Last week at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show there were some amazing seminars and Dan Hinkley was one of the best. He presented this list of his top 25 plants, or the plants he will always have in his garden. I’m excited about these plants, especially my favorite, the Dove Tree! Check out some old favorites from the Pacific Northwest as well as the strange and unknown from the far corners of the world.
Pacific Northwest Natives
Erythronium revolutum Glacier Lily
Camassia leitchlinii Quamash
Arctostaphylos densiflorus HE McMinn Manzanita
Arbutus menziesii Pacific Madrone

China
Davidia involucrata Dove Tree
Magnolia wilsonii deciduous and fragrant
Sassafras tzumu Chinese Sassafras
Stachyurus salicifolia ‘Sparkler’ Winter Spike
Hamamelis mollis Chinese Witch Hazel
Hydrangea aspera Plum Passion
Hydrangea angustipetala Golden Crane fragrant
Mahonia Lionel Fortescue
Helwingia japonica and Helwingia chinensis ( berries form on leaf blade )
Herbaceous Perennials
Beesia deltophylla purple new growth, clumping, evergreen, for shade only
Disporum longistylum Green Giant, bamboo like effect to 5′ in height, non spreading
Cypripedium formosanum the best terrestrial orchid for use in the PNW
Mukdenia rossii Crimson Fans, for moist soils, brilliant red foliage color as summer progresses

Corydalis solida George Baker ( brick red flowers, late winter, spring ephemeral
Cyclamen hederifolilum autumn flowers, winter foliage
Vietnam
Magnolia insignis evergreen, large pink goblets for a long period in early spring
Schefflera alpinia Hardy Schefflera (Schefflera taiwaniana from Taiwan )
Edgeworthia chyrsantha deciduous ‘daphne’ used for paper production
Vines
Holboellia coriacea ‘Cathedral Gem’
Holboellia brachandra white flowers, large edible fruit
Aristolochia kaempferi (clever pollination strategy of ‘collecting’ living gnats inside flower )
Australia
Grevillea victoriae winter flowers, hummingbird attracting, orange/red flowers
Acacia pravissima evergreen tender, late winter soft yellow flowers, quick to establish
Leptospermum scoparium evergreen, lovely bark, summer flowers of white

New Zealand
Olearia cheesmanii white flowers fragrant of coconut oil, self cleansing, evegreen
Pseudopanax crassifolius and P. ferox lancewoods with long narrow foliage with clever protective strategy from predation by Moas
Chile
Embothrium coccineum Chilean Fire Tree
Drimys winteri ‘Pewter Pillar’
Gunnera chilensis Giant Prickly Rhubard (herbaceous perennials with enormous foliage )
Lobelia tupa Red flowers on tall stems, highly attractive to hummingbirds
South Africa
Eucomis pole-evansii giant pineapple lilly
Melianthus major ‘Antanow’s Blue’ Giant Honey Bush
Agapanthus species and cultivars, Lily of the Nile with late summer flowers of rich blue
Dierama pulcherrimum Wand Flower
Rhodocoma capensis a hardy ‘Restio’ grass relative with graceful arching stems of evergreen foliage to 5′

Burma
Cymbidium iridioides
Glad you shared this as I had to miss Dan’s talk this year.
So many interesting plants that I am unfamiliar with.