Metropolitan Gardens Gardening in Cascadia

Saturday, May 10, 2008

April Bloom Times (Cascadia Garden)

Saruma henryi

04-03-08 Drimys lanceolata
04-03-08 Mahonia pinnata ‘Ken Hartman’
04-03-08 Sanguinaria canadensis ‘Multiplex’
04-03-08 Trillium sessile
04-10-08 Dicentra formosa
04-10-08 Ribes x gordonianum
04-10-08 Trillium chloropetalum
04-15-08 Ajuga reptans
04-15-08 Berberis thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’
04-15-08 Dicentra spectabilis
04-15-08 Euphorbia amygdaloides ‘Purpurea’
04-15-08 Geranium phaeum
04-15-08 Lamium purpureum
04-15-08 Lathyrus vernus
04-15-08 Lewisia cotyledon (pink)
04-15-08 Magnolia ‘Susan’
04-15-08 Ribes sanguineum ‘Pokey’s Pink’
04-15-08 Trillium cuneatum
04-15-08 Tulipa clusiana chrysantha
04-15-08 Tulipa orphanidea flava
04-15-08 Tulipa vvedenskyi ‘Tangerine Beauty’
04-18-08 Euphorbia cyparissas ‘Orange Man’
04-18-08 Paeonia mascula x obovata
04-18-08 Saruma henryi
04-18-08 Tulipa dasystemon
04-21-08 Armeria juniperifolia
04-21-08 Bergenia purpurascens
04-21-08 Lamium maculatum
04-21-08 Pulsatilla vulgaris ‘Red Bell’
04-21-08 Tulipa ‘Little Princess’
04-25-08 Arctostaphylos nummularia
04-25-08 Ceanothus arboreus ‘Trewithen Blue’
04-25-08 Fragaria vesca
04-25-08 Sedum palmeri
04-25-08 Paeonia suffruticosa ‘Zi Er Giao’
04-28-08 Euphorbia mellifera
04-28-08 Iris ‘Professor Blaauw’
04-28-08 Paeonia corsica (aka Paeonia cambessedesii)
04-28-08 Rhododendron campylogynum ‘Celsum’
04-28-08 Rhododendron venator
04-28-08 Syringa vulgaris
04-29-08 Camassia leitchlinii coerula
04-29-08 Tulipa linifolia

Friday, May 9, 2008

Dry Shade

Helleborus x sternii & Mahonia aquifolium

It can be difficult to find plants that will grow well in dry shade. Most shade plants prefer moisture. Plants that tolerate dry shade often grow better in part sun. Most of the plants listed below do better in light or partial shade than in deep shade.

It is always wise to plan for dry shade to limit supplemental water use. But it is more realistic to water sparingly during summer than to expect shade plants to do entirely without water. Many of the plants listed below are Washington native plants.

Gaultheria shallon, Mahonia & Vaccinium ovatum are native shrubs that do well in dry shade with no supplemental water. Helleborus x hybridus, Maianthemum dilatatum & Polystichum munitum are plants that grow well in shade with little supplemental water.

Viburnum davidii

Plant List
Shrubs
Aucuba japonica
Arbutus unedo ‘Compacta’ (Strawberry Tree)
Berberis darwinii (Barberry)
Buxus (Box)
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’ (Dwarf Hinoki Cypress)
Corylus (Hazel)
Elaeagnus pungens (Silverberry)
Euonymus fortunei
Garrya issaquahensis (Silk Tassel)
Gaultheria shallon (Salal)
Ilex cornuta (Chinese Holly)
Kalmia latifolia (Mountain Laurel)
Ligustrum japonicum (Privet)
Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grape)
Mahonia nervosa
Mahonia repens
Nandina domestica (Heavenly Bamboo)
Osmanthus delavayi
Paeonia delavayi (Tree Peony)
Paeonia lutea (Tree Peony)
Philadelphus lewisii (Mock Orange)
Prunus ilicifolia (Hollyleaf Cherry)
Rhamnus californica (Coffeeberry)
Rhaphiolepis umbellata (Yeddo Hawthorne)
Sarcococca ruscifolia (Sweet Box)
Skimmia japonica
Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen Huckleberry)
Viburnum davidii

Achlys triphylla

Perennials
Achlys triphylla (Vanilla Leaf)
Anemone x hybrida (Japanese Anemone)
Campanula latifolia (Bellflower)
Corydalis lutea
Dicentra formosa (Bleeding Heart)
Digitalis purpurea (Foxglove)
Euphorbia amygdaloides ‘Purpurea’ (Woodspurge)
Francoa ramosa (Maiden’s Wreath)
Francoa sonchifolia
Geranium himalayense (Cranesbill)
Geranium macrorrhizum
Geranium pratense
Helleborus argutifolius (Corsican Hellebore)
Helleborus lividus
Helleborus x hybridus
Helleborus x sternii
Heuchera americana
Heuchera micrantha
Hosta sieboldiana
Iris foetidissima
Iris douglasiana
Liriope muscari (Lily Turf)
Luzula sylvatica (Woodrush)
Muscari (Grape Hyacinth)
Narcissus jonquilla (Jonquil)
Paeonia peregrina (Peony)
Polygonatum commutatum (Solomon’s Seal)
Polygonatum odoratum
Polystichum munitum (Sword Fern)
Smilacina racemosa (False Solomon’s Seal)
Smilacina stellata
Stachys byzantina (Lamb’s Ears)
Tellima grandiflora (Fringe Cup)
Tolmiea menziesii (Piggyback Plant)
Trillium ovatum (Wakerobin)
Vancouveria hexandra

Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegata'

Groundcovers & Trailers
Aegopodium podagraria (Bishop’s Weed)
Ajuga reptans (Carpet Bugle)
Campanula poscharskyana (Serbian Bellflower)
Fragaria vesca (Woodland Strawberry)
Galium odoratum (Sweet Woodruff)
Maianthemum dilatatum (False Lily of the Valley)
Microbiota decussata (Carpet Cypress)
Sedum forsterianum
Sedum spathulifolium
Vinca minor (Dwarf Periwinkle)

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden

Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden
S 138th St & 24th Av S in SeaTac

Elda Behm's Paradise Garden is the centerpiece of the Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden. I met Elda Behm in 1995 when she came to my garden. It was mostly very new & she was clearly unimpressed. I felt the same when I saw the Paradise Garden in 2003. That was 3 years after thousands of plants had been moved from the Behm home garden in the path of SeaTac International Airport’s 3rd runway.

Elda Behm's Paradise Garden

The improvement in 2008 was amazing. Relatively few dedicated volunteers had achieved quite a lot. Especially nice was the shade garden just behind the Paradise Garden. The many combinations of perennials & groundcovers were very lovely.

Shade Garden

In 2006 the Seike Japanese Garden was created with plants from the Seike home garden, also in the path of the 3rd runway. The design of that garden was outstanding, beautiful even in its 2nd year. Among the many boulders were impressive & expertly-pruned Pinus thungergii (Japanese Black Pine) Pinus densiflora (Japanese Red Pine) & Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple). Glimpses of the pond through the trees were charming.

Seike Japanese Garden

To get to the garden take Pacific Hwy S to S 144th St to 24th Av S to S 138th St. Or follow the directions at the website: I-5 to SR-518 to Des Moines Memorial Dr to S 136th to 24th Av S to S 138th St. Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden: S 138th St & 24th Av S in SeaTac

Friday, May 2, 2008

How to Make a Garden

Concrete Rabbit with Sedum 'Vera Jameson'

Gardening Made Simple in 10 Important Steps

1 Choose the site. Define the space. Contain the size. Don’t overwhelm yourself with work. Start on a small scale.

2 Choose the plants. Is the site mostly shady or sunny? Find plant lists appropriate to the site.

Choose trees 1st. The globe is warming: plant trees. Anticipate that these trees will cast shade. Choose plants for shade to plant under & north of your trees.

Choose lots of shrubs, maybe 10 different kinds. Shrubs are low maintenance. It is okay to plant 1 of a few of them. Balance those with 2 & 3 of other kinds of shrubs.

Choose groundcovers. These are essential to control weeds. Choose many different groundcovers. Plant 2 or 3 plants of the same groundcover together. Plant different groundcovers in different parts of the garden. Plant shady groundcovers under shrubs.

3 Buy lots of compost. You can order it by the truckload from Cedar Grove or buy it in bags. Cover the garden site 2 feet deep. Plant in the compost.

4 Buy the plants. No single nursery will have all of the plants you want & need. Call around. Look in the phone book under Nurseries. Google: Seattle Nurseries. Visit ALL of the nurseries near you. Order plants by mail, if they are unavailable locally.

5 Space the plants at appropriate distances. Find out how big these plants will get. Give them enough room. If you don’t, you will have to move (or remove) them later. Plant shady groundcovers under shrubs. Fill spaces between shrubs with groundcovers. Leave some room for perennials.

6 Add a few perennials. You will want the color & excitement of perennial flowers. But don’t use too many. Perennials require much more work than other plants.

7 Cover open ground with mulch. Buy shredded bark. Let fallen leaves be mulch. Put mulch from your compost pile or worm bin over open spaces in the garden. Always mulch around new plantings. Do not put mulch more than 2 inches deep.

Concrete Gargoyle Decorated with Chalk

8 Patrol your garden regularly: become territorial. Pull up weeds. See that plants don’t shrivel or turn brown from lack of water. Water regularly during summer. Replace dead plants. Make peace with insects & encourage spiders. Speak firmly to destructive animals. Put snails in plastic bags & throw them in the trash.

9 Buy pruning tools. You need pruners, loppers & a folding pruning saw. Go to a big hardware store. Cut off dead & broken branches. Learn about pruning. Buy a book which illustrates pruning & other gardening techniques. The Sunset Western Garden Book is good to start.

10 Invite people to visit your garden. They will give you useful advice. You will be motivated to improve your garden. Their comments will make you proud. Join the Northwest Perennial Alliance & become 1 of the Open Gardens.