Penstemon Time
I get excited about this time every year when the penstemons start to bloom, both in the nursery and in the wild. The…
Tag: Central Washington
Collecting conifer cones… and thinking of wildfire
September is the month I collect cones from both Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). I won’t sow the seeds…
Native Plants for Native Bees
Anthophora bee on phlox A few weeks back I attended a talk by Don Rolfs, who spoke about the over 700 species (!) of…
Scouler’s Willow
In the forests of Eastern Washington one of the first woody plants to bloom is the Scouler’s willow. A large Scouler’s willow at Derby…
Harvesting summer fruits
One of the great pleasures of summer in Central Washington is the abundance of fresh fruit to enjoy: cherries! peaches! serviceberries! Over the…