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Uncommon Toad Lily that is is uncommonly hard to find as well as uncommonly beautiful. Bold broad leaves clasp sturdy stems which support big yellow flowers at their terminus. Less vigorous than its brethren it is nonetheless plenty stout of heart and a true jewel in the garden.

Always vying for Top Hebe in our esteem, this compact grower sports narrow blue-gray leaves with months of white flowers. Our plant has weathered our worst winters with nary a whimper and is at this moment of writing on August 5, without fault, well into month two of blooming. We had the good fortune to have superstar UK garden photographer Andrea Jones visit the summer of 2013 and our 2'x3' plant of Hebe recurva, which was underplanted with Mertensia maritima, was looking smashing. The Mertensia had of its own accord draped a stem over the Hebe and was at its peak with its own even bluer leaves and its small sky-blue flowers. Andrea homed in on this like she was laser-guided and we only wished that we could take credit for the artistry. She was kind giving us credit for the combination while creating the space for serendipitous opportunity.

Collected by Oregon's Finest, Sean Hogan, from the Pinaleno Mts at 6200' in SE Arizona. Drought and sun tolerant fern, great in the rock garden spreading to make a dense mat just 3"-4" tall. Frost tolerant species said to be hardy to Zone 6 but being cautious, we'll say Zones 7-10.

Light pink starry flowers grace this covetous form of this wee Japanese species. A gentle peregrinator spreading by short stolons and making a fine little clump which manages to evoke a warm fuzzy feeling in both the jaded collector as well as your average "dirt" gardener. We live in both worlds and we like it. A lot.

Very hardy Jack in the Pulpit which is the Asian equivalent of our eastern US Arisaema triphyllum. This Jack is native to the Russian Far East, northern China and Korea and is a variable species but always has green flowers with stripes that are usually white but can be sort of a chocolate purple. Good bulb for light shade to morning sun. We sold this for some years as triphyllum ssp. pusillum before being enlightened that it is the closely related Arisaema amurense. Similar but different. An easy Jack in the Pulpit increasing nicely my offsets. Good moist soil.

White flowered version of the typically blue-flowered European species. Thanks to our friend and Hepatica guru John Massey of Ashwood Nurseries for sharing seed. We have flowered these plants and they are indeed white! Perfect in the woodland garden, very hardy and with impeccable provenance.

Uncommon species which has proven durable in containers and in the garden where it handled a nasty 12F winter with equanimity. Pink-backed white flowers followed by red fruit on stiffly upright stems. From Erlangshan in Sichuan growing with the rare Epimedium flavum on a slope with Cardiocrinum in the wet thicket behind.

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.

aka Schizostylis. This selection of the Southern African bulb was selected by plantsman Eric Smith and sports flowers of a deep salmon pink that even the best of sunrises would find a welcome addition the palette. Said by some British sources to often be found still blooming at Christmas, good tidings indeed for those Northwesterners desperate for a little Winter sunshine.

A bold plant of 12' forming part of the species-dense broad-leaf forest margins on the incredibly steep slopes of a mountain previously not visited by westerners to our knowledge. It was a long day's climb which ended in the dark with rain and wind on a bare ridge hoping the tent didn't blow away with us in it. Fortunately, after 20+ miles and 5800' feet elevation gain, sleep came easy! Broad leaves with up to 14 leaflets held on petioles touched in red. Cream flowers and black fruit on dendritic panicles. Proceeds from this offering go to support the mission of Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy.

Serious business here on the Ligularia front. This Crug Farm collection from Jeju (Cheju) Island, Korea, is from our 2018 Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy UK trip. This makes a dense ground cover of weed-suppressive, overlapping large leaves and tall spikes of yellow flowers. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering.

A plant we got from Michael Wickenden at Cally Gardens in Scotland who collected this in Chile. The flowers on this form seem a bit larger than typical as if they need to get any better. Wild orange-red dangling tubular pouches beckon man and hummingbird alike. Can clamber up into trees or kept small and shrubby by a bit of clipping. Sadly Michael died in October 2016 while plant hunting in Myanmar which is a keen loss as he was an uncompromising plantsman who was not afraid to take on nonsensical and misguided bureaucracy whether it was plant patents or ponderous legislation regarding wild and plant seed collection.

Exquisite woodlander from China that can reach 3' in height with well branched stems with dangling red flowers. This is far showier than the typical green flowered forms more commonly found. Not that they are all that common. Good rich humusy soil that retains moisture.

One of the finest Trilliums for foliage and flower in its best forms. This Midwestern native has sessile or stemless flowers of a brownish maroon. Easy to please in the garden.

Free-blooming groundcover that is evergreen with yellow button flowers on 8" stems from spring until fall. Very few demands from this plant and as such, we expect few complaints from you. This will grow and perform ably given minimal attention. Indicator plant for a new hobby.

A lovely shrubby epiphytic Indochina gesneriad in the same genus as lipstick vine. That comparison made, this should be an excellent houseplant although we speculate that it ought to take a brief light frost. A lot of the exposed limestone ridges radiate heat away at night making them colder. Red tubular flowers. Airy crumbly soil. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Plant

A candelabra type which we found growing in a high boggy meadow in Sichuan in October 2012 where it mingled with other Primula species, Gentiana sino-ornata in bloom and hummocks of dwarf Rhododendron. This had small seed capsules with short pedicels closely set in whorls on the scape reminiscent of Primula wilsonii. We have now flowered here at the nursery and see that it is a good form of Primula poissonii with large magenta flowers in tiers on the tall stems. We had previously offered this as a candelabra Primula species. Fairly sun tolerant if given ample moisture or tolerant of what passes for sun here in the maritime Northwest.

Chinese version of our East Coast Diphylleia cymosa. If you are into herbaceous Berberidaceae, right - that is all of you so of course this is a must-have! White flowers and blue fruit on red pedicels about rounded scalloped foliage. Some have this merged into Podophyllum. We don't. Divisions from our own plants.

Mark Weathington of the Raulston Arboretum at NCSU introduced this goody from Taiwan. Narrow blade leaves are maculated in white and the upright stems bear small pink flowers in mid to late summer. A very interesting new addition to the hardy Begonia palette as this has a different look than what one usually sees. Mulch if winter is wicked.

A hybrid selection of the Asiatic Gentians. In rich moist acidic soil such as what we have on our sunny pond edge, this will make a small carpet of green short grassy foliage which explodes in late summer and fall with masses of thumb-sized light blue trumpets. A nice patch of this stops people in their tracks. This whole group of the Asiatics just leaves us a little emotional in a good way except when we see one we don't have and then admiration quickly turns to lust which seamlessly transitions to avarice and then its a downward slide to shameful contemplations but before it gets to that point we've learned to either leave, pop some meds or call a sponsor. This is deciduous and dies back to little crown buds in the winter so don't panic.