The 2011 Season Begins

It may not seem like it, but we have turned the corner toward Spring and days are beginning to lengthen.  Adding just  two or three minutes of precious light to each day will make a big difference within a few short weeks.  I don't know about you, but it gives me a growing sense of optimism just thinking about it.

The Wild Ginger Farm Skyline in Winter

Plants as well as people respond to day length and we have already started to see some plants begin their growth pushes with swelling buds and new root development.  Here at the nursery, a few exceptional plants like the alpine cushion Saxifrage, Saxifraga suendermannii, Cyclamen coum and highly fragrant Sweet Box, Sarcococca confusa, are already flowering!

Saxifraga 'Suendermannii'

Mugo Pine 'Short Needle' in a trough

We are excited about the coming 2011 season as we continue to expand our offerings of alpine, rock garden and woodland plants.  One interesting group is our growing selection of dwarf and miniature trees.  Two that fall into the miniature category are Mugo Pine, Pinus mugo 'Short Needle' and the Norway Spruce, Picea abies 'Thumbelina', both selections with the teeniest needles imaginable and extremely slow growth habits that make them perfect for bonsai, troughs and small scale gardens.

We are growing more Western native plants than ever.  In addition to our large selection of species Penstemons and Lewisias, we've expanded our group of Pacific Coast Hybrid Irises.  I'll be writing more about those beauties later this Spring.  They are so much fun that we plan to have a class about them when they are in full bloom.  Speaking of classes, we had excellent feedback last summer and plan a series of classes on a variety of topics during the coming season.  We'll post the schedule on our Homepage.

Not surprisingly, we've already gotten orders for Spring delivery of Himalayan Blue Poppies, including the rarely offered Meconopsis 'Lingholm'.  Luckily, we have a good supply.  As Spring approaches, I'll be writing about more rare and interesting plants as we add them to our list.  Keep an eye on our blog for all the details.  And keep an eye on the sky for Spring!