Hybrid

We are pleased to be the first to introduce this excellent Sibirica Iris to North America. We were visiting John Grimshaw, plantsman extraordinaire and Director of the Yorkshire Arboretum, and walking about his home garden when he asked if we would like a bit of an Iris he had named with lovely scrambled egg flowers of yellow and cream. We said yes, of course because while we might be comparatively brutish colonists, we ain't without a certain native wit. Very floriferous on a shorter plant with flowers well-displayed. When Cotswold Garden Plants first introduced this in the UK in 2011, John mused on his blog about how nice it would be to receive a voluntary royalty which he could use to help fund the educational needs of a Maasai child he is sponsoring. School doesn't get less expensive as you get older so we are going to give $5 from each plant sold back to John.

Plantsman and bulb expert Jim Fox was staying with friends in England and admiring their fine Nerine 'Quentin' in their border which had a few seed which he passed to us. Mere decades later and - Voila! - we have Quentinlettes. Quentin is highly regarded in England and the offspring are good too. Has overwintered outside in a pot, freezing solid with no ill effects. These single bulbs are not flowering-sized offsets - probably 2 years to bloom - and just potted this August so not yet rooted out, if you're shipping this fall.

Our cross between the "typical" Lilium mackliniae and the Saramati form which will be recognized as a distinct variety of the species. The former has larger flowers and is more campanulate while the latter is a high elevation variant with smaller flowers and blooms earlier. This hybrid is very uniform from seed, short, stout, earlier than typical while having flowers nicely intermediate. Pretty cool.

One of the hardiest of the Aloes, this will withstand short drops into the upper teens but will appreciate shelter against a sunny wall under an eave where it will produce orange flowers for months on end. Well worth trying for some succulent exotica or just fine in a container where it can be brought inside for the winter. Has done well in outside with careful siting in mild PNW gardens.

Lily of the Nile. One of the top hybrids bred by Steve Hickman of Hoyland's and is well-regarded among those in the know for its large powder-blue flowers on 30" stems. We have just a few of these and owe thanks to plantsman Jim Fox's courier efforts from the UK and for sharing with us. Jim knows good plants. And tools. And garden supplies. In fact, he wrote a book about just these things which was published by Timber Press in 2013. 'Margaret' is so good that a book plug is the least we can do.

Exceptional selection of this cross between Garrya elliptica and G. fremontii from Glasnevin in Ireland. What is notable about this is the long late winter catkins have conspicuous wine-colored bands. We're talking Pinot Noir here not Pinot Grigio. As a bonus, the stems are dark colored as well. Winter interest, anyone?

This accidental bee cross between Phyllodoce breweri and Kalmiopsis leachiana arose in Mike and Polly Stone's Scottish garden, Askival. Evergreen small leaves on a low rounded shrublet to 16" and a bit wider. Copious bright mauve-pink flowers can cover the foliage in early summer making this a star in our rock garden.

As neither of us were lucky enough to be debutantes ourselves, growing this 'Debutante' is ample solace. The flowers are small but tend to face upwards opening orange but fading rapidly to a soft pink in the interior which is accented by a yellow eye while the exterior retains a deeper orange-red coloring. To 30" of tidy habit with conservative values until it blooms with a rate of increase that might be best described as restrained with the weight of past generations measuring the suppression of potential impropriety.

Lucky dip offering of open-pollinated seed-grown plants from a very vigorous and bold foliage mama plant. There were adjacent good Epimediums so these variable children should all be attractive and evergreen. Colors are going to surprise us all.

A seedling found in the gardens at Pan Global Plants in England and named by the proprietor Nick Macer. This is a hybrid between two of the blue flowered Chinese species, C. flexuosa and C. elata that combines excellent vigor with blue scented flowers for moist shade to zone 6 at least. This was named by Nick for the conservative members of Parliament or "true blues". Nick is a heckuva plant hunter as well who could probably retire early if he moved to the States and had his own TV gardening show. Not only does he know plants but he has that damned charming accent and is way too good looking. Thanks to Ed Bowen for sharing this selection with us and who rivals Nick in everything but the accent.

One of the most intensely colored Juliana type Primroses out there. This puts on a no-holds barred display of shrieking magenta flowers that is a celebration of pigment with no apologies. The rich color sets it apart from all others. Tolerates full sun if given enough water but looks better given some relief from afternoon sun. Very tough and a good clumper. Our plant came from Rice Creek Garden in Minneapolis years ago so that gives some clue as to hardiness. It also came under the name of 'Lois Lutz' which we have sold it as for a number of years including this year on our online store here. Thanks to the American Primrose Society show people down in Portland for pointing out the error of our ways.

Striking hybrid with yellow flowers, nicely fringed lip and interior heavily spotted in red. We have seen one reference to this as being a hybrid between P. albiflora and the lovely yellow P. forrestii. We have seen forrestii in the Cangshan and despite it being fall and thus no leaves or flowers - just dormant pseudobulbs packed into a rock crevice, we still did a botanical St. Vitus dance. This has filled that void magnificently.

This is perhaps the first of the hybrids to be introduced between Corydalis flexuosa and Corydalis elata and remains one of the best. The derivation of the name 'Spinners' can be traced to this being a chance seedling in Kevin Hughes garden who then brought it to work which was the renowned Spinners Nursery in England. Researching this, we discovered the rather more interesting Urban Dictionary definition could also possibly apply given its dainty appearance and enthusiastic performance in the garden. Scented blue flowers aging to purplish from mid spring to early summer in moist shade to part sun down to zone 6. Hopefully plantsman par excellence Ed Bowen who shared this with us doesn't mind that we are doing what nurserymen do - propagate and sell! We had better check with him PDQ. (Until he gets back to us - it is open season on Corydalis!)

A Primula allionii hybrid which we received from the plant duo of Mason & Grimm at Hedgerows Nursery. The allionii hybrids are a tough lot and excellent for troughs, rock gardens and container culture. Small cushions of foliage on well-grown plants can get totally obscured by white flowers with a tiny cream eye. This is a good gateway hybrid to the many allionii crosses out there.

An Asiatic hybrid Gentian which we brought in from the UK. Dark blue, upward-facing flowers are................really nice. Sorry - memory of this in flower last year caused the gray matter to assume the consistency of molten chocolate cake and briefly lost all the pretty words. A particularly floriferous selection as well.

A pretty spiff hybrid from the Los Angeles County Arboretum. This hardy Lily of the Nile has deep and dark violet flowers which are held on stems up to 3' and are quite the show. Had a girlfriend years ago who was deep and dark and would frequently put on quite a show but that grew tiresome. This plant is different and you won't weary of it or require therapy.

A pretty little thing from the alpine world. The genus name comes from the Italian for 'Little Coins' which fairly represents the diminutive rosettes of perfectly circular evergreen foliage. For the less money-motivated the bright purple-pink flowers held a few inches above the flowers call to mind an egregious fringed lampshade from the lava lamp days. Closely related to primulas and happy with much the same treatment.

This was selected at Bressingham Gardens by the legendary Alan Bloom and is derivative from the garden-proven Headsbourne hybrids that are noted for hardiness and excellent flowers. This pick of the litter has 2-1/2' stems with baseball-sized flower-heads of a good dark blue. This will be good down to zone 7 with a nice deep mulch.

This is a fine selection quite comparable to "Back in Black" but a bit more compact in stature aspiring to attain 3' in height. This makes it much more workable for the front of the bed or as a container element. Dark stems holding dark blue-purple flowers in late summer. Mulch if very cold but has been fine here in the Puget Sound area.

A newer hybrid (Daphne cf. sureil x D. bholua 'Peter Smithers') from breeder nonpareil Robin White, this is perhaps the first introduction to the US. A vigorous selection that is expected to reach 9' tall and perhaps 6' across, this has pink-backed white flowers from January to April that are intensely fragrant - we cannot wait for ours to reach full maturity and the ensuing olfactory slam-dance nostrilizing overload exploding our heads. It is close enough as a teenager! Has been unfazed in our shade garden by three successive winters with 10F that has killed stalwarts and battered Daphne bholua. Evergreen to semi-evergreen and on own roots - not grafted.