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Seattle’s enormous perennial and decorative shrub collections stun me each time I visit gardens there. My host was Nita Jo Rountree, who has an incredible perennial collection of the very most choice plants. What a connoisseur! As a momento, I purchased a stunning dogwood, Cornus kousa ‘Akatsuki‘, with leaves clearly banded in brilliant white and purple fall color from Gossler Farms Nursery. I’m a sucker for variegated dogwoods. Standing 4 feet high in its bucket, once removed, I wrapped it in recycled host-basket cellophane, made it into a circle and stuffed it into my diminuitive Orvis flyfishing roll-aboard. It is now in the ground in Cashiers, NC at our office grounds, “The Barn on Blindside”, happy as a lark, not having missed a beat.

Other  finds were a Uvularia sessilifolia ‘Albostriata’ (a gentle infiltrator) from Far Resches Farm Nursery,  Aconitum ‘Bressingham Spire’ (a july-aug bloomer 3′ tall compact), annual Salvia patiens (gentian sage) with hugh blue flowers, Symphytum x uplandicum ‘Axminster Gold’ (variegated comfrey best for semi-shade to preserve foliage color), Penstemon ‘lost tagicum’ (my newest mystery plant!).

This launched her career as a landscape architect when she attended Louisiana State University and began her thesis 2 years later on “The Early English Kitchen Garden: 800-1800 AD”, pub 1981. Still in print, the little blue book sold out as did Timeless Landscape Design. (see image of early distillery in medieval kitchen garden)

The introducer, HSA president  held up the two volumes to the crowd and said ..” These two books describe Mary Palmer Dargan’s evolution as a writer, botanist and landscape architect for over three decades”. While at the meeting, MP purchased a first edition of Bernard M’ Mahon’s The American Gardener’s Calender, 1806, Philadelphia, the first book on gardening published in America and an influential text in her research. Bookseller, Kevin T. Ransom of Amherst, NY had a fantastic display and Mp found a copy of the Picayune Creole Cookbook, New Orleans 6th ed, 1901-1922 with original painted cover.

The conference held