps of fine grassy foliage. Easy and hardy clumper to zone 4 from China.
Our introduction from 2012 of this new to cultivation species. This was found on a scramble up a shaded and damp ravine which would have been a small stream during rainstorms. Fortunately it was sunny. A tight groundcover with normally green leaves but this sport has frosty white flecks in the leaves most prominent in the spring. Small green flowers.in branched heads up to 6" above the leaves. We were hoping for yellow but this will make the green flower contingent happy. You would be surprised just how many of them are out there! This overwintered nicely in our garden winter of 2014 enduring two separate events of 3 nights of 15F each time.
Our collection from a plant with particularly good red-purple new growth where it was growing in rich soil moist soil in open woodland with a few plants of the rare Primula ovalifolia as neighbors. This is groundcover with strawberry-like stolons terminating in a plantlet which will root where it touches. Lovely thing with pale flowers above the bold foliage in early spring. The species handles the east coast as well growing in the Dronenburg-Weil garden in Maryland.
A Dan Hinkley collection from Mt Emei in China's Sichuan Province and touted as being hardy to Z7 but only by those in serious zonal denial. That said, a customer told us that he mulches his deeply and it has survived our worst winters so there is a clue - mulch!. An attractive plant with late season pink flowers and well worth trying in a sheltered spot.
Our collection of this interesting Solomon's Seal from the Cangshan in Yunnan way back in 1997 when we were with Kunming Botanic Garden. This has bamboo-like new growth which is quite striking and tiers of verticillate lanceolate leaves on stems to 6' gives great texture. The leaf axils are crowded with small pale flowers followed by orange-red fruit in the Fall. Tolerant of our cool full sun and part sun is ideal.
A woody species peony we first saw in Yunnan in 1997 growing in the open woodland surrounding the alluvial plain of the Ganghoba valley with Dipelta, Rodgersia and Arisaema. This will get 4'-6' tall with nicely dissected foliage and the small but intense flowers on these young, seed-grown plants will likely be red although orange is possible as we have both and bees will be bees.
A collection from China of this surpirisingly hardy gesneriad whose identity remains a mystery. This was growing on a mountain summit in a shaded area with hard limestone outcrops coated in thick moss which proved ideal conditions for this little gem. Tubular yellow flowers are a delight and has handled 10F in our garden growing in a stump.
A Chinese rhizomatous type flowering with fresh green foliage when flowering rather than the Great Withering as with bulbous species. Small heads of yellow flowers on 10"-15" stems set in a comparatively statuesque frame (comparing to Allium moly here) sets this apart from its yellow compatriots. Introduced by Diana Reeck from Kunming Botanic Garden.
Excellent Chinese species which has grown and multiplied in our garden for 15 years. Broad trifoliate leaves with flowers sporting a swollen yellow spadix held below the foliage. Once pollinated, the stem bearing the fruiting head elongates until the red fruit is held well above the leaves. In Sichuan, we saw this flowering amidst carpets of Corydalis flexuosa in bloom - no wonder their spadices were dilated! Nice 1" or so seed-grown bulbs that are not flowering size but will get you started. This will also increase by offsets.
A bold species which we have seen and collected in China, this has a single impressive entire leaf until it hits flowering size and then it is impressively trifoliate. Lovely purple spathe with white stripes and best of all, an easy grower. Thanks to Jacques and Andrea Thompson for sharing seed which led to these bulbs. Hardy in Michigan!
A very vigorous form from a Quarryhill collection that is much taller and has larger green leaves than any of the others we grow. The usual early spring white flowers in March and April here. We have a just a few of these from division here in late winter and these may not be fully rooted out on early orders.
This is a clone from a wild collection in China which came to us from a friend and we have finally a few to offer. Evergreen leaves in our climate looking a lot like a Solomon Seal with similar white bells in spring. In all respects, this is quite similar to the clone we have from Washfield Nursery but if you are at all like us then you are obsessed with genetic diversity so bring on the clones! It is not a bad idea anyway as it usually helps with pollination to have more than one clone and the lavender fruits offer a subtle attraction in the shade garden later in the season. We clip the old stems off in spring as the new starts to grow and this likes a moist rich soil but will tolerate drier conditions with an occasional deep drink.
Our collection of this hardy evergreen, Asian Witch Hazel relative. This will become a small tree in time to 20'-30' and can be very useful as screening or a dark backdrop. Here, the Feb-March flowers forego any petal modesty and celebrate their sexual parts on full display. That brings back sadly distant memories. Undamaged by our winters in full exposure. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering
This variegated Japanese selection used to be in the genus Cacalia and has been recently placed in Parasenecio by the botanical powers that be. Broad foliage irregularly and finely streaked and spattered in cream like a monochromatic misting by Jackson Pollock on a green canvas. This will get to up to 30" with upright stems clad in this conversational foliage. Flowers are forgettable as is the case with most of these former Cacalians. We've grown this in light shade to good effect and hardy to zone 4.
An unusual Asian hydrangea relative that has quietly won us over by growing larger each year and consistently flowering under a regime which could only be generously described as one of benign neglect. This makes a small broadly rounded twiggy deciduous shrub to 2'-3' in the garden although older specimens in the wild are said to get to 5'. Narrow willow-like green leaves with small teeth along the margins combine well with the late summer-fall small white flowers. The 4-petaled fertile flowers have a prominent yellow button of stamens which the infertile flowers lack. We have seen accounts of this growing well in North Carolina and southern Indiana. This will be happiest in light shade or part eastern sun. Platycrater hails from southeastern China in provinces near to Shanghai and also from Shikoku in Japan. These two geographical populations are separated by some authorities based on hairs on the leaf underside and we are making a note to self to take the hand lens to a leaf as soon as we can. Why not now you ask? How can you leave us hanging in such suspense? It is winter as we type this and there are no leaves but we will get to it asap!
Our collection of this triumphant Asian species which occurs in the Sino-Himalaya and is such a delight in the garden. This collection is from an adjacent area to the CGG14112 collection also listed and we expect these to be of similar high caliber when they reach flowering size. Rich, moist soil and plant shallow.
A Roy Lancaster introduction of the variety chinensis from Yunnan, China (which in of itself, is reason enough to have this plant in the collection but then Roy is a hero to us so we're biased but not without reason) of an invaluable winter blooming shrub tolerant of deep shade with white fragrant flowers from late fall into early winter. Superb shade evergreen shrub.
Collected by Hinkley from Emeishan as the species cavalieri, this Borage family member has riveting evergreen foliage washed in a gleaming silvery metallic overlay that is more than reason enough to grow this but OMG it has lovely flowers too which are white but touched in the palest blue. Gentle runners that makes a quiet patch. Ultra choice & rare, this has thrived in North Seattle for some years. Thanks to the generous and gifted Jeanette Kunnen for sharing. Full disclosure has some of these with minor slug nibbles on the leaves but we did not observe this happening in the garden - don't be dissuaded but we didn't want you surprised!