I have to give a plug to local nursery Plant Delights. They're located southeast of Raleigh, about an hour's drive for us. Their business is mostly by catalog, and four times a year they do an open house at the nursery. They specialize in unusual perennial and have all kinds of plants I've never seen anyplace else. Their prices are quite high and to be honest, we only buy really special things from them. (Which is most of their stock, unfortunately for our wallets.) But even if we don't buy anything, we love going to the open house to see their gardens and get ideas.
The owner has a wry sense of humor and the catalog is always worth reading. Here's the description of a new offering, Giant gunnera (Gunnera manicata):
You've seen it in all the English gardening books, you've seen it featured in landscape design magazines, and now you can kill one of your own. When properly grown, G. manicata can reach 10' tall with an equal spread. The giant thick leaves double as an umbrella for the entire family. Remember killing gunnera at least three times is an official right of passage before you qualify as a true plant nerd. This holy grail of plant nuts everywhere needs a cool moist site to survive, and will not tolerate more than 40 summer days with temperatures above 90 degrees F. Keep in mind it hates heat and extreme cold. Personally, if you don't live on the West Coast, eastern mountains, or similar climates, there is virtually no chance you can grow this. Best of luck! Pot size: 2 qt.
Hee! This reminds me of my favorite beading website/catalog, South Pacific Wholesale. A sample: "Donuts are passe now. Once they were not. Fortunately, I stocked up on them during the craze." He's even got the Official Seal of Poor Quality, meaning "I got a fantastic deal on this stuff and I'll give you one too, but it comes as-is with no warranty."