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This is one of the original clones collected from the wild population of pure red Roscoea found by the '92 Oxford University Ganesh expedition, shared with us by John Grimshaw. While the original collections varied this particular plant has the desirable red stems as well as flowers. Those initial plants would famously go on to eschew their earthy roots and take the stage name of 'Red Gurkha', long obscuring their origins. To us the thought of such a beauty coming from natural roots is actually more exciting than the expertly packaged and marketed horticultural creation myth. Imagine a field of fiery red-coated soldiers amidst a Nepalese plateau and then moderate that heady dose by adding this gem to your yet-rising mountain of garden delights.

Into the rabid cutthroat world of the Gesneriad convention goes the strongest soldier of rare plant reconnaissance, Steve Hootman, curator of the Rhody garden and out comes a treasured jewelbox of all but unseen Gesner hybrids. Move over Mr. Cage there's a new heist-master, and I guess that makes us the black market dealer and you the faceless, nameless, glitterati of the botanical underworld. Imagine the gasp as the auctioneer brings forth this beauty, all red-bracted and silver-veined. Let the bidding begin

An Arizona collection of this cheery columbine from FRBC board member Cody Hinchliff. These have proved unexpectedly easy and rewarding for a Southwestern native in Cody's high rainfall rain garden growing to a lanky 30" and producing masses of up to 20 bright yellow long-spurred flowers well-loved by pollinators in the Spring and Summer.  

Native to Chile, this is in the Solanaceae and will become a 4'-6' evergreen shrub with drooping and narrowly tubular yellow flowers with long exserted stamens. The foliage is a bit unpleasant when crushed - and only then - which makes us think it will be deer proof. Has proved hardy outside in our PT frost pocket for a good decade now, may get cut back by the fiercest winters but bounds back quickly. Good for a sunny position and was given the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society.

This basket fern was fairly coating the host tree from whence it was collected on the slopes of the ominously named Daheishan or black mountain in Sichuan. This has shown good vigor in  pots and has also proved hardy outside in our tufa wall thus far, shockingly good performance for this usually tropical genus! Desirous of good drainage and a bit of room for its chunky rhizomes. The green fertile fronds will go dormant during winter leaving the skeletal sterile basal fronds to collect food for next year.

A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy

A deciduous shrub that can be treated as a perennial or a woody perennial with the form and firepower of a flowering shrub depending on your clime. Each year the pithy arching stems rocket up to human heights and explode into a cascade of pink pea flowers. A worthy addition to a perennial border or to add a floral punch in a space where evergreens are the winter showpiece. Plus, I must say its a pleasure at cut-back time with its neat arrangement and satisfying woody crack. Can be a bit aggressive in the warmer climes of the Southeast.

Chilean Fire Tree. One of the most dramatic plants for our area. This requires our cool and moderate climate where it can become a 20' + narrow deciduous tree that is usually multi-trunked. In late May and June, this is a tower of blazing red-orange tubular flowers and you will get little else done other than answering questions from the neighbors about just what is that tree and eventually there will be strangers knocking on your door inquiring and if you plant a grove then there is the inevitable issue of tour buses with which to contend. Best protected from freezing winds, ours is fully exposed to such but we wrapped the trunk the first few years when we dropped into the teens but now we just give it tough love and do nothing. Being in the Proteaceae, they don't enjoy phosphorous so be careful what you fertilize them with - it is the P in the NPK ratio to which they are allergic. Rather than think too hard on it, we just ladle some dairy manure around our plants in early spring.