I grew up calling this plant kinnickkinnick, which is one common name. It urns out kinnick kinnick is also a smoking blend used by indigenous people. I prefer the native groundcover plant. For the native garden I added one of these plants. I wasn’t sure how it would fare in a very exposed site, but it did well. In fact, kinnickkinnick seems to do well in a lot of places and it does get planted possibly more than any other native plant in commercial and public spaces.

The plant is an evergreen shrublet, with bell-shaped pinkish-white flowers and orange-red berries where conditions are right. This plant grows wild in the Tonasket area around our cabin. I rarely see berries there, though, despite prolific blooming. I suspect the berries get eaten before I can glimpse them.

I don’t have any photos of my new plant, but the above shows how well these shrubs can cover the ground near our cabin. My future plans for the plant are to makes sure it has room to spread and propagate it when possible to spread around the garden and share.

One of my native plant purchases in April 2020, I failed to find a good place for this vine in the garden in 2020. It languished in a pot where water and attention were sporadic, at best. Yet it survived.

I’ve seen photos of this vine climbing tree trunks and blooming boldly with orange tubular flowers. Hummingbirds are drawn to them, of course, and the rufous hummingbird is known to pollinate the flowers.

My future plan for this plant, and they likely will happen soon, is to carve the ivy away from the Douglas fir tree and plant this vine next to it, tie it to the trunk, and train it to grow there if it can survive in that dry, mostly shady space.

Another seedling started for bonsai, I just have one of these little guys left, but it is already an attractive tree. I think it may be a Monterey cypress, but I don’t know for sure–the parent plant was not labeled.

This tree has blue-green needles and reddish bark, which make for a handsome combination.

Future plans for this tree are to wire it and prune, trim, and pinch it into an even stronger tree shape. I’ll also pot it on into a more substantial pot, which might keep it from tumbling over all the time, which it seems to do now whenever the wind blows.

Here is a favorite arboretum tree that never fails to grab the attention of my siblings and me on our autumn visits. Aptly called the blue sausage tree, you can really see the seed pods to advantage when the leaves turn yellow in the fall.

I have one seedling left after starting these about five years ago. I think sister Cate has one, as well.

My little tree is probably very pot bound, so future plans will be to pot it on into a clay/ornamental pot and start trimming and pinching it to get more than just a stick shape.

Known as the spindle tree, I have a couple of seedlings of this shrubby little tree. And it must be pure coincidence that I’ve only ever seen this tree in the local arboretum and has absolutely nothing to do with seed thievery. The tree is fine looking and somewhat elegant, but the fruits are the real showstoppers for me. The color combination is pink and orange, which you just don’t see every day.

These trees are often used for bonsai and my intent is to use mine for my near-bonsai efforts in the coming years. They tend to grow leggy, so it will take some trimming and pinching to keep them in line and help them develop nice shapes.

Like my other tonsai-soon-to-be’s, these plants will start getting pruned and potted into ornamental pots in the next year or two.

I have two young Japanese black pine trees that I started from seed about seven years ago. They are destined to become bonsai-like tonsai plants in pots in the coming years. I’m impressed with how hardy and flexible these plants have been–they dry out, get too wet, and both of them have fallen several times off of tall shelves in high wind.

Future plans for these trees are to start trimming and candle-ing them so they start to fill out a bit and get some character. Then, I’ll start looking for some good pots to move them into.

Another houseplant that Leon purchased, this plant is newer–maybe just a year now. It is a controlled vine with shiny and variegated foliage. It was chosen specifically for an umbrella holder Leon bought several years ago that makes a great pot for trailing plants.

I believe my Mom used to keep a green clone of P. cordatum in glass jars in a brass birdcage when I was growing up. It survived even when the water wasn’t changed out often–a very accommodating plant.

I have two sconce-like planters in my workplace office and I might propagate this plant to grow in those next year. It seems like a simple solution to what to grow on a wall in a pot with no drainage.

I don’t remember the origins of this plant, but I think Leon bought it. We’ve had it about five years. It has grown pretty slowly and isn’t looking perfect, but it is an attractive version of this common houseplant. Surprisingly we don’t have a lot of houseplants, since most of those plants are out in the greenhouse.

We keep it in the kitchen and just water it whenever we think of it or when there is water left in a drinking glass. One reason it maybe has some brown tips and dead leaves is that someone possibly watered it with some flavored seltzer water, possibly with some vodka included. Oops. Turns out Dracaena can’t hold their liquor.

Future plans for this plant will be to fertilize it a bit and trim off some of the brown leaves. I may root prune it and pot it back into fresh soil next spring, too.

When I decided to replace the parking strip with a memory garden I knew I needed to grow as many plants as possible from seed to fill it out quickly. I chose three different types of catmint to try and now they feature prominently in the western-most side of that garden. They represent three very distinct types, with a low-growing small carpeter, a mid-sized sprawling fountain, and a sturdy, tall-growing clone.

Pollinators seem to love these plants. They attract both bumble and honey bees. They are low-care features of the border and bloom for a long season. They also have fragrant foliage that makes pruning chores more fun.

I was surprised how few photos I have of these plants and their flowers. I’m already taking them for granted as the workhorses that they are and not doing a good job of showcasing their attributes. I’ll improve my gallery in the coming year.

Here is yet another gift plant from brother Tim, received maybe seven years ago and planted in the orchard bed near the fence. This survivor gets overwhelmed by other plants most years, but still manages to throw up some handsome spikes of pinky flowers. I thought this was a native species, but I haven’t been able to identify it specifically yet. It is more shrubby and perennial than the garden types that I’ve tried before which usually only last two or three years.

My future plans for this plant are to do a better job of giving it space to grow and show off its late spring flower show. I may try to propagate it, too, to add more to the same area, especially if I find out it is native here.