The month of May is a beautiful time for the native flora of Central Washington, from the shrub-steppe to the mountains – and in the nursery! Employee Erin Carlson has a keen eye for the plants, seeing them in her own way. She spent some time on a recent morning, wandering with her camera, and […]
Planting for Climate Change
Young lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) five years post-fire Our climate is changing at an unprecedented rate, with far-reaching impacts in our region. Winters will be warmer and wetter, with less snow pack created, and summers will be hotter and drier, with lower streamflows. The incidence of extreme weather events will increase, leading to […]
May Flowers at the Nursery
May is a wonderfully busy time for a native plant nursery. Plant orders are going out, customers are coming in, lots of transplanting is underway… and it is too easy to get wrapped up in the pressing needs to not see and appreciate the beauty that is developing all around. Blue flax (Linum lewisii) It’s […]
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 for a few months yet but I need to get the cones before the seeds are dispersed. Doug fir cones I can usually harvest from low hanging branches while still closed. The pine […]
Plant Quality and Containers
Our objective at Derby Canyon Natives is to grow native plants that meet our customers’ needs in both quantity and quality. Most of the plants we grow are planted in restoration projects, often in challenging environments east of the Cascades with little or no irrigation. A quality plant should survive, if not thrive, in these situations. […]