Planting in the Shadowlands
Creating a beautiful and well-designed understory can be a challenging and daunting task in the dry summer climate of the Pacific Northwest. Often, an evergreen…
Seasons: Summer
Watching Trees
Fifteen years ago, I asked myself a couple of simple questions. What are the best trees to plant in the cities of the San Francisco…
Garden Allies: Fabulous Flies
Today, I watched a tachinid fly larva emerge from a monarch caterpillar. It was gross and fascinating, and I was a bit sad for the…
We Went to a Garden Party
On a beautiful Saturday in late August, with fall in the air—along with smoke from raging wildfires in Eastern Washington—I opened my garden to fellow…
A Gardener Comes to Terms with Green
A few Junes ago my friend Theo came out to our farm in the Snoqualmie Valley for a visit. As we walked around the perimeter…
Where Are the Butterflies?
The Puget Sound region is home to 15 common butterflies, 14 of which are native species. Numerous species of native butterflies have become endangered in…
Being Brave
Mint. Lavender. Roses. These plants are a constant in my home garden. When planting for myself, I tend to stick to a simple approach to…
Adventures in Growing
We arrived at the farm after midnight. The plane had come in low enough over Riyadh to display orderly rows of glittering lights and curving,…
California Outback
In 2013, Jo O’Connell jumped at the opportunity to buy the junkyard next door. It was an opportunity to expand her thriving Australian Native Plants…