Among many botanical relationships, Mr. Bowen has had a pineapple lily (Eucomis) phase, and a run of red hot pokers (Knifophia). An ongoing affair with Hydrangea included the introduction of H. serrata Mountain Mania, which earned a spot at the much-admired Chanticleer Garden in Pennsylvania.
The goal, always, is better garden plants — plants that work in the landscape.
“We think of ourselves as gardeners, not nursery people,” Ms. Johnston said.
“We are both unrepentant ornamentalists,” Mr. Bowen concurred. “It’s hard to talk about plants as abstractions, as they are always located somewhere. For us, it’s in a garden.”
Including one just down the road, John Gwynne and Mikel Folcarelli’s Sakonnet, which is open for visiting by appointment. It has been one of Mr. Bowen’s main testing grounds for decades, and he is grateful.
Foliage, too, captures the couple’s attention, including a collectible of recent years, Syneilesis, or umbrella plant, a favorite for dry shade. Maybe a decade has passed since Mr. Bowen crossed two Asian species — Syneilesis aconitifolia and palmata — “so long ago that I don’t even recall what my motivation was.” Now, from among the resulting seedling generations, ever more refined versions grace Issima’s online catalog, including the new Tilt a Whirl.
Another favorite is the Asian species Podophyllum, the mayapples, which Mr. Bowen described as “very much a zeitgeist plant.” His particular fascination, always pursuing the difference: to work with those like Podophyllum versipelle from China, which, unlike our native P. peltatum, doesn’t go dormant in summer.
