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An adorable little dwarf Stachys we salvaged out of maniac plant collector Marian Raitz's garden.  Lilac-plum 10" flower spikes in midsummer are perfect arising from the soft cottony foliage.  Low small-scale groundcover for full to half sun.

A likely Gladiolus papilio hybrid with some saying it is a form of papilio, our mama plant when in bloom with its 5 foot stems of red-mauve flowers sporting dark eye patches, has frequently caused plant geeks to start speaking in tongues other than Latin binomials and to offer creative enticements in exchange for "just a small start". We have had to say "Sorry" until now although if those enticements are still on the table, we're listening. Perfectly hardy in the ground here.

A rare species from shaded moist areas in coastal Mendocino and Sonoma Counties in CA. Pleated leaves and branched flower stems to nearly 2 feet bear beautifully fringed snowy white flowers. Regarded as tender, Veratrum expert Christoph Ruby of Hof Botanic Garden in Germany tells us zone 5 hardy!

Choice selection with ruffled heavily marbled leaves and light pink flowers. You normally grow Hepatica for the early spring flowers and any foliar enhancement is pure gravy but with Cremar, flowers bow their heads to the majesty of the leaves. Quite a choice plant and does well in light shade with decent drainage.

Sporelings of the Mexican Chain Fern originally introduced from the mountains near Oaxaca. A rarely seen beautiful species surviving many years in a Seattle garden. The same garden has a glorious container of this which overwinters frost-free in the sunroom where it not only survives but thrives. Thanks to Jeanette Kunnen for sharing. These are young plants but if we wait, they will all be sold here at the nursery and they need to get out into broader distribution. Just a few.

A pretty little thing from the alpine world. The genus name comes from the Italian for 'Little Coins' which fairly represents the diminutive rosettes of perfectly circular evergreen foliage. For the less money-motivated the bright purple-pink flowers held a few inches above the flowers call to mind an egregious fringed lampshade from the lava lamp days. Closely related to primulas and happy with much the same treatment.

This is a cultivar being exported from Holland. The flower color is a shade darker than typical so that is good. What isn't good is that this is an imposter. One reference we found says the flowers should face upwards, this doesn't but if it did, it would merit clonal naming. "Shi-ran" is simply the Japanese name for Bletilla which would suggest that this was a generic import by the Dutch from Japan. aarrgghh. Every source we have seen that lists this selection has this same plant. All of this said, it is a slightly darker form and not unlike one we grew years ago as 'Rosea' also from Holland.

Here is a little Japanese bulbous plant that will add some late summer glitz to the rock garden or special foreground planting niche. Not shy about blooming, this will strut its stuff with round purplish flowerheads on 10" stems which sends our friends the Butterflies and Bees into quiet delirium.

Nifty little species we salvaged out of plant collector Marian Raitz's garden when she moved. Low toothed leaves and nice mid-sized white flowers hazed lavender-pink. This will make a nice lower-than-most-Epimediums patch which works perfectly under low shrubs.

This excellent hardy orchid is one we received many years ago from our late Plant Guru, Jerry John Flintoff as Dactylorhiza incarnata subsp. africana. Well, that has been merged into D. elata and it looks right to us but we are not orchid botanists. Vigorous, with green leaves and richly colored flowers. Native to Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia in north Africa, dallying on some islands in the Med (smart orchid!) and jumping to France, Spain and Portugal up to Belgium and the Netherlands.

This naturally occuring hybrid Deparia comes to us via plantsman Lance Reiners. Forms a clump of glossy dark green single fronds, each of which is marked by an extremely crenate margin, think scrapbooking scissors. The overall effect is rather eel-like and somewhere between a small blechnum and a tongue fern. Very unusual and quite attractive, wants a wet but well drained spot. Should be hardy down to Zone 7 given its parentage but will possibly go slightly lower.

Very uncommon selection from the UK which we are pleased to introduce to these shores. An Asiatic Gentian whose parents include such species as Gentiana sino-ornata, G. veitchiorum, G, farreri etc. These revel in cool climates, moist acid soil and reward with late summer-fall bloom. This is a good dark blue with purple tones.

Sea Holly. One of the best of the lot with great marbled foliage and blue thistlely flowers which are great for drying. Likes a sunny poor soil and is known for laughing disdainfully at Port Townsend deer, the modern rats of the new Millenium. Let this self-sow for best results.

This is thought to be an intergeneric hybrid between 2 of New Zealand's shrubby daisies. This gives a fabulous textural addition to the Mediterranean garden like some happy marriage of heather and rosemary. Small white flowers cluster at the tops of the stems. Good drainage, tolerant of some dry.

Soft pale blue flowers on this clone which we brought in from the UK a few years ago. This species seems a necessary part of the spring woodland garden and the twiggy rhizomes will in time form a dense floriferous carpet with flowers backed by deeply segmented green leaves.

"How tall does this get in flower? Five to six feet!?! Damn!" Yes, we're mind readers. Hot new Agapanthus from the UK with refined clusters of Icy pale blue with long pendulous individual flowers held at eye level. This shows the strong influence of the species inapertus with its drooping flowers which we do so love. Ice Cascade will make you shiver in delight.

Staggeringly impressive recent introduction of this Solomon Seal species from - wait for it - Vietnam. This is similar to our favorite Polygonatum huanum (formerly as kingianum) but is just more of everything that is good. Large red flowers snug the whorled leaves on stems which reached 15' tall this year in the garden, and which remain green for us until temps drop below 20F. These are young plants but worth the wait!

Pretty much an awesome plant for the rock garden or hell strip as this relishes good drainage and hot sun. We saw this at Lakewood Gardens in Denver summer of 2014 and had to have! A small subshrub covered in blazing red tubular flowers and allows no other plant to have any attention whatsoever. On the moderate to dryish side and lean. Did we mention deer don't like this? The current (now April 2017) issue of the North American Rock Garden Quarterly has Marian as the covergirl and it is well-deserved notoriety. BTW - if you are not a member of NARGS - that is a mistake fortunately easily corrected by going to their website and joining. Good publication, great plant people, exceptional conferences and tours and then there is the most awesome seed exchange list - some of our best bragging plants have their origins in that seed list.

Beautiful flowers on this selection from the Versailles grex of the cross between P. limprichtii and P. formosana. Large rich pink-lavender flowers with an expressive fringed lip invites you to explore the voluptuous inner hollows colored sensuously in orange and yellow. Why silk pajamas, candles and Bolero just popped into mind is curious........and not a bad idea.

A superb compact and very floriferous plant we got from the sadly late Michael Wickenden at Cally Gardens in Scotland. This is just about the perfect little container plant with low, dense tuffets of deep green narrow blades of leaves and a profusion of small white flowers on short stems which retain interest long after flowering with their seed heads. This would be an ideal plant for some plant factory to pick up for tissue culture to flood Lowe's and Home Depot with millions of these but we would ask that if there is any inclination to do so, know that Michael was vehemently opposed to this and that his wishes be respected. Because this is the new America, when conscience fails, please consider a gentleman's royalty on each plant to be sent to Cally Gardens.