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Imagine prizing open the rigid and unrelenting fingers of one Kelly Dodson and wresting from him prized jewels and precious heirlooms. A scenario not far from the one that has finally made this exquisite Central American bulb available to you our beloved customers for whom we endure much separation anxiety and grief. The flowers like little flames must be very akin to the will-o-the-wisps in their native cloud forest, luring unwary travelers to an endless curse of botanical lust. Desirous of moist, well draining mix and not amicable to deep frosts. Bulb at or near flowering size.

An ornamental Society Garlic that made its way here to the Far Reaches from England lo those many years ago.  Rather than continue to admire what had developed into a most attractive clump, we succumbed to the baser instincts of the merchant and divided away!  Fine grassy chive-ish leaves with stems bearing charming white/pink flowers, and while you might think this an onion or garlic relative, it is actually in the Amaryllis family.  Flowers and leaves are edible, should be deer/rabbit resistant and tolerant of some dry if need be but better with moderate water levels.

This chance hybrid society garlic creates it's own perfect color pairing, no paint swatches necessary. The bright yellow central corolla of the flower plays ever so nicely with the classic pinkish purple outer tepals reminiscent of T. violacea. While we can't confirm its ability to grow in interplanetary conditions, or it's popularity with Carl Sagan its bright pop of color contrast, and impressive hardiness to about 23°F are worthy of at least one orbit of the mind.

Volcano is perhaps the finest example of one of the finest species of trilliums, taking the already difficult to improve on formula of T. chloropetalum and adorning it with saturated blood red flowers. Unfortunately it is extremely difficult to lay hands on and even our illustrious rare plant powers have none to spare. However these seedlings of Volcano could help you lead you part of the way to the euphoria of Volcano. These are not yet of flowering size so whether the exquisite flowers have been maintained in the genetic mixing pot is still to be determined. What we can vouch for are the incredible leaves on these plants, easily rivalling or surpassing their parent, deliciously dappled with silver and olive, they should serve to tide your lust until the grand reveal of the flowers.

A vigorous selection from Piping Tree Gardens Nursery some years back. We have not offered this before and finally a few divisions deemed expendable thanks to the Covid-19 loss of retail, lectures, tours and offsite plant sales. There is a silver, or rather, a snowy lining to this pandemic. Sizable, white pendulous flowers nod beneath the leaves and this will increase nicely in a few years.

Hungarian Clover.  Why should I buy a Clover? What are these yayhoos trying to pull? I didn't just fall off the turnip truck. Well, if you get this you will be in Deep Clover and that is a very good thing.  This has mondo white flowers and trashes the ballyhoo and acclaim of this week's plant darling.

The aggrandizing latinate cultivar here refers to the fact that this is the same clone as that the great Ernest Wilson collected back in the heyday of Chinese plant collecting. While such a pedigree is reason enough for its continued existence for us the fact that it has survived so much changing hands owes also to it's being an excellent clone of an already attractive species. The normal evergreen leaflets show prominent silver veining and quite a bit of variable bronzing throughout the season and especially in winter. Fragrant white summer flowers as well but it seems this clone can be a bit of a gamble when it comes to flowering.

Young plants from our seed collection in Switzerland a couple summers ago while hiking the 120 mile High Pass Route. Nothing like fresh snow in late August on the crazy narrow goat track path above a dizzying drop on the highest pass to make you wail for mama. Kelly wailed, Sue was fine. A few extra plants from planting out. Showy filamentous purplish flowers.

A newly described (2013) species found in..............wait for it.............Tennessee in just three locations. Incredibly rare and a very exciting find. These are newly-potted divisions from our plants of the type specimens used to describe the species and do not impact the wild population. Small yellow flowers with a maroon base. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering. These are small divisions and likely not flowering size. The good news is that they increase quite well vegetatively - we were pleasantly surprised when we lifted our plants and saw how much they increased.

Collected by Hinkley from Emeishan as the species cavalieri, this Borage family member has riveting evergreen foliage washed in a gleaming silvery metallic overlay that is more than reason enough to grow this but OMG it has lovely flowers too which are white but touched in the palest blue. Gentle runners that makes a quiet patch. Ultra choice & rare, this has thrived in North Seattle for some years. Thanks to the generous and gifted Jeanette Kunnen for sharing. Full disclosure has some of these with minor slug nibbles on the leaves but we did not observe this happening in the garden - don't be dissuaded but we didn't want you surprised!

We like so totally rock. Did you ever expect a little nursery in Port Townsend to offer this choice Tigridia species from the State of Hidalgo in Mexico? The flowers are easily described as ashy gray, purplish black and burnished buff combined in a mind-twisting combo of fly-wing venation and reptilian reticulations. The flowers don't compare in size to the bigger more familiar Tigridia pavonia being at best a half dollar or less but the detailing and length of bloom makes it one of our all-time favorites. Each flower lasts but a day or two but this has numerous buds in a cluster and they open sequentially plus the flower scape is branched with the branches not as far developed as the main stem so they kick in flowering when the initial flowers are finished. It all makes for a long-lasting display. These have proven perfectly hardy here but just the same, mulch if winter turns cold.

A selection by Piping Tree Gardens Nursery of this dwarf species from Alabama where spring starts early and so does this phenotype of the species. The March flowers are delightful little imps and why not get the party started a little early, we always say. Ultra-cute rhizomatous clumping species to just a few inches high with irrepressible perky upward-facing scented white flowers.

AKA 'Beth Chatto'. This is going around in this country under the Beth's name when in fact it is simply one of her Desert Island plants - one that she simply can't be without. Finely cut as a feather silvery leaves on a low evergreen plant which thrives on dry and sun. Small yellow flowers.

Fabulous Toad Lily with long arching almost hanging stems which have large broadly tubular rich yellow flowers sprinkled with red spotting in the interior. Yea verily. Perfect in a semi-shaded moist situation where it can spill, arch, hang and enchant. Ideally you would plant this on a humusy shoulder on the NE aspect of your sloping moss-covered cliff where it approaches the lower end of the pool which was formed in the creek by the waterfall at the pool's head and where it can catch the occasional errant waft of mist swirled by the intermittent gentle breeze underneath the high canopy of mature Acer palmatum. Lacking these very basic amenities, a simple moisture retentive woodsy soil in the shade will do quite nicely.

Tough little evergold selection of this Meditteranean species. This will revel in our dry summers and bloom for months with the rosy pink flowers contrasting with the gold foliage. Likes good drainage and lots of sun and is a good plant for the deer proof garden. Slow spreader.

Sweet Wakerobin. One of the best Trilliums you can grow, this has some of the largest flowers in the genus and the news just gets better because these flowers are not only big but deep red. Stunning, hanging ornaments. We seldom offer these which we have grown from seed but every so often we have to let a few go as proof of progress for our therapist that we are managing our plant hoarding dysfunction.

A pink flowered selection of this cold hardy evergreen vining Jasmine introduced by Ted Stephens from Japan. Vigorous but well-behaved, this likes a bit of shade and would prefer to not be in hot sun. The pink flowers are fragrant as well - always a bonus - with the main flush in spring and sporadic flowers during the summer. Certainly good in zones 8-10 and likely favored spots in warmer 7b.

This climbing evergreen Jasmine vine has foliage richly variegated in creams, whites and yellows in an expressive free-form, I-gotta-be-me style which fits in well with our general philosophy. The leaves take on pink to purple coloration in winter's cold which is something to plan for as siting with that in mind could make you look like the Genius of Nuanced Design. Fragrant white flowers spring to early summer.

A fantastic small Thalictrum from a Darrell Probst collection in China - no surprise that it is a great plant coming from Darrell. This will make an impressive ball of fine foliage with too many to count small white flowers whose petals are reflexed to unashamedly or brazenly - your choice - display its plant junk with soft lavender filaments. A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering. Eventually to almost 2 feet tall and as much around.

An evergreen shrub we collected in 1997 on the slopes of the Cangshan Range above the town of Dali in Yunnan. Very attractive species whose glossy leaves are more than adequate ornament but when combined with the clustered small curved creamy flowers, it verges on the sublime. Best for milder gardens. Even though it was 20 years ago, the memory of finding this is like a snapshot. This was growing along the dirt single track road that wound up the mountain where it was mingling in a thicket of Myrica, Rhododendron edgeworthii and R. sulphureum, Hypericum, Tripterygium and Nomocharis pardanthina. The view down to the far plain below revealed the city of Dali to the right of gleaming Lake Erhai and just to the left, the famed Three Pagodas of Dali were scarcely visible as tiny pale scratches set in a triangle within the landscape. Writing this, we are transported back and can feel the breeze on our cheeks as it blows uphill carrying the faint "Pink-Pink-Pink" of hammer on chisel from a stone mason shaping a large marble boulder he had found among the scrub and rocky jumble of the lower slope.