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This is one of the hardier of the larger Grevilleas handling temps down to 10F and being quite drought tolerant. A good drying off in late summer and fall and grown in lean soil will add to its hardiness. Flowers for months in the yellow to salmon range. This was grown at Heronswood as miqueliana but Ian Barclay sleuthed the subspecies. As with all Protea family members, don't fertilize with any fertilizer except low phosphorous but you don't need to really fertilize this anyway unless it is looking hungry which is unlikely.

Hybrid seedling that came up in OSU Grevillea researcher Neil Bell's garden at the base of his Grevillea victoriae so carries a preponderance of the all the good traits of the parent. What are those good traits, you say? Hardiness, showy reddish flowers in summer, evergreen, tough, hummingbirds love it, deer hate it. Grow dryish and lean.

Very hardy winter blooming shrub from Tasmania which Seattle's gardening guru Ciscoe Morris proclaims as his favorite plant of all time or at least until he talks about the next plant. We agree though - this plant totally rules. No problems whatsoever but little or no fertilizer as it dislikes phosphorous. Buff orange flowers in late winter into spring. This is a shorter and broader selection with larger flowers than typical. There is gorgeous 5' tall by 8' wide plant on F Street here in town which grows outside the fence above a rock wall and gets no water or attention plus get the full brunt of winter winds and looks fabulous all the time.

Carrington Falls Grevillea. Of limited distribution in New South Wales Australia where it is found along streambanks, this was not formally described until 1960. To 6' tall and spreading, this has great foliage coupled with light pink flowers with long stamens. Mr. Grevillea, Ian Barclay, rates this as good to 10F but grow it lean and low to no phosphorous for best results when it gets to the mid to low teens.

Our friend Ian Barclay's introduction from Desert Northwest Nursery (awesome plants!) of this seedling of 'Leanne' and an improvement of that selection. Darker green foliage and lighter yellow flowers in mid to late winter and a small rebloom in fall. Grows fast and leave it some room like all Grevillea but very amenable to pruning. Prefers mineral soil, no fertilizer.

You'd be forgiven for thinking this cultivar must be one of those with a slop name used to force the acceptance of double trademarked and patented promotional names but no this is an honest old-fashioned denotation of its Aussie origin point. This of course means it doesn't toot its own horn for its unique floral color, eschewing the usual red of G. juniperina for a seldom seen pale gold hue. New hardy Grevilleas are always exciting to have in the arsenal, especially when that hardiness comes without caveats or borderline warnings. This species is certainly reliable all the way down to 10F if not lower. Forming a needle leaved prostrate shrub unhospitable to fauna foraging.

Narrow evergreen leaves and clusters of rusty yellow flowers suitable for hummingbirds on this zone 8 hardy Aussie shrub. In the family Proteaceae which for garden purposes could be Latin for "hates phosphorous" so no need to fertilize. perfect for the gravel garden in full sun. Young plants, fast growing. Hardiness is increased by withholding water in later summer and fall to harden off and by growing it lean in soils low in organic matter. Can easily prune to size.

Quite the distinctive Grevillea being a true groundcover growing very flat to the ground. The oak-like leaves are bronze when young and mature to a dark green both colors providing a fine backdrop for the large feathery combs of red flowers. This is likely not hardy below the mid teens but is grown successfully at the Barca garden on Whidbey Island in a raised bed against a south facing wall and also is luxuriant at the Miller Botanic Garden in Seattle where it flows down a slope and where curator Richie Steffen gave us our cuttings. Sun and good drainage and low phosphorous if you do fertilize. At least this is easy to cover being flat in the event of a severe cold snap!

Endemic to the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, this dons prickly, Acanthus type leaves (hence the species name) and pinkish purple toothbrush type flowers. Evergreen and tough, this can tolerate more shade than other Grevilleas. The flowers are known for their sweet nectar and the birds will thank you for this one!

We saw this at the O'Byrne's in Eugene and Plant Lust caused our pollen to shed and our stigma's got a bit sticky. It is so embarassing but Ernie and Marietta are used to it. Completely hardy here and clothed in small white crinkled fragrant flowers in Apr-May. Yes. Yes. Yes! Yes! Yes!

Every spring I say 'O-mi-gawd! How does that little thing do that?" Flowers completely over the top and a celebration of extravagant copious excess which would lead one to think this is the All-American plant but in reality is from the Kunming-Gothenburg Expedition NW Yunnan China 1993.

Very desirable Japanese woodland Salvia which in this selection has exotic pink fragrant flowers in October! Likes a moist humusy soil in gentle morning sun to light shade. This is quite a departure for the autumn shade garden and it will leave you wanting mo' and mo' Momobana. This is going to work best in areas with mellow fall weather as it such a late bloomer.

When ethnobotanical and ornamental interest collide it's always a plant worth investing in, and this one hits high marks in both categories. The common name paperbush refers to the use of the plant in making paper, notably that used in Japanese banknotes. Meanwhile the specific epithet of chrysantha foreshadows the unique clusters of early-blooming tubular yellow flowers with an incredible scent. Add to that the gently arching candelabra-like form and I can't see why this isn't in every garden possible. 

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Our collection as cuttings from the Cangshan in Yunnan of an especially small leafed form of this evergreen species. Steve Hootman of the Rhododendron Species Botanical garden now and again mutters about giving it a clonal name. Probably best in a mild garden.

Our Asian collection from a high elevation meadow where this grew with Paris, Primula, Roscoea, Reineckea, Delphineum, Gentiana and Rhododendron - just typing this makes us want to go back there right now! This durable little Salvia has very nice flowers of yellow and purple well-displayed above the foliage.

The flowers on this Australian bottlebrush are not for the faint of heart, while mildly referred to as lilac the screaming pink flowers are quite the statement, luckily the muted green to blue-green needle-like leaves pair very well providing a stolid year round grounding to its summertime rave scene excesses. Truly a fantastic group of shrubs that should be seen more in a vein similar to its oft-desired countrymen Grevillea especially in increasingly hot, dry, and/or deer-ridden areas. Let this be the bright colored scion to extoll the many virtues of its brethren. Hardy and adaptable in zone 8 and higher but potentially doable in colder climes if you don't mind a reset and reshoot every once in a while on the harsher years.

Grown from seed given to us by xeric, steppe and rock garden guru, Panayoti Kelaidis of Denver Botanic Garden. Brilliant plantsman who, if you gave him an hour lead time, would be conversant in aquatic plants native to Lake Malawi and the nearby Great Rift Valley. This Central Asian species grows natively on rocky, sandy slopes and in the garden, is quite drought tolerant. Thrives in Denver, this will get 3'-4'+ with pink flowers in summer.

Fantastic Roscoea only discovered in the 1980's in Nepal and still scarce as hen's teeth in the nursery trade and always commanding very high prices. Why is this so good? It represents a color break in Roscoea with large red flowers which resemble some exotic orchid except this is easier to grow! It's a show-off plant for sure. In the trade as 'Red Gurkha' but recent nomenclature based on determining that this represents a naturally occurring variation of the species in stable wild populations in Nepal eliminates the perfect clonal name which everyone is still going to use.

We are smitten by the hardy gingers which we can grow and flower in our cold pocket garden and Cautleya is a genus that does just that. This species is a graceful member of the genus and ranges from Bhutan to Thailand. This collections hails from Vietnam and is often found growing on rocks, trees or rotting logs. This has the classic presentation for the species with clear yellow flowers and red calyces. We suggest mulching for winter.

A collection by Daniel Winkler in Tibet of this demure little true ginger relative. We've always liked this species and saw it growing as an epiphyte on Mt Japfu in Nagaland. Late to start growing in spring, this will produce small yellow flowers from reddish sheaths. Hardy here especially with mulch. Moist.