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Ok, here is a weird one. In the family Helwingiaceae there is but one genus, Helwingia which has 3 species. Helwingia has epiphyllus flowers which means they bloom from the midrib of the leaves. This male plant was collected by Hinkley in Sichuan and will be evergreen. Small light pink flowers.

This gesneriad comes from southern Jiangxi Province in China via an Atlanta Botanic Garden collection. Hemiboea defy what we know inherently to be true by being surprisingly hardy when they look very tender. Broad leaves with large foxglove-like white flowers spattered in red dots with a yellow throat. This should do fine down to zone 8b and probably lower especially with mulch - we've seen a different species of Hemiboea in Ann Arbor.

A very robust selection in one of our favorite genera, this is one we brought in from Japan some while back and at last have some to offer. Wider and longer leaves than most of our other forms we grow, this by necessity makes larger evergreen rosettes. In early spring the central floral resting bud starts to awaken and March sees the elongation of the flowering stem to 10" and the appearance of a full head of creamy flowers aging to a clear white. This Snow White truly would make an insecure and wicked queen jealous!

Jim Fox brought us seeds of this rare Chinese Hypericum from Roy Lancaster's garden in England where it is one of the many stars. A shrub of some refined habit with arching branchlets to perhaps 3 feet or a little more with very nice yellow flowers in mid summer. Roy is pretty much God of Plants as far as we're concerned and we're well pleased to have a bit of his garden in our own.

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. 

Some of us are foliage fanatics, while others live and die by the flower, but I'm sure most if not all will agree, both is always better. This is one for those who don't like to make sacrifices, or simply have an appreciation for the best of both worlds. This species and variety is already a steadfast winner but these have been specially selected to offer both deeply colored flowers and attractive leaf patterning.

While the flowers are a charming mix of pinks, whites, and indigo blues, the leaves are the real show here, with a darkly lustrous appeal. Each leaf presents a uniquely marbled patterning of dark olive green and is finely haired giving it a decidedly solid and mature appearance. Would play well off of some of the more delicately and brightly silver foliaged varieties on offer.

One of the most satisfying and reliable of the hardy Gingers. We've grown this Nepalese beauty for years now and it always blooms in mid to late summer with flowers of the most gentle orange. This is a good increaser in moist loose soil and looks marvelous in half sun or bright shade. This does not need a long warm Fall to flower but relishes our cool pseudosummers here in the Puget Sound. We mulch ours in the fall to keep frost for reaching the rhizome and basically other than that we just water and feed it. Very low care.

Young plants of a rare offering of this graceful woodland species from the borderlands of China and Vietnam. Upright plants to 10' that rarely branch with expected Schefflera - we mean Heptapleurum - green leaves. Umbels of black fruit in a raceme. Hardiness unknown but let's start with not very. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering

These are robust plants from seed collected by Chris Chadwell in northern India in 2012. Chris is extremely knowledgeable on the flora of Nepal, Kashmir and northwest India having done nearly 30 extensive botanical expeditions to those areas. This species is particularly interesting to us, as not only is it perfectly hardy for us in our gardens but it extends the geography in our accessions: it joins our shorter-stature 2003 collection from near eastern Bhutan, along with our 2006 collection from Sichuan. We like geeking out on a species and when we can observe the various expressions of morphology as influenced by the diversity of its range, it really doesn't get much better for us. Safe to say we get a "botanical flush". Anyway, this hardy true ginger relative is good down to zone 7b with enough mulch for short durations to single digits and happy in bright shade to mostly sun. This species blooms reliably for us every year outside and makes us very happy in October with its open spires of white crane fly flowers highlighted by salmon-pink working parts. Moist with drainage.

aka Schizostylis. A later blooming selection of perhaps more stoutness in stem and flower than some other clones. A good rounded pink flower on comparatively stout stems that holds the flowers nicely. And it is true that we enjoy the flowers here in November assuming we don't get an early cold snap. A good increaser and for those of you who have to be dragged kicking and screaming into winter refusing to let go of the last vestiges of summer then this is the plant for you.

This smaller Schefflera is a very ornamental species from our collection northern Vietnam from a mountain previously unexplored by westerners. Loose panicles of presumed creamy flowers and black fruit. Similar but different to Schefflera sp. NV 023. Pretty cool! A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering.

Likely the first introduction of this gorgeous evergreen broadleaf tree from Vietnam. The small yellowish flowers are held in terminal panicles, and not a big show. What is astounding every single day is the exfoliating bark which reveals sensuously smooth mocha skin, soft as the supple inner thigh of your vacation Island lover. We've come to terms that at this point in our lives, this tree is as close as we are going to get to that fantasy. No cultivation experience other than it has had frosts to 25F with no damage. Hopefully this will be zone 8 hardy like Huodendron tibeticum. Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy receives 50% of the sales of this plant. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering

aka Schizostylis. An outstanding introduction by our friend Urs at Edelweiss Nursery. Compared to the cultivar 'Oregon Sunset', this has wider more rounded petals, is a shade or two darker colored and is significantly larger in flower. This is quite new to the market and is a great shot of color for the Fall garden. Very easy.

We adore the Halimiums as they have proved to be amply hardy here at Far Reaches, the nearest thing to a Russian Steppe that western Washington offers. Low growing evergreen shrub clad in grayish foliage and not shy at all yellow flowers with precise carmine pyramids at the base of each petal. Good drainage.

These Japanese versions of the European nobilis are ones we have grown from seed and have been hoarding for a few years but since there is no room left in the Hepatica house, we must send a few of our kids out into the world. Each plant varies a bit but all are good pinks and we get to pick. These good-sized plants are home-grown by us - not imported from Japan. Also note that these are not as hardy as the European Hepatica but good for sure in zones 8-9a.

Small winter-flowering species collected by Kettle and Wynn-Jones on Mt Fansipan in northern Vietnam. This is nice little ginger given varietal status due to its larger flowers and much larger sagittate anthers. Sagittate anther envy - it happens even in the plant world. Stems to 28" with very nice spidery white lightly scented flowers with reddish bracts. One of the evergreen species and best suited to frost-free conditions but does great in containers and easy to bring in during cold snaps - we keep ours just above freezing in the winter during the cold dips. Collectable rarity and worth trying indoors if you don't live in the Bay Area.

One of our treasured Hepatica selections rarely offered due to jealous hoarding and nature's snail-like pace. These woodland delights are one of our favorites, so much so that they have a whole house dedicated to their culture! This form pairs pure white flowers with bright purple anthers creating a lovely pop of contrast and inviting closer inspection of the less often appreciated flower parts, a win-win! Nicely patterned foliage rounds out the package with year-round interest.

One of our treasured Hepatica selections rarely offered due to jealous hoarding and nature's snail-like pace. These woodland delights are one of our favorites, so much so that they have a whole house dedicated to their culture! This sooooo-cute form really has it all, a lovely blush pink multiplied by an unusually high number of petals just gets even more barbie-ified by bright pink anthers, and then it all gets wrapped in the bow of well-marked leaves, swoon-worthy in the extreme.

One of our treasured Hepatica selections rarely offered due to jealous hoarding and nature's snail-like pace. These woodland delights are one of our favorites, so much so that they have a whole house dedicated to their culture! This form features larger than usual purple flowers with a pale to white center which bleeds into the petals for a tie-dye effect, pretty radical dude.