![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3.29.25-Mahonia-seedlings.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/a>These are just a few of the thousands of seedlings that have popped up from seeds planted last autumn. Some of the seeds were planted the year before. It is tough not to get excited by the germination of the natives after so many months. The seep monkey flowers are probably the most successful germinators. I have potted at least 50 of them in small clumps into 4\u2033 pots\u2026tough to know if they will take or not. They look fragile after transplanting, but my hope is they will \u201ccatch\u201d and start to grow in the coming weeks. These are annual plants, and I have high hopes of adding them to the edge of our koi pond as well as slipping some around Twin Ponds and other wet areas in the neighborhood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other seedlings include another monkey flower, the scarlet monkey flower, with the tiniest seedlings I think I have ever seen! There are a lot of teeny seedlings that just germinated in the last week. It will be another month before they can be transplanted, maybe longer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other seedlings include fringecup, Oregon tough-leaved iris, grass widows, Menzie\u2019s fiddlenecks, Douglas aster, and yarrow. The tree and shrub seeds are slower to germinate. I am still waiting on western crabapple, madrone, cascara, pacific dogwood, blackcap raspberry, and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to seed starting, I undertook some vegetative propagation today by uprooting some Douglas aster starts from my biggest clumps. I potted about twenty cuttings into pots and watered them well. If they strike, they should be ready for transplanting or giving away by the middle of May. I was very impressed with Douglas aster as a patio pot plant last year and will share that benefit when I share the cuttings with neighbors and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/a>A special flower appeared in the garden today. These are usually so well-hidden that I miss them. It is the flower of the western wild ginger. I happened to get a few photos this year.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nAs much as I enjoy propagating these natives and watching them bloom, my new favorite hobby is documenting the \u201cwhy\u201d of native gardens\u2013the birds and other wildlife that are drawn to my garden. Here are a few birds that are nesting in our yard this year so far:<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/a><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/a><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>Several other bird species may be nesting in or near our yard. I have been hearing pine siskins consistently in the Douglas fir tree, which is new. They are usually long gone by now to parts unknown. I hear and see golden-crowned kinglets every day. There is a yellow-rumped warbler that visits the suet feeder every day. It looks scruffy, maybe with avian pox, but it seems to have a good appetite, and its health has improved in the last week or so. There are spotted towhees around the yard every day. They seem to like the messy orchard garden, too. I see and hear black-capped chickadees every day now, too. A pair of Anna\u2019s hummingbirds frequents the north side of the orchard garden. Infrequently, a Townsend\u2019s warbler appears at the feeder. Some house finches were hanging around last week. There are band-tailed pigeons that roost in several trees nearby. We see American robins, Stellar\u2019s jays, glaucus-winged gulls, and northern flickers daily. I am excited that our neighborhood continues to host so many avian species and hope a few more of them raise broods here in our yard.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Spring is in full swing here in North Seattle. Thousands of seedlings are popping up in my native nursery pots, and flowers and leaves are springing out in the native garden. These are just a few of the thousands of seedlings that have popped up from seeds planted last autumn. Some of the seeds were … Continue reading Spring Natives and My Feathered Friends<\/span>