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This is an exquisite little bit of spring pleasure that was introduced by our friend Urs Baltensberger. Urs is a keen plantsman and he found this dark-leafed form growing wild in the forest on the slopes of Stammerberg in Switzerland and we are all benefiting from his sharp eye. Purplish black new growth is perfect backing for the white spring flowers in mid to late spring. The leaves will mature to typical green later in the season but that is of no consequence as the flowers will have long finished.

Higher elevation Chinese species favoring a moist and rich with compost spot in part sun. This has long been a favorite species of ours with its pendant rose-purple flowers held on long pedicels heavily coated in white mealy farina and carried aloft on tall stems up to 2 to 3 feet. Sue grew this in northern VT.

From great plant friends in Scotland, this showy cross of two fine Candelabra Primrose species garnered accolades when they used this to great effect in a display show garden. Colors are widely variable and size can be a bit shorter than the parents but literally, all are good and work well together. Now if only politicians............

Rare species from Taiwan collected by botanist Pascal Bruggeman. This is evergreen in mild winters and has late spring subterminal clusters of pendulous bells the color of a perfect flan with tips of the tepals looking as though dipped in chocolate. A rhizomatous species but so not a thug for us.

A columbine caricatured for cuteness would be a fair assessment of this species and selection. Taking an already dwarf plant and selecting for the smallest of its kind is very Alpine gardener behavior and luckily this one plays along happily growing and seeding in our crevice garden. Buoyant light purple and white-centered starship flowers outsize in comparison to the teensy vegetative parts. Happy in colder climes but unsuited to strong summer heat.

A fun Primrose that, when settled in and enjoying a rich crumbly soil, can really make a nice patch. This spreads by underground rhizomes and is a good colonizer. With some plants, when you say 'colonizer' it rightly sounds an alarm much like a submarine klaxon on an emergency dive. Not so this. Rich tomato-pink flowers above season-interest-extending, felty foliage.

Very intriguing perennial with intricate light brown flower buds that appear to be spun glass art depicting the skeletal structure of some microscopic sea creature. From the center extends the feathered pinkish petals. While not spectacular compared to a Dahlia, we think it spectacularly interesting but then we are certifiable plant loons.

There is some debate over the hybridity of this cultivar (or cultivar group potentially) and we are pulled in differing directions by the prevalence of hybrid suspicions normally winning out and the relative rarity of true hybridization in most ferns. Regardless of whether it is a mutt or a purebred it is a fine variation on an already classic theme. Finely cut fronds with such regularity in shape that one could easily be forgiven for assuming it to be an unfamiliar species. Cultivar ferns can be a bit marmite but I think even the purists would find this acceptable if not outright agreeable. (It is entirely possible if not likely that the correct name for this plant is 'Cornubiense Foliosum', see Martin Rickard's book on Polypodium for a full idea of the complexities)

The bees have done some fine work in the garden, shuttling between a Roy Lancaster collection of the purple/white Epimedium x omeiense and our collection of the rare yellow Epimedium flavum, found only in a small area of the Erlang Shan in Sichuan.  These are unselected seedlings which all have garden merit and are deserving of a good garden trial but our ADPS (Attention Deficit Plant Syndrome) is getting in the way of doing that so we are jobbing it out to you.  Various colors and evergreen foliage.

The dubious origins of this plant only add to its mystique. Like the hydra of greek myth this Solomon's seal decided two heads were better than one, and then each of those heads came to the same conclusion. Subsequent divisions and branches result in a leafy profusion apt to convince one that they have discovered a shrubby Polygonatum. As beautiful as it is strange.

A hybrid between E. moorei and E. lucida that grew from a chance cross at Hillier's nursery, the original plant was cloned and distributed under the name 'Winton' and we preserve that name here to differentiate it from any further x hillieri selections. Retains the glossy narrow semi-evergreen foliage of its parents with pure white flowers beloved by bees and pollinators. Has shown excellent hardiness, anecdotally surviving a below 10F winter freshly planted in a nearby garden. A child which may well outexcel its parents.

Really good selection by Tony Avent from a collection on Korea's Jeju Island. This has closely set somewhat rounded leaves on stems that are slightly twisted giving the effect of a spiral staircase. The degree that this is apparent is directly correlated to how misspent and experimental your youth was - some folks never see it while for Tony and us, it's like totally apparent. Very hardy and a good increaser.

Little creeping woodlander from the East Coast newly placed in the Colchicaceae which alters our world view. Socially inept biochemists will soon lump all life into a single family derived from a virus, blue-green algae or a bacteria. Bah! Delicate creamy bells in spring. Quite tough.

Evergreen or in this case everorange stiff blades which complement the starry white flowers in late spring makes this New Zealander an invaluble addition to the garden.

Variegated Figwort. One of the best variegated perennials. This is a big and robust plant simply needing a rich moist spot to really strut its stuff in either sun or semi-shade. Squinchy little brownish flowers are curious additions to a showboating 4' high plant. This is easy but not so easy that you regret having it in the garden.

While Leopard Plant is nothing new in the garden world this species is definitely not something you see every day. Restricted to a small area of far east Russia and described by the Soviets in 1965 there is little mention of it to be found though it seems to be fairly well represented in European botanic gardens. Despite the KGB style information black out the sunny yellow flower stalks and classic heart shaped leaves make it anything but intimidating.

We first encountered this species in the fall of 1997 when we were on the mid to lower slopes of the Cangshan Mountains looking down to the barely discernible 3 Pagodas of Dali fronting the broad expanse of Lake Erhai. This groundcover species formed broad carpets of evergreen foliage covering the large rocks on the boulder-strewn slope so as to give the impression of a tumultuous green sea frozen in place. The day sounds much better than it was, for back in 97 there was but a rough single track road to the higher elevations and on that day our jeeps were blocked by a massively overloaded lorry whose driveline had failed under the weight of massive marble blocks quarried from the higher reaches. The truck was gradually sinking into the mud with just a few inches of clearance and a young skinny boy had been fetched from downslope to slither underneath and effect repairs, which was going to take many hours at best. This meant we were stranded at low elevation with a bunch of botanically fascinating, marginally hardy plants which was not our goal. We made the best of it and one of our new acquaintances was this Ficus.

We were pleased as punch when our friend Jim Fox gifted us with cuttings he took from Roy Lancaster's garden where it is growing as a foundation plant against his home. It was not a stretch to think that this plant was from the same population we had seen as Roy had traveled this same road years earlier as part of the Sino-British Expedition to Cangshan. Sadly we can't grow this outside here in our gardens but if you are lucky enough to have only very light frosts or none at all, then this would be a fine groundcover. This does have small reddish figs but stick to the ones you get at the store.

We're Veratruphiles, no doubt about that and this was a prized acquisition. A Japanese native which is a smaller counterpart to our own native Veratrums or False Hellebores. This is smaller getting to just 3' tall in flower with the flowering stalk draped in white and green flowers tripling the foliage height, claiming it's rightful place only when at its peak and otherwise demurely playing the role of high quality foliage texture.

 

 

A clone of black crowberry we received from the late Captain Steele of Bayport Plant Farm in Nova Scotia. Unfortunately with the passing of Captain Steele we no longer have a way of ascertaining the finer points of this plant, nor the origins of its name. So if you know let us know! What we do know is that this low mounding Ericaceous shrub with its glossy black edible berries (requiring another clone) makes an excellent woodland or alpine groundcover!

For me this tree always resides in a particular memory from my time at Yew Dell Gardens in Kentucky. In the middle of the workday, executive director Paul Cappiello came screaming by in one of the golf carts and said "hop in we're gonna go look at a tree". So I did and off we went, ripping through the arboretum at top speed until WHAM we were smacked in the face by a thick, heavenly floral scent. The source of which revealed itself when we turned the corner and entered a sun-flooded clearing where white petals danced in the air as they fell from a majestic beast of this species drenched in flowers. "I think this is the best snowbell species", Paul said and it was certainly hard to disagree in that moment, its hard to disagree now for that matter. You need this.