Most residents of Eastern Washington are familiar with this plant, whether they know it or not. Often growing in rather bare areas or along roads, the tall plants with the large, leathery leaves stand out in the landscape, even more so when the big seed pods open and release their seed to the winds. It […]
Archives for May 2012
Columbia lewisia – cheerful and helpful!
Central Washington has some gorgeous species from the Portulacaceae, among them the Western spring beauties (Claytonia lanceolata) that begin the season, the striking flowers of bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva) that appear to pop out of rocks, the awesome Tweedy’s lewisia (Lewisia tweedyi), and the rare and unforgettable alpine spring beauty (Claytonia megarhiza), one I was introduced […]
Penstemons, penstemons, pentstemons…
The first penstemons of the year are beginning to bloom in the nursery beds, with shrubby penstemon (Penstemon fruticosus) starting it off (shown above). With another good warm day Chelan penstemon (P. pruinosus) will join the show. This latter species has spread and naturalized across many areas of the nursery, enough so that I’m weeding […]