Europe

A choice woodland creeper to 6"-8" tall for the shade or partly shaded garden where it behaves like Anemone nemorosa - making a mat of ferny foliage but in this case, it has vibrant yellow flowers. A patch of this is to be coveted and the twiggy rhizomes can be easily divided or broken in winter to spread about. Very hardy and goes mid to late summer dormant.

An intriguing curiosity that combines beauty with novelty. In this selection, the flower petals have become lacy green petaloid structures that are perfectly arranged to create amusing and intricate green flowers. A fun addition to the shade garden.

A no-fuss restrained yet refined evergreen Cardamine which is nearly faultless. We haven't found a fault yet but most overachievers are hiding something deep under that charm and industry. Rest assured, this will never go postal in your garden. Dark green dense leaves set off flowers of of purest white in early summer.

A lovely form we brought home from Scotland a few years back. This varies from the norm of mid-blue flowers by embracing the blending nature of Impressionist pastels with its goes-with-anything non-confrontational light lavender-blue flowers in April and May. Not surprisingly, this form is a Libra.

Named for British plantsman E.A. Bowles, this variety of wood anemone sports attractive lavender to purple flowers. For the true purple lovers, the foliage is an added bonus emerging with a purple tinge or margin that nicely delineates the prettily dissected leaves and provides a purple haze that would make Jimi proud.

Have trouble picking between the albas and roseas of the woodland shade perennial world? Never fear 'Tomas' is here! This selection of wood anemone opens pure white and fades to pink as the season progresses. Plan your spring break wisely and you can pretend you got two plants for the price of one!

European primrose species found in the wild growing in limestone mountains and favoring north-facing vertical crevices. Good luck growing this, right? Not so - it has been very easy and tolerant of, we're sorry to report, some surprising amount of neglect. Nice blue flowers over leaves edged in farina. This will make small 6" trunks in time. Zone 4-8.

A nice small flowered light pink form of this necessary Anemone species which followed us home from the UK a few years back. What is a necessary Anemone, you ask? One which is indispensable in your shade or woodland garden and whose absence would not only be noted but commented upon and repeated, a gardening gaffe going viral.

This excellent hardy orchid is one we received many years ago from our late Plant Guru, Jerry John Flintoff as Dactylorhiza incarnata subsp. africana. Well, that has been merged into D. elata and it looks right to us but we are not orchid botanists. Vigorous, with green leaves and richly colored flowers. Native to Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia in north Africa, dallying on some islands in the Med (smart orchid!) and jumping to France, Spain and Portugal up to Belgium and the Netherlands.

Soft Shield Fern. These ferns are excellent textural additions to the shade garden as they make broad mounds of dense, fine evergreen foliage. Even though they become substantial plants with an obvious visual weight, it retains a daintiness of appearance. Tough and easy to please.

From Wendy Perry of Bosvigo Plants in S. England comes this unfortunately scarce and choice Campanula. Gently and very controllably spreading to make an impressive clump with spires of pure white flowers. Pairs impeccably with Hosta 'Patriot'.

A fine little European woodlander which can tolerate some sun as well. Spreading by twiggy rhizomes, this will make a good patch in time when happy, The semi-double white flowers adds extra petals to the mix, giving lie to the "less is more" maxim because don't we all know in our publicly inaccessible heart of hearts that "more is more"? Hilda, you work it, girl!

Soft pale blue flowers on this clone which we brought in from the UK a few years ago. This species seems a necessary part of the spring woodland garden and the twiggy rhizomes will in time form a dense floriferous carpet with flowers backed by deeply segmented green leaves.

This excellent clone of the Wood Anemone has larger than usual white flowers held nicely above the foliage with better than usual substance and poise. Hard to describe precisely but like some things that are elusive in definition, you know it when you see it.

Good blue-flowered marginata selection named for Primula enthusiast Jimmy Long. The species is native to European alps and is found in rocky cliffs often under overhangs. These have been easy in pots in the open nursery and are great container or rock garden plants.

This variety of the charming European wood anemone graciously comes with slightly larger flowers reducing the need to reach for those reading glasses or get down on aching knees to appreciate their idyllic fairytale beauty. Or for those of a younger generation, your instagram photo will be in focus without the help of that $10 bootleg iphone macro lens -  $10 more to put towards more anemones perhaps...

A choice Primula endemic to the southern Italian Alps where it grows in rich humus-filled crevices in limestone rocks. These are divisions from the plant Sue brought from Vermont decades ago.  These make bold clumps of distinctive sharply pointed foliage with short-stemmed clusters of pink-red flowers. This likes a moisture retentive well drained soil and has been easy and durable for us in our standard mix.

Hungarian Clover.  Why should I buy a Clover? What are these yayhoos trying to pull? I didn't just fall off the turnip truck. Well, if you get this you will be in Deep Clover and that is a very good thing.  This has mondo white flowers and trashes the ballyhoo and acclaim of this week's plant darling.

Soft blue flowers on this Wood Anemone play nicely with the lightly bronzed emerging new leaves. Our plant came from David Mason and Susie Grimm at Hedgerows Nursery who picked this up in the UK. We always like tracing the lineage of acquisition as it helps fill in those empty hours you have so many of when you have a nursery...

Grown from seed given us by the originator, Dr. Keith Ferguson and named for his wife, Lorna. They have grown this spectacular, heavy flowering selection for over 40 years in their garden in the Cotswolds. From the Maritime Alps, this resembles our native Veratrum viride with similar bold pleated leaves and green pendulous flowers but this elevates that look to a ridiculous level with its sheer volume of flowers on stems that can reach 8 feet! We have been also gifted seed from the late Michael Wickenden of Cally Gardens and our friend, the redoubtable German plantsman Christoph Ruby. The fact that this trio holds this in valued esteem, should be ample endorsement. Long-lived, hardy as the bejabbers (been wanting to use that for years) and deer resistant. These are young plants not of flowering size but give them a rich moist soil and a bit of amply rewarded patience.