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1703 products
1703 products
A choice Primula endemic to the southern Italian Alps where it grows in rich humus-filled crevices in limestone rocks. These are divisions from the plant Sue brought from Vermont decades ago. These make bold clumps of distinctive sharply pointed foliage with short-stemmed clusters of pink-red flowers. This likes a moisture retentive well drained soil and has been easy and durable for us in our standard mix.
One of the most sophisticated ornamental small trees and a well-grown mature plant is without rival. Broad spreading branches in well-spaced layers superbly display the foliage and lacy white flowers in May which are followed by bird-yummy black fruit. No anthracnose issues which so afflicts our native Cornus nuttallii. These are young plants on their own roots and not grafted. When we think of this tree, we cannot help but think of John Massey's private garden at Ashwood Nursery in England where this perfectly sited and impeccably grown tree stands at the focal nexus of garden magic.
A floriferous form of of our native Grass Widow with rounded petals. 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.
Our collection from Longshou in Sichuan where this was a small 3'-4' rounded shrub in full exposure eking out a living on a small rock face. This is a little different than what is in cultivation as the leaves appear to have a higher degree of fine dentition on the margins and the white flowers are bunched in tubular clusters. This will be a good tough and deer resistant plant.
We're looking at a houseplant here for everyone except those with that San Francisco microclimate and if you are lucky enough to have such a thing, just for the record - we pretty much hate you. But we'll set aside the envy and sell you one of these astoundingly lovely ferns with long white ghostly fingered fronds.
One of the jewels in the tiara of shade garden royalty which is supposed to sound aristocratic and appealing and I believe it does. Put this little Chinese gem in a special spot where you can enjoy the white flowers over the patterned foliage. This would likely thrive in a moist rotting stump. Found up to 12000' in alpine meadows, we've also seen a tiny form in forests in Chongqing. These are from our own divisions.
Our collection from Guangxi on a mountain area little explored by Westerners. This Mondo Grass had leaves to 2' long and fairly lax. Flower stems just 3" tall with surprisingly nice mauve flowers that give way to typical shiny Ophiopogon fruit in the fall. Excellent textural evergreen for shade with a bonus of good flowers. Just a few. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering
Antique hybrid nearly lost to cultivation but thanks to Jim Fox, we can keep this going. Jim visited Graham Stuart Thomas at his home in England and Graham handed Jim his spade and insisted he dig a piece. As if God himself spoke, Jim obeyed. This is the kind of provenance that makes the Keno brothers animated on Antiques Roadshow. Narrow elegant yellow flowers and fragrant in the evening, this is such a nice change from the huge modern hybrids as it retains a nice species look which we gravitate towards. It is important to keep these heirloom plants going as many of Perry's introduction are now lost to cultivation. Hybridized by Amos Perry who was one of England's first two Daylily breeders and he registered 'Thelma Perry' in 1925 as a hybrid with H. thunbergii as the pod parent and H. citrina as the pollen parent.
A silver-patterned selection of this durable garden species of Jack in the Pulpit. A silver wash plays along the midrib of each leaflet spoke in the radial foliar wheel which makes this exotic leaf even more exotic. Green flowers with a long drip tip on the spathe limb cap turn into fruit like an orange ear of corn and you are on your way to lots more.
A selection of this outstanding European alpine species notable for having large flowers and being quite a good bloomer. Not all acaulis flower freely but 'Krebs' brings it with large upward-facing trumpets of impossible blue except they are right there in front of you so it must be possible but how can such a tight mat of small green adpressed leaves produce such a fantastical display of color intensity? The good thing is we don't have to know how and why about everything and sometimes it is quite enough to have your senses left reeling by a wee bit of green that does something so flamboyant that it would leave Sir Richard Branson shaking his head in rueful acknowledgment at having been thoroughly bested. We were so excited to finally get this clone that we told all of our friends we got 'Krebs' and it was a long time before we noticed no one was coming over or inviting us to dinner. Our friends aren't plant people for the most part so the misinterpretation was understandable and most have come back once we explained but we really miss Rich and Karen.
Our collection from a compact population near the summit of Leigongshan in 2010. These were exceptionally handsome rounded evergreen shrubs with clusters of small white flowers in June and umbels of red berries in the fall. This will become a familiar plant in the landscape in years to come. A subsequent collection from the same population has been given the name 'Thunder's Dwarf'
Our collection from an area little visited by Westerners and part of our ongoing effort to collect and grow comparative specimens from across its range in Vietnam and China. Same genus as Lipstick Vine, this shrubby gesneriad has proven hardy in mild gardens here in western Washington. Tubular red-orange flowers. Often epiphytic or lithophytic, this requires good drainage. Great container plant which allows for moving inside during serious winter blast. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy offering.
Interesting genus in the Bellflower or Campanula family and we try to grow as many different ones as possible. Just how long can we last growing unprofitable plants is a question we ponder. This is one of the better ones for the garden making perennial carrot roots and annual vines to 4' with tubby cream flowers with purple corolla lips. Z5 at least.
Agapetes is an epiphytic Blueberry relative which lives in trees and develops a woody bulbous base called a lignotuber. This is a cross between A. serpens and A. rugosa which has beautiful pendant light pink flowers with darker pink chevrons. Tender here, easy inside over winter.
Midwestern native Hepatica whose name has been changed to Anemone acutiloba or some prefer Anemone nobilis var. acuta. We cling to Hepatica, kicking and screaming. These are from seed from the unparalleled collection at Ashwood Nurseries and are not wild collected plants. This has leaves with sharply pointed lobes and usually white but sometimes pinkish flowers sometimes well-displayed on erect stems above the leaves. Good plant for the woodland garden where it plays well with the early Trilliums, Cardamines and various early spring ephemera.
Absolute rock hardy jewel from Lebanon and Syria. Well. it's rock hardy here anyway - we know that means something entirely different in Minot. This is perfect for our area as it is winter growing and summer dormant so our Mediterranean dry summers feels a lot like home to it. Surprisingly, it has been very tolerant of being watered all the time while dormant so it is more cosmopolitan than one might guess its geography. Blooms in late spring with lots of lavender-blue flowers on stems up to 18" and after flowering it disappears until Fall. Not often available and we have the inimitable John Flintoff to thank for sharing this with us.
A monotypic member of the Columelliaceae family from Chile. Now that we have our botanical parameters firmly in place, we find ourselves exactly where we started. As Obama would say, "Let me be perfectly clear. This is not a Holly." Evergreen and best in a mild garden with tubular red-orange flowers.
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
Tree ferns - 'nuff said
Emphasis on the ferns and not the trees at least for the time being as these are gonna take some time to trunk up, but imagine the luddite, analog, bootstrap satisfaction you'll get from growing your own instead of shortcutting by way of sketchy imports.
Fantastic New Zealand tree-like Asparagaceae member, its cousin C. australis isn't uncommon as a houseplant or tropical, winter garage-dweller; but this rarer species features broader leaves and slightly more cold tolerance. Still relegated to summer-only or houseplant status for most of us, and a bit trickier to grow in exchange for its elevated appearance. Requires moist but very well drained soils and doesn't cope well with intense summer heat. For those looking for a rewarding challenge and a unique appearance not easily found elsewhere there is a lot to enjoy here.