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All Shades of Green—-A Plant Perspective

Category Archives: Trees


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Little Known Edible and Useful Plants for the Northwest

This week I attended the Focus on Farming Conference in Snohomish County as a volunteer with the Washington State Nursery and Landscape Association.  I was lucky enough to hear a talk by Dave Boehnlein of Terra Phoenix Design.  His concept of permaculture was easy to understand.  To create systems and landscapes that provide things other than aesthetics.  He suggested some new plants  for this permaculture approach.  His idea is to to help people meet their own needs and create an integrated garden design.  Dave is a great speaker and shared his enthusiasm and new ideas with us.  Here is his list of Functional Plants for the Pacific Northwest. You might find a new favorite on his list!

1.  Cork Oak (Quercus suber)  From Portugal, Mediterranean.  Used for cork production.  Tough plant, can take poor soils and dry conditions.  Evergreen.

2. White Mulberry (Morus alba)  A permaculture all-star plant.  Produces fruit July through September.   Chickens can forage underneath.  Leaves are high in protein and a fodder crop for sheep and cattle.  When leaves are young and tender they are edible to humans as well.  Silk worms only eat mulberry leaves.

3. Saffron Crocus (Crocus sativas)  Can take poor soils.  Is the most expensive spice on earth.  It takes 30,000 plants to make one pound of spice.  Beautiful and useful.

4. White Currant (Ribes glandulosum) Birds will eat the red and black currants, but don’t see or eat the white.  This plant can grow and produce in the understory, in part shade.

5. Monkey Puzzle Tree (Araucaria araucana) From Chile, well-adapted to the Northwest.  Spectacular nut tree as well as timber tree. The nuts were the staff of life for the indigenous people.  Need male and female trees to produce nuts.  Nuts sell for $60/lb.

6. Fuki (Petasites japonicus) From Japan, shade tolerant and likes wet soil.  Huge leaves make a big statement in the landscape.  Can harvest stalks when tender for a food crop.

7.  Italian Stone Pine (Pinus pinea) This is the pine that produces pine nuts.  It needs good drainage and is a tough plant.

8. Chinese Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) A hardy palm for the Northwest.  Because of the dissimilarity to our native plants it is a dynamic nutrient accumulator, drawing up micronutrients from the soil.  Used for fiber, building (roofs) and the flower stalks are edible.

9. Bladder Senna (Colutea arborescens) A nitrogen fixing shrub.  Reaches 9-10 ft. tall.  Orange/yellow flowers with pink seed pods.  Easy to manage, doesn’t spread prolifically.  No thorns.

10. Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) From the East Coast of the United States, aesthetic value, up to 6 ft. tall.  Fiddlehead fronds are edible.

11. Amole or Soap root  (Chlorogalum pomeridianum)  From California, tubers used for soap. Perennial, flower, resilient.

12. Oca (Oxalis tuberosa) Tuber forming, like potato.  A lost crop of the Incas.  Also a weed barrier.

13. Goumi (Eleagnus multiflora) From Japan7-8 ft. Beautiful bronzy new growth and stems.  Little berries high in lycopene.  Thorny, self-fertile.

14. Pineapple Broom (Cytisus battandieri) Nitrogen fixer, up to 12 ft. tall, clusters of yellow flowers with a pineapple scent.

15. Yuzu Citrus (Citrus ichangensis) From Japan, the most hardy of the citrus.  Like lime or lemon.  Needs good drainage, protection.

16. New Zealand Flax (Phormium) Fiber plant of the Maori people, use for plant ties.

17. Ground Nut (Apios americana) Nitrogen fixing vine, produces edible tubers, has nice flowers.

18. Sweet Birch (Betula lenta) Has a high sugar content, tastes like wintergreen.  Can be used for birch syrup or drinks.

19. Udo (Aralia cordata) From Japan.  Perennial to 6 ft. tall.  Harvest shoots when they are 6-8 inches,  like asparagus. An understory plant.

20. Azarole (Crataegus azarolus) As well as other Crataegus.  Drought tolerant, can take winter wet.  Has juicy, sweet fruit.  Ornamental and production!

For further information he listed a few resources:

Plants for a Future (pfaf.org)

Perennial Vegetables by Eric Toensmeier

Edible Forest Gardens by Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier

Creating a Forest Garden by Martin Crawford

Dave Boehnlein


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Cryptomeria japonica ‘Sekkan Sugi’

Young Sekkan Sugi

If you saw this scrawny little Japanese Cedar at the nursery, you probably wouldn’t look again.  It’s top-heavy, oddly shaped and strange.  Not the perfectly symmetrical conifer that most people are looking for.  But if you waited a few years you would be in for a real treat, for this ugly duckling will  transform into a swan!  A graceful and full Japanese Cedar with a beautiful dusting of brightness on the tips that is makes it a magnificent focal point in the garden.  The first time I saw the tree pictured below I was immediately drawn to it.  I ran my hand over the course foliage, I admired the knobby cones scattered throughout the tree and I just had to stop and stare at the colors that seemed to rain down upon the tree.  A creamy white was dripping off all the branches.  So pretty!  Once I learned the name of this Japanese Cedar, Cryptomeria japonica Sekkan Sugi, I began to learn more about it and to look for it in the landscape.  Alas, this variety is not as common as a Emerald Green Arborvitae or Leyland Cypress, but it does show off it’s royal branches in the occasional yard.

Just the Facts

Cryptomeria japonica ‘Sekkan Sugi’   Sekkan Sugi Japanese Cedar
Height 20ft (6m) in ten years  Vigourous grower
Evergreen    Pyramidal Shape
Needles bronzy purple in cold weather
Moist, well-drained acid soil
Full Sun to part shade
Reddish-brown attractive bark

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Mature Sekkan Sugi

This flock of birds was chattering and flying through Sammamish when I happened to spot them on a fountain as they stopped for a drink.  I think they are Red Crossbills.  They were so cute!

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A Flock of Red Crossbills


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Big Leaf Maple

Big and Beautiful

The Big leaf Maple of the Pacific Northwest has an impressive leaf size.  I always notice them in the fall when they are strewn on the ground after a storm.  They are big!  Big enough to provide layers of mulch for the year and subsequently provide big headaches to the person holding the rake.  Too bad they don’t fall in the summer, we could use them as beach blankets.  We could also enjoy them in winter and sled down the snowy slopes on them.  In spring we could shelter from the rain under their expanse.  This tree is a garden unto itself as it often hosts mosses, lichens and ferns.  It’s quite a sight to see the moss covered trees of the Hoh Rainforest, with their odd shadowy shapes, dripping with soft, wet moss.  It’s also fun to spot the licorice fern growing on the branches, sprouting well above ground level. This tree is native to the Pacific Northwest and grows at low to middle elevations to over 100 feet (35 m).  Lucky Canadians who have this beautiful leaf on their flag!

Canadian Flag

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Maple Meets My Foot

Moss covered Maples Olympic National Park


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The Sourwood Tree

There are more than Maples out there.  More than Magnolias and Dogwood trees. Believe it or not, more than Flowering Cherries!  Most people go tree shopping and they are headed to find one of these four common trees in the Pacific Northwest.  Every once in a while they search out something special from their past.  They say things like ‘when I was young we had the most beautiful tulip tree, where I come from we make tea from the Linden tree, or as a child I had so much fun climbing a willow tree’.   Many people have a certain tree that holds a place in their hearts.  A tree associated with good memories, good places and good people. Sometimes they look for these memorable specimens, but usually they want what everyone else has.  A mundane maple or a  familiar Flowering Cherry.  These trees are remarkable, but so are hundreds of others that can grow in our climate.   One of these  is the Sourwood or Sorrel Tree.  It’s showtime now for Oxydendrum arboreum with it’s blazing crimson red color. This tree is native to the Southeastern United States and is in the Ericaceae family, growing well with it’s family members the Heathers, Heaths, Azaleas and Rhododendrons. All of these plants share a preference for acidic soils which is the reason they grow so well in the Pacific Northwest.  The common name comes from a sour flavor which is produced when the leaves are chewed.  It can help alleviate a dry mouth. The white flowers that bloom in summer are reminiscent of lily-of-the-valley and form panicles that are 4-8 inches long.  These flowers ripen to silver-gray capsules which will persist into the winter.  Another great tree that will fill out any landscape!

Just the Facts
Oxydendrum arboreum,  Sourwood Tree
Grows in Zones 5-9, Deciduous
Slow growth rate to 30 feet (9 m) in cultivation, greater in the wild.
Fragrant white blooms in July in elongated clusters
Excellent fall color
Full sun to partial shade

Sourwood Tree

Oxydendrum arboreum


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Halloween Tree

Which is the spookiest plant in the neighborhood?  The Contorted Filbert, of course!  Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’  is a twisty and fascinating plant.  It’s also referred to as Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick.  A quick Google search for Harry Lauder reveals that he was a famous international Scottish entertainer  and often performed with a twisted walking stick.  A few branches from this amazing tree will provide a great Halloween Craft for kids.  At our activity at the nursery we put ghosts, spiders and bats for decorations, but it would also be spooky with mini pumpkins or Halloween lights.  Trick or treat? I think it’s definitely a treat!  Happy Halloween!

The Famous Walking Stick


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Stop and Look! We’re Almost Gone….

Burning Bush
Sourwood Tree
Persian Ironwood and Ginkgo Tree
Oak Tree
Beautyberry
Fern Leaf Full Moon Japanese Maple
Fothergilla gardenii

Now that the wind and rain have arrived, the leaves are falling fast.  Those vivid reds, golden yellows and pumpkin oranges are lighting up the landscape.  Thank goodness for deciduous plants, they are the stars of the autumn show.  Each day they show off a slightly different color, almost chameleon-like, but instead of blending in they do the opposite.  They stand out.  They turn up the lights and plug into nature’s electricity.  They glow brighter and brighter until one day, boom!  It’s all over and they drift away, leaving only a memory behind.  Here are some of the gorgeous colors that stand out at the nursery right now.


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Shhhhhhhishigashira

This tree has a name that slides off the tongue.  Shishigashira, shhhhhhishigashira, shishhhhhhhhigashira, shishigasssssshhira, any way you say it, it’s  fun.  Especially fast, shishigashira.  I wonder how to type a word that represents very quick speech.  Slow speech is easy, lotttttssssss of lettttttttersssssssss.  Fast speech?  Shishigashira?  No, bold doesn’t work, it’s too blocky and solid, not fast.  Shishigashira, in italics is starting to get faster.  I want to type in really small font, but can’t seem to do it on WordPress.  So I settle with shishigashira in red italics, because italics seem slippery and red is the color of a fast car.  Yes, it’s a good name and worth repeating out loud!   

Shishigashira means ‘Lions Head’ and is a variety of Acer palmatum or Japanese Maple.  This tree is all about shape and form.  The tight leaves are held in clumps and are curly and crinkled next to the branches and stems.  The whole effect is not soft and flowing, but rather of distinct shapes and spaces.  This tree gives structure to the garden.  It grows to a modest height of 12-15 feet tall in zones 5-8 and is well known for it’s fiery fall color.  Here are the trees which sparked my interest.  I was walking past Sammamish city hall after our last farmers market of the season and noticed this row of five Shishigashiras.  They were giving off that feeling that often comes from this special tree…”I’m a Japanese Maple, love me!”  I do love them, and also admired how each one was different in growth and pattern as they stood in a row.  Do you have a favorite Japanese Maple?

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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


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The Redbud Tree

This beautiful tree showed up at the nursery and didn’t stay long.  Forest Pansy Redbud has colorful purple leaves that emerge in spring, fading to green as summer goes on.  The heart-shaped leaves would be enough to sell this plant, but the bright pink flowers that grow directly from the stems and trunk make this plant quite amazing.  Cercis canadensis is the Redbud tree native to the Eastern United States and grows 20-30 feet (6-9 m) high and 25-35 feet (7.5-10.5 m) wide in zones 4-9.  It flowers in spring before leaves occur, as shown in the photos below of the Mediterranean Redbud or Cercis siliquastrum.  The redbud is adaptable to many soil types and grows in full sun to part shade, but can suffer greatly from excess stress.  Reports say that the wood can be brittle and prone to break in wet/windy/snowy weather.  Forest Pansy, quite irresistible!

Curvy Color

Redbud Blossoms in May

Judas Tree at the Washington Park Arboretum

Judas Tree or Mediterranean Redbud


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Umbrella Pine Tree

I love this tree. It’s unlike any other tree that I know. Rarity lends it interest. The name gives it importance. Sciadopitys verticillata, doesn’t it just roll off the tongue?   Skiados is Greek for umbel and pitys means fir tree. Verticillata means whorled.  A perfect description for the Japanese Umbrella Tree.  I want to be in that upper tower of the horticultural library where plants are named.  It would be fun to have the opportunity to name a plant and I like to imagine it happens in a botanical castle far, far away.  In reality plant naming probably occurs in a very ordinary room lit by the soft glow of a computer.   Japanese Umbrella Pine is well-named.  A beautiful plant, it can be hard to find and expensive, but worth every penny.

Umbrella Pine (Monkey Puzzle tree looking over it’s shoulder!)

Slow growing Umbrella Pine fills a container as a summer companion and adds winter interest.

Beautiful whorled foliage

Young Umbrella Pine

Umbrella Pine at the Nursery

Just The Facts
Sciadopitys verticillata    Japanese Umbrella Pine
Height 25-40 ft (8-12m)
Ten Year Height 5-7 ft. (1.5-2m) Very slow growing
Width 15-20 ft
Evergreen, coniferous, long-lived
Rich, moist, acidic soil with full sun
2-4 inch long cones
Needles persist three years

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