Eileen M. Stark's Blog, page 7

After a Storm: Dead Wood Gives Life

Following a particularly nasty ice and wind storm that damaged or took the life of many mature trees in Northwest Oregon, it’s time to clean up nature’s ragged pruning job and literally pick up the pieces. Or is it? Clean up sparingly If there are damaged limbs on a street tree or yard tree close to […]

Pacific Northwest Native Plant Profile: Deer Fern (Blechnum spicant)

Since winter is well on it’s way, this seems like a good time to give a nod to a distinctive evergreen fern that brings elegance and function to moist, west coast coniferous forests, as well as shady gardens. Deer fern, known botanically as Blechnum spicant, comes from a large, extended family known as Blechnaceae (the chain fern family). The genus Blechnum […]

Pacific Northwest Native Plant of the Week: Deer Fern (Blechnum spicant)

Since winter is well on it’s way, this seems like a good time to give a nod to a distinctive evergreen fern that brings elegance and function to moist coniferous forests, as well as shady gardens. Deer fern, known botanically as Blechnum spicant, comes from a large, extended family known as Blechnaceae (the chain fern family). The genus Blechnum actually has fewer members […]

Pacific Northwest Native Plant Profile: Red-twig Dogwood (Cornus sericea)

Red-twig dogwood is one of those multitalented shrubs that grows in a variety of moist habitats and keeps us enthralled year round. Also known as red osier dogwood and creek dogwood (among other common names), it is a multi-stemmed, deciduous, long-lived and fairly fast-growing shrub that develops into a open, somewhat rounded thicket. The common name […]

Pacific Northwest Native Plant of the Week: Red-twig Dogwood (Cornus sericea)

Red-twig dogwood is one of those multitalented shrubs that grows in a variety of moist habitats and keeps us enthralled year round. Also known as red osier dogwood and creek dogwood (among other common names), it is a multi-stemmed, deciduous, long-lived and fairly fast-growing shrub that develops into a open, somewhat rounded form. The common name […]

Reimagining the Ecological Value of Cities for Dwindling Pollinators

A recent literature review on the ecology of urban areas published in Conservation Biology offers unquestionable evidence that cities can and ought to be havens for wildlife, specifically pollinators. In “The City as a Refuge for Insect Pollinators,” the authors, a group of multidisciplinary scientists from around the world, recommend that urban areas, particularly fast growing ones, be […]

Pacific Northwest Native Plant Profile: Western Wild Ginger (Asarum caudatum)

Western wild ginger (Asarum caudatum) is an understory plant that offers both wonderful texture in the form of deeply veined, evergreen, aromatic leaves that carpet the soil in shady conditions, and unusual, secretive flowers. The genus Asarum has about 17 species found in North America, China, and Europe; the name is the Latin form of the Greek asaron, of […]

Pacific Northwest Native Plant of the Week: Western Wild Ginger (Asarum caudatum)

Western wild ginger (Asarum caudatum) is an understory plant that offers both wonderful texture in the form of deeply veined, evergreen, aromatic leaves that carpet the soil in shady conditions, and unusual, secretive flowers. The genus Asarum has about 17 species found in North America, China, and Europe; the genus name is the Latin form of the Greek asaron, of obscure origin. The species epithet, caudatum, means “tailed” and refers to the wispy, almost whimsical appendages of the sepals, which protect the flower.

And what a flower! Burgundy with a brownish tinge, and almost otherworldly in appearance, they appear from April to July in Oregon. You may not even notice them unless you’re weeding on your hands and knees, or if you make a special point to seek out their intricate beauty. With charming little tails, a three-cornered shape, and a hairy cup that conceals the real flower, they are one of nature’s hidden little gems, observable only to soil dwellers or those two-legged creatures with a spirit of curiosity.

How it grows

Western wild ginger is an often overlooked but ubiquitous member of various forest communities at low to middle elevations, from British Columbia south to California, and as far east as western Montana. These communities are what I would call rich forests with substantial tree cover and mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers, on fairly flat to moderate slopes. The available literature suggests that while wild ginger is not a “pioneer species,” it occurs in most successional communities, including serial stages that have some overstory canopy. In other words, they grow with other forest species that didn’t pop up overnight and won’t be found in recently disturbed areas, like clearcuts, burns, or landslides.

Wildlife value

The lustrous evergreen leaves provide protection for little insects and other tiny creatures that frequent the forest floor, which may in turn supply food for some bird and herp species. The flowers attract beetles which pollinate them (along with flies and gnats), as well as ants that are attracted to a fleshy appendage on its seeds, which contains an oil. And it is thought that the plant may sustain native rodents in some parts of the region.

Try it at home

Wild ginger is a low perennial that creeps slowly by shallow, fleshy rhizomes; the closer you space them the faster they will fill in (generally, two feet apart is adequate). In addition to reproduction via rhizomes, it sometimes spreads by seed, thanks to ants: After they drag an entire seed back to their nest, the oil is removed and the remainder of the seed, still viable, is discarded onto the soil.

Optimal growing conditions are moist and rich. If you already have a woodland garden complete with mature conifers, your soil will probably be adequately acidic and fertile (unless you’ve been removing leaf litter and such that should be allowed to stay!). If your soil is lacking in organic matter, or the top soil is shallow, add some compost as mulch.

Wild ginger prefers moist soil, at least while it’s getting established, so keep new plants moist the first couple of summers, especially if your site lacks many trees or is subjected to sunlight or heat. Plant them in the fall for best results.

Grab a partner

Wild ginger is a choice ground cover for beneath native conifers like Douglas-fir, western hemlock, Sitka spruce, grand fir, white pine, and western red cedar, as well as deciduous smaller trees and shrubs such as red alder, vine maple and California hazelnut. It’s exquisite growing amongst smaller associated species such as sword fern, deer fern, goatsbeard, foamflower, trillium, and others.

 

© 2016 Eileen M. Stark

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Pacific Northwest Native Plant Profile: Foamflower (Tiarella trifoliata)

                Tiarella trifoliata, commonly called “foamflower,” is a lovely woodland perennial within the Western hemlock/Douglas-fir plant community of the Pacific Northwest. Besides having beautiful, soft green leaves that are often divided into 3 leaflets, its sprays of delicate flowers—of the palest pink—bloom on leafy stems for an amazingly […]

Pacific Northwest Native Plant of the Week: Foamflower (Tiarella trifoliata)

               

                    Tiarella trifoliata, commonly called “foamflower,” is a lovely woodland perennial within the Western hemlock/Douglas-fir plant community of the Pacific Northwest. Besides having beautiful, soft green leaves that are often divided into 3 leaflets, its sprays of delicate flowers—of the palest pink—bloom on leafy stems for an amazingly long time: from May to September. Really!

How it grows

This charming plant can be found in damp, shady forests, and near streams. It has rhizomes but doesn’t spread like typical ground cover plants; in fact, you’re more likely to find it self sowing that spreading underground. There are three varieties: Tiarella trifoliata var. trifoliata, which is mainly found west of the Cascades, as well as southern Alaska and British Columbia, at low to middle elevations. T. trifoliata var. unifoliata, occurs on both sides of the Cascades, west to Montana, and in B.C. and northern California, typically at higher elevations; it has more deeply lobed leaves. T. trifoliata var. laciniata, has a small range—only a few counties in Washington and Oregon and parts of B.C.; its leaves are maplelike and are shallowly lobed. The one you’re most likely to find for sale is T. trifoliata var. trifoliata. The other North American foamflower is T. cordifolia, native to the eastern U.S.

Wildlife value

Foamflower’s clusters of tiny blossoms provide pollen and nectar for native bees and syrphid (flower) flies. Seeds may be eaten by birds. Foliage provides cover for very small creatures.

Try it at home

Maturing at about a foot tall and wide, it’s best grown en masse in the shade (or partial shade) of conifers where the soil is well-drained but naturally rich (or has been amended with organic matter, like compost), as well as along shaded pathways or near ponds and streams. Grow it with associated species such as Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western red-cedar, vine maple, serviceberry, oceanspray, thimbleberry, sword fern, salal, Cascade Oregon grape, inside-out flower, oxalis, and many others. Keep this plant happy with supplemental water during dry periods and it will self sow, but only in the most polite way.

 

© 2016 Eileen M. Stark

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