The botanically rich yet rugged slopes of Five Fingers in northern Vietnam, visited once again in the autumn of 2023 with Ireland’s fern guru and good friend, Billy Alexander.
After betraying my brain to Facebook and my heart to the Heartlands of America for far too long, going forward I am returning to my personal keyboard and ownership of ethics. I have been as happy as a dog with two tails for many years while sharing photos of plants that I have respectfully collected in the wilds, trialed, brought to flower and sometimes propagated to ultimately share from our garden to yours. The platform — or better said scheme — was easy to devour. However the subsequent gluttony of commerce and political power is impossible to swallow. I will endeavor to share with you the joie de vivre that our natural world has brought us in our own unedited design of truth, self-awareness, personal experience and an obligation to respect those deserving it. On our own terms.
Robert and I have worked prodigiously during our entire lives; long nights, sweaty days and blistered hands. We have earnestly and without reluctance paid taxes to build a better system of education for other’s children, roads, health, a safety net for the less fortunate and a welcoming community to all manner of folk. We are not going to let stand the callous, patentable ineptitude of one who operates by the moral compass of blue-green algae, nor ignore an unelected, randy South African breeder, nor bow to a short majority of spineless sycophants as they bear down on us. We are here. And it is we who are actually doing the work and intrinsically contributing to society. Should you wish to continue to receive our monthly newsletters, please understand that the above stated thoughts are our foundational standards in doing business and govern our communication with our valued customers.
In this listing, you will find many new plants we have garnered recently from high places around the globe; seed collecting trips to Vietnam (2019, 2022, 2023), China (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) and NE India (2016, 2018) and Slovenia (2017), joining ranks with Dan’s collections over nearly 40 years. Our interest in New Zealand, South Africa, Chile and Tasmania continues; that is until their interest in having us visit us wanes. Amongst them all are our pet genera (or other’s pets) who we adore as much as any child; Agapanthus, hardy Begonia species, Kniphofia, Hydrangea, Podophyllum, Polygonatum, Maianthemum and Disporum.
As always, we remain indebted to our loyal helpers. If we cannot with any sense of security share all of their names, we will share none of them. They all know how much they are valued here as well as good and decent members of our society. I continue to remain in awe of my comrades in this business, who have built their collections, and offered them to all of us, with honesty, forthrightness and grace.
We encourage the brave of heart to navigate the country roads of Kitsap County and visit our nursery and garden during this coming season, using our updated inventory at www.danieljhinkley.com as a guide to what we may have in stock; please know that, yes, we still experience crop failures and unforeseen popularity, so if you are making the trip for a specific plant, make sure you contact us in advance to confirm it is available. Make a day of it by visiting our former garden, Heronswood- that is exploding with excitement- and the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. (not far from Bay Hay and Feed!) We do apologize for not wishing to again rejoin the fray of mail order. An ever-changing selection of Windcliff Plants can be found for sale exclusively on the tables at Heronswood, Ravenna Gardens of University Village in Seattle, and Bay Hay and Feed on Bainbridge Island.
horticulturally and respectfully yours,
Daniel J Hinkley and Robert L Jones
