Woodland Perennials

Zone: 4 - 8
Natural Range: Japan; Shikoku and Kyushu Island
Family:  Hydrangeaceae
Soil:  Moist, humus rich
Light:  Shade, part sun
Attributes:  Deciduous, 3' tall.  Maple like leaves, with yellow, thick, waxy bell shaped blooms in mid to late summer.  The new unopened buds sparkle.
Notes:  A great perennial for the shady garden that provides both foliage interest and summer season bloom display.  I particularly like how the flower buds sparkle like stars on graceful stems.  They seem to do best with morning sun and dappled afternoon sun and evenly moist soil. 

Pot Size:  Large Band Pot

Family:Asteraceae
Zone: 5 - 9
Natural Range: Siberia, to the Himalayas
Soil:  Average, moist,  humus rich
Light:  Part shade
Height:  4'
Bloom Time:  Summer
Attributes:  Deciduous.  Clumps of 12" across rounded leaves.  4' tall spikes of yellow daisy like flowers above the foliage.
Notes:  Not often found in cultivation.

Pot Size:  4" Band Pot

Family:Asparagaceae
Zone: 6 - 9
Natural Range: Himalayas
Soil:Average, humus rich
Light: Part shade, shade
Height: 8"
Pest Resistance: Deer
Bloom Time: July to September
Attributes:Evergreen, clumps of strap-like arching, glossy, dark green leaves.  Showy flowers above the foliage with large blue fruit.
Notes:Native to moderately high elevations in dense, moist woodlands.

Pot Size:  4" Band Pot

Family:  Asparagaceae
Zone:  5 - 9
Natural Range:  PNW
Soil:  Average, moist humus rich
Light:  Part sun, shade
Height:  8"
Bloom Time:  April to June
Attracts:  Bees
Pest Resistance:  NA
Attributes:  Deciduous, spreading ground-cover.  Single heart shaped leaf with small white held above the foliage.  Red berries in fall.
Notes:  Best suited for larger areas where allowed to become the dominate ground-cover. 
 
Pot size:  4" Pot

Family:  Asparagaceae
Zone: 5 - 9
Natural Range:China
Soil:  Moist, humus rich, well drained
Light: Part shade
Height: 1' - 2'
Bloom Time:  May to June
Attributes:  Deciduous, Large, robust rhizomes, arching stems with elliptic foliage, panicles of star shaped green flowers in spring.  Orange fruit in late summer, fall.
Notes:  Unusual and hard to find Smilacina for the lightly shaded garden.  This form has purple leaf tips and purple leaf bracts. Smilacina have recently been reclassified into Mainthemum.  These are incredibly slow from seed and we are offering young seedlings that will take a couple more years before flowering.

Pot Size:  Large Band Pot

Family:  Saxifragaceae
Zone: 4 - 9
Natural Range: Japan, China, Korea
Soil:  Average to moist, humus rich well drained
Light: Part shade, sun
Height: 12"
Bloom Time: April to May
Attributes: Deciduous, clumping.  Fanned, maple like leaves emerging green aging to bronze green by mid summer turning brilliant yellow and red in the fall.  White flowers dance above the foliage.
Notes: Tidy and smaller perenial related to Peltaboykinia and Rodgersia.  For better color, should be planted in a bit more sun.
Companion plants:  Epimedium, Cypripedium, Podophyllum, Polygonatum, Trillium

Pot Size:  Round Quart

Family:  Oxalidaceae
Zone: 6 - 10
Natural Range: Pacific Northwest
Soil:  Average, moist humus rich
Light: Shade, part sun
Height:  6"
Bloom Time: May to June
Attracts: Bees
Pest Resistance:  NA
Attributes: Evergreen.  Dark green leaves with silver mottling.  Deep pink flowers.
Notes: This form was introduced form northern California.  Growing beneath old growth Redwoods in deep rich duff.  Darker pink flowers and rich mottling.

Pot Size:  4" Pot

Family:  Saxifragaceae
Zone: 6 - 9
Natural Range: Pacific Northwest
Soil:  Average to moist, humus rich
Light: Shade, part shade
Height: 18" - 24"
Attracts:  NA
Attributes:  Deciduous.  Rosette of palmately lobed leaves on spreading rhizomes.  Tall leafless stems with up to 35 white flowers with deep pinkish frills and buds.
Notes:Elegant and graceful flower stems. Mostly found east of the Cascades, growing in moist, dense forest. Thanks to our friend Alex Wright who introduced us to this gem.

Pot Size:  4" Band Pot

Family:  Paeoniaceae
Zone: 4 - 8
Natural Range: Japan
Soil: moist, well drained
Light: part shade
Attributes: Deciduous.  Spring blooming. 2' tall.  Red - pink new growth, pure white flowers with yellow stamen.  Bright red seed case with blue seeds.
Notes:  An easy species that is underutilized in gardens.  Plant in an area sheltered from the hot sun, but not deep shade.
Companion plants: Trillium,  Cypripedium, Cardamine, Erythronium, Epimedium, Paris, Smilacina.

Pot Size:  Medium Band Pot

Zone:  4 - 9
Natural Range: Hybrid
Soil:  Average, moist humus rich
Light:  Sun, part sun
Height:  2’ - 6'
Bloom Time:  May to June
Attracts:  NA
Pest Resistance:  Deer, Rabbit
Attributes:  Deciduous.  Cross between yellow flowering P. ludlowii and white flowering ostii.  So far foliage looks similar to P. ludlowii
Notes:  Seedlings from hand pollinated cross

Pot Size:  Large Band Pot

Family: Paeoniaceae
Zone:4 - 9
Natural Range: China, Russia, Korea, Japan
Soil:  Average to moist, humus rich
Light: Part shade
Height: 24"
Bloom Time:  April to June
Pest Resistance: Deer, Rabbit
Attributes: Deciduous. Clumping.  Spring blooming.  Red - pink new growth, Pink flowers with yellow stamen.  Bright red seed case with blue seeds.
Notes:  Plant in an area sheltered from the hot sun, but not deep shade.

Pot Size:  Medium Band Pot

Family:  Paeoniaceae
Zone: 4 - 9
Natural Range:  China;  Hubei, Shaanxi
Soil:  Average to moist, humus rich
Light:  Part sun
Height:  24"
Bloom Time:  April to May
Pest Resistance:  Deer, Rabbit
Attributes:  Deciduous.  Spring blooming.  Red - pink new growth.  Deep red underside of leaves.  Large white flowers with yellow stamen.  Large, bright red seed case with blue seeds.
Notes:  An easy species that is not often found in cultivation. Plant in an area sheltered from the hot sun, but not deep shade.  A favorite of mine in the garden for both foliage and flower.  Blooms later than P. japonica but earlier than P. obovata.

Pot Size:  4" Band Pot

Family:  Melanthiaceae
Zone: 5 - 9
Natural Range: Hybrid
Soil:  Moist, humus rich
Light:  Part shade
Attributes:  Deciduous.  Paris polyphylla 'Heronswood Form' grows to 36"-40" tall has golden petals.  This form clumps up better than most other forms.  Paris sp. grows to more than 6' tall and never sends any additional offsets.  When pollinated the pods crack open revealing bright orange fruit.
Notes:  We have been crossing these two unique varieties both directions and have resulted in several years of good seedling crops.  These plants have not flowered yet and I imagine that it will still be a couple of years before flowering.  I am hoping that the offspring will result in a taller plant that offsets more readily. 

Pot Size:  4" Band Pot

Family:  Melanthiaceae
Zone: 5 - 9
Natural Range: Himalayas; North India, China
Soil:  Moist, humus rich
Light:  Shade, part sun
Attributes:  Deciduous, 1' - 2' tall.  Unusual whorled leaves surrounding flowers. Blooms consist of up to 8 green sepals with long yellow thread like petals and a round purple ovary. In the fall a polinated flower will burst open revealing orange seeds.  Rhizomes are very similar to Trillium.
Notes:  The Genus Paris are Asiatic cousins of Trilliums, called the honey - flower family.  Only five species of Trillium are found in Asia while more than 20 species of Paris are found there.  Paris have a combination of whorled foliage and whorled sepals that create textural interest, making them look unusual in contrast to their more familiar cousins.  Paris look especially unique when planted in combination with Cardiocrinum, Podophyllum and Arisaema

Pot Size:  4" Band Pot

Family:  Melanthiaceae
Zone: 5 - 9
Natural Range: Hybrid
Soil:  Moist, humus rich
Light:  Part shade
Attributes:  Deciduous.  Paris polyphylla 'Heronswood Form' grows to 36"-40" tall has golden petals.  This form clumps up better than most other forms.  Paris sp. grows to more than 6' tall and never sends any additional offsets.  When pollinated the pods crack open revealing bright orange fruit.
Notes:  We have been crossing these two unique varieties both directions and have resulted in several years of good seedling crops.  These plants have not flowered yet and I imagine that it will still be a couple of years before flowering.  I am hoping that the offspring will result in a taller plant that offsets more readily.

Pot Size:  4" Band Pot

Family:  Melanthiaceae
Zone: 6 - 8
Natural Range: Japan
Soil:  Moist, humus rich
Light:  Part sun
Attributes:  Deciduous, 16" tall.  Clumping.  Branching, slender rhizome.  Four or sometimes more leaves in opposite pairs topped by whorled flowers.  Green outer tepal and slender inner tepal.
Notes: The Genus Paris are Asiatic/European cousins of Trilliums, called the honey - flower family.  Only five species of Trillium are found in Asia while more than 20 species of Paris are found there.  Paris have a combination of whorled foliage and whorled sepals that create textural interest, making them look unusual in contrast to their more familiar cousins.  Paris look especially unique when planted in cvompination with Cardiocrinum, Podophyllum and Arisaema

Pot Size: 4" Band Pot

Zone:  6 - 9
Natural Range:  Hybrid
Soil:  Moist, humus rich
Light:  Part shade
Attributes:  Deciduous, Evergreen in frost free areas.  Usually keeps foliage even in to mid to upper twenties. 12” - 18" tall.  Blood red blooms in spring. New growth emerges in chartreuse with chocolate brown spotting.
Notes:  Good form and one of the best foliage plants for temperate gardens.

Pot Size:  Quart Size Pot

Family:  Berberidaceae
Zone:  5 - 9
Natural Range:  Hybrid
Soil:  Average, moist humus rich
Light:  Part sun, shade
Height:  24"
Bloom Time:  April to June
Attracts:  NA
Pest Resistance:  Deer, Rabbit
Attributes:  Deciduous.  Blood red blooms in spring.  New growth emerges in reds, oranges, purples.  As the season progresses the foliage has dark purple markings with a greenish background.
Notes: Does best when planted in dappled light and humus rich soil.  Coloration can change depending on age and lighting.
 
Pot size:  4" Band Pot

Family:Asparagaceae
Zone: 4 - 9
Natural Range: Hybrid
Soil:  Average, moist,  humus rich
Light:  Part shade
Height:  12"
Bloom Time:  May to June
Attributes:  Deciduous.  Bluish foliage with creamy-white flowers, blueish fruit in fall.  Bright golden yellow fall foliage.
Notes:  Prince Charming was selected by Brent Horvath at Intrinsic Perennial Gardens.  Reported to be a hybrid between P. biflorum var. commutatum and P. humile.

Pot Size:  4" Band Pot

Polygonatum aff tonkanense (Evergreen Solomon's Seal)

Zone: 7 - 9
Natural Range: China
Soil: Average to moist, humus rich
Light: Part shade
Height: 12"
Bloom Time: April to May
Attributes: Evergreen, arching, thick textured, deep green foliage with purple stems and small purple flowers.
Notes: Plant in a loose rich soil.  Works well on a stump or in a hanging basket where the flowers can be viewed easily.  Has proven to be a steady and reliable grower.  Limited stock available.

Family:  Ranunculaceae
Zone: 4 - 9
Natural Range: Europe
Soil: Average to moist, humus rich
Light: Sun to Part sun
Height: 24"
Bloom Time: March to May
Attributes: Deciduous.  Tall wispy stems above deep green palmately lobed foliage.  Numerous, bright yellow double flowers with a bit of green in the center.
Notes:  Makes great cut flowers.

Pot Size: 4" Band Pot