HIKING IN ANKLE-DEEP MUD, shivering in rain-soaked sleeping bags, and enduring bee stings and leech bites while watching for even more dangerous creatures ... a plant explorer's life is anything but glamorous.
SALVIA PENNELLII A cold-tolerant Mexican native, this late-season bloomer has blue-violet flowers, dark stems, and textured deep green leaves.CHOISVA ARIZONICA 'WHETSTONE' Named after the Arizona mountains where it was found, this shrub stays under 3 feet and has large flowers that smell tike orange blossoms.TRAVELS TO Asia (including Sikkim in northeastern India, where the above photo was taken); Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and South AmericaBEESIA DELTOPHYLLA This evergreen groundcover from China, for full or partial shade, sports shiny heart-shaped leaves and spires of white flowers in spring.SEAN'S PREFERRED quarry is West Coast-adapted, architectural plants: agaves and other bold-leafed growers that look like they'd wither in cold weather but are actually quite tough.Greg StarrTHE ELUSIVE PRIZE, for Greg, is cactus and succulents, with a particular emphasis on agaves native to the Southwest and Mexico, which he helped popularize. He scouts south of the border, the best place to find plants tough enough for his challenging desert climate.RISES SANGUINEUM 'PINK PEARL' This seedling popped up at Sean's nursery, and he propagated it for its dense flower clusters and long bloom.Why do they do it? Not for fortune or fame--few outside horticultural circles know who they are. (When's the last time you thought about where the plants you buy originated?) Whether they send their finds to commercial growers or propagate and sell the plants themselves, these three hunters agree: The real payoff is the thrill of discovery.HOME BASE Sauvie Island, OregonFavorite findsOwner, Cistus Design & Nursery (cistus.com)NOLINA NELSONII Its magnificen 30-inch blue blades are the star of this northern Mexico find. But thousands of flowers on a 4-foot stalk are showy too.TRAVELS TO Mexico, western TexasMEMORABLE MISADVENTURE While scouting in South Africa, Sean spotted some succulents that blended in with the surrounding rocks. Completely entranced by the plants, he moved in for a closer look, not noticing a deadly 4 1/2-foot ringhals cobra, coiled to strike. "The snake was as well camouflaged as the plants. I jumped back at the last minute!"HOME BASE TucsonHOME BASE Indianola, WashingtonALONG WITH A penchant for plants from mountainous regions, Dan has a (rather inconvenient) fear of heights. You learn to live with it, he says. "I don't freeze anymore when I come to a precipice, but they're never going to be my favorite spots." His preferred haunt is China: "There's incredible diversity there because its plant palette wasn't wiped clean by the last ice age, which missed China."Sean HoganMEMORABLE MISADVENTURE "In 2002, we were robbed by Maoist rebels and held for ransom twice on a Nepalese expedition, and the hotel next to us in Kathmandu was bombed on the same trip. Rebels and terrorists are the worst danger there."TRAVELS TO Northern Mexico, South Africa, South America, and the WestCofounder, Heronswood NurseryERIOPHYLLUM LANATUM 'TAKILMA GOLD' This variety of the Western native known as Oregon sunshine reaches 18 inches tall and blooms spring through fall.PENSTEMON AMPHORELLAE This low, woody perennial from Coahuila, Mexico, has fine light green foliage that sets off large blue flowers.MEMORABLE MISADVENTURE Two years ago in Mexico, he was stopped by police three times in one day--and had to pay bribes each time. "High temperatures and occasional intestinal distress you get used to. Dealing with bribes and blockades you don't. But finding a new plant that looks like it has possibilities makes it all worthwhile."CLEMATIS MONTANA 'pink A BOO' Besides sweetly scented, blush pink flowers, this vigorous vine from China has deep plum foliage and grows quickly to 20 feet.FUCHSIA MAGELLANICA 'WINDCLIFF FLURRY' Hummingbirds can't resist this sun-loving Chilean flower. The plant grows 6 feet tall and wide; spectacular blooms for months.Dan Hinkley
CHOISVA ARIZONICA 'WHETSTONE' Named after the Arizona mountains where it was found, this shrub stays under 3 feet and has large flowers that smell tike orange blossoms.
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