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An Aaron Floden collection of this Eastern US native clematis with vibrant hot-pink to purple bell-shaped flowers with a cream-colored interior conjuring up cheerful memories of berries and cream on a hot summer's day. Herbaceous and needs a good whack each year but will reward you with annually increasing robustness for your efforts.

A princess in a tall tall tower, unicorn bait, or simply the most elegant of all the P. glycyrrhiza cultivars. Living up to the medieval chivalric ideal of beauty in chastity this is the true sterile 'Malahatense', a far superior variety to the cruder fertile form sometimes sold under the name. The usually entire margins of the species are transformed into flaming deeply lacerated plumes, often of an attractive blue green that fades into lightness towards the edges. Airy grace apt to induce fainting spells in the weakly constituted, keep the smelling salts nearby and be prepared to white knight your true 'Malahatense' queen against the pauper pretenders out there.

Our own hybrid introduction, this is a tasteful presentation of refined restraint. Small leaves well-speckled and clouded in quiet maroon when young are gently echoed in the sepals of the flowers which back the soft yellow spurs and cup. A tight grower making mannerly small clumps, this gets 8"-10" tall.

This is pretty much our default tree whenever anyone asks about a good small tree. This has zero bad habits that we know about it and is a rapid grower with small evergreen leaves and minute yellow flowers that smell heavenly of marzipan or something similarly decadent.

These are seed-grown plants from a fantastic rich purple form of the Blue Poppy shared with us by Merrill Jensen of the Jensen-Olson Arboretum in Alaska where these magical plants grow like Matanuska cabbages. This is a very choice offering. We've not seen this before and the pedigree remains a grandis mystery, so to speak! These could vary from seed but we hope not and be sure to save seed after flowering as you will want a drift of these! Only for cool to cold climates, with no warm humid evenings.

This is one of those plants worth the greenhouse space if you can't grow it outside, which we can't. An evergreen vine from Chile where it is the national flower and once you see this bloom, it will likely be your personal national flower as well. Big waxy pendant flowers of typically a rose red, but can be white to pink to dark red. These are seedlings from our friend Ilse who has some of these other colors as well. While these are seed from her rose red plant, there may have been some interesting co-mingling going on with the greenhouse doors open at night and the hawk moths out and about, but pretty sure these will be rose red.

These normally flower in late summer and fall, and we were entranced by beautiful specimens in bloom when we visited the west of Scotland in the fall of 2013. A memorable moment was getting asked to leave the Chilean Terrace at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh where this was flowering beautifully against a wall. We have no idea how they found us at closing time as we were one with the Lapageria and our pleas "But the Lapageria is in flower" were met with polite firmness and an aura of "If I just had a few bob for every time I've heard that". Small plants but strong and well rooted.

The Japanese name 'Seiju' translates to "master" in English. This showy dwarf Chinese Elm has mastered textural structure with especially corky bark as it ages. The small leaves don't obscure this corkiness and have a brief Autumnal dalliance with yellow. A go-to specimen for Bonsai and provides a larger element in the rock garden.

The penultimate Poker in our opinion at this particular moment. Tall wands of orange tubular flowers well spaced on the stem echo images of Aloes in Southern California. These 5'-6' flower stems start in July and continue right up until frost. This is a sterile form so it sets little or no seed and since it never manages to consummate the procreational act, it keeps trying. Personally I am in awe of its stamina. A good spreader which quickly makes a clump. The leaves are much shorter than the flower stems and thin-bladed as well as being deciduous at least in our climate. This may not be as hardy as some other species but is worth every effort to make happy. We mulch ours for the winter and that seems to meet its needs. This triploid form was recently given the clonal name 'Stern's Trip'.

Excellent selection from the former Heronswood nursery of this robust woodlander noted for the dark hued stems especially in the new growth. This is an exuberant grower sending up big dark chocolate asparagus spears of new growth in late spring which branch out as they get taller bearing small creamy-green bells followed by glistening small black fruit. The young leaves carry some of coloring of the new growth and the whole plant retains this color better if grown in sun in our mild sun climate. In our shade garden, the foliage matures to a very pleasing dark olive-green and seems like some impressive cousin to bamboo as it can each 5'-6' tall. We always mulch ours in winter as we don't want to freeze out the crown and the new growth can start early here in the PNW so this mulch protects it from getting frosted. An easy and stunning plant. This was and still is offered as a selection of Disporum cantoniense but we thank Bleddyn Wynn-Jones for correctly identifying this as to species.

From manic hybridizer Darrell Probst comes this herbaceous Asian Hydrangea relative. Softer blue than D. caerulea but with leaves showing a distinct Camel Toe cleft attesting to D. bifida affinity. (Had a friend who was Wardrobe Mistress for PNW Ballet and Camel Toes were her bane) The fertile flowers on this are a study in intricacy and worth bending over for. I meant that the plant is short and not because it is 16 bucks! Sheesh. Can't believe you were thinking that. This likes some light shade a good soil that doesn't dry but drains.

Rollicking twining Monkshood from China that delights in scrambling up into shrubs or onto thin trellage. Although a fine and aristocratic perennial, it remains devoid of snobbery embracing chainlink as if it were ornate wrought iron at an Antebellum mansion. Dusky lavender flowers in late summer and fall are hugely welcome. This is totally herbaceous dying completely back after flowering only to reemerge in spring bigger and better than before. The climbing Aconitum can be confusing to pin down as to proper identity but we finally sat down with flowers and foliage and key in hand and confirmed that this indeed A. episcopale. This is likely from a Diana Reeck collection in Yunnan in 1996 but that is best guessing. Nice blooming-sized plants.

Giant Himalayan Lily. Outrageous Lily family member which can reach 14' high in flower with huge 10" long Easter Lily white flowers flushed purple in the throat. This has an intoxicating fragrance which rides on the breeze throughout the garden especially in the evening. Large green heart-shaped leaves evocative of a Hosta ever increasing in size until it is old enough to bloom which is usually around 7 years of age. Once it is old enough, it sends up this amazing flower stalk in spring culminating in flowers in the latter part of June. This requires so much energy that the main bulb dies but it usually makes several offsets to carry on in subsequent years. As a bonus, the dried flower stalk with its decorative seed pods makes for an arresting bit of indoor decor. Considering the time involved, the sheer magnificence coupled with the poetic finality, flowering is an event that demands a party with plenty of sparkling wine. It's a great excuse for a little justifiable bragging. Plant shallow in rich and moist soil.

A very handsome hardy tuberous Begonia with orange flowers of which it is obviously very proud of as it is not shy about displaying them. This makes a nice clump and can be left in the garden over winter. Good in containers although I wouldn't let the pots freeze solid. Increases well.

If this is the new wave then I'm a bitter old codger, and I pray they don't mean to drag down the euphoric music genre down with em. It's not often you're growing hydrangea for a foliage plant, but for those who lust for the over-the-top, flamboyant, gaudiness that only the most outrageous variegation can provide, fear not your soulmate has found its way to you. Flowers are relatively subtle lacecaps compared to most marketed macrophyllas. The leaves however feature screaming yellow margins, with a variable cream inner border and natural green center making for a definite conversation starter, just please leave Depeche Mode out of it for my sanity.

Lovely, lovely species with classic Turk's cap shaped flowers of gentle pink with a lavender nuance further enhanced by a sprinkle of darker beauty spots on the downturned face which exhales a light fragrance that takes but the slightest stirring of the air to swirl about in fleeting notes taking this to yet a higher plane of pleasure. Seed-grown from seed gathered from plant legend Peter Cox's home garden in Glendoick Scotland from his own collections in Yunnan.

Very garden worthy little Lily descended from a Crug Farm collection in Taiwan. This is a fairly compact species with grassy foliage and carnival hat flowers - big white trumpets with maroon stripes on the outside. Increases well from offsets and blooms when young. It's all good.

Rare little offering from Siberia with very thin creeping rhizomes making a small ferny colony in light shade. One of the last to bloom of the tuberous species, this usually shows its mauve-pink small tubular flowers in May. Loves a woodsy soil which would make a Primrose happy. Very hardy. Don't be dismayed by the lack of roots that should be filling the pot as this is just not what they do. If dormant, you can separate the thin yellowish rhizomes and spread them out slightly pointing them in different directions for a bit speedier cover.

A hybrid seedling selection between Eucryphia glutinosa and E. cordifolia that showed up at Mount Usher Gardens in Ireland thanks to some discerning work done by the local pollinators. The deciduous E. glutinosa brings good hardiness and the E. cordifolia adds excellent flower and evergreen foliage. Uncommon in the trade. Tall narrow habit.

Giant Chinese Mayapple. Seed-grown from an exceptional form of Podophyllum pleianthum called 'The Giant' which is notable for its extra large, tractor seat green leaves. In Podophyllum, size definitely matters! This will be an impressive plant in the moist shade garden reaching up to 40" tall with maroon flowers tucked under the leaves. The basic formula for success is food + water = Big Leaves.

Asiatic Gentian with big deep blue trumpets on this mat forming beauty. Rich moist acidic soil is best for this late sumer-fall bloomer. Outrageous in bloom and this will quickly, for an Asiatic Gentian, make a nice dense patch as it roots along the stems. Not a thug, nor invasive or a problem - this a good thing. Moist acidic soil in full sun is just the ticket.