Western Serviceberry, also known as Saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia), is a widespread shrub or small tree that’s found in almost every county in the Pacific Northwest. It blooms in April and early May, depending on elevation and temperature. As I write this on April 29 it’s in bloom right now on both sides of the mountains in Washington and Oregon. Continue Reading »
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 »
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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It’s not often that the Latin name of a plant tells us how tasty it is to eat. This month’s plant, Vaccinium deliciosum, has a name that does just that. Vaccinium is the genus for all the west coast blueberries and huckleberries. The species epithet, deliciosum, tells us that it has delicious berries. Continue Reading »
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 »
What looks like an oak, has acorns like an oak, but isn’t an oak? That would be tanoak, Lithocarpus densiflorus, a west coast native. This evergreen tree is also known as tanbark-oak. It has flowers like a chestnut but forms acorns rather than having its nuts enclosed by a spiny bur. Both Lithocarpus and Quercus are in the Beech family, the Fagaceae. 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 »
Fall is a favorite time of year to enjoy the outdoors. These photos were made October 23-25 around Leavenworth, Washington while I was in the area for the Professional Photographers of Washington Fall Conference. 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 »