This week we sat down with Sean Hogan, one of the country’s most brilliant horticulturists, and one that lives just down the street from us on Sauvie Island. Sean runs Cistus Design Nursery that specializes in unique climate adapted plants and broadleaved evergreens that thrive in our climate. He quite...
Figs are one of the first plants many gardeners try to clone because of their notoriously quick and easy ability to be rooted from cuttings. And what could bring a gardener or homesteader more joy than propagating plants for free from ones that they already have? Even though rooting figs...
Peaches and Nectarines are some of the most delicious and desirable home grown fruits but unfortunately one of the more difficult ones to grow. Few tastes in the natural world can beat the flavor of a tree-ripened peach, the skin warm from the mid summer sun and the sugary sweet...
Sweet Cherry Pollination List Below you will find a compatibility list for sweet cherry varieties. The highlighted variety is compatible in pollination with the varieties following. Bing: Harland, Lapins, Rainier, Sam, Stella, Sweetheart, Van Hartland: Bing, Kristen, Lambert, Lapins, Rainier, Royal Ann, Sam, Stella, Sweetheart, Van Kirsten: Hartland, Lapins, Rainier,...
Where did the summertime go? It feels like it flew by way too fast this year, so before we are fully into the depths of winter we wanted to share with you all some of our summertime plant adventures and explorations. While we often look towards analog climates the world...
Varieties There are three types of Kiwis we can grow for fruit in the US. Fuzzy Kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa), is the species that produces the brown fuzzy Kiwi we commonly find in stores. It is a very vigorous vine that is hardy to about 0°F. Hardy Kiwi (Actinidia arguta) produces...
Summertime is one of our favorite seasons here at the nursery! After the madness of spring finally winds down a bit we can all take a breath, watch our plants grow, water from morning until night, propagate plants for next year and put plants in the ground here at the...
Adaptation in the Age of Warming As gardeners and nursery workers we have a keen eye on what we can expect from our local climate and what kind of weather we get in a season. While weather is constantly fluctuating our climate was historically thought to be relatively stable on...
Pineapple Guava is technically Acca sellowiana but until recently it has been called Feijoa sellowiana. Most people still call it Feijoa (Fay-joe-ah), especially in places like New Zealand where it is very popular. Here in the US, it is hardly known at all, which is a real shame because the...
Water is life The most important thing for plants and all life is water. Every drop counts! A seed must absorb water before germinating. Roots can uptake nutrients only when water is available. This spaceship called planet Earth thankfully has an abundance of the wet stuff. Let’s jump right in...
