Japan

This is the Japanese version of our native False Hellebore. Wonderful broad pleated leaves and when old enough, nice spikes of white starry flowers to 3' or more. This likes a rich moist soil, emerges early in spring and goes dormant by mid to late summer. Deer resistant and very hardy. Young plants.

A Dan Hinkley collection from Japan of this fine mid to late summer blooming Allium species. Good richly colored purple flowers are freely produced on this densely clumping little dude. Good in containers and great in the rock garden or special little niche. This was originally misidentified as Allium thunbergii.

Frosted Jade Ajuga. A rare Ajuga the likes of which you may have never seen. We all are familiar with the utilitarian carpeting-with-abandon slug magnet ubiquitous in gardens everywhere. This is a different critter altogether and resembles Bugleweed about as much as a Bichon Frise does a Junkyard Dawg. Stays put in a clump with erect stems to 16" with showy leaves of white, green and cream and intense violet blue flowers. This has been one of the most asked about plants in our shade garden and when we say what it is, the answer usually is "That's an Ajuga? Do you have it?" It is completely deciduous as well which is another mind boggler. And for slugs - they do like this one too, but really it is mainly the new shoots in early spring. We just keep an eye on the growth and if they are getting nibbled then we go out one or two evenings and inflict bodily harm and don't worry much about the plant afterwards.

A very good evergreen fern native to Taiwan, China and Japan which we imported from a specialist in the UK. Tidy and attractive species reaching 30" wide with fronds to 20" tall, this requires shade to part shade. And brace yourself - it is tolerant of dry shade! Happier of course with some water, Spore-grown by us.

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 is different from white to pale pink and we get to pick. These are larger, established plants - not fresh from Japan. Also note that these are not as hardy as the European Hepatica but good for sure in zones 8-9a.

Another excellent selection shared with us by Jan and Marty, this has flowers with a reverse of rich purplish-pink and faces of lavender pink that are washed in white. Each petal is gently heart-shaped which is very fortunate when one considers the possibilities offered by other organs. And we will stop right there.

This is easily the best disappointing plant we have. This is one we imported from Japan - at some significant cost - as a Gold Leaf cultivar. The first year was magic with leaves like pure sunlight but never again. The best part is that it is an exceptionally good, vigorous clone with big flower heads and superb foliage.

Easy there, steady yourself - remember to breathe……..you are reading this right - this is a double flowered Heloniopsis of the dark flowered persuasion. Dense heads of tightly packed double flowers of dark pink-lavender makes this very collectible for those who love rare aberrations, and isn't that true of most of us?

Uncommon herbaceous Chinese Hydrangea relative named for the distinctive cleft or bifid leaves. Pale green foliage with terminal clusters of white flowers showing their affinity to Hydrangeas. The individual flowers are quite intricate and we always look forward to our annual momentary submersion of our selves into these blossoms. The herbaceous stems dies to the ground in winter. Light to heavy shade and best in moisture retentive soil.

Another one of those hyphenated names which pique our interest beyond sane rationale no doubt due to some character defect on our part but there is nothing defective about this Japanese gem. Glossy evergreen leaves are evocative of Blechnum which is high praise in our book. Gently, almost apologetically creeps to form a congenial aggregation of crowns. This formerly was placed in different genera such as Diplazium and Lunathyrium and one can sometimes find this plant labeled as such. Thanks to plantsman Lance Reiners for sharing this with us.

Asian terrestrial orchid shared with us years ago by Adam Black at Peckerwood Botanical Garden with caveats as to species ID. It could be sinense or ensiformis or a hybrid of the two. Does well in the Southeast but protect from extreme cold there. We have not flowered this clone.

This tasteful perennial from Japan bides its time in the shade garden as the floral hoi polloi scrabble for attention during spring and summer. Once the fracas has died down, this takes center stage in September and October with its intricately constructed buds like little pieces of sculpture which open to fuzzy light lavender flowers. 

Grown from seed collected in the Yoro Mts in Japan, this compensates for being shorter than its cousins by being hardier to Zone 6. Personally, I subscribe to the fishing theory that it is not the size of the worm you use but how you wiggle it. Rich moist soil and creamy trumpets in 2-3 years.

Chunky well-established pots of this uncommon selection. A robust taller species whose leaves sport a moonlit sliver of variegation on the upper leaf margin. This is more than enough for the variegated-obsessed despite it benefiting from the magnifier function on your phone. Well-displayed large white bells.

Japanese Foam Flower. Uncommon evergreen groundcover which thrives in shaded, moist acid conditions and is uncommonly well suited to clothing a fallen mossy log or rock as it spreads by stolons like a restrained strawberry. Late spring/early summer small white sprays of flowers. Gotta love these monotypic Saxifragales genera!

A rare Toad Lily restricted to a small area of moist cliffs in Kyushu, Japan where its long 2'-3' arching stems can hang in excellent presentation of its upward-facing yellow flowers. This would look pretty fantastic in a container or planted in a Fern stumpery if flowers were allowed. Cool summers and moist - not for hot interior gardens so great here.

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.

Crazy fern that takes away the need to fuss of growing this from spore, as it makes a multitudinous panoply of ready-to-go plantlets on the leaves that will soon have you owning the corner in your 'hood dealing in fern babies. Remember, if it's a kid, the first one is free. Warmer gardens or indoors, mulch protect in zone 8 winters.

One can collect hundreds of named cultivars of this Japanese primrose and not have two that are identical. This is an ideal plant for the OCD plant collector who wants to take a long deep dive - just make sure when trying to have them all that money remains to buy groceries and keep the lights on. White flowers flushed fuchsia with a reverse that is solidly soft fuchsia. This will bring felicity to your garden.

Wide petals of bright fuchsia pink tempered by a pale white eye simply cannot fail to please. Unless of course you don't do pink, but this could be that gateway plant to that wanton world where pink plays such a big role.