Native plant information and updates.
An unusual native plant, Vancouveria hexandra, the inside-out flower, has a fascinating bloom. It’s inside-out, opposite, turned around and backwards. Nature has played a curious trick. Instead of blooming away from the stem, it appears to bloom towards the stem. Another common name for this plant is duck’s foot, after the three-lobed leaves. This deciduous perennial grows in moist or dry locations, but prefers the … Continue reading Inside-out Flower
What makes a fir a fir? Fir the birds? Fir everything there is a season? Fir whom the bell tolls? Fir ever and a day? This tree has been around fir ever. The genus Abies, which is Latin for Silver Fir, is the group that contains the true firs. Many of them are native to the Pacific Northwest and are hardy, evergreen trees. The … Continue reading The Fir Trees
Plants growing on other plants. If you could get closer to your source of energy, why not? The Licorice Fern, or Polypodium glycyrrhiza, is a small to medium sized evergreen fern, native to the Pacific Northwest. It grows on wet mossy ground, logs and rocks, but is commonly found growing on the bigleaf maple. Named for the licorice-flavored rhizome, it was used medicinally by Native Americans … Continue reading Excuse me, but your epiphytes are showing….
I make my way through this cold November gloom. Days of darkness with only nine hours of daylight this month. Wistfully I remember beautiful, bright June with sixteen hours of sunlight. Seven extra hours of symbiosis with nature. Life was lengthened, twinkling. Now though it’s bleak. Cold and wet with colors of detritus: brown, slate gray, sepia and beige. But the fortunate turn of events … Continue reading Thanksgiving Plants
A shrub for all seasons. A native of the Pacific Northwest. A plant with an edible berry. A landscape addition with leaves of green all year long. This is Vaccinium ovatum or the evergreen huckleberry. Included in this beloved group Vaccinium is the blueberry, red huckleberry and cranberry. This shrub will enhance any garden. It can reach 2-3 feet in sun and 8-10 feet in … Continue reading Evergreen Huckleberry
Rainyleaf 