Veratrum

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!

Our native False Hellebore which we see in the Cascades. Fabulous foliage plant with big rounded pleated leaves. These will flower up to 6' with lots of small whitish starry flowers. Best in light shade or no afternoon sun. Loves a rich moist soil and is deer proof. 

This is the Japanese version of our native False Hellebore. Wonderful broad pleated leaves and when old enough, nice spikes of white starry flowers to 3' or more. This likes a rich moist soil, emerges early in spring and goes dormant by mid to late summer. Deer resistant and very hardy. Young plants.

We love seeing this False Hellebore when we are hiking up to Marmot Pass or Mt Townsend in the Olympics. Usually growing in dappled light or partly sunny spots where there is ample moisture and rich soil, the big wide pleated leaves are perfect with the drooping plume-like green flowers. Fertilize them well when in growth to shorten the time to maturity. Too deep of shade inhibits bloom but you still get the great leaves. Deer proof. At least here.

A comparatively graceful species of Veratrum with broadly narrow leaves, if that makes any sense and sadly, it does to us. The 4'-5' flower stem has numerous lateral branchlets clad in lots of red-maroon flowers. To compare to the better-known V. nigrum, narrower leaves, flower stems much more open with flowers more red than purple-black. Excellent long-lived plant of outstanding hardiness best suited for the cool to cold zones. Deer resistant as well.

Young plants derived from Tom Mitchell, likely via Crug Farm, and came to us from Aaron Floden - now there is a chain of custody! We first listed this as V. schindleri but now have learned differently with the thought that these might be a hybrid with V. formosanum due to the variation in color, size and tendency to flower young which is a hallmark of the species.

V. schindleri is a very attractive species that is highly variable in flower color in the wild which makes a definitive call on hybridity difficult, especially as we have not observed schindleri in the wild except in the fall as dormant plants with withered foliage which is little help. We can say for sure these young plants will show variation - send us pics when yours flowers - and pictured is one of our older plants in flower. This is quite interesting with the pale petals and darker eye pattern to the center which turns reddish as the seed capsule begins to develop. This will have the familiar albeit fairly narrow pleated leaves and aforementioned flowers in an open and airy arrangement on the 3' flowering stem. A rich moist soil in part shade will be just the ticket and this should be quite hardy.

Pure class. A perennial of the first rank and a true aristocrat which is seldom available. Expensive? You bet and worth it. One of the true pains to produce commercially. This has broad pleated leaves and a tall flower stalk with lots of chocolate maroon flowers. Deer proof. Small but sturdy plants that will need some time before they hit blooming size. As a side note, finding blooming-sized plants of this species is pretty much impossible so don't think we're trying to pull one over on you!

Grown from seed given us by the originator, Dr. Keith Ferguson and named for his wife, Lorna. They have grown this spectacular, heavy flowering selection for over 40 years in their garden in the Cotswolds. From the Maritime Alps, this resembles our native Veratrum viride with similar bold pleated leaves and green pendulous flowers but this elevates that look to a ridiculous level with its sheer volume of flowers on stems that can reach 8 feet! We have been also gifted seed from the late Michael Wickenden of Cally Gardens and our friend, the redoubtable German plantsman Christoph Ruby. The fact that this trio holds this in valued esteem, should be ample endorsement. Long-lived, hardy as the bejabbers (been wanting to use that for years) and deer resistant. These are young plants not of flowering size but give them a rich moist soil and a bit of amply rewarded patience.

Received as seeds from the self-proclaimed (and rightly so) "Veratrum Guru" Christoph Ruby, these plants originate from a now long devastated patch of habitat in the Balkans. Luckily careful stewardship by the esteemed gardeners of Hof Botanic has ensured the preservation and indeed proliferation of their genetics. The var. flavum has been the victim of taxonomic erasure but is kept here to denote the vibrant yellow-green flowers in this strain. The usual lush pleated foliage, deer resistance, and imposing size combined with provenance you can't help but feel good about make these a winner in a moist spot with a bit of shade. 

Rare ghostly white flowered variant of the typically dark-flowered Veratrum formosanum . We lusted after this plant since the 90's after seeing it recorded in the Flora of Taiwan and finally secured it from the legendary Jim Sutherland at Scotland's Ardfearn Nursery just a few years ago. So excited we tossed our caber. Is it better than the typical formosanum? No. More collectible? Oh, hell yeah! Deer resistant. We conservatively list this hardy to zone 6 but it is likely hardy to 5 or even 4.

An uncommon little jewel from the mountains of Taiwan, these are 2nd generation plants from the original wild collection by the Wynn-Jones back in the early 90's. Chris Chadwell had distributed seeds from this early expedition of theirs and and we received a packet and the offspring from these original few seeds are the origins of virtually all plants of this species in the US. It always intrigues us to watch the integration of a plant into horticulture from a plant we introduce. Unlike our native colossal Veratrum, this is relatively demure with neat tussocks of low grassy foliage. This blooms young with deep maroon flowers on gray-green stems. Deer hate Veratrum and good to zone 4 up to zone 8b.

We're Veratruphiles, no doubt about that and this was a prized acquisition. A Japanese native which is a smaller counterpart to our own native Veratrums or False Hellebores. This is smaller getting to just 3' tall in flower with the flowering stalk draped in white and green flowers tripling the foliage height, claiming it's rightful place only when at its peak and otherwise demurely playing the role of high quality foliage texture.

 

 

Very thrilled to be finally able to offer this Veratrum which was formerly in the genus Melanthium. Native from the Midwest to East Coast, this thrives in marshy, boggy settings or damp woods. Perfect in rich moisture retentive soil in the garden. White plumes of flowers to 5'+ in June and July. Deer proof - thank goodness for toxic alkaloids!