COMPANION PLANTS

A very choice small-scale groundcover with small and round, softly hairy but shiny evergreen leaves and clusters of light purple, pendant and fringed flowers held above the tight mass of leaves in early spring. A very slowly spreading plant that will perform best in shade with plenty of moisture through the growing season. A primrose relative from the forests and slopes of the Pyrenees. Rarely offered for sale. This is the easiest and most vigorous species in the genus (although still very slow!).

This is a rarely cultivated shrubby species of mountain ash. This smaller growing species has pinnate leaves with delicate and fine textured leaflets that provide brilliant fall foliage color. The fruits are like clusters of tiny dark red apples in the autumn. The stock plants in the garden are grown from seed collected from the wild. The species is widespread from the eastern Himalaya into southwestern China where it occurs in the mountains with conifers and Rhododendron species.

This is a very rare tree in cultivation and is the only member of this genus which is itself the only member of its ancient family. The rounded-ovate deciduous leaves are bullate with a long, drawn-out tip and the small yellow flowers are borne in pendulous catkin-like spikes in mid-summer. The foliage changes to shades of yellow and chocolate-brown in the autumn. A beautiful species and one of the most interesting of flowering plants. Rarely seen even in arboreta. These are grown from seed collected from a tree in the RSBG grown from my collection of seed in the wild. To quote Bean “it is more than just a botanical curiosity, being handsome in foliage and a picture of great elegance and beauty”. Very special offer of possibly my very favorite specimen tree in the entire garden.

This is a rarely cultivated deciduous blueberry native to the Black Sea region of SW Asia and adjacent SE Europe. A mounding species with bright red fall foliage color. This is a great companion plant for rhododendrons. Best performance in sun or light shade with good drainage. Grown from seed collected wild in Turkey. Our first offering in over twenty years.