Species and cultivar guides for trees, shrubs, and perennials suited to Western Washington.
Asian pears are easier to grow than European pears here, but the disease that actually kills them in maritime springs is not the one the cultivar tags warn you about. A regional cultivar selection guide built on the Hartman pollination chart and the PNW Handbook.
Read more →
Your soil is closer to right than you think, but the cultivar you choose and whether you address drainage before planting determines whether blueberries thrive or decline. A selection guide built on PNW 656 cultivar data crossed with soil tolerance and disease resistance for the Puget Sound lowlands.
Read more →
Your hydrangea will not bloom, or it scorched in the heat, or you cannot tell the nursery benches apart. Here is how to match hydrangea species and cultivar to the site you actually have in the Puget Sound lowlands.
Read more →
Native groundcovers provide ecological function, reduce maintenance needs, and create resilient landscape solutions for Western Washington gardens.
Read more →
You are standing at the nursery in May, looking at four tables of tomato starts.Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, San Marzano, Big Boy.
Read more →
Disease-resistant crabapples that stay clean from April bloom through October fruit drop. Organized by size, with pollination data and the native Pacific crabapple.
Read more →
You are standing in the garden center in March, looking at a row of bare-root apple trees.The tags say Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp.
Read more →
You already have one.That is the starting point for most conversations about Callery pear (*Pyrus calleryana*) in the Puget Sound region.
Read more →
A native evergreen that screens, fixes nitrogen, and asks for almost nothing in return. Privacy, wind protection, and soil improvement in one fast-growing package.
Read more →
The tallest native hardwood in the Puget Sound region, and why you need to understand it before you decide to keep or remove one.
Read more →
Oregon White Oak is a native deciduous tree with ecological significance in prairies and oak savannas. It requires well-drained soil and full sun.
Read more →
The native dogwood that lights up Puget Sound forests in spring, and the anthracnose threat reshaping its future.
Read more →
The bark gets all the attention. Copper-red to deep green, peeling away in thin papery sheets to reveal smooth satin underneath, madrone seems impossibly sculpted.
Read more →
Washington's state tree and the shade-tolerant climax species that defines old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest.
Read more →
Walk a cedar trail in old growth forest, and you know you are home.The scent hits first: warm, complex, almost medicinal.
Read more →
Western Serviceberry is a deciduous shrub to small tree with white flowers and edible berries. It grows to 20-30 feet and provides wildlife value.
Read more →
Catawba rhododendron in the Puget Sound region: hardiness, shade performance, what kills them, and how to prevent root rot in maritime gardens.
Read more →
The evergreen hedge everywhere in the Puget Sound region: what it tolerates, what threatens it, and the invasiveness problem nobody talks about.
Read more →
Ponderosa pine in maritime gardens: why this east-side native demands deliberate siting, disease management strategies, and what to expect in the Puget Sound region.
Read more →
Strawberry tree in the Puget Sound region: the Mediterranean evergreen that thrives in clay and drought. Why it outperforms our native Pacific madrone.
Read more →
Gulf Stream Nandina is an evergreen shrub offering year-round interest with delicate foliage and persistent berries. It performs well in part shade with good drainage.
Read more →
Vine maple in the Pacific Northwest: native shade tolerance, fall color potential, disease management, and how to preserve the layered form that makes it distinctive.
Read more →
Rose of Sharon produces showy hibiscus-like flowers on a deciduous shrub reaching 8-12 feet. It tolerates full sun and well-drained soil in Western Washington.
Read more →
When you see the first crimson flower clusters hanging from bare branches in early March, you know spring is arriving in Western Washington.
Read more →
The most planted ornamental grass in the Puget Sound region, and for good reason. Sterile, upright through winter rain, and tolerant of clay soils.
Read more →
The nitrogen-fixing pioneer that rebuilds disturbed landscapes across the Puget Sound region, and what it means for your property.
Read more →
You've stood under your mature Douglas-fir and watched the lawn struggle.You've tried shade-tolerant grasses. You've mulched generously. You've accepted the bare patches.
Read more →
Red Obelisk European Beech is a narrow, columnar cultivar with deep burgundy foliage. It maintains its compact form with minimal pruning in Western Washington.
Read more →
If you drive through any new residential development in Western Washington, you'll spot Sky Pencil Holly.
Read more →
You have driven past this plant a hundred times without registering it. It is the low, glossy-leaved mat hugging the sandy shoulders along the I-90
Read more →
If you're looking for a golden conifer that won't overwhelm your Western Washington garden, Cripps Golden Hinoki Cypress deserves your attention.
Read more →
Sitka Spruce is a large coniferous tree native to the Pacific coast. This guide covers species characteristics, site requirements, and landscape suitability.
Read more →
If you have seen a tree with feathery, fern-like leaves topped with fluffy pink flower puffs blooming in midsummer, you have encountered a silk tree.
Read more →
The moss-covered canopy giant of Western Washington forests. Massive leaves, fast growth, and a growing decline you need to understand before planting.
Read more →
Bitter Cherry is a native deciduous tree with white flowers and red to black fruit. It establishes quickly and provides food for wildlife.
Read more →
When November arrives and the deciduous trees shed their leaves, your landscape enters a four-month period of dormancy. Everything turns gray.
Read more →
If you've grown eastern redbud (*Cercis canadensis*) in Western Washington, you've already proven you can succeed with the genus.
Read more →
You're not going to find Pagoda Dogwood crowded into the ornamental section of your local nursery.It's not the tree garden centers push in spring marketing blitzes.
Read more →
Flowering Dogwood is a deciduous to semi-evergreen species with showy white or pink bracts. It thrives in dappled light conditions and well-drained acidic soil.
Read more →
You already own one. Or you are about to. Japanese maple is the most planted ornamental tree in residential landscapes across the Puget Sound lowlands.
Read more →
Regional guide to Japanese maple for the Puget Sound lowlands: cultivar selection, disease management, siting decisions, and seasonal care grounded in WSU and PNW handbook data.
Read more →
The iconic conifer that defines the Pacific Northwest landscape, challenging to grow well but irreplaceable as a timber tree and ecological cornerstone.
Read more →