Among the first small trees or large shrubs to bloom in western Washington, Oregon, northern California, and British Columbia are the hazelnuts, Corylus avellana (common filbert or European hazelnut) and Corylus cornuta (beaked hazelnut). To the untrained eye these two can be difficult to distinguish. Continue Reading »
One of the joys of a winter garden in the Pacific Northwest is fragrant shrubs. We planted a Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’ in our front garden many years ago. This vase-shaped shrub begins blooming for us around the first of December and carries through until March.
‘Dawn’ was selected as one of the Great Plant Picks
Thick, leathery, glossy, evergreen foliage makes salal (Gaultheria shallon) desirable both in the garden and in the florist’s palette. This time of year you won’t find either flowers or fruit on salal — those will come in the warm months — but the foliage provides a comforting green layer at the edge of woodlands. Salal is particularly common along the Pacific coast from southeast Alaska all the way down to Santa Barbara county, California. It also grows up into the middle elevations of the Cascade and Coast Ranges. Continue Reading »
Oregon-grapes are among our wonderful broadleaf evergreen shrubs here in the Pacific Northwest. There are several species but the two most common natives are Berberis aquifolium, tall (or shining) Oregon-grape, and Berberis nervosa, low (or dull) Oregon-grape. There are also numerous horticultural cultivars, some of which will begin blooming in late December.
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Autumn doesn’t come immediately to mind when I think of roses. Since my childhood, roses have been associated with warm summer days, with colorful blossoms emitting rich fragrances that waft across the garden on gentle breezes. We stop in the rose garden and inhale deeply of the heady aroma. Continue Reading »
December and January are dark, cool, and wet in Pacific Northwest lowlands while the high country is buried under a thick blanket of snow. It’s sometimes challenging to bring high-elevation plants down to lowland gardens but Mountain Hemlock, Tsuga mertensiaia, is an exception. Continue Reading »
This time of year homes and gardens sparkle with millions of shining lights. Maybe you go all-out decorating your home. Perhaps you make an annual pilgrimage to a favorite public holiday light display. Either way, here are nine tips and tricks for getting great photos of the lights. Continue Reading »
Small maples, and in particular Japanese maples, are wildly popular plants in northwest gardens. There’s an almost endless variety of foliage shape and color. They provide year-round interest with intricate winter structure, soft hues of unfurling foliage in early spring accompanied by delicate flowers, rustling leaves in summer’s breezes, and brilliant autumn color.
Our native westside vine maple, Acer circinatum, also makes a good garden specimen and shares many of the desirable characteristics of its cousins from across the Pacific. Continue Reading »
Ornamental grasses come into their glory each autumn, shimmering in the golden rays of afternoon light, swaying in the gentlest breezes, and lending a strong vertical backdrop to soft drifts of colorful asters and sedums. One of the first tall grasses to bloom is ‘Karl Foerster’ Feather Reed Grass, Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’.
This standout grass, which was the 2001 Perennial Plant of the Year, forms gradually expanding clumps 3-4 feet tall. It tolerates a wide range of conditions from zones 3 to 9 and is happiest in full sun, in moist to wet fertile soil. It thrives in clay soil, but will grow in dry sandy soils as well. It has no serious pest nor disease problems. I’ve never seen it become invasive and the seeds are sterile so it won’t self-seed. That’s important because out-of-control grasses can quickly take over.
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The annual feast of glorious gardens, fantastic friends, dynamic dancing, chatty coach rides, and enlightened discourse known as the Garden Writers Association Annual Symposium anticipates some Texas hospitality in Dallas September 10-14. I’ll be there, along with some 600 friends from across the continent who also write, photograph, or speak about gardens and gardening.
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