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Ok, here is a weird one. In the family Helwingiaceae there is but one genus, Helwingia which has 3 species. Helwingia has epiphyllus flowers which means they bloom from the midrib of the leaves. This male plant was collected by Hinkley in Sichuan and will be evergreen. Small light pink flowers.

This gesneriad comes from southern Jiangxi Province in China via an Atlanta Botanic Garden collection. Hemiboea defy what we know inherently to be true by being surprisingly hardy when they look very tender. Broad leaves with large foxglove-like white flowers spattered in red dots with a yellow throat. This should do fine down to zone 8b and probably lower especially with mulch - we've seen a different species of Hemiboea in Ann Arbor.

We believe Rhett, this Crocosmia is no lady. Really, are you looking for some refined creature when you buy a Crocosmia? I think not - it's hussies, hotties, tramps and trollops that get's it done in the garden during the dog days of summer when we need some over the top flamboyance - save the demure for spring 'cause it clashes with Mojitos! This has big heads of bright red flowers which are spaced closely together amplifying the floral impact. Nicely compact just 24" tall at best and remains in a tight clump. This is from David Tristram of Walberton Nursery in the UK.

Double Flowered Solomon's Seal. Hard to come by and desirable double form of this excellent garden plant. The extra petals looks like a little green rose when you lift one of the dangling white bells and peer inside. It is one of those little surprises that makes the garden so fun.

A unique evergreen member of the Myrtaceae family native to moist, rocky areas within alpine and subalpine regions of Australia. This forms a dense mound with arching branches, 3ft by 4ft with early summer small white flowers en masse. Diminutive leaves become coppery in winter, smelling lovely when crushed. Appreciates some summer water during dry spells.

The luscious double flowered form of this aristocratic woodlander from Japan. Extra petals on the lightly blue-pink tinged white flowers takes this to the next level. This is certainly one of the 3000-4000 plants that we would grab first if the greenhouses were ablaze. Our own plants from our divisions - not imported.

From the breeding work of Bob Brown comes this crazy good plant. On very stout stems, the big flowers with broad rounded tepals are bunched together in nice fat heads and the flowers are a melange of peachy apricoty pink hues. One of the very best of the recent introductions. Expect this to get 36"-40" and it is a slow clumper so it will be awhile before you need to divide it.

Seldom offered species and one we had the privilege to see in a very remote area in western Arunachal Pradesh in 2003. Well, Sue saw it as Kelly was confined to bed violently ill and missing this remains one of his great regrets. This originated from friend and plant legend Peter Cox of Glendoick. Pink to white flowers.

A very robust selection in one of our favorite genera, this is one we brought in from Japan some while back and at last have some to offer. Wider and longer leaves than most of our other forms we grow, this by necessity makes larger evergreen rosettes. In early spring the central floral resting bud starts to awaken and March sees the elongation of the flowering stem to 10" and the appearance of a full head of creamy flowers aging to a clear white. This Snow White truly would make an insecure and wicked queen jealous!

Tough as all get out circumpolar herbaceous species of the subarctic which is found in Alaska and the Yukon and skips along the mountain tops as far south as Wyoming. This is a tap-rooted species and will not run but settles for making a nice low clump of soft as a mouse-ear silver haired leaves which are great with the sizable yellow flowers. It does great here at sea level in Port Townsend and our plants are descended from our dear departed friend Steve Doonan of Grande Ridge Nursery.

Choice and uncommon Japanese native making a many stemmed plant with lots of white bottle-brush flowers in spring. The glossy green and nicely textured leaves are pleasant the rest of the season.

Beautiful variegated form of this new Zealand Griselinia. As the species name suggests, this favors coastal conditions and can take the wind. We saw the typical form growing happily at Robin's Hood Bay in England as we finished the Coast to Coast walk. Think a much more refined laurel and you are in the ballpark. Easy to prune, gets to 12', zones 8b-9 or warm 8a. Flowers insignificant.

Our plant was gifted to us by Kenton Seth of crevice garden fame who also happens to be a keen plantsman. This is native to the coastal areas of the West coast where it is found in moist meadows and along streams where it can naturalize in gravel bars. Blue and white flowers are awesome for pollinators. It will tire out after a few short years but save seed or let it naturalize via self-sowing.

Chicken Feet. Native to China and named for the floral phalangeal arrangement of small greenish white flowers on thin stems which are quite fragrant. Widely grown subshrub for its use as an aromatic especially for a tea additive and for medicinal properties. Useful in the frost-free or nearly so shade garden. We've enjoyed more than a few chicken feet at meals in our travels through areas where this grows.

An especially good striped flower form in this selection. Like all of our Olsynium selections, this has been a long process of a decade or so to get this to a size where division is possible and we feel like we can safely release a few. Early flowering in Feb-Mar and fully dormant by summer. Myriad variants can be found in flower shape, color, size, time of bloom etc. and it would be easy to go Galanthus on this species in terms of collecting mania. We speak from first-hand experience on our Olsynium descent into madness. Multiple shoots which may or may not flower as it is hard to tell when dormant. This is a winter-spring moist plant which goes dry in summer in the wild where it grows in fairly heavy soil.

This is a pretty interesting selection of climbing hydrangea we received from the intrepid plant hunting duo of Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones of Crug Farm Nursery in Wales. They collected this on a plant hunting trip to Sikkim and found this in the forest near the town of Yuksom. This has the typical small coral-green lacecap flowers and will self-adhere to a wall or tree-trunk as do the others but what sets this selection apart is the generally evergreen leaves which turn purple in the winter. Admittedly, Crug is in a mild portion of Wales which helps with the evergreen nature but what a nice bit of unexpected ornament. This was not collected at a particularly high elevation and we have no idea how hardy this will prove to be but for that sheltered spot in need of winter interest, gotta try it! Especially if grown on a wall, hardiness should be greatly improved and we expect this to be good to zone 7 anyway.

A fine Corydalis collected by Hinkley in Sichuan and there is speculation that it might be a flexuosa x elata hybrid. What we know is that it is an excellent garden plant with loads of light blue flowers which puts on quite the show. Best in light shade or morning sun and moist.

A Hinkley collection of this species often parading about as the similar D. longilobata. These are second-generation seed-grown plants of this very amenable, easy in the garden species. Small white flowers with a light purplish calyx and showy fruit that is always produced in abundance. Sort of semi-deciduous most winters here.

This widespread little fern is of Scottish provenance where it is abundant and easily found in rock cracks and sundry centuries-old architectural features such as stone walls, stone bridges, stone follies and stone buildings that combine to make villages and gardens so damned picturesque especially when covered in ferns. The spores are covered by a bubble-like indusium which inspired the common name of Bladder Fern.

Pendant clusters of yellow bells makes this a refined and classy plant for the shade garden. Makes nice clumps and effortlessly combines with so many shade-loving plants. This Korean and Japanese native is very hardy and a good doer increasingly pleasantly fast. Some Disporum are runners but this stays obediently where you plant it. It is one of the few yellow-flowered species in the genus and for us has proven to be one of the easiest in the garden.