Cotoneaster glaucophyllus HORT.

$14 (1 gallon)

Here's another excellent plant whose name we're not quite sure of. Apparently Cotoneaster glaucophyllus in China, where many of these are native, is something different than what we are calling this plant in horticulture - hence the odd "HORT" appended to the name. So, what's so special about this one? It is excellent in foliage, flower and fruit. The small leaves have a grayish color and are held on rather stout stems. White flowers cover the plant in spring, and these are followed by a generous display of red berries which remain on the plant for a long time. Unlike some Cotoneasters it is a slow to moderate grower and does not spread out and take over the world. Expect it to reach 3 - 4' tall and a little wider under average conditions, though it can get somewhat larger than that after a great many years. It tolerates sun or partial shade, and moderately droughty to irrigated soil. Hardy to at least 0°F.

Hydrangea integrifolia - CLIMBING HYDRANGEA

$12

That's right, now we're so desperate we're selling Hydrangeas. Well it's just this one, and it's not your typical Hydrangea. It is evergreen (making it automatically far superior to most garden variety Hydrangeas) and, as the name suggests, it climbs. What does it climb? Well, it especially likes to climb trees. If it is really happy it can reach 20', or even 40' or more after many years. You could also try to get it to climb something else, although it needs a rough surface to grip onto. Mature plants put on a spectacular display of white flowers in early to mid-summer. We think it is native to Taiwan, or something like that: we try not to pay too much attention to all those Asiatic water-hoarding things - which leads me to another point - while it is drought tolerant once established, it will grow at a snail's pace with no water, and faster the more water it gets. Hardy to around 5°F.

Indigofera heteranthera

$10

We have heard this deciduous legume-family shrub described as "looks like it shouldn't be hardy" and "weird" - so of course that's good enough for us. Pinnately compound leaves with delicate little leaflets grace a rounded shrub to about 5'. In summer it produces showy thingys (that's the botanical term I leaned in college) of purple flowers. It is quite drought tolerant especially for something native to Asia, and will easily grow in sun or part shade. Hardy to, oh I don't know, 0°F? At least I haven't seen winter damage on it west of the Cascades yet.

Photinia (Stranvaesia) davidiana 'Fructo Luteo'

$10

From China comes this evergreen shrub with numerous ornamental qualities, starting with the leaves which emerge bronzy (or red in enough sun) before maturing to green. The white spring flowers are nice, and are followed by clusters of attractive yellow berries (this yellow fruited form we offer is quite rare: the usual color is red). It is a great alternative to the ubiquitous P. x fraseri and an excellent garden plant in its own right. More or less evergreen, it will develop into a spreading shrub to 15' over time with equal spread, and it may be possible to train it into a small tree - at least that is what we are going to try here. Super easy to grow and remarkably drought tolerant west of the Cascades, it is hardy to -10°F.

Photinia serratifolia - CHINESE PHOTINIA

$12

Sometimes valuable ornamental plants go out of style for no really good reason. Then someone wants to know what it is and where they can get one, and if he's lucky enough to find someone who can identify it, he still can't figure out where to get one because no one is growing it. This, I think, is one of those plants - in the Seattle area one sees a lot of really old ones but it's never available in nurseries. All the more reason, we thought, for us to bring it back. We encourage you not to think of the common-as-dirt-and-not-that-well-adapted-to-the-Northwest Photinia x fraseri when considering this plant. It is a far superior ornamental, with longer, more sharply serrated leaves that are brilliant red when they first emerge. It is a larger growing plant which could be trained into a shrub, but we suggest allowing it to grow into its full tree-size potential (to 20 - 25' tall and wide). In late spring the plant becomes covered in masses of white flower producing a stunning show! It is less susceptible to those annoying black dots the P. x fraseri gets all over it in our climate. Great for sun or part shade, it is moderately drought tolerant once established, it is a lot tougher in the Northwest than a lot of things from China. Hardy to 0°F.

Pittosporum tobira [Seattle Hardy]

$12

All right, so it's common as dirt in the South. But in the Northwest it is kind of special, because of its rather exotic appearance and fragrance. Glossy, rounded evergreen leaves that are wider towards the tips provide appeal at all seasons; and deliciously fragrant, white flowers appear on mature plants. Although not always considered fully hardy in the Northwest, this particular selection is from a plant that has endured all of Seattle's coldest winters. It may eventually reach 10' or more, and responds well to pruning and shaping if a smaller plant is desired. It appreciates sun or part shade and regular summer water. Hardy to at least 5°F.

Viburnum propinquum

$16 (1 gallon)

That's right, now we're growing Viburnums. But like many large and diverse groups of plants, there are some cool ones out there; it's just a matter of increasing awareness of them. We propagated this because it is large, impressive, and treelike; and has deep green leaves that looked flawless in the middle of winter amidst all the usual gloom and frost/rain damage one sees on many other plants in a typical Seattle winter. It is yet another of many broadleaf evergreens that deserves to be more widely grown in the Northwest and beyond. A moderate grower, it will eventually reach 8' tall (15' or more after many years) with attractive white spring flowers and autumn fruit. It is hardy to at least 0°F.

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