Kathryn Wadsworth
Today is Christmas day and I thought I’d share with you a few photos of some of my favorite native plants of the Northwest. All of the plants featured here are evergreen shrubs or trees. All of them produce berries that attract birds to your garden. All the fruits are edible by us humans too and are quite tasty.
David and I went out for a walk on Christmas eve and took these photos to share with you. We walked along the shores of Hood Canal on the Kitsap Peninsula up in Washington State. Winters are mild here and there is no snow on the ground. Plants that keep their leaves all winter are especially valued in the landscape in the Northwest.
The Olympic Mountains form a spectacular backdrop to this scene of Hood Canal
Evergreen huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) has very pretty evergreen foliage. Its berries are small, black, and extremely tasty.
Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium) carries its shiny compound leaves all year long. Yellow flowers in spring become blue berries by the end of summer. The tart berries make excellent jams and jellies.
Leaves of salal (Gaultheria shallon), called "lemon leaf" by florists, find wide commercial use in bouquets. This plant also makes very tasty berries, sweet and juicy.
Love the Olympic Peninsula pictures. You have really captured the natural beauty of these Northwest evergreens. Some dear friends of mine recently gave me potted Evergreen huckleberry. When is the best time to plant this out in the garden?