Mexico

A collection by Dr. Cody Hinchliff from the highest reaches of the Sierra de Laguna in Baja, Mexico.  This Bear Grass Tree makes impressive trunked specimens in time with equally impressive displays of many creamy white flowers.  We can say that these plants have memories of colder times as one of these young plants we planted out in November of 2023 survived handily the beastly arctic blast of several days with temps down to 11F.  A rare offering and this will be ideal in sunny dry spots with good drainage with occasional deep watering.

Sporelings of the Mexican Chain Fern originally introduced from the mountains near Oaxaca. A rarely seen beautiful species surviving many years in a Seattle garden. The same garden has a glorious container of this which overwinters frost-free in the sunroom where it not only survives but thrives. Thanks to Jeanette Kunnen for sharing. These are young plants but if we wait, they will all be sold here at the nursery and they need to get out into broader distribution. Just a few.

A remarkable arborescent species endemic to the Sierra de la Laguna of Baja California where this grew on a shaded ridge in mixed oak-pine forest at 5800'. This can get over 20' tall with a 10' inflorescence with yellowish to white flowers but that height might be for your child's child's child's child to enjoy - it will take a while! But what a nice generational legacy and it will look perfectly amazing for you in not too many years. A rare seed collection by Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy botanist Dr. Cody Hinchliff. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering

Rio Grande Rain Lily. This little bulb has the cheeriest yellow flowers with burnt orange streaking which appear without leaves in late summer to early fall with the onset of fall rains if grown in a sunny dry spot. These get 6" tall but are wicked cute and will self sow to make an enviably vibrant patch in time. Native to the Southeast and Mexico. Hardy to zone 7.

Wild collected tree dahlias via Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy board director Cody Hinchliff. Taken from cliffs alongside waterfalls in Oaxaca Cody's description of the progenitor group included the phrases "typical" and "nothing particularly unique", if this is the regular same-ol-same-ol for him then I need to reevaluate some things. For us not cavorting in the primeval lands South of the equator 10 foot Dahlias are pretty extraordinary. Pink flowers (small for their stalks but still quite nice) in the wild but these are seedlings so who knows maybe you'll get that special one that makes you a million dollars and leaves Kelly cursing that we should never have sold them.

White Velvet Spiderwort. This gets great cobwebby silver-white foliage with light purple flowers nestled in the leaf axils. Likes it on the drier side thank goodness and is far hardier than we thought. This overwintered in the ground outside at plant maestro Brian McLaughlin's garden just down the road at 10 degrees one winter "although I mulched it" he hastened to add. The biggest issue for us is not so much the cold but adequate winter drainage because we can get some rain. It resents water-logging but is really quite easy and just very eye-catching as it looks more house plant the garden plant.

A rare relative of our local Salal (Gaultheria shallon) collected by Jeanette Kunnen in the mountains above Oaxaca in Mexico. We were given cuttings by the late Ericaceous collector Art Dome who grew this to perfection at his Seward Park garden in Seattle. Scrumptious new growth and lots of pink bells followed by blue-black berries. Art grew his against a terraced wall on a slope where it got morning sun and it was a happy camper.

This Central American epiphytic blueberry relative calls the cloud forests home and enjoys cool conditions with no frost. Brilliant red new growth, tubular soft red flowers with red calyces followed by darkly intriguing fruit. Will develop a caudiform lignotuber in time. This is a visual feast for months on end.

Originally introduced by Cistus Nursery from a seed collection at 8000' in La Siberica, Mexico, this very desirable plant has become hard to find of late but our two plants finally flowered with impressive spikes that was one male and one predominately female so we had seed! These have been undamaged in brief nighttime drops to 10F and have formed new crowns after flowering so the show will continue. It is mandatory to have a series of parties when these bloom, btw.

Formerly in the genus Cheilanthes, this dryland fern is found in Mexico, Central America and Argentina and just recently, one site in Brazil. Evergraygreen fronds of fine texture are densely vertical on this smaller fern. Perfect candidate for the rock garden or container for milder gardens - doing well at Berkeley Botanic Garden for example. Thanks to the Fern Madam Judith Jones of Fancy Fronds Nursery for sharing spore.

Named for the central Mexican city from which it was collected this Beschorneria forms attractively lax rosettes of strappy evergreen foliage similar to a spineless version of the closely related Agave. Slightly narrower leaves than most in the genus and only growing to about 2' wide. The real showstopper are the 5' tall hot pink flower spikes that look like Barbie-ified Godzilla asparagus dangling greenish, pendulous flowers that add grandma's lampshade fringe into the mix.

Nice Sedum from 10000' in Mexico that has more cojones than you might think handling 10F here just fine. This has yellow flowers in late winter-spring from gray-blue rosettes on lax stems evocative of Echeveria on a stick. Some compulsives cut back after blooming to tighten up rosettes but we go with the flow.

A very graceful conifer from Mexico and Guatemala that is looking like a great candidate for our zone 8-9 gardens. New leaves droop fetchingly giving this a lissome almost weeping appearance. This will eventually get big but not in your lifetime as it is slow. Best in filtered sun or light shade.

We were gifted this from plantsman Ian Barclay of The Desert Northwest Nursery as a potentially cold hardier form from 6000' in Mexico. We can't attest to that - too much compassion to trial this at our 10F dips some winters. It is a heckuva container plant rapidly increasing with new rosettes and orange flowers to boot.

Yellow Jacob's Ladder. A nice unexpected departure from the usual blue flowers of Polemonium as these are yellow with lacquered tomato. This little flowering powerhouse hails from the Southwest and northern Mexico and can put all it has to give into the many flowers so save seed and you can let it self-sow. Only need to buy it once which is pretty cool. Thanks to Claire Cockroft for sharing.

A very slow-growing tree-form yucca from an Ian Barclay collection near Rodeo, NM. Doesn't need great age and trunk development to produce tall stalks of creamy white flowers which is good because if you are like us, you're buying ripe bananas. Ian is a font of knowledge on cold-hardy, drought tolerant plants.

Thanks to Adam Black of Peckerwood for sharing cuttings of this shrubby winter-blooming Senecio. This is a collection from Mexico and has proved to be a good plant in Texas as well as hardy in North Carolina. Pretty new to us so we can't vouch for it yet in our maritime steppe climate but late season yellow flowers would be sweet.

We like so totally rock. Did you ever expect a little nursery in Port Townsend to offer this choice Tigridia species from the State of Hidalgo in Mexico? The flowers are easily described as ashy gray, purplish black and burnished buff combined in a mind-twisting combo of fly-wing venation and reptilian reticulations. The flowers don't compare in size to the bigger more familiar Tigridia pavonia being at best a half dollar or less but the detailing and length of bloom makes it one of our all-time favorites. Each flower lasts but a day or two but this has numerous buds in a cluster and they open sequentially plus the flower scape is branched with the branches not as far developed as the main stem so they kick in flowering when the initial flowers are finished. It all makes for a long-lasting display. These have proven perfectly hardy here but just the same, mulch if winter turns cold.

Named for the Mexican State of Sinaloa, this compact and showy blue-flowered Salvia is like having a festive small mariachi band in your garden. Well-drained soil is a must as cold, heavy soil in winter will be the Day of the Dead. Just 8"-10" tall and a bit wider, purple calyces and purple-tinted leaves add allure.

A Mexican self-clinging evergreen climber or if left unsupported, it develops arboreal stems which will support it as a large shrub. Grown this way it will send out questing branches looking to climb but they are easy to nip off. Great for a north wall or Doug Fir. White lace caps in July.