When I Love My Big Fir Trees

I have a love-hate relationship with fir trees which encompass our yard and garden. When we bought this property, we noticed how nice it was encircled by them. The firs, which are about 50-60 years old, are quite tall and stately. They create a great background for my garden. Moreover, they shield the garden plants from strong winds and serve as insulation from cold temperatures. Sometimes, when the surrounding areas are white from frost, our lawn remains green thanks to them. I feel like we have our own microclimate.
I do love our fir trees for that.

 On the other hand, the trees represent a challenge when it comes to working with the soil and planting.
 The tree roots create a dense mat, make digging a chore, suffocate my perennials, stretch under the stepping stones and destabilize them.
Wherever I dump good soil, the roots will find it and compete with the garden plants for water and nutrients.
I wouldn't call it hate, but dealing with the fir roots irritates me.
Nevertheless, I readily can overlook my misgivings regarding the fir trees in winters when we have a rare snow.
Let's not mix apples and oranges. Mess on the roads, bad traffic, cold, etc. has nothing to do, in my book, with the beauty of the evergreens covered with snow.
I spent a couple of hours in the garden on the 9th of February, walking around, looking at it from here and there. I do love my snow-covered garden.
The firs seem to be like curtains framing the garden. They look like textured three-dimensional  screens. What would my garden be without them?

I know I show my gazebo too often, but it is a landmark in my garden!

What is behind those trees in the background? Something. But, I don't see it, I don't think about it.
The trees are the walls. Beautiful walls of the big garden room, and the gazebo is a 'piece of furniture'.

Deciduous trees and shrubs are gorgeous with such a rich dark-green background which sets them out:

( Japanese maple, Lilac, Wild rose bush)

How would this little sculpture of a boy with a turtle look without the green trees?

I am so glad I didn't cut several huge low-hanging branches:

 They fill the space, give me a sense of coziness like being in the real deep woods.

Isn't it a perfect frame for the birdbath?

One of the respected landscaping specialists recommended to cut down 

one of these two fir trees growing next to each other (Pictures below). 

 I know, I make some mistakes, but I'm pleased with myself for not following that advice.

Or should I? Cut down the left one and leave the right one? No.

Trees are the perfect place for garden accessories:

And their bark! Isn't it beautiful?

Below is the only Western Hemlock in our garden, Tsuga heterophilla, 

which is the state tree of Washington.

Aralia's  big lobbed leaves look very nice next to the firs' needles (picture above), as well as to the smaller foliage of Escallonia and Ligustrum  (picture below).

Several fir trees, together with the evergreen salal and huckleberries, on the left, camouflage my compost pile:

When there are no colorful flowers, different shades of green  are pleasant to the eye.

Brown and red colors also pop up.

There are times when the fir trees, with their roots and tons of cones and  branches, give me additional chores, but I still love them and appreciate their role in my garden.

***Copyright 2014 TatyanaS

NWFGS: Dan Hinkley's Several Favorite Plants

On the 7th of February, all eight hundred chairs in the Rainier Room of the Washington State Convention Center were taken. Even more people, who attended the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, were standing along the walls.  Dan Hinkley used two big screens to show his favorite plants. Well, some of his favorite plants. How would you select just a couple of dozen if there were thousands of plants to choose from? Nevertheless, here they are, several of the many plants which are beautiful, reliable and suitable for the Pacific Northwest. In addition to these qualities, many of them were chosen by Dan for the memories he has for certain people, places and circumstances.

We are very grateful to Dan Hinkley for sharing with us, in his own words, 

'25 (or so) plants I will always have in my garden'.

Actually, there were 39 of them which he described with professionalism and passion!

I allowed myself to include some pictures, links and videos.

Natives

1. Erythronium revolutum   Glacier Lily

2. Camassia leitchlinii  Quamash

3. Arctostaphylos densiflorus HE McMinn    Manzanita

4. Arbutus menziesii      Pacific Madrone

From China

5. Davidia involucrata,     Dove Tree

6. Magnolia wilsonii,     deciduous and fragrant

7. Sassafras tzumu  Chinese Sassafras

8. Stachyurus salicifolia 'Sparkler'   Winter Spike

9. Hamamelis mollis  Chinese Witch Hazel

10. Hydrangea aspera Plum Passion

11. Hydrangea angustipetala Golden Crane,  fragrant

12. Mahonia Lionel Fortescue

13. Helwingia japonica and Helwingia chinensis ( berries form on leaf blade )

herbaceous perennials

14.Beesia deltophylla, purple new growth, clumping, evergreen, for shade only (See video):

15. Disporum longistylum Green Giant, bamboo like effect to 5' in height, non spreading

16. Cypripedium formosanum, the best terrestrial orchid for use in the PNW

17. Mukdenia rossii Crimson Fans, for moist soils, brilliant red foliage color as summer progresses

18. Corydalis solida George Baker ( brick red flowers, late winter, spring ephemeral)

19. Cyclamen hederifolilum, autumn flowers, winter foliage

From Vietnam

20. Magnolia insignis, evergreen, large pink goblets for a long period in early spring

21. Schefflera alpinia, Hardy Schefflera

(Schefflera taiwaniana from Taiwan )

22. Edgeworthia chrysantha, deciduous 'daphne' used for paper production

In the upper picture is Edgeworthia papyrifera.

Edgeworthia chrysantha is much more winter hardy, below 0 degree F.

Additional information on Edgeworthia is Here

vines

23. Holboellia coriacea 'Cathedral Gem'

24. Holboellia brachandra, white flowers, large edible fruit

25. Aristolochia kaempferi ( clever pollination strategy of 'collecting' living gnats inside flower )

From Australia

26. Grevillea victoriae, winter flowers, hummingbird attracting, orange/red flowers

27. Acacia pravissima, evergreen tender, late winter soft yellow flowers, quick to establish ( see video):

28. Leptospermum scoparium, evergreen, lovely bark, summer flowers of white

From New Zealand

29. Olearia cheesmanii, white flowers fragrant of coconut oil, self cleansing, evegreen (see video):

30. Pseudopanax crassifolius and P. ferox, lancewoods with long narrow foliage with clever protective strategy from predation by Moas

From Chile

31. Embothrium coccineum, Chilean Fire Tree

Drimys winteri 'Pewter Pillar'

32. Gunnera chilensis, Giant Prickly Rhubard ( herbaceous perennials with enormous foliage )

Gunnera in Far Reaches Farm, WA

  33. Lobelia tupa, Red flowers on tall stems, highly attractive to hummingbirds

Good post on Lobelia tupa is in Linda Cochran's Garden blog. 

From South Africa

34. Eucomis pole-evansii, giant pineapple lilly

35. Melianthus major 'Antanow's Blue',  Giant Honey Bush

36. Agapanthus species and cultivars, Lily of the Nile with late summer flowers of rich blue

Agapanthus that came to my garden from Windcliff

37. Dierama pulcherrimum, Wand Flower

Dierama

38. Rhodocoma capensis, a hardy 'Restio' grass relative with graceful arching stems of evergreen foliage to 5' (photo Here)

From Burma

39. Cymbidium iridioides

Additional information  Here
*
I certainly will look to add some of these plants to my existing collection.

***Copyright 2014 TatyanaS

In My February Garden

My garden is certainly ready for spring. When the sun is shining, it feels like spring!

Phormium is happy whether it is in the soil or in the pot. The pink plants look dead after the cold spell we had at the beginning of winter, but this variety looks very alive and happy:

The front plantbed looks good year around. On the back, the buds of a tree peony are seen.

Here they are. I noticed that almost every year it starts showing some green just before the cold temperatures arrive.

Hellebore blooms here and there, with snow white flowers in sunny places and light-green in shady.

 The gazebo has a chance to show itself in winter when it is not camouflaged by dense grapevines.

The clump of grass, in the foreground of the next picture, was left here, on the top of the turf to dry and then  to go to a compost pile. It spent several years behind the bushy hydrangea, where it grew flat with a bold middle.

To my surprise, the clump not only survived, but got bushy and happy, although I didn't even put soil around its roots. I guess it found a new place that it likes!

 The best growing plant in my garden at this moment is shotweed. In the picture below, it is seen growing on  moss. I spent a good amount of time pulling shotweeds before they started blooming.

Euphorbia does well through the winter.

Boxwood is very important in keeping my garden interesting in winter.

 Hyacinths, daffodils and grape hyacinths are getting out of the soil.

 Primroses are blooming, and I need to watch the slugs. 

They were active through the whole winter.

 I count them by the dozens every morning when I check my beer cups.

 I spread some granules too (below), since beer is not a cheap deal.

Cyclamens are wonderful, whether blooming or not:

This plant came to the garden together with the Japanese forest grass, and at the end of every winter

I find it in bloom when I cut down the grass.

I start to remove old fern leaves to give space to new ones.

 Daphnia is  new to my garden, and I am eager to see its first bloom:

Yucca doesn't ever lose its attractiveness, hot or cold:

 In the collage, from left to right: Primrose, Forget-me-not, sedum, Heleborus foetidus, 

Scilla, Primrose, Hydrangea and Serbian bellflower.

Thank you for checking my February garden with me. 

Have a great February and Happy Valentine's day!

***Copyright 2014 TatyanaS