A Transplant Grows Native-Crazy

Posted by Sandi

In case you haven’t noticed yet, I’m a native plant buff. When I moved from Florida to Orcas I was excited to start learning about the extraordinary native plants here in the Pacific Northwest. Our property is sloped and rocky, partially wooded, with moss and deer everywhere. So gardening with natives has turned out to be both practical and rewarding. An even bigger benefit, though, is conserving and promoting biodiversity. (Read this article to fully understand why this is so important.) I thought I’d share a few of my most-used resources and links:

Wallace W Hansen Garden Planner

This hand-illustrated guide is no longer on the Wallace H Hansen website, but I have a pdf copy I can share.

My hard-copy library includes the following:

  • Wild Plants of the San Juan Islands – Atkinson/Sharpe
  • Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest – Kruckeberg
  • Native Plants in the Coastal Garden – Pettinger/Costanzo
  • Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest – Link

I just had a fantastic onsite consultation this week with Michael Budnick and Laura Gibbons of Northwest Concepts. They are the go-to native plant landscapers in the San Juan Islands. I’m going to start implementing some of their ideas this fall and will post updates.

Got any favorite native plant resources? Please share!

 

Looking to enjoy the simple life on beautiful Orcas Island?
Contact T Williams Realty  – we’ll help you find your way home.

2 Comments

Filed under Gardening, Nature

2 Responses to A Transplant Grows Native-Crazy

  1. Very interesting stuff! Kudos to you guys for keeping it native. We look forward to checking out your comprehensive resources. Thanks Sandi!

    • One of the best things that came out during our site visit with Budnick is that we found alot of the native plants I want are already here, but the deer are munching them into bonsai! So first priority is deer fencing.