Going Native

The whole idea of our native plant garden was to have native plants where they could be observed and appreciated by Ed and myself but for others too.  However going native is not easy!  My beautiful Miterwort plant is caged for protection from being eaten or stepped on.  But because of the cage this plant has had a chance to grow, flower and even go to seed.  Tiny black seeds sit in little green baskets.  When the wind blows and the seeds are ready Mother Nature will disperse them.  Wow I'm so happy that I got to see that!

Maidenhair spleenwort looks like a delicate wispy little plant but tucked into a rock crevice for protection it is doing beautifully.  This plant is lovely.  I never saw this plant in the wild or if I did I never noticed it.  I'm watching it now.  What a pleasure that is! 

Partridgeberry is a plant that grows wild here. When Ed last moved trailing arbutus here it was when long time friends moved away.  He never moved arbutus plants in October before.  He had no choice. It was his last chance. That was in 2019.  Sadly the Trailing arbutus died.  However, the Partridgeberry and the Wintergreen that came along with it are doing great.  Partridgeberry is to my way of thinking a perfect native plant.  The leaves are attractive.  The red berries are edible and have the unique mark of two navels.  I was delighted to see that the twin flowers are starting to bloom.  One flower is open here but there are more buds showing.  Knowing when your favorite wildflowers bloom makes them so much easier to find!

Wintergreen is also a perfect native plant.  It has a reputation for being somewhat difficult to transplant and that has been our experience.  It is almost three years later and finally we are finding new growth on these plants.  I love to chew on fresh wintergreen leaves, but these are forbidden fruit!  It was not until I saw the photo that I noticed the tiny beginning of wintergreen flowers.  If we have flowers we might have berries.  Wow I love teaberries!  These plants had beautiful berries when they were moved.  I will keep watching and perhaps see them again!