Joyful Cultivations

Come see us this afternoon! Score some great deals!

Timely tips from the Golfing Gardener - 4.15.24 Going Vertical with Vines   view as webpage The Golfing Gardener's Weekly Column For April 15th, 2024 Going Vertical with Vines Going vertical with climbing plants adds visual interest to any garden

Our Dolce Heucheras are well known by those who have shady landscapes and are very easy to grow. Commonly known as 'coral bells', they are a wonderful addition to your landscape where their interesting foliage will add carefree beauty for years to come. What might surprise you is that these perennials that are hardy in zones 4-9 are also sun tolerant. Foliage color and bloom are best when plants receive at least 4-6 hours of direct sunlight.

Here's a link to our Ultimate Guide to Coral Bells that will answer any questions, while also showing you the wide range of colors these perennials offer. pwwin.rs/heuchper24

We're excited to kick off Native Plant Appreciation Month 2024 with a spotlight on three grant projects that we funded in 2023, and a look ahead to the 15 grants we're giving out across the state in 2024 to further the appreciation and conservation of Washington's native plants and their habitats through research, restoration, and education. Read on and enjoy: https://www.wnps.org/blog/great-wnps-grant-news
Photo by Susan Ballinger

Here's a brilliant idea 💡👉 Plant gold-leaved shrubs. During the winter months, they light up the landscape. The rest of the year, they shine a spotlight on other showstoppers, like this Threadleaf False Cypress does for a Mikasa Itoh Peony in the display garden.

Come in to Sunnyside Nursery to see which brightly-colored shrubs we can recommend for your landscape!

Native plants not only support diverse populations of native wildlife including essential pollinators, but also hold significant importance in indigenous cultures. Native plants, like Camas and huckleberry, were a nutrient rich food source and continue to be a staple in many cultures within our region.

Definitely check out this class if you can!

How important are rare plants to pollinator diversity? Globally, plant ecologists estimate ~36% of plant species are rare, while across North America, the IUCN currently lists 744 plant species threatened with extinction. Rare plants provide food for many animals, including flower-visiting insects (pollinators and floral predators). Join us for our Native Plant Appreciation Month webinar on April 15 with Susan Waters, Ph.D.; Susan will profile Quamash EcoResearch's findings on the insects that visit five U.S. federally threatened or endangered plants of Washington and Oregon: Castilleja levisecta (golden paintbrush), Erigeron decumbens (Willamette daisy), Eriogonum codium (desert buckwheat), Physaria douglasii ssp. tuplashensis (White Bluffs bladderpod), and Sidalcea oregana var. calva (Wenatchee Mountains checkermallow). Sign up for this free virtual webinar here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Zis1QVjxT-eImPCYt0vn9Q #/registration

Historically, glacial outwash prairie covered nearly 150,000 acres of western Washington, stretching from present-day Tacoma south through the Chehalis River drainage basin and ending just south of present-day Oakville. Today, it is estimated that only about 3% of that landscape remains as native prairie. Join us for our virtual Native Plant Appreciation Month webinar with David Wilderman, M.S., to learn about glacial outwash prairie ecology and delve into the conservation efforts and practices that have been developed, focusing on examples from DNR-managed natural areas. Register at: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6vUUhAoXRtqJgHPWXcw-RA #/registration

March Mania Plant Sale

Sunday, March 24

Bellevue Botanical Garden

10 am to 1 pm

March is a great time to buy plants from a select group of local small nurseries and specialty growers who sell an amazing collection of hard-to-find and old-time favorite perennials, shrubs, ferns, grasses and more.

Your support helps these growers thrive and prosper, and in return they can grow even more special plants for our gardens!

Celestial Dream Gardens
Windcliff Plants
Lee Farm & Nursery
Botanica
The Lim Garden
Happy Crow Nursery
Growing Girls
Fancy Fronds
This is a 'Farmer's Market Style' plant sale where you purchase plants directly from each seller - bring your own small wagon/cart to carry your purchases back to your car.

The honorable mentions! I love the flowers of late winter, early spring. A lovely nudge to remind us what's to come.

Hellebore season! Just a few beauties from the Arboretum.

I was hanging out at the Evergreen Arboretum a couple of weeks ago to finish some soil tests on my garden site and I really enjoyed the "Color Storm"! The arboretum teamed up with local artists to yarn bomb the park!

It was a cloudy, but dry day. As we are moving away from winter, but not quite into spring the landscapes around us can seem a bit drab or monochromatic. There were a few drops of color here and there with daffodils smiling, edgeworthia bursting with color before the leaves come, skimmia's delicate blush clusters, and hellebores nodding in anticipation, but the yard bombs really brought a little magic. So FUN!

These sweet little tree sweaters will be on display until the end of the month. They are worth the trip!