In Honor of Mothers
I am who I am because of the nurturing guidance and enthusiasm of my mother and grandmother. My love of plants began at a very early age. My mom would say I came out of the womb with Latin names …
Oregon Irises Inspire
Adventure and exploration is the reason I went into the field of plant taxonomy and ecology. I wanted to discover the wonders of this world and I wanted to understand how they were connected to all facets of their environment. …
Fire weeds, Willow herbs and the Silver Lining of Wild Fires
The Genus Epilobium
Over the past weekend, I had the immense pleasure 0f returning to the remarkable mountain ranges that encompass the southwestern corner of Oregon and northwestern California. It is hard to encapsulate the unique qualities of the flora …
Smoke and the Art of Phototropism
Two weeks ago, while entering Heronswood, I noted to myself how early the autumn color had arrived, particularly so in our big-leaf maples, Acer macrophyllum, along 288th St. This is a tree species whose autumn color intensity can vary …
Heronswood Biodiversity Audit
(10.01.20)
A SENTIMENTAL SOUND
During quiet moments of Heronswood’s open days in summer and those leading into fall, there’s often a sound that can be heard carrying over the distance of the parking lot that lasts mere seconds before going …
Novel Plants for Novel Times
What a year this has been!
Events in the world outside rarely penetrate the tranquility of this garden, but 2020 hasn’t played by the usual rule book. While this year’s plague of slugs and snails has been devastating in the …
Heronswood Biodiversity Audit
(09.15.20)
FLY FRIGHT
First impressions are undoubtedly difficult to dispel, especially at a young age when a child is trying to learn a bevy of subjects. The association of a mosquito to an annoying, high-pitched buzzing bug that causes itchy …
Heronswood Biodiversity Audit
(09.02.20) Spiders, Part III
A GLOW UPON THE GROUND
As many variable forms that spiders possess, there exist several different strategies to employ when catching prey. The passive hunters who wait combine elements of webbing, tunnels, and camouflage. Those less …
Fall-fruiting Frangula feeds our Feathered Friends
Is summer over?
The birds seem to think so. Robin numbers have sky-rocketed in the garden as birds that bred farther north start to move south. Some of the plants, too, are moving into their Fall fruiting or flowering seasons. …
Brilliant biennial blooms but briefly
Almost all the plants at Heronswood are perennials
Not herbaceous perennials, but perennials nevertheless. Woody trees, shrubs and vines are perennial, because they live for multiple years but when we hear the word “perennial”, we tend to think herbaceous. Herbaceous …
Heronswood Biodiversity Audit
(08.18.20) Spiders, Part II
A WEB OF UNSEEN HAZARDS
There’s nothing quite like the sensation of escaping the harsh sunlight of a summer afternoon and retreating to the cool understory of a forest. Once sweaty skin is now soothingly cool, …
Heronswood Biodiversity Audit
(08.05.20)
THE EYES HAVE IT
I’ve been reflecting on the ways humans anthropomorphize non-human organisms and it seems that there could be a correlation between leg count and the perceived threat of a life form to us. For example: our …
Here Comes Eucryphias
The Genus Eucryphia
I have related the story so many times to so many people that I will assume you have already heard it before. But precisely when has that stopped me from telling it again? In the summer of …
Hankering for Holidays
Vacation season is upon us and yet the usual exodus is largely on hold this year. As much as I love Kitsap County, I’m becoming increasingly frustrated by my inability to drop everything and fly to some faraway place. Of …
Heronswood Biodiversity Audit
(07.14.20 & 7.21.20)
BUGS THAT PUT A SPRING IN OUR STEPS
A spongy forest trail is a fun aspect to feel underfoot while hiking through natural areas of the Pacific Northwest. Sponginess is often a sign that high levels of …
Flocks and Flax
The Remarkable Foliage and Flowers of the Genus Phormium
Although gardeners of the Pacific Northwest have long considered New Zealand Flax to be indispensable in adding an exclamative lift to any landscape composition, there is, as there are with many …
Hostile Takeover
For many gardeners, an important principle is ‘year-round color’. We strive to ensure that there are flowers, fruits or fancy foliage to view and enjoy for twelve months of the year. At Heronswood, one of our most popular approaches is …
Heronswood Biodiversity Audit
(06.30.20)
A GARDEN NEEDS HEROES
Y’know, I’d like a sidekick. Now, I’m not actually thinking of a person who’d just tag along and act as my own shadow, but an entirely different organism. Gardening is often a sweaty task, especially …
Onwards and Upwards; Horse Chestnuts
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, and Heronswood has been learning to love lemonade. We’ve had some difficult months with greatly reduced staff and few or our excellent volunteers on hand. With the garden closed, we’ve also missed …
Heronswood Biodiversity Audit
(06.14.20)
OF BUGS AND BATS
Days are becoming longer as the solstice approaches, and with additional light, plants are able to grow to their chloroplasts’ content. Long days also bring greater warmth, yet night does eventually come to blanket the …
