Driving on the Shoulder: Reflections from My Third Seed Season by Georgia Mitchell Rant a U-Turn
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FALL 2020/SPRING 2021 5652 Sand Rd., Bellingham, WA 98226 | TEL 800-416-8640 | FAX 888-506-1236 | EMAIL [email protected] | WEB http://fourthcornernurseries.com NATIVE PLANTS OF NORTH AMERICA | WHOLESALE CATALOG As you are all undoubtedly aware, doing anything manent employees is over 16 years!! This amazing these days is harder than before Covid-19. We amount of shared expertise and resilience comes have managed to stay open and thus far weather in handy during times of crisis and gives me great the pandemic thanks to a mix of luck, location, faith in our ability to be a resource of native plant being deemed an essential agricultural business, information and innovation for years to come. and mostly because of the incredible staff here at Fourth Corner Nurseries. Amidst all the uncertainty Despite the evolving challenges and ongoing un- and anxiety that pits our health against our liveli- certainty, I am extremely grateful and proud to hoods, it had been a wonderful privilege to work share with you our native plant offerings this year. at two-arms-lengths or more from such a wonderful Within our catalog you will find many familiar group of people. classics as well as more choice of species, seed sources and stock types. Ecologically fit, geneti- To continue to expand upon the range and biodi- cally diverse native plants are and will continue versity of native plants that we grow every year is to be essential building blocks for restoring the labor intensive and requires meticulous attention to environment, rebuilding natural capital, and bol- detail. For instance, our bare root production fields stering the earth’s imperiled biodiversity. They Greetings, often have over 100 different species in production are going to be an important part of recovering Last year I wrote that the world is always chang- per acre. This is an incredibly efficient use of space from difficult times. While we cannot predict all ing, and we are committed to promoting plants for but requires hard physical work and a diversity of the changes to come, leveraging expertise and an uncertain future. I was not wrong about change tools. And we operate on a scale of production ap- being flexible is the only way we are going to get coming, but in hindsight my observations were more proaching 4 million plants per year. From every out- through this. On behalf of our entire team I thank of a breezy pontification than presage of the swift stretched arm grasping for a handful of seed to the you for your friendship and support and look for- and dramatic upheaval 2020 has had in store. The careful packaging of graded stock for shipping, the ward to working with you. simple truth is these are very challenging times. Our amount of thought, work and handling that goes into Take care and be well, hearts go out to all those who are grieving from the each individual plant is more than I like to concede. astounding toll the Covid-19 pandemic has taken on Adapting our operations and nursery to preserve the Dylan families and communities around the world. And safety and wellbeing of each employee, and triage Dylan Levy-Boyd, with a deep sense of gratitude, we give our sincere our workflow so we can uphold the quality of work General Manger, Fourth Corner Nurseries thanks to all the workers on the forefront of the that brings us pride has only been possible because battle who, day in and day out, are still risking their of the ingenuity and dedication of our staff. The lives and those of their families while fighting to average tenure of Fourth Corner Nurseries’ 21 per- contain the outbreak. Driving on the Shoulder: Reflections from my Third Seed Season by Georgia Mitchell rant a U-turn. It takes time to develop the eyes to The day I start thinking about this article I am driv- recognize a worthwhile picking location. Eventually, ing down the shoulder of a rather busy highway, the juxtaposition of a frustrated afternoon spent in hazard lights flashing. I’m here to check this sea- an area with mediocre seed set compared to one son’s crop of beaked hazelnut (Corylus cornuta v. spent harvesting by the thick handful teaches better californica) on the way to a salmonberry (Rubus discernment. spectabilis) harvest site. I stop the truck, jump out and pull a couple nuts from a few trees. Back in the I was fortunate in this job to have inherited a truck I cut each one in half: the developing ovule is wealth of historical collecting sites from my pre- only the size of a pea, surrounded by hairy pith. I’d decessor, Richard Haard. We maintain a database say it’ll be three weeks before these are ready to of past seed collections going back 20 years, along pick. Hmmm...how does that compare to last year? with GPS waypoints, and I took copious notes my first season. Still, there are few guarantees in seed Seed collecting requires constant assessment. collecting. We have lost access to locations for rea- Much of our wild collections take place in the pub- sons as diverse as expanded military training opera- lic easements along roadways, so initial scouting tions, new housing developments, and a farmer’s often occurs at 35 to 55 mph. While on the road a lawsuit with a railroad company. While preparing half-subliminal checklist rattles repeatedly through for the season I easily spend hours on the Consor- INSIDE THIS ISSUE: my brain: Species: presence/absence? Abundance? tium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria and USDA Plants Phenology: fertile? Seeds/Fruits: ripe? underripe? websites, looking at historical herbaria records and Greetings............................................................... 1 over-ripe or gone? I frequently have a few-seconds- species range maps. Once the rubber hits the road, "Driving on the Shoulder".........................................1 long window to make the call whether to check however, maintaining a robust inventory of potential Common Name Index.............................................. 2 the rearview mirror, pull a sharp right and hit the harvest sites largely boils down to curiosity, good New Plugs Being Offered.........................................2 brakes. Or perhaps a half-minute past that to decide eyesight, and luck. (Not to mention all the hours Contact Information................................................3 whether what I just saw was good enough to war- and mileage!) (continued on page 11) Wetland Indicator Status......................................... 3 Terms and Conditions..............................................3 Trees & Shrubs.......................................................4 Fourth Corner Nurseries Purchase Order Form.............................................. 9 PRSRT STD 5652 Sand Rd. "Sedges make good teachers"..................................10 Bellingham, WA 98226 U.S. Postage New Staff at FCN...................................................11 PAID Conifers................................................................12 Lynden, WA Herbaceous Perennials...........................................13 PERMIT NO 20 Grasses, Rushes, Sedges.........................................17 Aquatics...............................................................19 Bulbs, Rhizomes, Tubers........................................20 COMMON NAME INDEX TREES & SHRUBS HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS GRASSES, SEDGES, RUSHES Alder 4 Alumroot 14 Arrowgrass 19 Ash 5 Arnica 13 Bentgrass 17 Aspen 6 Aster 16 Brome 17 Barberry 6 Avens 14 Bulrush 17, 19 Bayberry 6 Balsamroot 13 Cattail 19 Birch 4 Beach Carrot 14 Fescue 18 Bitterbrush 6 Beach Pea 14 Horsetail 18 Bitter Cherry 6 Blanket Flower 14 Junegrass 18 Blackberry 7 Bleeding Heart 14 Mannagrass 18 Blueberry 8 Bluebells 13, 15 Meadow Barley 18 Buffaloberry 8 Blue-eyed Grass 16 Oatgrass 17 Cascara 5 Buttercup 16 Oniongrass 18 Ceanothus 4 Bur-ragweed 13 Rice Cutgrass 18 Chokeberry 4 Checkerbloom 16 Rush 18 Chokecherry 6 Checkermallow 16 Saltgrass 18 Cinquefoil 5 Cinquefoil 16 Sedge 17 Clematis 5 Coltsfoot 15 Spikerush 18 Coralberry 8 Columbine 13 Sweetgrass 18 Cottonwood 6 Cone Flower 14, 16 Threesquare 19 Crabapple 6 Cow Parsnip 14 Tufted Hairgrass 18 Currant 6, 7 Devil's Club 15 Wild Rye 18 Dogwood 5 Echinacea 14 Wool Grass 19 Elderberry 8 Fireweed 13 Gooseberry 7 Fleabane 14 Hackberry 4 Frasera 14 Hawthorn 5 Fringecup 16 Hazelnut 5 Fumewort 13 Hickory 4 Ginger 13 Honeysuckle 5 Goatsbeard 13 AQUATICS Huckleberry 8 Goldenrod 16 Madrone 4 Goose Tongue 15 Maple 4 Gumweed 14 Arrowhead 19 Mock Orange 6 Harebell 13 Buckbean 19 Mountain Balm 4 Hedgenettle 16 Bur-reed 19 Mountain Mahogany 5 Hyssop 13 Cinquefoil 19 Ninebark 6 Inside-out Flower 16 Marshlock 19 Oak 6 Iris 14 Pond-lily 19 Ocean Spray 5 Lily-of-the-Vally 15 Skunk Cabbage 19 Oregon Grape 6 Lupine 14, 15 Speedwell 19 Osoberry 6 Milkweed 13 Veronica 19 Raspberry 7 Mint 15 Wapato 19 Redbud 4 Monardella 15 Water Parsley 19 Rhododendron 6 Monkeyflower 15 Water Plantain 19 Rose 7 Mugwort 13 Salal 5 Onion 13 Salmonberry 7 Oregon Sunshine 14 Sandcherry 6 Pearly Everlasting 13 Serviceberry 4 Penstemon 15 BULBS, RHIZOMES, TUBERS Silktassel 5 Piggyback-Plant 16 Silverberry 5 Plantain 15 Snowberry 8 Prairie Smoke 14 Brodiaea 20 Soapberry 8 Pussytoes 13 Camas 20 Spirea 8 Sand Verbena 13 Checker Lily 20 Sumac 6 Sea Thrift 13 Fool’s Onion 20 Sweetgale 6 Sedum 16 Johnny Jump Up 20 Sweetshrub 4 Self Heal 16 Larkspur 20 Thimbleberry 7 Silverweed 15 Lily 20 Twinberry 5 Soapweed 16 Mosquito Bills 20 Viburnum 8 Sorrel 15 Onion 20 Walnut 5 Spring Gold 14 Shooting Star 20 Willow 7, 8 Stonecrop 15 Triteleia 20 Strawberry 14 Yellow Bells 20 Vanilla Leaf 13 Violet 16 Waterleaf 14 Waterparsnip 16 Woolly Sunflower 14 Wormwood 13 Yarrow 13 Yellow-eyed Grass 16 Youth on Age 16 CONIFERS Yucca 16 Cedar 12 Fir 12 Hemlock 12 Juniper 12 Pine 12 Spruce 12 PLUGS Yew 12 The following species are offered as plugs by pre-order only. Please place your order by the date below for finished plugs in 2021. Species Order by See Description Abies amabilis (Pacific Silver Fir) October 1st pg.