For me, that has got to be Tweedy’s lewisia. Known for years as Lewisia tweedyi, it was recently changed to Cistanthe tweedyi, which has caused a mild furor among us wildflower nerds. I spoke in March to the North American Rock Garden Society annual meeting and when I said I was reverting to the use […]
Archives for April 2012
Pacific dogwood – East of the Mountains
Those who have traveled up to the head Lake Chelan in June may have spotted the startling large (4-5″ across), white blooms of Pacific dogwood (Cornus nuttallii) among the lakeshore trees, or found the bright red-orange fruit clusters in the fall. This small tree is an uncommon, but not rare, sight in the forests west of […]
Seedling identification – a pop quiz!
We’ve got many thousands of seedlings emerging in the nursery, most just now getting their first true leaves. See if you can figure out which species are shown in the following photos (answers at the end of the post). A hint: there are three woody plants and three wildflowers shown… 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. […]
The lilies of spring
Some of the very first flowers to appear each spring in the hills above Peshastin are two bright yellow lilies: yellow bells (Fritillaria pudica), pictured above, and glacier lily (Erythronium grandiflorum), seen below (tho’ we call the latter pine lilies!) They don’t last long, so we enjoy their brief and glorious show while it lasts. The […]