Viewing comments posted by Bonehead

Even with all the gorgeous leaf lettuces available, a nice crisp iceberg adds that extra crunch. This medium sized head is fairly tight and holds well before bolting. Looks beautiful in the garden, although most of the chocolate outer leaves will be pulled off to get to the center.

Stems may be red, yellow, orange, gold, or white. A good edible plant to integrate into your flower beds for vibrant color. Very mild in flavor, and a colorful accent to meals.

Thick crinkled leaves are very sweet in salads. Moderately bolt resistant. Can be planted in early spring or fall for overwintering.

This vine produces abundant peas without getting out of control. I grow it on a 6' trellis. Snappy and sweet.

This is an escaped invasive in Washington, and is on the Class B noxious weed list. There are more and more sterile cultivars being offered, which would be a wiser choice where this plant has overstayed its welcome.

Native in the Pacific Northwest, found in meadows, roadsides, and forest understory. The rhizomes are deep which allows it to survive forest fires. This fern is found worldwide, in all continents except Antarctica and in all environments except deserts. Fossil records date it more than 55 million years old.

Native in the Pacific Northwest and much of North America, found in marshes, ponds, and ditches. Food source for many marsh animals - wrens, blackbirds, waterfowl and muskrats.

Native in the Pacific Northwest from Alaska to California, east across Canad and the northern half of the United States. Found in bogs and marshes. The flowers have a rank smell that is attractive to flies, beetles, and bees. A bitter tea made from the leaves may ease stomach complaints, fever, or migraine headaches.

Native in the Pacific Northwest and throughout North America. Found on beaches, in ditches and fields. Sprawling annual with hooked bristles that cling to clothes, hence the common name of cleavers. Easy to pull from the garden, but difficult to drop in the bucket. The plant can be used to rub pitch off your hands, and the young leaves can be eaten as a potherb. My chickens gobble this up.

Native in the Pacific Northwest. Blooms profusely in spring, then sporadically throughout summer. I found mine to be fairly short-lived, just kind of petered out after several years. It was also prone to grass weeds which were difficult to differentiate from the thrift and tedious to remove.

Native in the Pacific Northwest, west of the Cascades from British Columbia to California, from the coast to mid elevations. Found in the understory of conifer forests. This happy groundcover naturalizes where it wants in my gardens, typically in shady areas. After it blooms, I pull it all out to neaten up the bed, and it always returns the following spring.

This grows quite nicely on the north side of my house amid hostas (Pacific Northwest Zone 8). It climbs up the side of rough cedar siding, but does not envelop the wall. Easy to pull where not wanted. Has a delicate look to it, but is very tenacious.

I have fond memories of these jolly plants popping up through the snow in my Mom's front lawn. I don't remember that she bothered to let the foliage age naturally, my guess is Dad just mowed over them as he mowed the grass.

Useful as a groundcover, and easy to pull when it gets out of hand. I simply yank it back to the roots as I'm weeding without trying to dig it out. It soon rejuvenates itself and provides a nice yellow/green understory to the garden beds. I don't find it overly invasive in my Pacific Northwest Zone 8 garden, and often use it as a 'spiller' in containers.

Native in the Pacific Northwest from Alaska to California, found in swampy areas. Blooms in early spring. Large, majestic plant, although best to be admired from a distance due to its unpleasant fragrance.

I need to watch closely for slugs in my Pacific Northwest Zone 8 garden, although this ligularia is not as hard hit as others. I love the tall spires of yellow blooms, very eye catching.

I love this plant for its gorgeous foliage, not so taken with the rather coarse yellow blooms. Unfortunately, in my Pacific Northwest Zone 8 garden, it gets absolutely riddled by slugs, to the point that the lovely leaves take on a look of tattered lace. Other ligularias are not hit as hard as Othello, which leads me to the unhappy conclusion that I should replace this with something the slugs aren't quite so fond of. Pick your battles.

Very exuberant plant in the Pacific Northwest, Zone 8. Tends to get too tall to support its blooms, which causes the whole plant to flop after a good rain. The clump will also multiply freely every year, and you have to keep this in bounds. I would recommend a shorter variety or to plant this behind something that is strong enough to provide good support. I have not yet found the solution to this. On the plus side, it is a wonderful companion to daylilies, particularly Stella d'Oro, which mirrors the center of the Shasta.

Fall care: I trim this back hard when the blooms have faded, right down to the basal growth.

Not as invasive as other deadnettles, but will colonize slowly (Pacific Northwest, Zone 8). Grows well in shade and provides a nice glimmer of silver.

Useful as a groundcover, this plant will colonize readily, but is also easy to pull out. Blooms over a long period of time. When it gets leggy, cut it back to about 3" and it will fill in and bloom again.