The Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit in Seattle is beautiful and rare. The colors, the delicate lines and the immense size of some sculptures captivated me from the beginning. Dale Chihuly is a Northwest native and has created pieces of art on display worldwide. I especially liked the outdoor garden, with the complementary plantings and design. It showcased creative pairings of sculptures and plants. Who would have thought to put the lowly pansy, so common, next to a highly prized Chihuly glass sculpture? The colors of the plants created a harmonious effect next to the glass, so similar, yet so different. An unforgettable experience, I encourage everyone to go!
Category Archives: Field Trips
Poinsettias
I always enjoy visiting Molbak’s Nursery in Woodinville, and over the holidays the poinsettia display was exceptional. Who would have guessed that the first United States ambassador to Mexico would bring back this lovely plant in 1828? None other than Joel Roberts Poinsett, who brought cuttings back to his greenhouse in South Carolina. I really liked these displays, especially the pairings with other plants. So many plants, so little time!
Mumsettia
Tiny Poinsettias
With Heather
Curly
With Hydrangea
With Hydrangea
Poinsettia ‘tree’
Pruning Class With Plant Amnesty
Pruning Class in Seattle
This weekend I attended a hands-on pruning workshop sponsored by Plant Amnesty. It was great! We met at a community park/garden in Seattle and there was so much to do! Overgrown shrubs, trees where they didn’t belong, weeds and perennials and invasives, we had it all. At first it was completely overwhelming, but by the end of the day it was amazing what thirty people could do. We swept through, clearing, pruning, removing, and considering each plant. We had eight teachers, each with expertise in different horticultural fields, so there was a lot of knowledge and information available throughout the day. It was invaluable always having someone just around the next shrub with suggestions of what and how to prune. I learned a lot! I was excited to have my first pruning cut demonstrated to me by Cass Turnbull who wrote the book on pruning (Literally, she wrote a great book Guide to Pruning, which I refer to all the time!)
Plant Amnesty of Seattle is an organization that provides educational materials, classes and public service. It’s mission statement: To end the senseless torture and mutilation of trees and shrubs. It sounds funny, but their goals are entirely worthy of respect. It’s a good organization, I just joined!
- alert and educate the public
- encourage proper pruning techniques
- improve landscape management practices
- promote awareness and respect for plants
- volunteer in our communities
- provide a free referral/reference service
Bradner Gardens Park is a beautiful spot (especially now that it’s properly pruned!) in Seattle. This exceptional garden was created by a partnership between gardeners from the Pea-Patch, King County Master Gardners, Seattle Tilth and Washington Native Plant Society. I saw a Seven Sons tree there, for the first time, and lots of other interesting plants that were well beyond the ever-present rhododendron. The tools of choice for the intrepid pruner are a good pair of hand pruners like my well-used felcos below, loppers and a pruning saw. We accomplished almost everything with this trusty trio.
My baby…My Felco Pruners!
Dr. Peter Raven Lecture—Conservation and Biodiversity
Dr. Peter Raven
This week I attended the Miller Memorial Lecture by the esteemed botanist and conservationist Dr. Peter Raven, President emeritus of the Missouri Botanical Garden. I was captivated from the beginning to the end. Held on the University of Washington campus, the lecture lasted just over an hour. The title was ‘Conserving Plants in a Changing World’, but this dialogue was less about plants and more about our changing world. I was expecting more plant information, like when he spoke about the changes in plant growth in Missouri over the last several decades due to global warming. Hibiscus that used to die back, are now growing into trees, etc… Nevertheless, I was fascinated with his well-spoken words and profound message: The world is changing and we need to do something to slow down the negative impact our species is having on the environment.
He said that the inequalities between the western world and less developed countries are serious. He showed a photograph that I’ll never forget. A typical family, like you would find in America or Europe, and how much food they eat in a week. It was all spread out on a table and benches, filled with fruits, vegetables, breads, meats, cheeses, pizza….an abundance. Then he showed a picture of an African family and the food they consume in a week. A few sacks filled with grain, some fruits and vegetables. It wasn’t much, it was surprisingly little. The disparity between the two families was startling. It was a stark reminder of how much I use, how much I take and how much I think I need. Suddenly I didn’t feel like complaining about my small house and lack of resources. They suddenly seemed plentiful. Here are the images from the book The Hungry Planet.
Family in Chad, Food expenditure for one week $1.83
Family in Germany, Food expenditures for one week $500.07
Ecological Footprint
He stated that of all the living species on the earth, humans use 45% of the photosynthetic productivity and 55% of the fresh water. He joked that if one species would disappear (ours) extinction wouldn’t be so much of a problem! He discussed our ecological footprint, or the measure of humanity’s demand on nature. Our current footprint is over the earths bio-capacity, or we are using four times as much productivity as the earth has to offer. One site he referenced with further information is footprintnetwork.org whose opening page states, Do we fit on our planet?
Dr. Raven spoke about our dependence on biodiversity. All of our food and many of our medicines come from plants, yet in the United States 90% of our food comes from only 103 kinds of plants. There are many others that are not being utilized or haven’t yet been discovered. He stated that every species matters. Two thirds of the people in this world use plants for medicine. Willow was developed into aspirin, warfarin was first isolated from moldy sweet clover and is used as a blood thinner. But as we all know, besides helping us survive, plants also offer us simple beauty and spiritual refreshment. We need them!
Why are so many species disappearing so fast? Habitat loss, spread of invasives, hunting and gathering, global warming and deforestation, to name a few. Many of these have consequences that we never imagined, like droughts and wildfires from global warming and destruction of our forests from pests such as the emerald ash borer. The emerald ash borer is an invasive pest from asia which has killed between 50 and 100 million trees in North America since it’s accidental introduction only twenty years ago. He said that our nation has allowed science to become political, such as the discussion over global warming. Science simply presents the facts and tells what is happening.
Dr. Raven disclosed that there are 375,000 plant species named and 75,000 awaiting discovery. I’m not sure how scientists came up with that number, but I believe it. There are many living things in this world still undiscovered, terrestrial and in the oceans. To help preserve biodiversity and save plants there are many things that we can do.
- Set aside natural areas as reserves, especially those with altitude changes.
- Go out in the field and learn more.
- Preserve endangered botanical species. Traditionally we would grow plants and put them out in nature. Now seed banks are becoming popular because of climate change. Seattle has the Miller seed vault.
- Conserve energy and consume less.
- Teach children about the wonder of nature and biodiversity.
- Limit global warming.
- Use alternative energy.
Even though I have heard this message before, Dr. Raven spoke with such intelligence and passion that I look at the world differently now. I’m ready to pick a few of the suggestions above and make a few changes in my life. Which ones will you pick? He closed with this quote:
The world provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed. —Ghandi
Fireweed in Alaska
Native Plants at Franklin Falls
Bunchberry
Bunchberry
Franklin Falls Hike
Franklin Falls
Snoqualmie River South Fork
Foamflower
Twinflower
Blueberry or Huckleberry
Devil’s Club
Deer Fern
Skunk Cabbage
Indian or False Hellebore
An early morning hike to Franklin Falls in the Cascade Mountains presented a beautiful assortment of northwest native plants. The dwarf dogwood, or bunchberry, carpeted the sides of the trail with it’s petite presence, like a bright little star lighting the way. When I saw the false hellebore I was astonished at it’s size, growing 3-4 feet off the forest floor. I was not familiar with this plant and was even more astonished to find out that it is one of the most violently poisonous plants on the Northwest Coast. Good to know and remember! I saw lots of the native Tiarella and Vaccinium, although I’m not sure which species of blueberry/huckleberry it was. The Twin flower was a pleasant surprise. It was just a small patch that I happened to glance on the side of the trail. I wish I had lingered longer because I missed out on its sweet scent. The Twin Flower was supposedly the favorite of Linnaeus, the famous taxonomist, and was named after him.
Franklin Falls is near Snoqualmie Pass on the South fork of the Snoqualmie River. The falls consist of three tiers totaling 135 feet. The final 70 foot drop is what we saw at the end of the trail, quite spectacular and misty wet. The rocks were sharp and the air vibrated with the pounding water, quite a change from the tranquil forest. The hike is only two miles round trip on a well kept trail with terrific views of the river. And a great place to see native plants!
Woodland Park Rose Garden
A quick trip to Seattle’s Woodland Park Rose garden showed that the June gloom was not beneficial to organically grown roses in 2012. There were fungal diseases and sparse foliage on display. Valiantly the roses showed their colors, still a delight even in their struggle against time and weather. One exception to the insufficient shrubs was the new introduction Sunshine Daydream. Leaves glossy, green, full, lush and plentiful. Flowers bright yellow. I’ve also watched it over the season at the nursery, and it stands out there as well. It appears very strong and disease resistant. Gold medal to Sunshine Daydream for the top rose of July!
Daydream Shrub Rose
Scentimental Floribunda
Ballerina Hybrid Musk
Dynasty Hybrid Tea Rose
Caribbean Grandiflora
Tournament of Roses Grandiflora
Princess de Monaco Hybrid Tea
Sunshine Daydream Grandiflora
Sunshine Daydream Grandiflora
Melody Parfumee Grandiflora
Strike it Rich Rose
Summer Fashion Floribunda
Miss All American Beauty Hybrid Tea
Opening Night Hybrid Tea
The Fairy
Woodland Park Rose Garden, Seattle Washington
Entryway into the Rose Garden
Seafoam Landscape Rose
Seaside Salal
I’m a Star!
This is the story of a plant, unnoticed yet everpresent. Planted not for show, but for usefulness. It grows in my own backyard, it grows in the Olympic National Park and it grows in the Pacific Ocean! Yes, I found it growing on a rock on the Washington Coast. What a surprise when we were on the beach, looking at tidepools filled with fascinating invertebrates, to suddenly lift our eyes and witness Salal covering a large beach rock. Gaultheria shallon. Just saying it sounds like the sea, like a wave. Shallon is a whoosh and a whisper. Salal can grow and cover land like a tidal wave, persistent and secure with it’s place in the world. A very successful Northwest evergreen shrub!
Salal Coming in With the Tide
- Salal By the Sea
- Shallon, Shifting between Forest and Ocean
Olympic National Park
Here are some images from our rainy walk through this beautiful place, the Olympic National Park. The forest was alive, glowing green. Every tiny square inch had something growing on it. Mosses, lichens, ferns, huckleberries, salal, sitka spruce, maples and more. How does this area produce such a spectacular forest? Here is the recipe, from the National Park Service:
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Manzanita on Little Si
Hairy Manzanita
My daughter and I just returned from an invigorating early morning hike to Little Si. What did we see at the top? Manzanita, squirrels and fog. It was nice.
Natural Design
I love the flowing shapes of nature. The lines that speak of movement and energy and the simple, elegant designs. We build squares, but nature creates spirals and waves, like clear water flowing or warm winds blowing. I recently read some interesting words about natural patterns. From the book Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemenway:
“Anyone who has spent time looking at nature has noticed that certain patterns—spirals, waves, branches, circles—seem omnipresent and repeat at many scales. A branching pattern shows up in the convergence of streams and rivers visible out a jet window, in the graceful arch of a tree overhead and in its roots beneath us, and in tendrils of a tiny moss. Spirals appear in galaxies spanning thousands of light years and in the head of a daisy. We can see wave patterns in colliding weather fronts and at the beach, both in massive sea swells and in delicate sand ripples.
In all of these cases, matter and energy are being directed into an efficient form for supporting what is needed to happen. Branching patterns are ideal for collecting and distributing energy and materials; hence trees use them to gather sunlight and disperse water and nutrients. Waves and ripples allow two flowing bodies to move past each other with minimal turbulence. Each time we see a pattern such as these, it is nature’s way of solving a design challenge—of moving, collecting, harvesting, or dispersing matter and energy in a marvelously simple and effective way.” Hemenway goes on to discuss how these patterns can create a more efficient and richer garden design (Full book review forthcoming!)
Here are some images from the Olympic National Park and the Pacific Coast of these beautiful natural patterns.
