Daniel J. Hinkley

plantsman – author · speaker · horticultural consultant

Spring 2023

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June 2020 Video Garden Tours

June 5, 2020 By Daniel J. Hinkley

Enjoy virtual garden tours with Dan and Assistant Director Ross Bayton. See what is blooming at Heronswood and learn about plants in the Wenatchee Mountains.

Bark-a-Lounger Botanists – Episode 10 – June 30, 2020

Assistant Director, Dr. Ross Bayton leads this week’s tour of Heronswood.

Bark-a-lounger Botanists – Episode 9 – June 4, 2020 – Plants of Wenatchee Mountains

Learn about the native and endemic plants found by Dan and Heronswood Assistant Director Ross Bayton on their recent hike in the Wenatchee Mountains.

< See May episodes.

Filed Under: Heronswood, Plants, Videos, Windcliff

May 2020 Video Garden Tours

May 8, 2020 By Daniel J. Hinkley

View a lovely slideshow of Heronswood in springtime. Plus Dr. Ross Bayton leads the May 4 virtual tour discussing plants of interest. Please enjoy the beauty of nature during this time of coronavirus confinement.

Heronswood in Springtime 2020 – Episode 8 – May 8, 2020

A slideshow of the beauty that comes to Heronswood Garden in spring.

Bark-a-lounger Botanists – Episode 7 – May 4, 2020

Assistant Director, Dr. Ross Bayton joins leads this week’s tour of Heronswood.

< See April episodes – See June episodes >

Filed Under: Heronswood, Plants, Videos, Windcliff

April 2020 Video Garden Tours

April 28, 2020 By Daniel J. Hinkley

Join Dan on virtual tours of the gardens (Heronswood and Windcliff) in spring as we celebrate the beauty of nature during this time of coronavirus confinement.

Bark-a-lounger Botanists – Episode 6 – April 27, 2020

Heronswood assistant director, Dr. Ross Bayton joins Dan on this week’s tour of Heronswood. This tour features seasonal highlights: Meliodendron xylocarpum, Daphniphyllum humile, Primula sieboldii, Trillium cernuum, Cypridedium formosanum, Pleione, and more. Enjoy.

Bark-a-lounger Botanists – Episode 5 – April 21, 2020

Gardens can’t be put on hold. We’re caring for Heronswood garden while social distancing. This tour features seasonal highlights: wild ginger Asarum delavayi, Drimys lanceolata (Tasmania lanceolata), Drimys winteri, Holboellia angustifolia var. latifolia, Anemone nemorosa ‘Royal Blue’, Clintonia andrewsiana, Pseudotrillium rivale and more.

Bark-a-lounger Botanists – Episode 4 – April 11, 2020

Featuring Heronswood spring stars: Erythronium revolutum, Corylopsis sinensis var. willmottiae, Anemone nemorrosa ‘Plena’, Adiantum venustum, Primula kisoana, Trillium chloropetalum, Rheum palmatum ‘Atrosanguineum’, Cardamine pentaphyllos, Darmera peltata, Iris sp. Nova the Azure Iris, Lysichiton camtschatcensis, Paris incompleta, and many more.

Bark-a-lounger Botanists – Episode 3 – April 5, 2020

Starring: Henri, Babu, Acacia pravissima, Podophyllum pleianthum, Corydalis solida, Illicium simonsii, Veratrum californicum, Veronica umbrosa, Mukdenia rossii, Osmanthus delavayi, Aristolochia californica, and more.

< See March episodes — See May episodes >

Filed Under: Heronswood, Plants, Videos, Windcliff

March 2020 Video Garden Tours

April 6, 2020 By Daniel J. Hinkley

Join Dan on virtual tours of the gardens (Heronswood and Windcliff) in spring as we celebrate the beauty of nature during this time of coronavirus confinement.

Bark-a-lounger Botanists – Episode 2 – March 30, 2020

Bark-a-lounger Botanists – Episode 1 – March 18, 2020

See April episodes.

Filed Under: Heronswood, Plants, Videos, Windcliff

Valiant Rodgersias

June 20, 2019 By Daniel J. Hinkley

Boldness Incarnate for PNW Gardens

Rodgersia pinnata ‘Elegans’ with deep pink flowers
Rodgersia pinnata ‘Elegans’ from Sichuan in 1998

Can you even imagine? Only a bit over a century ago, all you need do was sail a boat into a harbor in Asia and your legacy would be cemented into the genus of a plant. Sometimes even a good plant at that. This was the case with Admiral John Rodgers who commanded the expedition to Japan in 1850. I am tempted to refer to him as Mr. Rogers, however that would probably only reveal more of my bitterness. He probably didn’t even like plants. These days, after days of flying and driving to remote regions with the express purpose of studying the local flora, the acknowledgement I receive is generally a small bag of pretzels and a disposable toothbrush I have spirited away from the plane lavatory.

For such a small genus of plants (only five recognized species), they are not only associated with some pretty heady plantsmen (but for the aforementioned Mr. Rodgers) but add a brilliant dash of bold foliage and, in some cases, dazzling color to our gardens. Heronswood boasts a rather immense collection, with all of the known species represented. Many are from wild collections of known provenance.

Rodgersia podophylla was the first described from Rodgers’ voyage to Japan. For what it lacks in floral punch- tall clusters of white flowers- it makes up for in foliage, with immense compound leaves often emerging in resting tones of purple or copper.

Pere Armand David (aka Davidia involucrata, Acer davidii) is responsible for introducing both R. aesculifolia (leaves like an Aesculus or horse-chestnut) as well as R. pinnata.(possessing leaves ostensibly pinnate). Their ranges overlap in W. China where natural hybrids between the species occur. Undoubtedly it is from these two species that come the most beguiling in flower, while there are forms with deep purple bruised foliage that can cause minor heart afflictions when encountering them for the first time at just the right moment in spring.

Rodgersia sambucifolia (leaves like a Sambucus or elderberry) is very distinctive and easily recognized, as each leaf extends to 3′ in length. It is present at Heronswood but does not sing as loudly as the others and very few people inquire as to its identity. In some ways, it is similar to R. nepalensis. This too has long pinnate foliage and is represented in the garden by only one plant from seed I collected in Nepal in 2002. It is the only species of Rodgersia that remains geographically segregated from the other species, making it rather certain you are collecting the real McCoy and not a hybrid.

Mr. Rogers plants (sorry, I simply could not help myself again) are at their prime in at Heronswood this week, both in foliage and flower. Come explore the valiant Rodgersias and discover in the process the magic inherent to the collection in our garden.

Filed Under: Heronswood, Plants Tagged With: Heronswood, Woodland Plants

Paths to Linnaea

June 16, 2017 By Daniel J. Hinkley

Charming pink bells held in pairs of the Twinflower, Linnaea borealis
The still extant colony of Linnaea borealis in the woodland at Heronswood

In June of 1987, our realtor brought us back to the property at 7530 288th St NE for a second look.  We had been uninspired by our first viewing on a cold, dreary January day earlier that same year.  And besides, the asking prices of $89,000 was appreciably beyond our budget.

On that early summer’s day, however, the skies were crisply blue while from the canopy of Doug firs and cedars came a cacophony of birdsong.  I ventured into the thick native undergrowth of the woodland to get a better feel of the property and its potential for garden making.

On a mound of duffy soil surrounding a rotting stump, I encountered a generous colony of Linnaea borealis in full blossom.  As I kneeled down to admire the plant that had long been a favorite,  a black-capped chickadee arrived to the stump with a fat grub in its beak and entered a hole to a chorus of hungry nestlings inside.  We made an offer on what would become Heronswood that evening.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Heronswood, Plants Tagged With: Heronswood, Woodland Plants

Northern Vietnam, March 2016

April 22, 2016 By Daniel J. Hinkley

I had the pleasure and luxury this spring to travel to Vietnam with my colleague Scott McMahan and staff from the University of British Columbia Botanic Garden.  After so many trips to this country during the autumn months, at last seeing the mountains of this region coming to life was a remarkable and memorable experience.  Just a few highlights of the trip….. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Essays, Expeditions, Plants

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Journal Archives

Featured Journal Post

Northern Vietnam, March 2016

I had the pleasure and luxury this spring to travel to Vietnam with my colleague Scott McMahan and … Read More

Featured Plant Portrait

Bark-a-lounger Botanists

June 2020 Video Garden Tours

Enjoy virtual garden tours with Dan and Assistant Director Ross Bayton. See what is blooming at … Read More

More Plant Portraits

Daniel J. Hinkley

Teacher, writer, lecturer, consultant, nurseryman, naturalist, gardener.
Above all, he is committed to solid and sustainable horticultural practices, above average garden plants, landscapes of distinction and raising the collective awareness of the diversity of plant life on Earth as well as the magic and mysteries of our natural world. Learn more…

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