New Zealand

Sweet little groundcover whose double white flowers resemble fluffy bits of white popcorn strewn on the leaves. Perfect underplanting for other shade plants to pop up through and great between stepping stones. Gently spreading and not hard to keep in bounds. Darn near perfect.

Tororaro says the matador as I charge blindly, eyes red with plant lust, wiggy-wig-ing out in my mad dash to reach shrubby divinity. Alas I come out empty handed, bashing my head against the wall of a 6b climate. Years of this until, sufficiently bloodied, my captors judged me no longer fit for service and put me out to pasture here in the milder climates of Washington. Plodding into my well-earned elysium I dropped to my knees and wept at my long-sought-after arrival in what must surely be my long-dreamed of piece of New Zealand garden utopia. The airy presence of this incredibly unique shrub will buoy you up to the heavens as well, the delightfully heart shaped leaves will fill your ventricles with joy, and the deer and drought resistance will ensure you never have to work another day in your life. More time enjoying your new Aotearoan pals.

Alpine ferns, full-sun ferns, NZ ferns are all underrepresented in US cultivation. This species and even more broadly this genus are completely unrepresented as far as I can tell. Named the thousand-leaf fern for its finely divided appearance, it can be found high in the mountains of Aotearoa scrambling in between rocks where it forms dense low clumps, a habitat betrayed by its distinctly fuzzy texture. Happy in sun with sharp drainage and though its considered semi-evergreen it goes dormant for us in the greenhouse during winter and will likely doubly do so with outside temps. Hard to say on hardiness given the scarcity but we are betting on 8a at least. 

We invite you to try this rarely if ever seen New Zealander with us! A small to medium shrub of lax habit with glossy evergreen leaves slightly toothed at the ends that give it an overall softer look than many other Hebes. The true star that drew us to a small batch of seed is the impressive inflorescences of lavender flowers that emerge in Summer. Reports of hardiness vary widely but we are determined to see for ourselves and are banking on you, our bold and foolhardy customers to follow us once more into the breach. Best grown in a sunny well-drained spot, and wouldn't mind some extra warmth from some cozy rock neighbors.