Hands down, one of our favorite Northwest native plant is the evergreen huckleberry. Vaccinium ovatum is an edible plant unique to the Northwest, and also a Great Plant Pick for Seattle landscapes. It has beautiful foliage (leaves with a tinge of deep waxy green and red when mature) and purple-black berries in the fall. This plant is a must in any Seattle garden because it tolerates a wide range of light levels, from full sun to shady woodland environments, and provides year-round interest. Evergreen huckleberry is fairly disease-resistant and drought-tolerant; once established, it require little pruning or water (though a bit of water during dry weather can help flowering and fruit production).

Evergreen Huckleberry, West Seattle

The erect shrubs can grow tall; some of our clients on Mercer Island have older, bushy shrubs that are about 6-feet tall. The berries ripen during the late summer to fall; they’re slightly tart, about one-third the size of a typical blueberry and make great jams or jellies. My son is crazy about them and loves to eat them right off the plant, his fingers and lips stained red-purple by the juices. Add huckleberries to muffins or pancakes; they’re also easy to freeze. One of our clients, Lisa in Ballard, makes a killer huckleberry pie, filled with berries she picks from her garden.

Tulips peeking through recent snow

Despite the snow in the Seattle recently, there are still signs of spring everywhere. Forsythia branches are showing their signature yellow color; flowering currants and magnolias are starting to bloom; and the most enjoyable, distinctive sign of spring – tulips – are emerging after a winter spent growing underground.

Tulips are native to central Asia and were first commercially cultivated as early as 1000 AD by the Turks, long before a botanist named Carlos Clusius widely introduced them to the Netherlands during the late 16th century. Tulips are now synonymous with the Netherlands, and regionally, with the Skagit Valley, where visitors can catch thousands of tulips blooming during the spring Tulip Festival (April 1-30, 2012).

Tulips are hardy bulbs and easy to grow in the Seattle area. They can withstand cold snaps without much problem; so no need to worry about the recent snowfall. Plant tulips and other spring-blooming bulbs, such as daffodils, in the fall so they can bloom in the spring. For the showiest blooms, buy the biggest bulbs and buy them as soon as you start seeing them in the garden store (avoid ones with roots growing from them). Tulips require a good dose of sun — about 5 to 6 hours a day — and well-drained soil. Plant them a few inches deeper than the packet instructions tell you, about 10 inches or so.

Ecoyards’ youngest employee with tulips, planted two years ago.

In the Ecoyards garden, our tulips are starting to peak out of the ground (pictured above) in early March. Some people plant tulips yearly for the best blooms and show, but most high-quality tulip bulbs will continue to bloom for three years with good results if you put them in a sunny spot with good drainage. (Check your bulb variety; some very showy blooms are sold as annuals and are only meant to bloom for one season). From year to year, tulips split into smaller bulbs, and eventually those smaller bulbs may not produce a flower. The tulips pictured here were planted about three seasons ago, so we will probably divide the bulbs later this fall or plant new ones.

Now is probably a good time give your bulbs a bit of fertilizer. You should fertilize as foliage (about an inch or two) emerges and again after flowering (there’s no need to fertilize if you’re treating the tulips as an annual, or good for one season). If you want to cut the flowers for indoor use, do it when it’s just past the tight bud stage. Cut it in the morning, put the stems in lots of water and store in a cool area.

Once a tulip has bloomed, remove the dead flower so it doesn’t set seed, which can reduce bulb growth. But resist the urge to pluck the leaves. Let the leaves get good and brown before removing them. The foliage is working hard to photosynthesize nutrients and to recharge the bulb so it can send up a healthy flower stalk next spring. Once the leaves are withered and brown, cut them back and leave the bulbs in the ground for next spring’s bloom.

Old Dominion circular paver, Ecoyards

Patios can extend your outdoor living space, give structure to your landscape, and provide a great place to hang out. There are many decisions that go into installing a patio. Once you have a design in mind, deciding what material to use can be tough. Initial cost of installation is only one of numerous factors. You also should include durability, maintenance over time, and how the patio will be used (for example, pea gravel may be great in the side yard, but not an ideal surface for patio table and chairs).

Here’s a brief summary of some of the materials that can be used:

Bricks can give you a traditional, classic beauty that will hold their natural clay hue over time. We have helped our clients incorporate some “reclaimed” bricks from other old projects into their new projects, giving the patio an aged look; you may not always be able to find reclaimed bricks.

Poured concrete is simple, smooth, and among the cheapest options for patios or walkways. One of the disadvantages is that they can crack over time. Proper installation (including pouring concrete over a thick compacted base of sand or gravel) can help prevent cracking, but if your house is in an area where soil settles over time or the earth beneath shifts, cracking can still happen. Concrete also is impervious, so water runs off the surface rather than seep into the soil or gravel below.

Natural stone (slate) walkway

Natural stone is attractive, durable, requires little maintenance but it is among the most expensive materials for patios. Bluestone with its distinctive smooth surface and blue-tan hues are ideal for formal landscapes. Flagstone (such as slate or limestone) lend a formal feel to a landscape, but also can be laid randomly to give a less formal feel. Natural stone is durable, slip-resistant, and can be installed so that moss or other groundcovers can be planted in between the spacing, allowing rain to seep through and adding a living feature to your patio. We typically install flagstones over a base of sand and gravel, though clients can choose to mortar flagstones on top of a concrete slab.

Pavers made from pre-cast concrete are the most popular choice for Ecoyards clients. These pavers range in size, color, and texture, giving homeowners numerous design options. Pavers can be installed over a concrete slab or a compacted base of sand and gravel. Once installed, pavers require very little maintenance. Recycled pavers such as those offered by VAST are made of 95 percent post-consumer recycled materials –plastic bottles and scrap tires — rather than traditional concrete or clay.

Permeable pavers are becoming increasingly popular choices as a way to help control stormwater pollution, but they are generally more expensive. Many cities and counties are using permeable pavers, such as Eco-Priora, interlocking concrete pavers, as a more effective method of controlling stormwater (all the stuff that washes into storm drains when it rains) in big projects.

Contact Ecoyards to setup a consultation if you’d like help designing a patio space in your garden.

Northwest native shamrock-like Oxalis oregana; photo by nordique via Creative Commons License

With St. Patrick’s Day approaching, we thought it would be a good time to highlight a beautiful Northwest native plant that resembles a shamrock. Oxalis oregana, or redwood sorrel or Oregon oxalis, is a small herbaceous perennial that blooms from early spring through summer. They’re native to the U.S. West Coast, from British Columbia south to California. In Washington state, you may encounter them as thick, lush carpets of green in coastal forests, such as those in the Olympic National Park.

Oxalis oregana has three shamrock-like heart-shaped leaflets, with a deep green color. The plants, however, most commonly portrayed as shamrocks are: Oxalis acetosella (wood sorrel), Trifolium repens (white clover), or Medicago lupulina (black medic), or Trifolium minus (hop clover).

Our native redwood sorrel spreads by creeping rhizomes (through horizontal rootstalks), and can spread quickly once established. It’s well-suited for partial shade or deep shade areas;   blooms in spring bearing white or pink flowers about an inch wide; and dies back in the winter in cold areas.

hummingbird; photo by lambatofa via Creative Commons License

Each morning, my son runs to the window to see what little creatures are feasting on seeds, nectar and berries in our front yard. Last week, we spotted a couple squirrels, a raccoon traipsing across our neighbor’s front yard, and several birds on the branches of our bare Japanese bloodgood maple). This week, we watched a couple hummingbirds flitter from branch to branch on the white-flowering currant that is getting ready to explode with its clusters of white flowers. Ribes sanguineum is one of our favorite plants in the Seattle landscape because of its spectacular white and red blooms are magnets for birds and butterflies.

Over the years as we have added to and edited our landscape in Seattle, we’ve added more shrubs and plants that can support wildlife. A typical neighborhood can hold more than 25 species of birds and mammals, such as hawks, raccoons, robins, chickadees, and even an occasional coyote, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. You can design your Seattle landscape with wildlife in mind by providing creatures with four basic needs: food, water, shelter, and space. Bees, birds and butterflies feed on flower nectar; squirrels feast on nuts and berries. Have a variety of plants that flower at different times of the year so wildlife have a steady pick of food throughout the seasons. Insects are also an important food source for birds, so develop a high tolerance for bugs and avoid insecticides.

Trees and shrubs, brush piles, groundcovers and plants that grow at different heights provide creatures with various safe places to hide and rest. A good wildlife habitat has many levels of habitat, from the ground on up to the tallest evergreen. Plant groundcovers for bugs and taller trees like western hemlocks for woodpeckers and hawks.

Consider adding a water source for animals, such as a birdbath, stream or other fountain. The Humane Society recommends studying your yard from the viewpoint of an animal seeking shelter and food when you start gardening for wildlife. Learn the habits and tastes of the species you hope to attract, and identify any potential conflicts early enough to head them off before unacceptable damage has been done to your garden.

The National Wildlife Federation also offers tips on how to garden for wildlife and how to certify your landscape as a wildlife habitat. The Audubon Society has a website on Healthy Yards.

Contact Ecoyards if you’d like to redesign your landscape to attract more wildlife.

For gardeners in the Seattle area, the release of the Great Plant Picks each year is right up there with the Academy Award nominations. OK, not really, but it’s a still pretty cool list of showstoppers. Check it out.

If you aren’t already familiar with Great Plant Picks, it’s like having the chef of a restaurant come out and tell you the best things to order from the menu. The experts of the Northwest horticulture community have done all the work for home gardeners. They’ve weeded through and came up with a list of reliable, hardy and easy-to-care-for plants for this region. All the plants must be hardy for USDA climate zone 7 and 8, which covers most of the Seattle area. (Find your plant hardiness zone here). All the plants must be vigorous, easy to grow by the average gardener, reasonably disease- and pest-resistant, have a long season, be available from at least two retail outlets in the state and generally not be too needy or picky. Time and time again, Ecoyards has turned to this list to find the most suitable plants for our Seattle landscaping clients.

Shade tolerant plants, Seattle

The 2012 Great Plant Picks includes some of our favorite plants, including several varieties of Hosta and Trillium, as well the Virginia creeper vine. New for 2012 is a list of plants that are made for the shade. You can look up bulbs, shrubs or trees for shade. The newly-designed website now has categories that are broken down even further, into plants for light shade, dappled shade, deep shade, open shade and dry shade. Find your great plant pick using this search tool.

The USDA recently unveiled new plant hardiness zone maps, the guide many gardeners rely on to figure out which plants grow and thrive best in a particular location. The maps give you the historic average annual coldest temperatures for a particular area; nurseries and seed producers often include these zones on plant tags and seed packets to indicate how hardy a plant is. Use this handy online tool to enter your zip code and find out your new zone.

Our Ecoyards’ office in West Seattle is now in zone 8B; that means the average annual coldest temperature for a past 30-year period were between 15 and 20 degrees F. According to the old hardiness maps, our office was located in zone 7B, where the average coldest temperatures were between 5 and 10 degrees. Gardeners will likely be able to plant a few more things that they previously weren’t able to, or at least push their luck a bit more. But by and large, the changes aren’t likely to be too drastic. There are a lot of plants such as aster, green beans, asparagus and peonies grow great in both zones 7 and 8, so we won’t be pulling out plants or rearranging the planting lineup too much. As gardeners in the Northwest know, each garden and landscape can have its own micro-climate based on the amount of sunlight it gets, whether it’s sheltered or exposed, is south-facing and so on. The hardiness maps are just a good “rule of thumb” guide.

The most interesting aspect of the new maps may be that they indicate that temperatures are warming across the U.S. As The Associated Press points out in this article:

The government’s colorful map of planting zones is being updated for a warmer 21st century. The official guide for 80 million gardeners and a staple on seed packets reflects a new reality: The coldest day of the year isn’t as cold as it used to be. So some plants that once seemed too vulnerable to cold can now survive farther north. It’s the first time since 1990 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has updated the map and much has changed. Nearly entire states, such as Ohio, Nebraska and Texas, are in warmer zones.

The new map relies on weather station data from 1976 to 2005, compared to the 1990 map that used statistics from 1974 to 1986. Experts say that increased accuracy in weather data will be really useful for gardeners and others.

At Ecoyards, we pride ourselves on our professionalism, knowledge, and high standards in the landscape industry. This year, owner Andy took the extra step to become a Landscape Industry Certified Manager through the National Association of Landscape Professionals. On Sept. 21, the National Association of Landscape Professionals announced that Andy has successfully earned his certification. He is now a nationally-certified landscape manager in Seattle. the National Association of Landscape Professionals is an international association serving lawn care professionals, maintenance contractors, installation/design/build professionals, and interiorscapers.

To get his certification, Andy underwent an exhaustive written examination that tested his knowledge, skills and theory in all aspects of working in the landscape industry. He had to demonstrate mastery of seven topics covering leadership and corporate citizenship; production operations/horticulture; sales and marketing; strategic planning; human resources; risk, law, and contracts; and corporate financial management. The program requires that he maintains certification through mandatory continuing education.

For our customers, it means you can expect the same high quality and professionalism that you’ve come to expect from Ecoyards. Andy’s certification, however, means he’s taken the extra step to validate his skills and knowledge in the industry.

For more information, visit landscapeprofessionals.org. 

Here are a few photos of fun plant combinations in Ecoyards landscape designs —

Here are a few photos from projects recently completed by Ecoyards in West Seattle —