Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena'
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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Rosa rugosa 'alba'
Rugosa rose is a suckering shrub native to asia. It has large and beautiful blooms and the largest rose hips of any rose we know. The rose hips are high in vitamin C and can be eaten fresh or... more->
Cistus x purpureus 'Pink'
This variety of rock rose has narrow, resinous leaves and stunning, crinkly pink flowers with four central maroon spots. more->
Myrica californica
Pacific waxmyrtle is an evergeen shrub/small tree native to the west coast of North America. It can grow 5-30 feet tall and has sticky leaves and a waxy wrinkled purple berry. It is a great... more->
Hibiscus syriacus 'Blue Bird'
'Blue Bird' has bright blue flowers, and is a bit smaller and less vigorous than other varieties. more->
Ribes aureum
'Golden' currant is larger than the european currants that we grow. It is vigorous and can grow in a variety of soil types and habitats, up to 9 feet tall. It has beautiful clusters of yellow... more->
Ribes x 'Waldo'
Waldo is a purple gooseberry originally brought to us by Rick Valley, a wise local Permaculture landscaper. It was the result of hybridizations from Dr. George Waldo. It has sweet purple fruits... 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->
Viburnum opulus
Cramp bark is a deciduous shrub that can grow over 10 feet tall. It has showy white flower clusters and bright red-orange berries that birds love. The bark is used medicinally to reduce smooth... more->
Rubus x 'Napache'
Tired of thorns ripping through your clothes and poking through your gloves as you harvest sweet blackberries in summer? This cultivar released from the University of Arkansas yields large, sweet... more->
Ficus carica 'Desert King'
'Desert King' is a very good choice for the Northwest. It is early to ripen, productive, and has excellent flavor. Sweet and delicious fruits with green skin and pink pulp ripen in late July or... more->
Ribes nigrum 'Blackdown'
'Blackdown' produces large, jet-black berries that are juicy and flavorful with a distinctive musky taste. They are excellent in jams, jellies and juice. The plant is vigorous and has upright... more->
Vitex agnus-castus 'Pink'
Chaste tree, also known as vitex, is a beautiful deciduous shrub that has spikes of flowers in late summer here in Oregon. It can grow up to ten feet tall but can be kept shorter with annual... more->
Ribes rubrum 'Jonkheer Van Tets'
Red currants produce bright red clusters of fruit which are are striking in the garden and they enhance any dish to which they are added. Red currant fruit is high in vitamin C and potassium and... more->
Calycanthus floridus
Also known as Carolina allspice, this fragrant deciduous shrub, native to the Southeastern U.S., grows 3 to 8 feet tall and up to ten feet wide. Essentail oil is distilled from the flowers, and... more->
Ribes nigrum 'Minaj Smyriou'
'Minaj Smyriou' has excellent European black currant flavorand can be eaten fresh or used to make jam and juice.
European black currants have a very distinct musky flavor which is prized by... 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->
Ribes rubrum 'Cascade'
'Cascade' is easy to grow and a consistent producer here in the Wilamette Valley. Provides large crops of delicious red fruit. It is very winter hardy.
Red currants produce bright red... 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->
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 apiana
The dried leaf of white sage is well known for its aroma and is excellent for smudging.
Not native to our area, it does best grown in a pot with half sand half potting soil, or planted in... 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->
Rosmarinus officinalis 'Goriza'
Rosmarinus officinalis 'Huntington carpet'
Ribes oxyacanthoides 'Jahn's Prairie'
A favorite gooseberry here at Fern Hill, 'Jahn's Prairie' produces hearty yields of large dessert quality red-pink fruit in midsummer. This shrub grows more upright than some gooseberry varietes.... more->
Ribes uva-crispa 'Hinnomaki Gold'
'Hinnomaki Gold' also known as 'Hinnomaki Yellow" is a very hardy variety, and bushes produce a heavy crop of medium sized, greenish yellow fruits. Some say this variety has a delicious aromatic... 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->
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