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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!
Rare Chinese Solomon's Seal that is on our admittiedly long list of favorites. Nice little increaser making a loose clump of wiry stems with lavender imbued green leaves and I'm secure enough in my masculinity to say absolutely darling flowers. A little sun to shade in decent soil.
From a 2012 collection in China by Goteborg Botanic Garden's three Henrik's including Henrik Zetterlund and his sense of humor is all over the expedition acronym. This is Polemonium chinense var. chinense based on the glabrous stems. Violet flowers, rarely white in late spring and early summer. We keep waiting for a white one.
Impish little species to a foot or so which looked unremarkable in the wild but blossomed - literally and figuratively - in the easy livin' at the nursery. Clusters of small white bells heavily marked in magenta dangle from long pedicels at the base of each leaf which is likewise fetchingly daubed in a small spot of bright maroon. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering. Graceful and attractive.
Our Asian collection of this seductively compelling woodland species. All parts in all stages have a synchronicity of poised loveliness that binds the gaze to that moment slowing time and pace allowing one to absorb beauty be it a nascent unfurling, ornament of purplish bells, refinement of green or understated black pearls.
Our collection from Yunnan in 1997 of this cream of the crop higher elevation Piptanthus. Imagine our excitement seeing just 3 plants growing in a rubble outflow at the base of a steep hill after hours of walking across the valley of the Gang Ho Ba. Great silvery silken trifoliate foliage and large yellow pea flowers. This makes a multistemmed rounded shrub to 6' tall in our border. Most folks mistake it for a shrubby Argyrocytisus (Cytisus) battandieri until it blooms with flowers evocative of Laburnum. We've grown and killed several collections of the green-leafed P. nepalensis but this variety (which we have offered in the past as P. aff. tomentosus and much earlier as P. forrestii) is far hardier having withstood early November 14F with strong winds despite not being hardened off as the previous week had been in the 60's. Thanks to Grahame Ware for sharing recent research in the genus and hopefully nailing down the correct name. With botany however, never say never.
This is one had thought was Hedychium spicatum var. spicatum but are now thinking it is H. yunnanense. This is a much larger plant than any of our spicatum collections getting to over 5' tall and has a much larger and denser inflorescence packed with far more flowers - up to thirty. The flowers resemble spicatum in their shape and white and coral colors and the resultant orange-red fruit is also very similar.
Large green leaves stippled in evenly spaced pale hairs and small flowers pink in bud and on the reverse, opening to nearly white with the gentlest of pink touching the face. A rhizomatous species that has been hardy in mild PNW gardens especially if mulched in winter with something airy yet insulating. A Hinkley collection from China.
A tuberous species allied to Begonia taliense and differing mainly in the shallow lobes of the leaves. This is native to SW Sichuan and the Zhongdian Plateau in Yunnan. This has reasonable hardiness as it grows up to 2600 meters and is excellent in zone 8 gardens especially if you winter mulch. A low and densely clumping species with bright pink flowers late in summer.
Codonopsis are curious things. These are herbaceous vining relatives of Campanula or Bellflowers and seem an unlikely expression of such. From an almost bulbous root arises several tendril shoots which love to twine into surrounding shrubs from which to display their 2" dusky lavender star shaped flowers. Usually the foliage carries a musky scent but true confessions, we can't remember if this species does writing this as we are in the middle of winter. An unlikely armature for such improbable and lovely flowers. Many species of Codonopsis are dug in the wild as their roots are eaten although we wouldn't encourage you to try it. There's carrots in the market after all. These are young plants but should flower this year.
Climbing Monkshood. This is from our seed collection on the Chongqing-Guangxi-Guizhou expedition in 2010. We found this on the summit of the previously unbotanized highest peak in the Wumingshan where it was clambering about on the top of the short scrub. We were struck by the large seed pods. Light to mid-blue flowers on stems that can reach 10'-15' on this vining Monkshood. This a widespread and variable species in China one we find most appealing.
Seedlings from this very good named form of the very variable Anemone obtusiloba which ranges at higher altitudes across the Himalaya into western China. Our mama plant came home with us from Scotland and is notable for larger blue flowers with 3-4 extra petals beyond the usual 5. We expect these youngsters to carry on the family tradition. Starts flowering early in spring with main flush in late spring but sporadic bloom during summer. A small species suited to a larger trough, rock garden or special spot in light shade.
What madness possessed us to make this esoteric cross between the usual maroon flowered species and the white flowered form? Consequences of a very liberal drug and alcohol policy is perhaps the best guess. Unflowered seedlings which will be either typical maroon pleianthum, typical white pleianthum f. alba or shades in between. We can definitively say the flowers will not be blue.
Our collection from Asia from a mountain range little explored by westerners. One of the rhizomatous types allied to palmata which we expect will have hardiness down into zone 8 especially if mulched. Flowers are either pink or white - memory has failed but can say definitively they are not blue.
We have just a handful of this choice form of the species in which the pinnae are distinctly undulated adding yet another layer of tasteful complexity to a species already awash in attributes. It really isn't fair to be born with gorgeous 6'-7' fronds but do you have to flaunt undulation too? Well, yes.
A Shayne Chandler collection from China of this most attractive species which has proven hardy in his garden as well as the equally mild garden at Heronswood both which are zone 8b. Lovely deeply lobed leaves liberally spotted in white and the late season pink flowers play well with the foliage. Mulch in winter zones 8a-7b and in colder areas, deeper mulch and using your microclimate siting to the max is advised until the hardiness limits of this species are better understood.