Ribes nigrum 'Black September'
European black currants have a very distinct musky flavor which is prized by many in Europe and the U.S. We love these fruit and make a honey and currant jam that our toddler eats by the spoonful... 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!
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Vitis vinifera 'purple'
Grapes are very easy to grow and maintain and never fail to produce abundant crops. This table grape is seedless and dark purple with small to medium sized fruits in nicely shaped clusters. This... 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->
Cynoglossum grande
With beautiful blue flowers clustered atop two foot tall stalks, hound's tongue is named for the shape and texture of the leaves that form a rosette at the base of the plant. It's native to the... more->
Mentha × piperita
While you can find dozens of varieties of mint for your garden, we focus on cultivating peppermint because it is the best mint for soothing upset stomachs, relieving headaches, and cooling... more->
Rudbeckia occidentalis
A rudbeckia native to Oregon, this wildflower has a unique bloom that resembles Echinacea or Rdbeckia but with no petals. A perennial plant, when grown in full sun and garden soil, flower stalks... more->
Arnica chamissonis
This arnica is native to western North America and is as potent as Arnica montana. It is a low growing, slowly spreading herbaceous perennial that prefers full sun to part shade and... more->
Gentiana tibetica
Native to the hills of western China and Tibet, this medicinal perennial likes rich, moist soil and sun. In mid-summer, it grows up to 2 feet tall with showy white blossoms. While so many... more->
Passiflora caerula
Fabulous flowers on this semi-evergreen vine. The complex blue flowers bloom mid summer to fall. This vine is reasonably hardy and can grow a lot in one season. During cold winters it may die... more->
Sisyrinchium idahoense var. idahoense
A small but beautiful perennial native wildflower that prefers moist soil and sun, blue eyed grass grows less than a foot tall and makes clusters of small purple flowers in early summer. A great... 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->
Levisticum officinale
Lovage is an excellent addition to a perennial vegetable garden. Bursting forth in spring, this plant can shoot up to six or seven feet tall each year. The aromatic leaves have a flavor similar to... more->
Ribes odoratum 'Crandell'
This currant has smooth, lobed leaves and berries that have spicy and gingery tones that ride on top of the sweet and sour currant flavor. It's yellow flowers brighten the garden in late spring... more->
Wyethia angustifolia
A sunflower-like native wildflower, narrow leaved mule's ears grows in grasslands and meadows in the fields and foot hills of the Willamette Valley. It is an herbaceous perennial and each year... 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->
Dioscorea batatas
A perennial vine with elegant glossy leaves, Chinese mountain yam can grow up to 15 feet tall each season. It blooms in late summer and produces underground potato-flavored edible tubers which... more->
Monarda didyma
This variety produces 3-foot tall displays of crimson red inflorescences composed of tubular flowers. It is a sight to see! A favorite for hummingbirds. more->
Rumex acetosa
We rely on garden sorrel greens in January and February. Before any other outdoor crop is ready to harvest, garden sorrel is up and abundant! You'll be glad you put some sorrel in the ground... more->
Aronia melanocarpa 'Viking'
Viking has been selected for delicious flavor raw and cooked. Some seedlings can be extremely astringent but this one will just give you a little pucker. more->
Geranium oreganum
A beautiful perennial native to Oregon, Oregon geranium is very showy. Growing about a foot in height and wide, it has profuse pink blooms in late spring and early summer. It thrives in full sun... more->
Passiflora incarnata
The maypop is a perennial passionflower in our climate. The plant dies back each year to the ground and re-sprouts in late spring. Less vigorous than P. caerulea, this species has a... 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 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->
Leycesteria formosa
This is a special and very ornamental deciduous shrub. Bright green branches and stalks display elegant clusters of dark brown berry clusters. When ripe, these berries taste like chocolate. ... more->
Ribes sanguineum var sanguineum
This is one of the earliest blooming and showiest shrubs in the Pacific Northwest! Red flowering currant is a very popular plant for a variety of reasons. The large clusters of pink-red flowers... more->
Allium fistulosum
This purple and white onion grows round bulbs in clusters that are firm, crisp, and have delicious savory flavor. more->
Monarda fistulosa
This wild variety of beebalm produces showy light pink flower clusters on two foot tall stems. more->
Sagittaria latifolia and cuneata
Wapato is a perennial plant that is native throughout North America. Historically, it was a staple food crop for people wherever it grew and continues to be a popular native food plant. Tubers... more->
Artemisia dracunculus var. sativa
There is no substitute for fresh tarragon - drizzled with butter on fresh bread, sprinkled on mild flavored fish or chicken, or adding body and aroma to herbal vinegars - it's hard to get enough... more->
Grindelia integrifolia
This native perennial in the sunflower family grows into a small shrub each season, bearing yellow flowers covered in sticky white resin. It thrives in sunny spots with moisture and tolerates... more->
Penstemon serrulatus
We have had great success growing this native penstemon in our gardens. A perennial with striking purple flowers stalks that bloom in mid-summer, Cascade penstemon is easy to grow in our climate.... more->
Thymus x citriodorus 'Aureus'
Beautiful, culinary, medicinal - no herb garden is complete without this variegated, lemon scented thyme. The yellow and green leaves give way to pink flowers in summer. This thyme forms a short... more->
Baptisia australis
A perennial in the pea family, false indigo sends up 3-foot tall inflorescences with breathtaking deep blue pea flowers. Though not as good as true indigo, a blue dye can be made from the leaves... more->
Ligusticum apiifolium
Native oak woodlands and meadows throughout the Pacific Northwest, licorice root, also known as celery-leaved lovage, is an herbaceous perennial in the carrot family. The leaves are edible and can... 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->
Allium tricoccum
Ramps are a wild onion native to the eastern US and Canada. They grow in the thick duff of the dappled shade in the understory of somehat open forest canopies. Ramps appreciate the moist summers... more->
Echinacea purpurea
This is the easiest to grow of all the Echinacea species in our area. It is very cold hardy, and sends down a multitude of pencil-sized roots. The bees and butterflies frequent the bright purple... more->
Nepeta cataria
Although most people think first of the way that cats go crazy from the aroma of the flower spikes of catnip, it's also a wonderful herbal medicine. But it has the opposite effect on people - it'... 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->
Artemisia ludoviciana
Native to Oregon and much of North America, western mugwort is a rhizomatous perennial with beautiful gray-green foliage composed of long, strap-like leaves. Its yellow-white flowers bloom in... more->
Hemerocallis fulva 'Orange'
This is the orange flowered variety of daylily. So pretty in the garden or on a plate! more->
Tolmiea menziesii
Pig-a-back plant is a trailing perennial ground cover native west of the Cascades that prefers moist forests and shady stream sides where soil is moist throughout the year. It blooms in late... more->
Belamcanda chinensis
This leopard lily has now had its botanical name changed to Iris domestica. This is somewhat more accurate as it is an iris, not a lily. Leaves look like gladiolus and grow just over a... more->
Linnaea borealis
Twinflower is a sweet native wildflower less than a foot tall with elegant bell-shaped white and pink flower clusters. It tolerates full shade and grows as a ground cover in woodlands. more->
Ribes x nidigrolaria
Jostaberry is a cross between european currants and gooseberries, taking the best from both. It is a thornless shrub producing dark fruits with a mild black currant flavor. The fruit is larger... more->
Aloysia triphylla
Lemon verbena is one of our favorite tea plants. Fast growing in warm weather, aromatic leaves have a strong lemon flavor. We steep it fresh or dry it to enjoy all winter. It prefers full sun... more->
Eleagnus multiflora 'Sweet Scarlet'
Goumi plants are well known in the Northwest permaculture community for being great nitrogen fixing shrubs with a much lower chance for spreading by birds. These shrubs can grow up to 12 feet or... 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->
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