Ullucus tuberosus 'Spotted White'
These speckled green and red tubers are a bit smaller than the others, but their cuteness makes up for it. 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!
Edible perennial
Ullucus tuberosus 'Rosas en el Pasto'
The little red polka dots on the yellow-green tubers of this variety certainly do look like roses in the pasture! more->
Ullucus tuberosus 'Purple'
With violet colored tubers, peach colored stems, and really fast leaf growth, this variety is not only eye-catching but also produces loads of fresh spinach-like leaves for us week after week. more->
Ullucus tuberosus 'Chugua Roja'
In addition to the strikingly deep purple tubers, this variety produces beautiful pink-purple stems with lots of vigorous growth. more->
Ullucus tuberosus 'Bocadito de Oro'
The name of this variety translates to little bites of gold, which is quite fitting for such creamy yellow-green tubers that make a really nice autumn snack! more->
Angelica pubescens
Also known as du huo in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and shishiudo in Japanese medicine, this angelica species is native to just the eastern part of Asia in those two countries... more->
Angelica dahurica
Also known as Bai Zhi in Traditional Chinese Medicine, this angelica species is native to northeastern Asia in Russia, China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. This is the first year we've grown... 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->
Blitum (Chenopodium) bonus-henricus
Good King Henry is a perennial vegetable closely related to spinach that produces delicious green shoots in early spring and succulent leaves in late spring and summer. In a partly shady location... more->
Matteuccia struthiopteris
Ostrich fern makes the best edible spring fiddleheads of any fern around. I like to brush off the papery scales, add salt, and steam them lightly to bring out the asparagus-like flavor. Though... more->
Camellia sinensis 'Sochi'
This variety of hardy tea comes from the Sochi region of Russia near the Black Sea. more->
Camellia sinensis 'Korean'
This hardy variety of tea comes from the mountains of the Boseong region in South Korea. more->
Ullucus tuberosus 'Pica de Pulga'
This variety of ulluco is one of the most common and productive in our climate. The pink and yellow tubers might have a bit of green, which makes them just so cute with all three colors! 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->
Chlorogalum pomeridianum
Soaproot is native to sunny meadows and oak woodlands of northern California and southwestern Oregon. Like other plants in the agave family, it grows strap-shaped leaves in a basal rosette, then... more->
Sium sisarum
Skirret is an old word for sugar-root. The white roots are very sweet and have a bit of carrot flavor, which is no surprise because skirret is in the same family. The roots are perennial, but... more->
Sidalcea hendersonii
Henderson's checkermallow is commonly found along the Washington coast, but a few populations grow further south here along the Oregon coast. In the hollyhock family, this perennial grows up to... more->
Hemerocallis fulva 'Raspberry Red'
This multicolored red variety of daylily really stands out against a green backdrop! more->
Hibiscus syriacus 'Arden's Double Purple'
Arden's Double Purple has a frilly flower with multiple layers of purple-pink petals. more->
Rhodiola rosea
We have both Scandinavian and Russian cultivars of this alpine astringent and tonic herb. Accustomed to sunny, well-drained, high-elevation rocky meadows, we've been able to grow this plant in... more->
Allium tuberosum
It sure is hard to beat the savory flavor of garlic chives! While most garden chives bear pink flowers in summer, garlic chives produce a more open cluster of white blooms. The bulbs and leaves... more->
Diplotaxis tenuifolia
We depend on the spicy and bright salad greens from this perennial arugula in early spring when most other salad greens are still struggling with cold and wet weather. Plus, when the majority of... more->
Malva sylvestris
Although annual mallows can make nice greens, this perennial mallow not only has delicious leaves but it also makes large displays of showy purple edible flowers! One type has lavender petals... 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->
Plantago major
If I were stranded with only one plant to choose for my garden, broad-leaved plantain would be my top choice. The whole plant is completely edible, raw and cooked. I've used it to help heal... more->
Cymbopogon citratus
We really enjoy making lemony tea and flavorful Thai recipes with this aromatic herb. Fresh lemon grass is far superior to the faded bundles you find in the grocery store! Lemon grass is not... more->
Oxalis tuberosa
This traditional Andean perennial vegetable produces red and white tubers the size of cherries. We harvest the tubers in fall after the first frosts make them sweeter. Steamed, baked, or fried,... more->
Lomatium dissectum
Native to well-drained hillsides in the Willamette Valley and the greater Pacific Northwest, this handsome perennial is the subject of an explosion of research for use as an antibacterial and... more->
Crithmum maritimum
This succulent perennial with pale yellow umbellate flowers is native to rocky coastal cliffs in western Europe. The edible leaves and flowers have a slightly spicy taste, and hold up well when... more->
Tilia cordata
A multi-functional tree native to Europe, linden has edible leaves and flowers. Bees adore the blooms which make a great tea, and from bees, a delicious honey. The wood is also known as basswood... 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->
Smallanthus sonchifolius
Yacón produces sweet, juicy tubers the size and shape of sweet potatoes. The stems grow up to 6 or 8 feet tall and bear yellow sunflower-type flowers. The stems and leaves are sensitive to frost... more->
Lilium pardalinum
Leopard lily is a stunning wildflower native to parts of Oregon and California. It is an herbaceous perennial growing up to 6 feet tall with multiple stalks of multiple bright red and orange... more->
Hibiscus syriacus 'Blue Bird'
'Blue Bird' has bright blue flowers, and is a bit smaller and less vigorous than other varieties. more->
Morus x 'Illinois Everbearing'
Because the fruits on 'Illinois Everbearing' ripen over a period of a few months, not all at once, its is nice to have a shorter plants for harvesting them often. The fruit is dark purple and has... more->
Hibiscus syriacus 'Red Heart'
'Red Heart' has a white bloom with a red center and grows very vigorously in our climate. I've seen shrubs over 6 feet tall. 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->
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->
Agastache urticifolia
Native to moist and sunny meadows and slopes of the Pacific Northwest, this perennial herb makes a fine garden specimen. Bees and butterflies flock to its showy purple flower spikes held above... more->
Salvia officinalis
No herb garden is complete without this fragrant and savory leaf to add to pasta sauce, soup stock and more. Sage also produces beautiful and edible pink flowers that attract pollinators.... more->
Atriplex halimus
Saltbush is a wonderful choice for year-round edible raw greens. This shrub is semi-evergreen and will provide mildly salty spinach flavored leaves throughout the year. Some cold years, it can... more->
Oenothera biennis
Evening primrose is a great edition to a pollinator garden because it blooms at night and attract the nighttime pollinators. Every summer evening at dusk, you can watch each pale yellow flower... more->
Allium cepa proliferum
This onion has the funny habit of creating bulbs atop its flowering scapes that grow so big and heavy that the stems bend down and plant the bulblets in the soil about a foot away from the mother... more->
Sedum oreganum
Oregon stonecrop has glossy green leaves that look like little elephant toes. I think it has the best-tasting leaves of any native Sedum. more->
Brassica oleraceae 'tree collards'
Like other non-heading collard greens, this sturdy and cold-hardy vegetable produces large smooth, oval-shaped leaves that are really nice to harvest in fall, winter, and spring. It then grows... more->
Opuntia ficus-indica
This is a compact variety of prickly pear cactus that has edible green pads with no thick spines and small clusters of tiny hair-like prickles. Unlike prickly pear shrubs, this variety stays... more->
Allium cernuum
Nodding onion is a showy native onion that is also a great addition to a perennial vegetable garden. The grass-like leaves can be harvested any time and eaten raw like chives or cooked as green... more->
Sedum spathulifolium 'Cape Blanco'
This grey-leaved and beautifully patterned stonecrop grows the fastest of any Sedum species in our gardens. The leaves are a bit more chalky and less palatable than the others, though.... more->
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