The Native Plant Press
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Native Plant Press January 2020 The Native Plant Press The Newsletter of the Central Puget Sound Chapter of WNPS Volume 21 No. 11 January 2020 Holiday Party Recap On Sunday, December 8th, the Central Puget Sound Chapter held our annual holiday party. The event was a potluck, and the fare was wide-ranging and excellent. The native plant-focused silent auction offered several hand-made wreaths, numerous potted natives from tiny succulents to gangly shrubs, plant-themed books and ephemera, and a couple of experiences. The selection occasioned some intense bidding wars, with Franja Bryant and Sharon Baker arriving at a compromise in their battle over the Native Garden Tea Party. A highlight of the party was the presentation of awards to Member, Steward and Professional of the Year. Each year, nominations are submitted by members and the recipients are chosen by the CPS Board. Stewart Wechsler (left) was chosen Member of the Year. Stewart is a Botany Fellow for the chapter and for many years has offered well-attended plant ID sessions before our westside meetings. In addition, he often fields the many botanical questions that we receive from the public. David Perasso (center) is our Steward of the Year. David is a Native Plant Steward at Martha Washington Park on Lake Washington and has been working to restore the historic oak/camas prairie ecosystem at the site. The site is now at the stage where David was able to host a First Nation camas harvest recently. He is also an active volunteer at our native plant nursery, providing vital expertise in the identification and propagation of natives. David also volunteers at the Covington prairie remnant and at the Beacon Food Forest. Pat Parks (right) was awarded the Professional of the Year award for her ongoing support and commitment, as both a vendor and a volunteer, to our plant sales. In addition to providing high- quality plant materials, Pat helps set up attractive displays at the sales. Pat, in turn, credits Tom Johnson and the CPS for supporting her development as a highly capable propagator of bulbs. We thank the volunteers who arrived early to set up, with special mention to Chrys Bertolotto and Franja Bryant, who solicited, organized, wrote up and awarded the many silent auction items. Julie O’Donald, Sharon Baker and Janka Hobbs stepped up and introduced the award winners. And we also thank the sturdy souls who stayed late and helped pack up the décor for another year. Please Note: The Field Trip to Evans Creek Preserve is full. Page 1 of 8 NPP Vol 21, No. 1 January 2020 Native Plant Press January 2020 Attend the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival FREE! Franja Bryant, Education Committee Chair 2020 Flower and Garden Show February 26 – March 1 Washington State Convention Center, Seattle Happy New Year! 2020 brings the 30th Annual Northwest Flower and Garden Festival. The Central Puget Sound Chapter represents WNPS in this 5-day event, a wonderful opportunity to share our enthusiasm for native plants and to explain the value and service they provide to our environment. For more information about the event visit: http://www.gardenshow.com. This year’s Festival will run from Wednesday, February 26 – Sunday, March 1. Would you like to attend it for FREE? Volunteer for one 3-4 hour shift at our WNPS educational booth and you will receive free entry to the show for that whole day ($25 value). You might even recruit a plant enthusiast friend to volunteer with you and then explore the show together before or after your shift. Sign-ups will be done online. Please click on this link to reach our Doodle poll where you can select dates and times convenient for you: https://doodle.com/poll/4v3fbka2c599in7y. Once you are signed up on the Doodle Poll we will be in touch with further information about admission, etc. Show dates at the Washington State Convention Center, Seattle: Wednesday Feb. 26th – Saturday, February 29th 9:00am – 8:00pm Sunday March 1st – 9:00am – 6:00pm (Tuesday, Feb. 25 will probably be our move-in day and we will need a couple of extra people to help with this. Signing up for Tuesday on the Doodle Poll will earn you a free ticket to the show.) Daily volunteer shift hours: 9:00am – 1:00pm 1:00pm – 4:30pm 4:30pm – 8:00pm ALSO: Are you creative? Do you have special ideas for how to make our booth a stand-out this year? We would love to hear your ideas. Please share them with Franja Bryant ([email protected]) . We may also need some substitutes on short notice during the show. If you are generally available and willing to substitute on particular days or at particular times, please contact either Franja or Elizabeth Page 2 of 8 NPP Vol 21, No. 1 January 2020 Native Plant Press January 2020 2020 Programs: Please note: there is no January Westside program. January Program Birds in Our Midst: Creating Gardens Filled With Life Julie O’Donald Sammamish Library Saturday, January 25, 2:00 – 3:30pm Please note day, time and location change. Backyard Wildlife Habitat Steward and Master Gardener, Julie O'Donald will give an overview of the elements that create beautiful gardens for birds and people, emphasizing best native plants for birds and design features that create habitat. Photos of birds with their food plants will show how to bring nature home to any property. Julie's personal certified wildlife habitat contains over 200 species of native plants and attracts birds, butterflies, pollinators and beneficial insects Julie O'Donald has over 30 years’ experience creating wildlife-friendly gardens. She has focused on the use of native plants integrated with ornamentals to attract butterflies and pollinators. Julie's garden has been featured in Pacific Horticulture and The Butterfly Gardener magazines, as well as the book, Butterfly Gardening: The North American Butterfly Association Guide, 2018. Active in educational community outreach, Julie volunteers for the Washington Native Plant Society, the Washington Butterfly Association, Kruckeberg Botanic Garden, and the National Wildlife Federation Public invited, refreshments, admission is free. Produced by Cheryl Wagner February Programs: Please note, there are two programs for February 2020! One is at the Mountaineers on Thursday, February 6th; the other is at Bellevue Botanical Garden on Wednesday, February 12th. Please especially note that the Bellevue program is on a Wednesday. Chelsea and Beyond: Looking at Pacific Northwest Plants in Great Britain Sarah Gage Mountaineers Program Center Thursday, February 6, 7:00pm Many Pacific Northwest plants found a welcome reception in British horticulture when Archibald Menzies, David Douglas, and other plant collectors started transporting them “across the pond.” Sarah will share observations of Northwest species seen during visits to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and travels in England, Scotland, and Wales. Some of our native plants have become beloved garden subjects in Great Britain—selected and hybridized into numerous cultivars. Some have become invasive, while many of our locally problematic invasives are treasured natives in the hedgerows and fields of the British countryside. Vanquish any February doldrums with pictures and tales of flowers, gardens, and scones. Sarah Gage, M.S., M.F.A., past president of WNPS (1995-96), managed the University of Washington Herbarium for thirteen years (1988–2001), co-authoring A Centenary Survey of Plant Life in Washington State, and participating in the International Kuril Island Project (1995–2000). From 2005 to 2019 she worked on biodiversity conservation and salmon recovery at the Recreation and Conservation Office in Olympia. She serves on several WNPS committees: Communications Committee, Editorial Board for Douglasia, Financial Advisory Committee, and Fundraising Committee. She has curated the Botanical Rambles blog for WNPS since the blog began in 2012. Photo: Camassia by Sarah Gage Public invited, refreshments, admission is free. Produced by Sharon Baker and Shelley Evans Page 3 of 8 NPP Vol 21, No. 1 January 2020 Native Plant Press January 2020 Current Forest and Tree Health Issues in Western Washington Kevin Zobrist, Professor, Extension Forestry, Washington State University Bellevue Botanical Garden Wednesday, February 12, 7:00pm Please note this program is on the 2nd Wednesday of February. Dead and dying trees have proliferated throughout western Washington. Hemlocks and cedars have been particularly hard hit, causing concern for many property owners. The talk covers the basics of forest health in western Washington. Learn about current and spreading issues affecting the area, risk factors, and how to know how well a forest is functioning. Know what’s normal and what’s not, when to be concerned, and what to do if you suspect a problem. Kevin is a professor with Washington State University. He coordinates the Extension Forestry program in the Puget Sound area, working with people who own forested property. Kevin has two forestry degrees from the University of Washington. His research interests include forestry education and outreach methodology, using technology in forestry education, forest owner demographics, forest health and ecology, and native trees. He is based in Everett and is the author of the book Native Trees of Western Washington. Plants on Islands: Insights Into the Flora of the San Juan Islands Peter Dunwiddie Mountaineers Program Center Thursday, March 5, 2020 7:00pm Prior to 2005, the flora of most islands in the San Juan archipelago had never been studied. Over the past 15 years, our understanding has begun to change as a result of detailed surveys we have conducted documenting the vascular plants found on over 125 islands. While such a large number of species lists might seem eye-glazing to an extreme, these data provide a remarkable resource for exploring diverse, fascinating questions regarding the biogeography of islands in the Salish Sea.