Scientific Name- Soldanella alpine

Common Name- Alpine Snowbells

Description- Small mounding plant from European Alps

Foliage- Rounded leaves like miniature lily pads on short stems

Flowers- Usually, two flowers bloom on single-stalked stem. Flowers are trumpet-like with fringed petals, arriving in early spring.

Exposure- Part shade

Soil- Moist humus

Foot Traffic- Not recommended

Growth Rate- Slow

Height- 2”-3”

Spread- Mounds continuously enlarge at slow rate. It may self-sow.

Uses/Attributes- Interesting specimen for shady rockeries or beneath evergreen shrubs.

Cold Hardiness- Zone 5

Enter the Alaska Fern (Polystichum setiferum ‘Divisilobum’). This attractive evergreen fern grows quite large, with fronds up to 4 feet long. It’s not crazy big, like a Sword Fern, but it grows to a very manageable size. The Alaska Fern also claims to be deer resistant, but I don’t think that any one plant can really claim this. Stupid deer eat everything.

My favorite characteristic about Alaska Fern is that it produces its own fern “babies”! Down the center of each frond, small little nodes will turn into “baby” ferns which can then be “divided” into more ferns. If you are reading a plant blog like this then you probably know that ferns normally regrow through spores on the underside of the frond. The Alaska Fern is one of few ferns that can actually be propagated by division, hence the name ‘Divisilobum’. Pretty incredible!

Buyer’s warning: beware of ferns that are labeled “Alaska Fern”; some are actually Soft Shield Ferns. The best way to differentiate between them is to look for the nodes down the center of the frond. If they are absent, it is most likely a variety of Soft Shield fern that is not the true dividable Alaska Fern. To ensure you are buying the incredible dividing fern, look for the Sunbreak name on the tag in the plant at your local Seattle Garden Center. Try one of these beauties today!

Bolax requires good drainage, fitting for in between pavers or rock gardens. Keep this plant in the full sun and it will stay dense and compact. This is not a fast grower so when planting, keep them inside 18” on center. I have never had a problem with hardiness with this plant- it is well-suited to our climate. I have left 4” pots of it outside, ignored and abused by all forms of weather and it still survives. Are you looking for a super low maintenance ground cover for the full exposed area of your garden? Bolax is your answer!

Find out more about Bolax and other ground covers by visiting my online catalog!

Fragaria chiloensis (Sand Strawberry) is a Pacific Northwest native ground cover that will tolerate almost any conditions. I find that it thrives on slopes facing the ocean and requires very little attention once established. The leaves are a glossy deep green that will bloom with white flowers in the summer months. Unlike traditional strawberries, this one bears no fruit. This helps is keeping away unwanted wildlife that would normally nibble at it.

Sand strawberry spreads with above-ground runners that root into the ground. I would recommend not planting them any closer than 12” on center, which is still very close. This is not a plant to be contained. The runners will go everywhere. They can be easily controlled with a line trimmer or pulled up by hand with ease due to its shallow root system.

This plant can be walked, stomped and occasionally driven on. It is not for in between pavers but areas in the yard that are rarely accessed. I planted mine along my driveway where soil conditions were poor and they have grown fantastically.

I work with plants all day and while I have an affinity for them, tending them at home how I want to spend my free time. Sand strawberry has been the answer to a low-maintenance garden!

Tokyo Wood Fern

Dryopteris tokyoensis (Tokyo Wood Fern) grows very upright with narrow fronds that are rounded. It grows quickly but only to a mature height of 36”. Tokyo Wood fern, if you can imagine, comes from Japan. It’s a shade lover, like most ferns, that needs well drained soil but not dry. It is also hardy to zone 4, very suitable for the Pacific Northwest. However I would be careful about to much moisture in the winter months causing root rot.

Jimmy Dyce Wood Fern

Dryopteris dilata ‘Jimmy Dyce’ (Jimmy Dyce Wood Fern) also has another name Dryopteris austriaca. This is a short stocky fern (like a gnome) that stays at at a height between 12 and 24”. Much like the habitat of a gnome, this wood fern likes to live in acidic woodland soil. It easily adapts to new surroundings has a wrinkled texture. This also is hardy to zone 4.

Thanks to Casa Flora for the photos!

Contact me today to order these beautiful, hardy ferns!

How many groundcovers to plant is determined by the patience of the owner of the garden. If the desire is an instant landscape (not recommended) then the answer is a lot. If you can appreciate watching plants grow and mature over time, you can use  fewer plants and save a couple nickels.

As a general rule of thumb in large plantings I would not plant any ground cover closer than 12” on center. Twelve inches on center is one plant per square foot. This can get very expensive very quick. Most all ground cover planted at twelve inches will fill in very easily in 1-2 growing seasons. Larger plant sizes like a 1 gallon sized plant can be planted at 24-36 inches.

For small areas like in between stepping stones I recommend low mat-forming ground cover. The mat-forming ground cover can be divided into smaller plants to fit awkward spaces and shapes. Spacing is not crucial for this application, just be sure to get plants in to all of the spaces between stones.

Ground cover also works well as weed control, once established. After the initial planting is done, the bare spaces between the plants are susceptible to weeds and weed seeds. Diligent maintenance is important for a weed-free planting. If that sounds like too much work, try a product called Preen. Preen is a pre-emergent weed control, preventing weed seeds from germinating and will not harm the plants you want in your garden.

Lastly, not all ground covers are created equally. Some are much faster growers than others. Avoid the fast growers in borders and edges. Keep in mind that ground cover does exactly that. I suggest starting with a small planting and make sure that you understand what the plant will do before going whole hog and being unhappy with the outcome.

Now I have never seen a “Red Fern” in Washington but I have seen some other very cool varieties. One in particular that I see frequently is Blechnum spicant (Deer Fern). It is smaller than a sword fern but still evergreen. The fronds on them are more rounded than a sword fern. It will grow to about 24 inches in the shade, well-watered, or a bit smaller when grown in light sun. I love seeing a giant sword fern… in the wild, but for a garden where space is limited and native plants are your preference, Deer Fern is a perfect fit.

Dad and daughter (Charlee) show off unique Northwest Ferns grown by Sunbreak Nursery

Adiantum pedatum (Maidenhair Fern) is another Northwest Native that grows along coastal regions, especially. It is very delicate as it grows on thin black stems to about 12” before the canopy opens up. Moist soil is preferred, as long as it drains well. It is deciduous so you won’t see any foliage in the winter but once the temperature rises in spring, the new fiddle heads will start to push out in a soft pink color. Protect Maidenhair from high winds, due to its delicate stems.

Polypodium polypody (Leathery Leaf Fern): I did not know this was a native fern until about six months into working this fern into production. This fern has a waxy texture and grows on bluffs along the coastlines and oceanside forests. It took almost a year to get it to a full size in a quart sized container. But once mature, it was worth the wait. There are other polypodium varieties but this one grows much more compact and keeps it color much better.

Ferns are cool. We are fortunate enough to live in a place where they grow prolifically all around us. Take advantage of the uniqueness that our region offers us! Ferns (especially the native varieties) easily acclimate to most gardens and survive our harsh winters. They have been doing it much longer than we have. Remember that ferns that are hardy here prefer the shade. Some will grow in sunnier conditions but, like a true Northwesterner, filtered light would be best.

One such plant like this is Oxalis oregana (Redwood Sorrel). This is a Pacific Northwest native with clover shaped leaves and either white or pink flowers. It grows with underground rhizomes and easily spreads with no discrimination. It is a gorgeous woodland ground cover and should be planted in such an area. Grandma’s cute flower bed that is perfectly designed is NOT the place.

Redwood Sorrel is for people who have large forested areas that want to dress it up a bit. The best thing about this plant is that you can stick it in the ground, water it in and walk away. In no time you will have a lush carpet of clover shaped leaves and beautiful flowers spring through summer. Plus, for the crunchier population, it is a true native plant and does actually belong here.

So is Redwood Sorrel a beauty or beast? I say both. Location is the key to success with any plant. If this is in the proper location, a woody area where it can spread out, it is a beauty. If you think the cute plant in a 4” pot should be in your uniform flower bed, it will quickly become a beast.

In 1966, the first mainstream fax machine was used, weighing in at a mere 45 pounds. A short three years later, the first moon landing occurred. Technology has come a long way since then. So why, almost four decades after later, was the green industry still feeding paper into a machine to reproduce a copy of it on the other side of a phone line? One reason is that we are creatures of comfort. We do what we know, and we do it well. My father-in-law (now 66) and many others could work that fax machine like a harp when all I wanted to do was beat it with a baseball bat.

Fast-forward to 2011: I am on the road, meeting with customers and calling on some new ones. Those repeat customers are asking for emailed availabilities instead of the fax! HALLELUIAH! The new customers I talked to ONLY wanted email. So what was the change?

I definitely think that there has finally been the paradigm shift that I was expecting when I first started in this business. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has an email address, whether it’s to communicate with family members, do business or comment in the opinion section of the newspaper (now online). The need for a faxed piece of paper has gone the way of the dodo bird, for the most part.

However, for some, the fax machine still has merit, preventing it from disappearing completely. Their reasoning makes sense: it is nice, when ordering plant material, to walk through the nursery with sheets of paper to see what is needed or not, without having to print it. I agree, but think of it like in terms of the amount of paper the fax machine system goes through. My standard inventory is 3-5 pages (not including the cover page). I know that when I print 3-5 pages, then the person receiving it uses the same amount of paper. That is for only one customer; multiply that by 30 and that is 90 to 150 pages of paper BEFORE I receive a response. I would use almost 2 reams of paper a month. For those counting, that’s almost 1,000 pages of paper.

Luckily, there are a variety of alternatives to fax machines in the year 2011. I use a service called RingCentral, which converts a fax sent into an email, and there are hundreds of others. Then, I have a digital reproduction of the all the information I need, all the while saving 7 pages of trees. If necessary, I can print it or I can just read it, edit it or send it on to someone else. The World Wide Web is amazing.

We started a website this year with an online inventory and store. My customers can now receive a fax, email, or order online. If they wanted, I would send a carrier pigeon. My goal is to make ordering as trouble-free as possible for my customers. What is easy for them is easy for me. I have decided not to fight the fax but adapt. If you want a fax you will get it, but what I really what people to understand is that there is a better or more efficient way to do business. We are in the green industry so let’s practice what we preach.

The fairy tale theme was adorable throughout the show! The Flower Growers of Puget Sound (FGPS) used Rapunzel in their design and it was a huge hit. All the display gardens were very elaborate, as usual. I am always amazed at the detail! I can’t imagine trying to attempt such a feat.

Rapunkel Flower Castle

I really enjoyed strolling through the plant vendors. I, too, vend at plant sales throughout the year and like to see what types of plants people are offering. One plant that is a personal favorite that I saw in several vendors booths was Cyclamen coum (Spring Blooming Cyclamen). The unique flower shape and early blooms makes this a great plant to offer this time of year, and unlike many of the cyclamens, it is hardy for our climate. One of my other favorite was Air Plants from Owens Gardens, very cool plants that don’t grow in soil. They pull nutrients from the air, in order to thrive!

The Flower and Garden Show is a great place for professionals in our industry to show off our passion to the general public and introduce new ideas and products; but it is also a great place for us professionals to get excited about a new year. The show inspires and stimulates the imagination for everyone!

Beautiful Display