New Zealand

Very rare groundcover species from Southland and Stewart Island, New Zealand where this is restricted to just 4 small coastal populations comprised of just 6 individual plants. The plants form flattened brown-gray rosettes - and spread by stolons in moist dune hollows. Our plants have green leaves which may refer to our soils or geography and weathered our 12F winter with a bit of mulch. Quite uncommon in cultivation and usually found in botanic gardens and a very few, ahem, exceptional specialty nurseries.

These are from seed from the good hardy form at the UW Arboretum. This makes an impressive multistemmed shrub to 10 or 12 feet fine textured in foliage but what a knockout in bloom. Loads of heavy textured hanging yellow flowers like Kirengeshoma followed by ornate knobbly long bean pods.

Variegated version of the Broadleaf Griselinia. This New Zealander is an evergreen shrub with laurel-like green apple leaves whose margins are painted in cream as if from a palsied brush. Insignificant flowers bear little mention which is saying something coming from us, Champions of the Botanically Interesting. The foliage is of first-class stand-alone merit and why chance the potential clashing distraction which flowers might bring to a broad-leaf evergreen of this caliber? Excellent shrub responding well to pruning or hedging and suited for mild gardens such as near the water or in urban heat sinks here in the Puget Sound metro area. Try it as a south or west wall plant in areas frustratingly on the periphery of its hardiness range. The straight green-leafed species has been a stalwart at Washington Park Arboretum for decades in Seattle and this version will be no different.

This sweet little New Zealand groundcover is perhaps best known by its former name of Parahebe olsenii. Soft lavender flowers with a yellow eye rimmed in cerise feathering are held just above the small rounded evergreen leaves that have tones of green olive. Tidy is a word that comes to mind.

Mountain Toatoa. Middle-earth mind-bender of a conifer in the Podocarpaceae from the mountains of New Zealand. At first glance and even after a period of unhurried contemplation, this defies easy categorization. Small flattened phylloclades take up the photosynthetic reins from the vestigial leaves and the narrow pyramidal shrub has no comparatives in the garden. Sl-o-o-o-w growing.

One of the alpine New Zealand Scabweeds and which we think is an accurate if unmarketable description. Reminds me of some of the nicknames my mom had for me growing up. I'm sure they were meant with the most loving intention as I'm equally sure the Kiwis mean the same referring to these wonderful Raoulias. This is a species we have seen growing in the fabulous rock garden at Denver Botanic and one we have long admired. What is not to like when confronted with a flat hard pancake of tiny leaves tightly adpressed to the ground and dotted in midsummer with a dusting of minute creamy flowers? With age or upon meeting rocks, this will hummock up and over making an undulate dome like some internal organ exposed or something previously of the oceans but now of the land. It's better than it sounds and a fine addition to the rock garden or trough.

A gem of shrub if you happen to have that very mild garden which we do not. This New Zealander is known as the Scented Broom as the white to pink-lilac pea-like flowers are very fragrant. Flattened green stems share the chlorophyll load with the small leaves. In colder zone 8b gardens, best against a wall.

Odd Fuchsia hybrid which we got as cuttings from an old Heronswood employee. Actually she's not very old but we were referring to the original Heronswood. It appears to be a procumbens x excorticata cross with small reddish leaves on a low mounding plant. The narrow flowers are a metallic red and while not especially showy, gets credit for being structurally interesting. The foliage alone makes this very worthy of growing. This came with the name of 'Ruby Wedding' but that seems to be already in use with another Fuchsia cultivar so who knows. Probably someone in New Zealand.