Eriogonum umbellatum var. alpinum (AKA var. majus)
June Dry Garden
June 17th, 2011 by Diane | No Comments | Filed in Bumblebees, Drought tolerant, Flowers, Landscapes, Native Shrubs, Penstemons
Rock Penstemon (P. rupicola) & Littleflower Penstemon
June Garden
June 17th, 2011 by Diane | No Comments | Filed in Attracts Birds, Bumblebees, Drought tolerant, Flowers, Landscapes, Penstemons
Firecracker Penstemon, Tufted Evening-Primrose & Phacelia linearis
Dainty beauty – Chelan Penstemon
June 17th, 2011 by Diane | No Comments | Filed in Bumblebees, Drought tolerant, Flowers, Penstemons
Chelan Penstemon
June in the Dry Garden
June 17th, 2011 by Diane | No Comments | Filed in Bumblebees, Drought tolerant, Flowers, Penstemons
A striking penstemon from SE Washington, near the Snake River. Bumblebees love Penstemon glandulosus.
Worth the wait!! Arrowleaf Balsamroot about to bloom for the first time.
May 15th, 2011 by Diane | No Comments | Filed in Attracts Birds, Drought tolerant, Flowers, Landscapes
About to bloom in my garden for the first time.
This time of year the Arrowleaf Balsamroots are starting to bloom in open woods and undisturbed fields all over the Spokane area.
Even if people don’t know its name, its cheery yellow sunflowers are well known by most local folks. The plant was well known to native people also. All parts of the plant are edible at some stage of growth: buds, stems, flowers & seeds. The seeds are loved by birds, insects, and rodents.
I’ve heard many people say they’ve tried to dig up a balsamroot, but couldn’t manage to do it. That’s because they have massive taproots that go deep. It’s best to plant a first year seedling and be patient. It takes three to five years from seedling to flowering plant.
The plant in the photo was planted as a plug three years ago. It’s really exciting to have this finally maturing in the garden. This plant could live for many decades.
WE HAVE BALSAMROOT PLUGS THIS YEAR! CHECK WITH US SOON – THEY ARE GOING FAST.
OPENING SOON!
March 17th, 2011 by Diane | 2 Comments | Filed in UncategorizedDesert Jewels Nursery will be open for the season on April 15, 2011.
We’ll be open Fridays and Saturdays, April 15 through the end of June.
After a midsummer break, we’ll open again for fall sales in August.
Most of our ‘babies’ overwintered well, and can’t wait to get their roots in the soil.
Happy Spring!
Desert Jewels!
May 31st, 2010 by Diane | 2 Comments | Filed in Bumblebees, Drought tolerant, Flowers, Landscapes
This is a definition of a Desert Jewel! Love the juxtaposition of cactus, rock, and bright blue flowers.
The Dry Garden is waking up!
May 31st, 2010 by Diane | No Comments | Filed in Bumblebees, Drought tolerant, Flowers, Landscapes, Penstemons
At long last, we’ve had enough warmth that the whole dry garden is waking up. The focus here is the locals from the scab rock: abundant flowers turn Gairdner’s penstemon into a cloud of lilac. The desert yellow daisy is just starting to open its cheery yellow flowers above a grassy tuft of leaves. Both of these species have been recommended in several different rock garden books as excellent plants for the dry rock garden. I certainly agree. I’ve had these two species in my garden for four years, and their spring show never disappoints. And both seem to be very polite about not reseeding.
