Ribes uva-crispa 'Black Velvet'
Black Velvet is a very disease resistant, vigorous and productive plant with sweet, dark purple berries. more->
Fern Hill Nursery and Botanical Sanctuary
Edible, medicinal, and native plants for the Pacific Northwest
We spent 13 years building an abundant fruit forest, annual veggie beds, perennial medicinal herbs, and a healthy mixed hardwood-coniferous forest and now we've sold our property to the next stewards so that we can begin a new homesteading project in Vermont closer to our best friends and their kids.
Don't worry - we plan to keep this website up and running so that our customers can reference what we've written about our plants!
We'll let you know once we re-start a farm in Vermont!
Deer resistant
Ribes uva-crispa 'Pixwell'
Pixwell is almost thornless. Berries can be harvested when green for pie and jam or harvested when soft and pink for fresh eating. Very productive and fruit is easy to harvest clusters. Mildew... more->
Ribes uva-crispa 'Sabine'
Sabine is a variety we originally obtained from the USDA Germplasm Repository in Corvallis Oregon. This vigorous and disease resistant plant has a medium sized red berry. more->
Ribes uva-crispa 'Hinnomaki Red'
Hinnomaki Red comes from Finland. The plant bears dark red, sweet and large berries. more->
Monarda didyma 'Rose-scented'
So we like all beebalms, but this one really tops the charts with its sweet and spicy rose scented pink flowers and foliage. The aroma makes a really blissful and warming tea. It contains... more->
Monarda didyma 'Marshall's Delight'
This pink-flowered variety was developed in Canada to have superb mildew resistance, which can turn the tops of other varieties white and sickly in extra wet weather. more->
Monarda didyma 'Blue'
With darker violet-purple flowers than most wild beebalm, this variety is a crowd-pleaser and tastes good too! more->
Thymus fragrantissimus 'Orange scented'
Orange scented fragrant thyme has a compact growth form with small leaves more similar to French thyme and German winter thyme than any of the other varieties. What sets it apart is the scent -... more->
Cistus incanus creticus
This fuzzy-leaved rock rose makes a smaller, more compact shrub than the pink orchid or white rock roses. While the others easily reach 3-4ft tall, this variety grows to be a perfectly shaped 2ft... more->
Artemisia douglasiana
Douglas mugwort is my favorite of the species of Artemisia that we grow. It is native to sunny streambanks and partly shady riparian areas of several western states from Oregon to Mexico... more->
Cistus x hybridus
This rock rose has broad, wavy leaves with delicate, triangular tips and paper white flowers. more->
Umbellularia californica
Native to northern California and Oregon, this hardwood shrub in the laurel family grows in sunny or shady hillside forests. I've seen it in moist coastal forests as well as in sun drenched... more->
Lavandula angustifolia 'Munstead'
'Munstead' is an English lavender that is well-known for its heat tolerance and compact form. The tall spikes of deep purple fragrant blossoms are more densely flowered than 'Vera'. more->
Juncus effusus
Soft rush is a great native wetland plant to have around a pond or swale. Its round, straight stems form a graceful fountain shape, while its rhizomes decrease soil erosion. The roots and stems... more->
Origanum vulgare ssp. gracile
This dark purple-green oregano is native to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and stands out as a very unique variety of culinary oregano. Compared to Greek or Italian oregano, the flavor is more mild... more->
Agastache rupestris 'Apache Sunset'
This beautiful perennial is not only fragrant but also hardy and drought tolerant. The silvery foliage grows about a foot tall with huge spikes of neon orange and red flowers another foot above... more->
Nicotania alata
Growing up to 5 feet tall, this sticky-leaved flowering tobacco produces drooping white flowers that are one of the most sweet and fragrant blossoms I know. They will fill the garden with perfume... more->
Origanum vulgare 'Italian'
This oregano variety has spicy flavor, slightly fuzzy leaves, and a upright, spreading habit. While our compact and golden oreganos have very mild flavor, this Italian variety will perk up any... more->
Hypericum perforatum
Although some refer to it as St. John’s Wort, Susan Weed conjures up the bravery of Joan of Arc in reference to the healing properties of this herb. It is listed as a noxious weed in many western... more->
Hippophae rhamnoides
Seaberries are tart and delicious golden fruit about the size of a lentil, borne in large quantities along the thorny stems of this shrub. The berries are packed with fifteen times the vitamin C... more->
Allium schoenoprasum 'Purly'
No kitchen garden can be without this flavorful and perennial member of the onion family! The 'Purly' variety makes longer and straighter hollow leaves than most. It produces edible magenta... more->
Cistus x purpureus 'Pink'
This variety of rock rose has narrow, resinous leaves and stunning, crinkly pink flowers with four central maroon spots. more->
Myrica californica
Pacific waxmyrtle is an evergeen shrub/small tree native to the west coast of North America. It can grow 5-30 feet tall and has sticky leaves and a waxy wrinkled purple berry. It is a great... more->
Ribes x 'Waldo'
Waldo is a purple gooseberry originally brought to us by Rick Valley, a wise local Permaculture landscaper. It was the result of hybridizations from Dr. George Waldo. It has sweet purple fruits... more->
Calycanthus floridus
Also known as Carolina allspice, this fragrant deciduous shrub, native to the Southeastern U.S., grows 3 to 8 feet tall and up to ten feet wide. Essentail oil is distilled from the flowers, and... more->
Rosmarinus officinalis 'Tuscan Blue'
One of the most popular upright rosemary varieties, Tuscan Blue has a blue-green hint to its foliage, and blue-purple flowers.
The Latin name Rosmarinus refers to the dew (ros) of the sea (... more->
Thymus vulgaris 'French'
French thyme has very small, pointy leaves. It is the most drought tolerant and has the most spicy flavor of the thyme varieties we grow. more->
Salvia apiana
The dried leaf of white sage is well known for its aroma and is excellent for smudging.
Not native to our area, it does best grown in a pot with half sand half potting soil, or planted in... more->
Salvia officinalis 'Garden Grey'
This variety of culinary sage bears extra large pink flowers on taller stalks than the common seed-grown sage. Although some ornamental sages have been bred so that they are no longer flavorful,... more->
Rosmarinus officinalis 'Goriza'
Rosmarinus officinalis 'Huntington carpet'
Ribes oxyacanthoides 'Jahn's Prairie'
A favorite gooseberry here at Fern Hill, 'Jahn's Prairie' produces hearty yields of large dessert quality red-pink fruit in midsummer. This shrub grows more upright than some gooseberry varietes.... more->
Ribes uva-crispa 'Hinnomaki Gold'
'Hinnomaki Gold' also known as 'Hinnomaki Yellow" is a very hardy variety, and bushes produce a heavy crop of medium sized, greenish yellow fruits. Some say this variety has a delicious aromatic... more->
Satureja douglasii
A native perennial in the mint family, yerba buena likes dappled shade and handles a wide variety of soil from deep rich organic matter to nutrient poor clay. Once established, it can handle... more->
Aster subspicatus
This native member of the sunflower family spreads quickly in poor soil with very little care and without summer irrigation. It has spreading blue-flowered aster blossoms late in the summer to... more->
Origanum vulgare 'Aureum'
This low-growing oregano has beautiful golden leaves and a nice aromatic flavor for cooking. It prefers full sun, and loses its color in part shade. more->
Thymus vulgaris
English Tabor thyme has wide leaves that are the most broad, green, and juicy of any thyme we've grown. Whereas other varieties are often quite spicy and pungent, this thyme is mild tasting but... more->
Baccharis magellenica
Christmas bush is a great choice for evergreen ground cover on rock walls or slopes or ornamental gardens. The branches are dense and compact, creating a mat of tiny leaves about 6 inches tall... more->
Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum
Kalitera means "the finest" in Greek, and this oregano lives up to its name. It has a smooth flavor like marjoram without the spicy bitterness found in seed-grown oregano. It grows upright on... more->
Vaccinium ovatum
Evergreen Huckleberry is a great northwest native evergreen shrub. It has delicate white and pink flowers, evergreen leaves and glossy, black berries. In the WiIlamette Valley, shrubs grow to 4... more->
Baccharis pilularis
Coyote brush is an evergreen shrub native to Oregon. It is drought tolerant, deer tolerant, and easy to grow. Fast growing, it can grow as high as nine feet but usually is shorter. It responds... more->
Phlomis fruticosa
A showy evergreen shrub, Jerusalem Sage is an easy to grow plant for a sunny location. Deer tolerant and drought tolerant, it grows quickly but never gets more than a few feet high when blooming... more->
Berberis aquifolium
Tall Oregon grape is a woody perennial shrub in the barberry family that is tough enough to survive in many conditions and yet provides edible and medicinal yields. It grows 2-7 feet tall in well... more->
Potentilla fruticosa
This hardy deciduous shrub is easy to grow in our climate. Deer tolerant and drought tolerant, it blooms for a very long time through spring into fall. We have two varieties- one that blooms... more->
Calycanthus occidentalis
A wonderfully fragrant native shrub, western spicebush is an open, deciduous shrub that tolerates part shade and is deer resistant. Burgunday flowers bloom late spring to early summer and smell... more->
Ribes menziesii
This prickly and upright gooseberry shrub is native to California and Oregon. It produces profusions of intricate red and white flowers that look like they are turned inside out. If you are... more->
Ceanothus gloriosus
A broadleaf evergreen native to coastal California, this shrub is an excellent ground cover for sunny slopes, especially rock walls and rock gardens. It grows up to 2 feet tall and will grow 5-6... more->
Ribes uva-crispa 'Invicta'
'Invicta' produces high yields of large dessert quality green fruit, and is considered by many to be the best variety in North America. It has excellent flavor, is mildew resistant, and is more... more->
Ceanothus thrysiflorus
Blue blossom, also known as California lilac, is a fabulous showy broadleaf evergreen shrub. Lilac colored flowers bloom in mid to late spring and have a wonderful fragrance. Native to coastal... more->
Rosa rugosa
Rugosa rose is a suckering shrub native to Asia. It has large and beautiful blooms and the largest rose hips of any rose we know. The rose hips are high in vitamin C and can be eaten fresh or... more->
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