Acer circinatum (vine maple)		Cornus kousa (dogwood)
Arbutus unedo (strawberry tree)		Drimys lanceolata (Tasmanian pepper bush)
Ribes sanguineum (flowering currant)		Vaccinium ovatum (evergreen huckleberry)
Rhododendron impeditum		Daphne odora 'Marginata'
Heuchera americana 'Chocolate Ruffles'		Euphorbia charachias subsp. wulfenii

It can be a tortuous task to name a mere 10 indispensables when the only criterion is that the plants be available in nurseries. It depends so much on season and current passion, let alone the challenges inherent in paring down the world of plants to a short list. But Keith Geller, landscape architect and wild bird enthusiast, easily came up with a list of the plants that have performed best over the years in his shady, urban garden. Interestingly, there was no overlap at all with Steve Antonow's list from last summer, and only one plant in common with Linda Cochran's favorites. I take it this means we have a satisfyingly large number of plants to choose from here in the Northwest.

Geller's selections are dependable, multi-season performers he has found so useful he plants them in several locations in his small woodland garden. Many are drought-tolerant Northwest natives that provide food, nesting and shelter for wildlife. These are distinctly less flamboyant plants than those on earlier lists, possessing the virtues of subtle beauty, easy care and shade tolerance.

Acer circinatum is the botanical name of the native vine maple, which Geller appreciates for its small scale, fall color and spreading, open growth pattern. He plants multi-trunked vine maples close to his house to provide scale and a scrim for viewing the garden from indoors.

Cornus kousa is a delicate dogwood with white flowers that turn pink with age, a pleasing horizontal, layered growth habit and vivid fruits in autumn. It is disease-free, with leaves cunningly shaped to collect rainwater, creating little bathtubs for bushtits.

Arbutus unedo is called the strawberry tree for its round red fruits that appear at the same time as the clusters of little white flowers in fall and winter. A handsome broadleaf evergreen, it has red-brown shredding bark reminiscent of a madrone's and is drought-tolerant and slow-growing.

Drimys lanceolata, with the livelier common name of Tasmanian pepper bush, has red stems and lustrous deep-green leaves. It tops out at a convenient 6 feet, with a layered pattern of growth similar to the more familiar enkianthus.

Ribes sanguineum is our native flowering currant, whose vivid pink flowers offer up nectar for the earliest hummingbirds. 'Icicle' is a form with bright white flowers that are very showy in the late winter landscape.

The lower layer of Geller's garden is filled with native and native-like plants in varying shades of green, accented by purple and maroon foliage. Among the plants he most appreciates for adding these dark notes is Heuchera americana 'Chocolate Ruffles,' whose scalloped leaves are a rich dark brown with undersides of brighter maroon. Its foliage looks good all winter, and in summer it sports purple flowers atop purple spikes that rise above the leaves.

Euphorbia charachias subsp. wulfenii is the only plant on Geller's list that overlaps with the picks of the other gardeners queried (Cochran specified the cultivar 'John Tomlinson'). Both love its bizarre, huge-headed form as well as its exotic chartreuse bloom atop blue-green leaves and stem. Plus, this euphorbia is drought-tolerant, evergreen and expansive: A mature clump fills up 6 feet of garden space.

The last three plants on Geller's list are evergreen shrubs with very different virtues. Rhododendron impeditum is compact at 18 to 24 inches high, making it a fine front-of-the-border plant, with glacous new leaves and small violet flowers. The winter daphne makes the cut mainly for the sweetly intense perfume wafted about the winter garden from its reddish-purple flowers, which persist for most of February and March. Along with fragrance, Daphne odora 'Marginata' has cream-trimmed glossy leaves and a low, rounded shape that contributes to the landscape year-round. And it is hard to imagine a Northwest garden without the native evergreen huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum). This handsome shrub thrives in sun or shade (staying at about 3 feet in the sun, growing to more than twice that height in the shade), has lustrous foliage year-round ideal for flower arranging, and is decorated with white or pinkish flowers followed by blue-black berries.

Valerie Easton is a horticultural librarian and writes about plants and gardens for Pacific Northwest magazine. She is the co-author of "Artists in Their Gardens" from Sasquatch Books. Her e-mail address is vjeaston@aol.com. Julie Notarianni is a Seattle Times news artist.