Why should we plant native plants on Mercer Island?
Native plants should always be an option, where ever you are. Generally speaking, native plants are perfectly hardy whatever the weather throws at us, are better adapted to our soils, have better disease resistance, and attract more and more diverse wildlife than exotics do. Aside from that, there is nothing that provides a sense of place, of being home, like native plants do. Walk in the woods here and you will see things like trillium, Oregon grape, salal, Doug fir and big leaf maple, all the things that make this region so unique in the world. You can find tea roses and hybrid rhodies in gardens all over the world, but there is only one place where the licorice fern covers the branches of old maple trees, with a carpet of salal, sword fern and trillium at their feet. Planting these in the garden not only brings that sense of place home, it gives a home for all the birds, butterflies and other critters that call these plants home. That is the essence of habitat, and how you can transform your garden into more than just a bunch of pretty flowers.
Tell us about your company and what services you provide for Mercer Island residents.
My name is Brett Johnson and my company's name is Green Man Gardens. I provide landscape design and consulting services with a focus on native plants and wildlife habitat. As well as being able to provide native plants to those who need them, I can also help by identifying what you have, both in native and non-native species, and provide help in developing a garden with native plants and wildlife in mind. If you want to attract hummingbirds, butterflies, or just have a healthier garden, I can help you choose plants that will thrive in your garden and attract wildlife.
What are the top three native plants you should have your garden?
Only three? That's not enough! Well, if I only get three...1) red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum)- one of the easiest of the native shrubs to grow, with bright pink to red flowers in early spring. It's one of the first native shrubs to bloom, and one of the best to attract hummingbirds. All it requires is good drainage. It is not too picky about soil types, and is happy in sun or shade. It's easy to trim but generally doesn't need it. It is fast growing, and quick to flower even from a young age. It's almost always one of the favorites when in flower, but looks good out of flower too.
2) camas (Camassia quamash or C. leichtlinii)- the two native species are very similar, but both are excellent garden subjects. These bulbs were used by native Americans as a food source (they ate the bulbs), but we grow them for the flowers. Light to dark blue purple spikes of flowers, usually around Mother's Day, are highly attractive to almost all pollinators, from bees and butterflies to hummingbirds. The bulbs themselves are as easy to grow as daffodils or tulips. All they need is good sun, and decent soil. Hardy and quick growing, camas is one of the most beautiful wildflowers in the Washington flora.
Camassia leichtlinii
3) strawberries (Fragaria vesca, F. virginiana, and F. chiloensis)- we have three native strawberries to choose from. Most people grow the wood strawberry (F. vesca) for its fruit; small little sweet tart intense strawberries that make incredible jam if you have the patience to pick enough of them. It prefers moist light shade and is perfect under fruit trees and blueberries for an extra harvest, or in almost any protected sunny areas that get regular summer water. Beach strawberry (F. chiloensis) is mostly known as an aggressive groundcover for sunny dry spots, where it can get as dense as ivy but is much easier to control. It rarely produces berries but is worth growing for the shiny dark green leaves and contrasting pure white flowers anyway. The third of the three is my favorite- meadow strawberry (F. virginiana) has bluish leaves, is more drought tolerant than the wood strawberry but has just as good berries, if you can get them before the critters do. I like growing the fruiting ones in pots where they cascade over the edges so I can see and harvest the berries before the birds do.
There are many other species I would recommend, these aren't even necessarily my favorites!
What will you be doing at the Leap For Green Fair this year?
I will be selling plants, and have a table set up where kids of all ages can come and do leaf rubbings. I have pressed leaves and stems from several different native plants for people to use. I hope that as people walk through the parks, they will recognize how important these and other native plants are to our open spaces, both here on Mercer Island and in the whole region.
Thank you Brett for coming to the Leap For Green Fair! Can't wait to see you there...
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