China

Our collection of this most attractive species which is in the long queue of plants here to be keyed out as to species.  This was growing on a partly shaded fairly rocky slope with Rohdea, Polygonatum, Paris, Disporum, Polystichum and Cyrtomium with Aucuba, Viburnum, and Acer griseum nearby.  It was ridiculously dense with ornamental genera and this lovely fern easily held its own, making this botanical vignette all the better.

Our collection of this especially small-leafed form of Ficus which we are referring to pumila as the geography fits. We observed this looking especially nice climbing vertically up a tree trunk to 6' in light shade. We've not tried it outside for hardiness but should have reasonable cold tolerance.

An interesting Asian Lysimachia which we have not yet identified. These genus is widespread and varied in Asia with over 170 species and varieties in China alone. It is so much easier to key out monotypic genera where there is but a single species. This is from lower elevations and we have not trialed it outside yet but looks frost sensitive. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering

A rare wild-origin offering of this hardy-for-us species. This develops stout vertical stems which hold palm-like leaves consisting of 8 narrow green leaflets. The late-season pink flowers ignite the pleasure centers which had been happily simmering all summer from the foliar architecture. Nice to introduce some new genetics of this species. Hardy down to zone 8 with a loose mulch. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering.

Our China collection of this most remarkable species. Favoring rich, moist areas which is required to pump up the nearly 6' in length frond volume. These fronds extend out laxly horizontally which assists in their asexual reproduction from plantlets developing from the little furry balls - careful! - at frond's end. Mulch crown in cold winters.

Our collection of this good foliage species with pink pipe cleaner flowers which closely resembles B. tricuspis and damned if we can distinguish between the two but a better botanist than we keyed this to spicata. This was growing in a shaded nook at the base of a mossy cliff with Actaea purpurea and across the track, Acer griseum. Fun shade species which should be deer resistant.

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. Fresh divisions of healthy rhizomes.

Beautiful bulbs of this incomparably garden-worthy species. This is from a slightly more eastern extension to its range than currently recognized and was found just as drier Pinus forest changed to wetter, mixed deciduous forest. Fragrant white flowers with some purple coloration in the interior on stems 8'-12' tall in 3-4 years. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering

These are divisions from our 1997 seed collection in Yunnan China. This is one of our favorite species (of course we could say that about any of them at any given moment!) of Bergenia and while the leaves are not the big elephant ears of some, they are nicely shaped and have some of the best winter color developing rich purple color. Pink flowers.

Very collectible selection of this hardy terrestrial orchid which boasts - yes, boasts, of its unique, light chartreuse foliage. if your ears, like ours, are tuned to that high frequency in which plants converse, you can just make out this orchid sounding like an NBA player after throwing down a one-handed jam from an alley-oop "Yeah! Lookit me! Me! I'm a bad-ass orchid! You ask yo mama how bad I am! An yo sister - she loves how my leaves shine when the lights go down." I've given up on the NBA because such displays are wearisome but somehow, with this orchid, it is an endearing cheekiness. Light yellow foliage looks it best in bright shade to part sun and not the part during the hot part of the day. Leaves 18"-24" with pinkish-purple flowers a few inches taller in June and hardy to zone 6 especially with winter mulch.

For some reason the evocative cultivar name of this Aspidistra really sells it for me, eliciting extra joy in conjuring up visions of exotic night skies via it's lovely variegated patterning of white dots in varying sizes and distinctness across a canvas of dark green evergreen blades up to 2.5ft tall. As with other aspidistras its tolerant of deep shade and does well as a houseplant (Houseplant with an astrological name, can you get more trendy?). This species is particularly tolerant of cold temps without burning and is also extremely floriferous if you're a botanically minded flower enjoyer who doesn't mind a curious stoop to view them.

Our collection from Asia of this evergreen fern we might refer to as Pyrrosia lingua, but given that taxonomy is especially fluid these years, we're allowing it might be something different. This formed an impressive colony on the bluff overlaying a partly shaded large rock slab where it would endure periods of dry. Vigorous! Good drainage is important.

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.

A proven species for the garden, this Primula from China is in the Cortusoides section of the genus as evidenced by the broad, soft hairy leaves reminiscent of Primula kisoana but without the groundcover proclivities. A good display of pink to rose-pink flowers on 12"-16" stems in late spring with sumptuous leaves in attendance if given light shade and a moist, organic-rich soil. Our seed came from a most discerning Scottish grower.

Very nice Chinese member of the African Violet family that is surprisingly hardy and well suited to milder gardens here in the Northwest. We have friends in North Vancouver BC who have grown this beautifully for years in their moist woodland garden. This would typically grow on mossy rocks in the wild. Yellow tubular flowers. Not that we're big fans of the genre but having watched the movie 'Transformers' on a flight back from the UK, we think Tremacron would be a great name for one of those big robot things.

Another fantastic humeana clone of ours with very large flowers of which we are finally offering a few. This comes at no small personal diminishment of something deep and pure that must be the precursor to our intrinsic plant hoarding proclivities of which monetary compensation assuages but little. Similar but different than 'Boffo'.

Shrubby little Gesneriad (African Violet family) which will form multiple stems to a foot or so tall with lots of funnel-shaped light lavender-white flowers with throats lined in dark veins. Kind of reminds us of one of the subshrubby Monkeyflowers in a way. Best kept from frost but easy inside over winter. This is widespread in China dipping into Vietnam and jumping over to Taiwan and Japan ranging from 1000' to 7200' stems 3" to 4' tall. There seems to be one form commonly in cultivation which is the glabrous var. pauciflorus and obviously the hardy alpine 3" tall form as well as the subtropical 4 footer needs to be introduced! Sounds like a sponsorship opportunity for a collecting expedition by the Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy in case there is a generous gesneriafficinado out there despairing over the paucity of available diversity in Lysionotus pauciflorus.

Alas, most Schefflera you have known and loved have been moved to other genera with just a scant handful remaining in Schefflera. Perfectly sensible for a very large genus spread over several continents. These are seed-grown from our plants from the recent first North American introduction. 

A collection by Aaron Floden that ticks many of the boxes for the species brachystemon but this has not yet been verified. The anticipation is keen indeed! The green-cream flowers in terminal groupings of 3-5 show well and even as buds entice in the nascent olive green shoots. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering

A collection by Philip MacDougall from Taiwan of this predominantly Chinese species. The pale flowers spring from the leaf axils of the arching stems and are just touched in pink and purple and will never be accoladed as showy but are charming. The reddish fruit are quite nice and dangle as showy little orbs. We have come to quite enjoy it's understated charms. This was once placed in the genus Pratia.