Our Experiences

Skill Level: Beginner – Intermediate Cyclamen cyprium, the national flower of Cyprus, is a graceful autumn blooming species adapted to the island’s rocky, Mediterranean woodlands. In the wild it survives hot, bone dry summers tucked into crevices and limestone ledges,…

Skill Level: Intermediate (germination) Advanced (Growing on) Dichroa febrifuga—a hydrangea relative from the misty forests of China and the eastern Himalayas—is one of those rare shrubs that makes the heart pitter-patter. D. febrifuga shares the same acid-sensitive palette of hydrangeas…

Skill Level: Beginner – Intermediate Dierama reynoldsii is a graceful, small statured angel’s fishing rod from the high Drakensberg of South Africa, where it grows in cool, moist montane grasslands. In the garden it forms a tidy clump of fine,…

Skill Level: Intermediate Diplarrhena moraea—the Tasmanian Flag Iris—is a graceful, evergreen perennial native to the cool, moist regions of Tasmania and southeastern Australia. In the garden it forms neat fans of narrow, sword like leaves, typically 18–30 in. tall, giving…

Skill Level: Advanced Empetrum hermaphroditum—the hermaphrodite crowberry—is a compact, evergreen subshrub of northern heaths, tundra edges, and high mountain slopes. It forms tight, wiry mats only 4–8 in. tall, with fine, dark green, needle like leaves that hug the stems.…

Skill Level: Advanced Erythronium tuolumnense, known as the Tuolumne Fawn Lily, is one of the “easiest” erythronium to start from seed with erythronium being notably difficult. Its clear, glossy green leaves emerge in early spring, smooth and luminous, forming a…

Skill Level: Beginner Eucomis vandermerwei, the diminutive “spotted leaf pineapple lily,” is a summer growing, winter dormant bulb native to the high rainfall, montane regions of western Mpumalanga, South Africa. Its compact rosette—typically only 5-8 inches tall—is composed of dark…

Skill Level: Intermediate (germination) Gentiana septemfida—the Crested Gentian from the cool, open slopes of the Caucasus Mountains—is one of those alpine perennials that stops gardeners in their tracks. Low, mounded, and quietly handsome for most of the season, it suddenly…

Skill Level: Beginner–Intermediate Gillenia trifoliata, or Bowman’s Root, is a refined woodland perennial native to eastern North America. It grows in open woods, even rocky or well drained slopes, and in humus rich soils, thriving in partial shade to morning…

Skill Level: Intermediate – Advanced Glaucidium palmatum—the Japanese wood poppy—is one of the most exquisite woodland perennials, prized for its sculptural foliage and luminous almost translucent spring flowers. Broad, deeply lobed leaves unfurl like pleated fans, followed by large, satiny…