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->
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!
Hardy perennial
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 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->
Thymus × citriodorus 'Silver Queen'
This is a lemon thyme that is variegated with slivery grey-green foliage. It makes a very nice contract interplanted with lemon variegated thyme. more->
Asclepias incarnata
Unlike some milkweed species, swamp milkweed is a clumping perennial and does not spread by rhizomes. It has deep pink flower clusters on a two to three foot stalk. It is a host plant for monarch... 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->
Fragaria vesca
Native throughout most of the northern hemisphere, alpine strawberry is that amazingly sweet wild strawberry you remember from childhood. Small fruits pack superb flavor. Plants are vigorous in... 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->
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->
Lavandula angustifolia 'Grosso'
'Grosso' is a hybrid Lavindin-type variety that has a dark purple bloom, grey-green leaves, and excellent fragrance fresh or dried. This variety is often used for commercial production because of... more->
Sidalcea campestris
Native to sunny meadows and dappled shade of open woodlands in the Willamette Valley, meadow checkermallow created a gorgeous display of light pink blossoms up to 6 feet tall. In the shade it may... more->
Asclepias speciosa
A gorgeous wildflower native to western North America, showy milkweed is a host plant for monarch butterflies. Pink and white fragrant flower clusters bloom on two or three foot stalks in mid-... 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->
Rubus leucodermis var. leucodermis
Blackcap raspberry is one of the most delicious native fruits in our area. It is also not well know because it is not as common as the wild blackberries. The blackcap is a cane fruit that grows... more->
Althea officinalis
This perennial herb has soft leaves, beautiful hibiscus-like white and pink flowers, and provides a healing herbal medicine. Marshmallow roots are the original source of the slimy mucilage used... more->
Lavandula angustifolia 'Vera'
'Vera' is a cold-hardy heirloom English lavender. It is considered the original and true variety traditionally grown at high elevation in the French alps. In our garden, 'Vera' produces tall... more->
Sidalcea virgata
We love this late spring blooming native wildflower that we often find on the edges of meadows. In the hollyhock family, this perennial grows only about a foot to two feet tall at most. It sends... more->
Asclepias syriaca
Common milkweed is very similar to our native showy milkweed, but native to eastern North America. This species is just as showy as the showy milkweed in our garden but a little more pink than... more->
Monarda fistulosa
This wild variety of beebalm produces showy light pink flower clusters on two foot tall stems. more->
Fragaria x ananassa 'June'
We have grown this early fruiting variety for many years with success. We harvest lots of large sweet fruits starting in late May until near the end of June. Its easy to grow and prefers full... more->
Rubus parviflorus
Native to the Pacific Northwest, thimbleberries produce delicate, thimble shaped raspberry-like fruit atop canes up to 5 feet tall. The pretty white flowers in spring brighten up shady corners of... more->
Anaphalis margaritacea
An Oregon native wildflower with gray green foliage and pretty dried pearly white flowers, pearly everlasting is an easy plant for a native garden. At the height of summer, plants grow up to 3... 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->
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->
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->
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->
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->
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->
Aquilegia formosa
A beautiful wildflower, our native columbine blooms yellow and red. In garden soil and part shade, columbine may grow up to 3 feet tall and wide. Delicate flowers bloom in late spring. Great... 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->
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->
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->
Achillea millefolium
Yarrow is a flowering perennial in the sunflower family. Feathery green basal leaves are present in our climate throughout the year. Taller leaves begin to grow in early spring, and flower stalks... 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->
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->
Aralia californica
Although some know it as California ginseng, elk clover, or spikenard, I think Oregon ginseng is quite fitting for a plant that inhabits shady, moist seasonal creeks in deep coniferous forests as... 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->
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->
Origanum compactum
Compact oregano has a great flavor! Low growing and spreading, it makes a great ground cover underneath taller herbs. Flowers are bright pink and usually bloom in mid summer. We have found this... more->
Agastache foeniculum
A great addition to any perennial garden, anise hyssop is a beautiful summer blooming perennial with edible leaves and flowers. The leaves, when steeped fresh or dried, make a refreshing minty... 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->
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->
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
A broad leaf evergreen ground cover, kinnikinnick is very hardy. It thrives in partial shade and will spread along the ground or grow along a slope, providing some erosion control. Drought... more->
Lomatium californicum
Native to dry, brushy and forested hill slopes in northern California and southern Oregon, this is the largest species of biscuitroot that we grow. I've seen it up to 4 feet tall and several feet... 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->
Origanum syriacum
This aromatic and savory variety of oregano is native to the Middle East where it grows in abundance on the rocky hillsides. It's leaves are covered in fine grey hairs that help it conserve water... more->
Pages
