Iris, Pacific Coast Hybrid It looks like a week of 'June Gloom' coming at us, but I won't begrudge the rain. It has been too dry for my liking this spring. I can remember previous 'gloom' events that were much worse, so I'm not going to grouse about this one. The garden is [...]
A tremendous THANK YOU to all those who came out to the Spring Ephemeral Plant Sale. This annual fundraising event for the garden leaped to a new high this year because of your support. We hope all those little treasures you picked up are finding snug, happy places in your own gardens, ready to greet [...]
Fritillaria pudica Earlier this month, I took a quick trip south to the border of Washington. White Salmon, to be exact. I have referenced this area before and have shared previous excursions with you photographically through Instagram and Facebook. I feel extremely fortunate to have been born there. In fact, I'm a fourth-generation descendant. [...]
Hello garden friends, we made it. We certainly have more to do. I'll leave that statement to your interpretation. Ambiguity is not my forte'; I lean more toward overshare. With that, let me report on the garden and focus on the good things happening here. Top of the list for me is the new hoop [...]
We're nearing the end of 2020, and a big part of me wants to shout from the treetops, "Good riddance! Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya!" And yet, even as I type that, I am immediately reminded of the bounty, the abundance, the copious amounts of support and encouragement from [...]
November is upon us, shorter days, cooler weather, but the garden is cloaked in fall color. The Stewartia monodelpha in the upper garden entryway is a gradient of gold to red with its warm copper-colored trunk. It shines in the afternoon sunlight. This morning's walk found the lower garden carpeted in golds and oranges with [...]
September closed out with a bang! We held our annual fundraiser, Garden Party, on September 26th. As a virtual event, we went into the planning process with trepidation, anxiety, dread...uncertainty. COVID19 has pushed us all to the edge of our abilities, only to show us that we are all capable of so much more. With [...]
Our resident Barred Owl has been making frequent appearances, frequently heralded by the scritch-scritch of blue jays who are annoyed by its presence. One such arrival coincided with our after school youth program, completely upending the coursework. No problem though, it regaled them with antics and funny head swivels as they took turns making noises in different [...]
Before the arrival of Coronavirus, we had embarked on a memorial statue for our founder, Dr. Arthur Kruckeberg. Our motivation was to create a lasting moment in the garden but to also recognize that this would have been his 100th birthday this last March 21st. After a generous outpouring of donations towards the effort, the [...]
Castilleja or Indian paintbrush, Gifford Pinchot National Forest, July 2020 I think the word for what I'm about to say is, cliche', but honestly, how is it August? This year continues to dole out one unexpected revelation after the other. I woke up going about my day thinking it was Wednesday until I [...]