– “To Do” List For Native Plants in April - May 2001
Watch carefully at least through the middle of May for
those early “wet weather” leaf diseases and treat if serious. Native are
pretty tough but watch Serviceberry,
Chokecherry, crabapple and
Drought Preparation. A lot of you are worried about
the possibility of a drought this year in the northwest. So far in March and
April, rainfall has been normal. The problem is the lack of normal rain and snow
in the winter and subsequent low water in storage both above and underground.
Northwest native plants have adjusted over the millenniums to the dry season
from late June through the middle of September. Trilliums and camas go dormant
– Licorice Ferns go dormant – native plants survive!! When native plants are
established, they survive without summer irrigation. However, I always recommend
some summer water for two years after planting out natives so the roots will go
deep, quickly. (Note that Christmas tree growers do not supply summer water,
even for newly planted seedlings!) The problem then becomes the possibility of
restricted irrigation water in the mid to late summer. Go ahead and plant your
natives this spring. But this year, use a maximum amount of mulch. I would like
to see 2 or 3 inches of bark dust or wood chips or whatever, around every plant.
For detailed drought tips, go to my site
– The Beautiful Fawn Lilies Of The Northwest
Erythronium oregonum, our beautiful
northwest Fawn Lily, is
in full bloom here in my gardens. The blooming period is very short. This lily is also
called Trout Lily, Glacier Lily and Adder’s tongue. It is about 10 – 12”
tall and has a tiny bulb. This lily likes some sunshine and humus soil. Petals
are white, with yellow tones. You can grow Fawn Lilies from seed but you have to
wait several years before they will bloom. The leaves have a unique mottled
There is another fine Fawn Lily, the Pink Fawn Lily. I hope to grow this plant
next year. It is similar to the Fawn Lily above, but all pink.
– Creating A Wildlife Habitat
You can create a wonderful
native plant garden and, at the
same time, create a fine wildlife habitat, large or small. The lowland corridor
from the Canadian border, south throughout the Puget Sound country and Seattle
to Portland and the Willamette Valley to Roseburg, Oregon, are all similar areas
for plants, climate and wildlife. Wildlife includes mammals, birds, butterflies,
insects, etc. Large habitats should have a frame of large evergreen and
deciduous trees. For more modest projects, use shrubs, both deciduous and
evergreen, with some perennials. Wildlife need food, water and shelter. You must
solve the water need. The plants in the next sections show my choices for food
and shelter in the western Washington and western Oregon corridor. Try to include species
that form dense thickets such as hawthorne and native roses – protect the
little “wildlife.” Study how tall each plant you select may grow so you fill
in with food and shelter at different levels from the ground up. Always include
Snowberry for winter food. Try to include at least one evergreen for winter
color – don’t forget that Red Osier Dogwood will have very attractive bare
winter red stems.
– Best Trees For Northwest Wildlife Habitats
Abies ssp – (True Firs) - (White Fir,
Grand Fir) Provide shelter for birds and mammals. Many birds eat the seeds
including chickadees, nuthatches, grosbeaks, crossbills, finches, sapsuckers
Calocedrus decurrens (Incense Cedar)
shelter for birds and mammals. Birds eating seeds include sparrows, thrushes,
flickers, siskins and nutches.
Pinus ssp (Ponderosa,
shelter. Seeds eaten by pigeons, quail, doves, finches, squirrels, chipmunks,
Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas Fir) Birds eat the
seeds. Important nesting and shelter habitat for birds and squirrels.
Tsuga heterophylla (Western Hemlock)
Seeds eaten by squirrels, chipmunks and birds in the winter. Deer and elk
Tsuga martensiana (Mountain Hemlock)
Tree) Seeds eaten by siskins, juncos, finches, crossbills, squirrels,
chipmunks. Dense foliage provides protection.
Acer macrophyllum (Big Leaf Maple) Bark, rough
areas support Licorice Ferns, Mosses and Lichens which in turn support
wildlife. Seeds eaten by siskins, finches, crossbills, chickadees, juncos,
chipmunks and squirrels. Also support beavers, deer and muskrats. Source of
nectar for bees.
Alnus rubra (Red Alder) Many birds eat seeds,
including mallards, grouse, widgeons, kinglets, vireos, warblers. Porcupine,
hares, beavers, deer and elk eat leaves and twigs.
Fraxinus latifolia (Oregon Ash) Grouse, ducks,
finches and other birds eat seeds. Deer and Elk eat leaves and twigs.
Acer circinatum (Vine Maple) (Smaller Tree) Birds
eat seeds – good nectar source for bees. Smaller tree, also OK for smaller
Prunus emarginata (Bitter Cherry) (Smaller Tree)
Forms thickets – ideal for protection of smaller birds and animals. Many
birds eat fruit including pigeons, jays, bluebirds, robins, orioles, finches,
doves. Fruit also liked by squirrels. bears, chipmunks. coyotes, raccoons.
Several butterfly species associated with Bitter Cherry.
Crataegus douglasii (Black Hawthorne)
For Every Habitat.” (Smaller Tree) Forms very tough, impenetrable
thicket to protect small critters! Berries eaten by robins, solitaires,
waxwings, thrushes, grosbecks, woodpeckers, pigeons, ducks, pheasants, ,
turkeys, foxes, bear and coyotes. Use this plant in every Wildlife Habitat.
fusca (Western Crabapple) Smaller tree that
eventually forms a dense thicket. Birds eat fruit, including grouse, waxwings,
sapsuckers, woodpeckers, towhees, grosbeaks. Fruit also eaten by mammals.
- Best Shrubs For Northwest Wildlife Habits
Arctostaphylos columbiana (Hairy Manzanita)
eaten by quail, grouse, raccoons, coyotes, squirrels, deer. Hummingbirds and
bees extract nectar.
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Kinnikinnik)
cover. Birds like fruit including grouse, sparrows, pigeons. Bees like
Gaultheria shallon (Salal) Fruit eaten by pigeons,
grouse, coyotes, bears.
Mahonia aquifolium (Tall Oregon Grape)
by birds including pheasants, robins and juncos. Foxes and raccoons like the
fruit. Bees and butterflies extract the nectar.
Mahonia nervosa (Cascade Oregon Grape)
Low form of
Mahonia for ground level fruit. Fruit eaten by grouse, pheasants, thrushes.
Nectar extracted by butterflies.
Vacciniun ovatum (Evergreen Huckleberry)
late summer and fall. Birds that like berries include pigeons, robins,
towhees, sparrows. Mammals also like the berries including bears and raccoons.
Cornus sericea ssp.
stolonifera (Red Twig Dogwood) Forms a thicket
that offers excellent protection for wildlife. Berries eaten by warblers,
robins, fly catchers, flickers, vireos, wood ducks, grouse, pigeons, quail,
bear, elk, rabbits. Orange sulfur butterflies use nectar.
Oemleria cerasiformis (Indian Plum) Berries eaten
by robins, waxwings, foxes, coyotes, bear and deer.
Ribes sanguineum (Red Flowering Currant)
eaten by robins, towhees, thrushes, waxwings, jays, sparrows, woodpeckers,
foxes, coyotes, raccoons, mountain beavers, skunks, chipmunks, squirrels.
Rosa ssp (Native Roses, Nootka, Cluster, Bald Hip)
Roses form dense thickets, perfect cover for many birds and mammals. Birds
that eat rose hips include grouse, juncos, bluebirds. grosbeaks, pheasants,
quail, thrushes. Mammals that eat rose hips include rabbits, chipmunks,
porcupines, deer, elk, coyotes and bear.
Rubus parviflorus (Thimbleberry) Birds that eat
berries include wrens, quail and finches. Mammals that eat the fruit include
foxes, coyotes, bear.
Rubus spectabilis (Salmonberry) Birds that eat
berries include wrens, quail, thrushes, robins, pheasants. Mammals eating the
fruit include raccoons, squirrels, foxes, coyotes, bear.
Visited by humming birds and bees.
Sambucus ssp. (Red and Blue Elderberry)
berries are ripe in early summer and blue berries in the fall, giving a long
period of food availability. Many mammals eat the fruit. Birds that eat the
fruit include woodpeckers, grosbeaks, jays, tanagers, sparrows and thrushes.
Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies use the nectar.
Spirea douglasii (Douglas Spirea) Forms tight
thickets – good shelter. Attracts butterflies.
Symphoricarpos albus (Snowberry) White berries
persist into winter, providing winter food for birds including grouse,
pheasants and quail – emergency food for many other birds. Hummingbirds and
bees like the nectar.
Vaccinium spp.. (Red & Mountain Huckleberry)
eaten by doves, jays, orioles, sparrows. Hummingbirds and bees extract nectar.
Aquilegia formosa (Red Columbine) (Perennial) The
favorite “native” for Hummingbirds! Sparrows & finches like seeds.
– Calypso bulbosa – Beautiful Northwest Orchid
The Fairy Slipper is now in bloom! This is a
northern orchid that goes dormant in May
and grows again with the first fall rains. This is a very tiny orchid with a
single leaf. It grows in the shade in the top layer of moss and decayed needles
and leaves. It has an onion-like bulb. This little sweetheart is very hard to
grow. If you are an orchid expert who has had positive results
researching and developing techniques for propagating and growing this plant,
I'd love to know of your success. This plant is often decimated from its native
habitats by overzealous collectors. Any way we can help promote the safety of
our native orchids, the better.
On Taming The Fairy Slipper
around the world in Northern Climes,
Labrador, Norway – East and West
little Orchid of the cool, damp Forests
of Aurora Borealis
cool days and long nights return in the Fall
send one leaf up from your summer sleep
bravely hold your place till Spring.
miracles and wonders! –
beautiful exotic Fairy Slipper displays again
Royal Purple raiment, proof positive
Royal Heritage and superior Social Order.
tiny Woodland Fairies, dance attendance -
Giant Firs and Spruce bow to her sovereignty.
one month this beauty reigns
sinks below the moss
warm days and short nights loom .
I, in my humble nursery, vow to tame this
Beauty and make her grow against her will.
neat nursery rows, pampered, prime and proper,
free no more!
if I do, how will I feel? - perhaps
free her once again before I sink below the moss.
- Personal Notes
From my window I see two huge
Big Leaf Maples in a corner
of my gardens. Over the past fortnight, every day the buds open more and more to
finally form the large beautiful new maple leaves of these magnificent trees. I
am amazed and humbled by this ancient ritual of mystery and beauty and renewal
and growth and creation. Do you know that every cell in a leaf is like a
miniaturized factory with thousands of intricately designed molecular machinery
containing millions of atoms, without parallel in the non-living world? I am
overwhelmed by the grandeur of a tree – of a plant – of a garden. Health and
renewal and humility and joy are found in a garden! You do not have to look far!
E-mail comments are welcome.
(Note from Jennifer: As did Wally, I also welcome your