Humble hellebores are a new gardener’s must-have for a spark of life at the coldest and darkest times of year. Blooming in winter and spring, these hardy flowers are deer-resistant evergreen perennials that come in a surprising range of wonderfully jewel-toned colors for any winter garden palette.

For heavenly summer-long fragrance, Star Jasmine is a great addition to a new garden. This elegant vining plant grows beautifully up a trellis or arbor — lush evergreen leaves burst with star-shaped white flowers that radiate the sweetest of smells.

Sedums are a diverse family of succulents that come in an incredible array of forms and colors. Hardy and drought-tolerant, a collection of sedums can create a beautiful potted arrangement or a living mosaic on a retaining wall.

The hard-to-find ‘Olympic Fire’ Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) boasts glossy evergreen foliage that explodes into fireworks of brilliant white flower petals with tiny red polkadots and in late spring to early summer. As a dense and rounded shrub to small tree, it provides a handsome landscape accent.

Bonsai are a unique microcosm of nature: a miniature tree, carefully pruned into unusual shapes to lovingly grow a tiny spectacle. Elegant, space-saving, and one-of-a-kind, you might just get your favorite gardener hooked on bonsai when you gift their first tiny tree.

With a name meaning “dragon in the clouds," the unusual camellia ‘Unryu’ boasts deep pink funnel shaped  winter flowers on zigzagging stems. In the landscape or a vase, the curving stems bring a surprising element of interest on their own and the stiff flower petals add longevity to cold weather color.

For a taste of the Mediterranean in the Pacific Northwest, persimmons are an unusual fruit that actually thrives in our climate. Even beyond their edible fruit, these trees are stunningly ornamental — wide, leathery leaves hang from sculptural branches that flush with tangerine-colored fruit in autumn. As the leaves fall, the fruit is left behind to ripen and add spectacular orange-red ornaments  to the late-season landscape.

Planting garlic now heralds in a bounty of zest in the spring and summer to come. While most garlic bought in grocery stores is one consistent variety, there is a wealth of unique flavor to be found in varieties like the top-rated Inchelium Red and purple-striped Duganski, full of strong flavor for culinary connoisseurs.

‘Mars Landing’ is the tenderest, sweetest overwintering kale you’ve ever tasted. Dramatic, nearly black scalloped-edge leaves give stunning ornamental appeal — not to mention, the leaves are vitamin rich for hearty winter soups, stews and sautees!

The cascading pink flowers on the Pacific Northwest native Ribes sanguineum are a springtime favorite of hummingbirds, as well as a host plant for numerous butterflies and an impressive landscape accent. Birds love to shelter in the branches and feast on generous crops of berries.

A member of the honeysuckle family, the tubular flowers of the native Twinberry (Lonicera involucrata) are the perfect shape for hummingbirds. As their pairs of glossy black berries form, they provide an excellent food source for a score of native birds.

The Snowberry (Symphoricarpus albus) is a remarkable Pacific Northwest native, beloved by songbirds as a winter food source, sheltering place, and nesting site. White berry clusters offer sustenance for birds and cold-weather interest for gardeners, even deep into the wintertime.

Daphne (Daphne odora) is a spectacular addition to a winter garden, sending out bright clusters of fragrant white flowers with an unforgettable fragrance when few other plants are in bloom. Every garden should have this plant.

Dainty leaves with a pastel pink border make the ‘Angel’s Blush’ Abelia a gorgeous low-growing evergreen shrub, complete with delicate white trumpet flowers in the summertime — a hummingbird’s delight.

Aromatic lavender (Lavendula) is one of the most classic relaxing and beloved botanical scents — try ‘Provence’ and ‘Grosso’ varieties. Their drought-tolerant nature makes them extraordinarily easy to grow, its olive-colored leaves delivering spikes of purple flowers that can be enjoyed in the landscape or dried for year-round fragrance.

The West Coast native madrone (Arbutus menziesii) is prized for its elegant gnarled branches and peeling bark that reveals satin smooth red wood underneath. While this tree can be tricky to get established, it’s just the challenge the experienced gardener needs to introduce a gorgeous, architectural tree into their landscape.

Hardy cyclamen (Cyclamen coum) is a rare perennial groundcover that pops with white-to-purple blooms in the wintertime. This delicate yet hardy bloomer readily naturalizes in partial shade, making it a great choice for planting beneath a tree.

Growing to towering heights upwards of 50 feet, the Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) is a fragrant conifer that dates back to Jurassic times. The ‘Glauca’ cultivar gives a handsome blue tinge to the wide needles. Nearly every part of this tree – roots, bark, branches, and needles – has been used in Chinese traditional medicine for thousands of years as a pain reliever.

The shiny leaves of the Pacific Wax Myrtle (Myrica californica) make for an attractive and ecologically-minded hedge. A unique feature of this native shrub is its symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, meaning its presence in the landscape helps provide nutrients for the surrounding plants.

The Creeping Oregon Grape (Mahonia repens) is a sprawling, slow low-growing shrub where generous bursts of yellow flowers are followed by dusty blue berries — all of which are cherished by our native birds.

Another favorite of birds, the glossy green leaves of the Evergreen Huckleberry flush with edible berries in the summer. The fruit is incredibly sweet and makes for delicious jams, syrups, and fillings for pies and cobblers.