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Second generation seedlings from a Hinkley collection in Sichuan of this fine Lilac which can be kept as a large shrub or trained up to be a small tree. Pendulous flowers white to pale pink inside with a lavender-pink reverse. Very attractive and trouble free.

Our collection from near 11000' where this grew epiphytically on the furrowed bark of tree trunks and on moss-covered rock.  A deciduous species, this has resemblance to Selliquea oxyloba but we are lamentably behind in our keying to genus let alone species.  Very cool to say the least, whatever this turns out to be.

Chinese Lily of the Valley is so much easier to say isn't it? But the satisfaction gained of articulation is worth every effort especially when you roll it out in an fluid yet casual offhand manner. Make no mistake that underneath that thin green veneer of gentility, gardening is a blood sport and one or two well-practiced pronunciations can often render your position unassailable. Just sayin'. This is an uncommon shade-loving evergreen relative to the familiar Lily of the Valley from China and doing very well here spreading more slowly than its cousin to create a mat of evergreen foliage. Instead of the familiar white bells, this has stems of small white starburst flowers backed to good effect by the broad green leaves. We had hoped to see this during our 2015 plant hunting trip to Anhui and Zhejiang but it eluded us. Hardy to zone 5b.

Rock Soapwort. This is a lovely and tough rock garden or crevice plant from the Pyrenees where it grows in exposed sheer rock faces. Dense cushions of close-packed rosettes with narrow short green leaves. Pink-purple flowers are held on short 2" stems in groups of one to three. One becomes a group when hanging with the Threes. Full sun, good drainage, zones 3-8.

Dwarf Burnet to 18" with a myriad of red roundly conical flowers. This is an excellent compact selection and very free-flowering and always garners attention when it is in flower in early summer. This is a good doer.

Moon Carrot. Freakishly good plant with gray-blue leaves with an impressive mid to late summer branched inflorescence sporting compound umbels touched in pink then maturing white. Plant nerdishness meets high-end design with this one. Immediate full disclosure - this is biennial but reseeds so do not fear. Good drainage is key such as a sandier soil.

Little gem of a Stachys we brought back from Scotland in 2013 although we hate parting with any, to be honest. Super compact with tight rich green rugose leaves and short spikes of snow white flowers of a purity and innocence so unsullied that felt compelled to ask permission prior to dividing. Perfect rock garden plant.

Demure little native of the Coast and Cascade Ranges in Oregon, this obscure Trillium relative was grown from seed collected by National Living Treasure Ron Ratko. Well, he should be anyway. Grow this like you would Primroses or Trilliums in moist but draining soil in shade.

A superb collection of this Strawberry Saxifrage by the Wynn-Jones of Crug Farm who found this in the Hsitou area of Taiwan. Fantastic green leaves variegated in silver-white and while it could be our imagination taking wing after being bowled over by the foliage, the white flowers seem larger than usual on their 18"-24" stems. Moist, shade, zone 6-9.

A collection from Japan by the Wynn-Jones from the higher elevations in the mountains of the Kinki Peninsula in central Honshu. This is very similar to the clone 'Maroon Beauty' which is no diminishment. Good purplish leaves with paler highlights and impressive flowers for a Sax with tall stems bearing flocks of white blooms. Moist and shade.

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.

Mountain Ash. Our collection from Dragon's Elbow Mt in Sichuan from 4300 meters where this was a graceful small tree to 25' with pendulous clusters of small pink-flushed fruit. The bipinnate leaves are dainty in appearance with each leaflet quite small and taking on good scarlet-red coloration in fall. Clustered small white flowers in late spring.

This Strawberry Saxifrage has rich colored leaves quite maroon underneath and intricately marked in silver on top. This sends out runners like a strawberry which makes new plants at the tips & makes a great groundcover for moist shade. Dandy and delicate white/pink flowers on 18" stems. This has proved itself in our shade garden.

A pinnate-leafed Mountain Ash with long narrow leaflets. This was a sizeable tree to 30'-40' where it joined the canopy of other trees such as a nearby Gamblea. The tree itself had a muscular grace in its open and clean lines of trunk and branch, large red terminal bud and red and yellow fall color. From an area infrequently visited by western botanists. Few available.

Collected on shaded mossy cliff on Damingshan in Guangxi, China in 2012. This is a totally new introduction to cultivation and no idea as to hardiness but suspect it is not very tolerant of much frost. Vibrant yellow daisy flowers are quite good and the bloom period is very long given ample moisture and nutrition. Let us know how it does!

This is likely a hybrid and we guessed with longifolia but who knows? Hybridity just means extra vigor and a better garden plant with fabulous big silver-crusted long leaves in showy rosettes supporting tall sprays of white flowers. Bright shade to morning sun is ideal. Easy.

A small cloud of pink flowers on this otherwise white flowered species. One of the easiest species in the section Irregulares to which the more familiar Saxifraga fortunei belongs. This has the redeeming quality of being able to handle a bit more dry and sun than some of the others but why make it work if you don’t have to?

Variegated Willow. A yummy and scarce selection brought to the west from Vermont by the beloved Millet. This makes a densely twiggy, broad yet tall multi-trunked small tree or shrub. Fast and easy (not at all like Sue), this is unique in its creamy foliage variegation. A sweet thing (like Sue).

Compact little plant that lends itself to formal edging as it is naturally a very tight, small rounded dome of small green leaves that gets its groove on with a shameless display of yellow button flowers. We will never be confused with formal and in keeping, our plant is immensely happy in our free-form dry garden. Just a quick shearing of the spent flowers and good to go. Deer proof.

Another exceptional introduction from the masters of their craft at Aberconwy Nursery in Wales. This red-flowered, mossy saxifage is one we were smitten by - along with literally every other plant - when we visited this Mecca for the alpine plant enthusiast. We visited Aberconwy and Bodnant in March and had to breathe into our paper lunch bags to keep from passing out.