Sambucus canadensis 'York'
'York' is a variety of American elder selected from the cross of Adams #2 and Ezyoff at the Geneva Experiment Station in New York in 1964. Its medium-sized dark berries ripen slightly later than... 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 flowers
So many colors! Sweet nectar! Delicious and so good for you!
We love to add a dash of colorful calendula, borage, and bachelor's button flowers to our salads on special occasions. Sweet violets, soft rose petals, and silky purple mallow flowers delight guests as they enjoy a summertime dessert. At just the sight of the hibiscus-shaped flowers of rose of sharon, you feel like you're on a tropical island - taste the sweet nectar and marshmallow softness of that flower stuffed with a bite of scrumptious dessert, and that little slice of paradise transforms your kitchen too!
Several restaurants use edible flowers harvested here at Fern Hill in their local and seasonal menus.
Ribes uva-crispa 'Black Velvet'
Black Velvet is a very disease resistant, vigorous and productive plant with sweet, dark purple berries. more->
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->
Sambucus nigra 'Samdal'
This variety began producing very large clusters of medium-sized dark purple berries for us in the second year, and it has doubled the yield each year since! Samdal was originally developed in... 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 '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 'Blue'
With darker violet-purple flowers than most wild beebalm, this variety is a crowd-pleaser and tastes good too! more->
Sambucus canadensis 'Ranch'
Ranch is shorter and more compact than most elderberry varieties. It gets only 5ft tall, so berries are easier to reach for harvesting. 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 x hybridus
This rock rose has broad, wavy leaves with delicate, triangular tips and paper white flowers. more->
Aronia melanocarpa
Our friend Allen reports that this particular Aronia produces plentiful berries. These shrubs readily send up new shoots from near the base of the tallest stems. more->
Monarda punctata
Spotted bee balm blossoms have white, purple, and pink flowers with exquisite dippled spots. This species grows in drier and sandier soil than most bee balms. 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->
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->
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->
Sambucus canadensis 'Nova'
'Nova' is a variety of American elder, selected for its reliable yield of medium-sized dark berries at a germplasm center in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1960. Although it may have better... more->
Sambucus nigra 'Haschberg'
'Haschberg' is a variety of black European elder, especially popular in commercial orchards in Austria and Germany. It produces abundant and large clusters of dark purple berries, and grows to... 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->
Thymus x 'Rose-scented'
Combining the warm, spicy scent of thyme with the sweet aroma of old-fashioned rose, we can't seem to grow enough of this wonderful herb! The foliage and flowers make tea that not only tastes... 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->
Acmella oleracea
We grow this tender annual each year at the same timing as tomatoes and basil in our garden. In July and August, it produces striking yellow and red flower heads without any ray flowers, giving... more->
Acmella caulirhiza
This Kenyan species of toothache plant grows as a ground cover or vine. It's sensitive to frost but makes a great medicinal annual plant for our climate. We occasionally grow the vines in... more->
Malva verticillata var. crispa
Though we usually propagate perennials, this annual mallow is a staple of our summer and fall diet because it is so prolific. So we planted a few seeds into pots to make sure we could share this... 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->
Calendula officinalis
Bright yellow-orange flowers abound on these sun-loving plants. Although calendula is an annual that doesn't survive the winter well, it faithfully self-sows in our garden and emerges each spring... more->
Lilium pardalium x parryi
Our leopard lily mother bore seeds that were fertilized by lemon lily pollen, and this is the first generation of the hybrid. Some of the hybrid flowers turned out yellow orange with long... 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->
Rubus idaeus 'Cascade Delight'
This variety of red raspberry bears medium sized, juicy fruit. This variety was developed especially for resistence to phytopthora rot and other fungal diseases that proliferate in wet soil, so... more->
Rubus idaeus 'Fall Gold'
This raspberry bears sweet and beautiful golden fruit! Need we say more? 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->
Sambucus nigra 'Korsor'
'Korsor' is a variety of black European elder from Denmark, notable for its large, dark, juicy berries. It grows to about 8 feet tall.
European black elderberries are the most sought-after... more->
Rubus idaeus 'Tulameen'
Bred in Canada, 'Tulameen' has very large red fruit, even bigger than the large-fruited commercial variety 'Meeker'. Unlike 'Cascade Red', it prefers well-drained soil.
Raspberry canes... more->
Ribes hirtellum 'Captivator'
'Captivator' is virtually thornless and very hardy. Shrubs are productive and bear medium to large sweet red fruits which ripen midsummer.
Ribes nigrum 'Muslin Black'
This variety was propagated from a plant growing on farm near us, on Muslin Creek.
European black currants have a very distinct musky flavor which is prized by many in europe and the U.S.... more->
Symphytum x uplandicum
This perennial has slimy roots and leaves that are used externally for bruises, sprains, and dry, irritated skin. Russian comfrey has deep roots to draw nutrients to the surface, and makes great... more->
Fragaria x ananassa 'Seascape'
'Seascape' is a good choice if you want to harvest strawberries throughout summer and early fall. The best choice is to grow some of this variety adn some of 'June', and then you will haev... 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->
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