These attractive fruits, loved by birds, grow on a woody plant common in most of Washington, and often planted in landscapes… Why, it’s… Red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) The often bright red stems stand out in the winter, especially a winter like we’ve […]
Live stakes and cuttings
In late winter, before any seeds have germinated in the nursery, we are out in the snow with loppers and clippers in hand. Our objective? Collecting live stakes and cuttings from stands of willows and cottonwoods. A cutting bed at Derby Canyon Natives of McKenzie willow (Salix prolixa), with Hobbes We make these collections while the […]
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. […]
Endemic Plants: Special Ones from the Wenatchee Mountains
Thompson’s clover (Trifolium thompsonii) Endemic plants are those found only in a limited geographic area. The Wenatchee Mountains of Chelan and Kittitas Counties have the greatest concentration of endemics found in Washington as well as being one of the top areas for endemics in the US. The map below was compiled by Joe Arnett, Rare […]
Goodbye, wild ginger, so long thyme-leaved buckwheat
It’s not quite October and already I’ve had to decide what we will grow for next year. Seed sowing is underway and began in late August with some species, shrubs mostly, with seeds that need a warm and moist treatment period in order to germinate next spring. In some cases, the decision of what to […]