Oemlaria cerasiformis 2/27/2013
Fresh green leaves in February? Crush a leaf, take a quick whiff, smell the cucumber smell and it’s confirmed – the Indian plum has leafed out, already. Read more »
native plants
PLANT UPDATE – Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, kinnikinnick
Kinnikinnick has played a role in several posts, Low Maintenance Plants Disguise a Wall in Greenlake, Keystone Ave N Groundcover Walk and Oh Dear, Galls on the Kinnikinnick. Here’s a healthy, gall-free plant with its cheery red berries.
May – Arbutus menziesii, madrone – beautiful but difficult in garden situations
Madrone branch, Sooke, Vancouver Island
With bark like this, who needs anything more?
Okay, madrones can be finicky, hard to get started, unhappy if they get watered, and prone to various diseases but when they are in a good spot (usually one they choose themselves) what beauties! When I first moved to the PNW and saw a group of madrones growing on a bluff I was flabbergasted – I didn’t know bark like that existed. Read more »
April – Ribes sanguineum – a luscious native with a dark side
Ribes sanguineum, Ballard Locks, Seattle
I have some native plants in the yard but the fact that I don’t have more leaves me with a low-grade feeling of guilt. I know they are well adapted to the climate and the animals, but frankly, quite a few are homely which tends to give the whole bunch a bad rep. In Ribes sanguineum I thought I’d found the perfect guilt-free plant, a NW native that is superbly ornamental, but of course it had to have a dark side. Read more »
Books to try
