Viewing comments posted by Bonehead

Non-native invasive, originally imported by early sailing ships. Young leaves may be eaten raw or cooked; the root as a vegetable or ground for a coffee substitute; and the flower petals for wine or beer. Very versatile plant. I use the first flush of dandelions as an "earth sign" for planting root crops (potatoes, carrots, beets, etc.). I also love the look of pastures awash with dandelions, both the yellow flowers and the white puffballs. Livestock will eat them, although they certainly don't eradicate them. I don't mind dandelions in my lawn, either. They bring some color to the green expanse, and they are not unpleasant to walk on like other lawn weeds.

I am fairly certain this is one of my grape varieties planted many years ago. The fruit is small, green, round, and very tender and sweet. I get a reliable harvest every year, although some years the birds or bees beat me to it. I mostly just eat this out of hand, so can't speak to how well it might hold after picking. I suspect not well, as the skin is very fragile.

My mother gifted me 6 grape vines when we first built our home. I long ago lost the "key" to the varieties, although my guess is they are all fairly common (she likely bought them from a big box nursery). The main trunks are getting pretty hefty, and I still am rather clueless about the best method of pruning. Some years I prune back really hard; other years I barely touch them. Some years the birds eat all the fruit; other years it's the bees, and still others I get a good harvest myself. I treat the grapes as an architectural feature rather than as a crop. We have twice had to rebuild the trellis, both times from having mature evergreens blow down on it. Despite being totally laid out, the grape vines themselves have weathered through wonderfully. Very hardy and long-lived plant. An added bonus - the supple prunings are a great source for wreaths or other crafts.

Very robust vine. Be cautious where you plant it. Mine was quite slow to initially get established, then shot onward and upward with abandon. Secures itself by little suckering rootlets, which can be damaging to wood. It will also try to grow under and through nooks and crannies (think where your siding meets the roof). I have had one for well over 30 years and keep it pruned back to a deep "v" shape which vaguely resembles a tree against the barn. I also routinely prune it so the breadth of it stays about 2' from the side of the building. It is spectacular when it blooms, and is also very pretty in the fall when the leaves color up. I do not give this plant any supplemental fertilizer or watering and it does well for me. An added bonus is that birds tend to use this for nesting.

This is a very colorful honeysuckle, quite striking with its vivid contrast between hot pink and yellow. Fills in a trellis quite quickly, and takes heavy pruning in stride. I have mine on an entrance trellis into my herb garden and keep it sheared to about 1' on either side of the support. The evening/morning fragrance is sweet, but not as strong as other honeysuckles I have. Very nice vine. I have not had any health problems with it.

I got this as a replacement for 'Apple Blossom,' which succumbed to some sort of fungal disease. Snowdrift is much hardier, but the blooms are not as striking. It does put on a good show, with lots of pure white blooms in early spring. After the main bloom, it continues blooming sporadically through fall. I have this along the edge of my deck and must be diligent to keep it pruned so it doesn't take over the entire railing and spill onto the decking itself. Nice evergreen plant for year-round interest. I have a daylily planted at its feet for shade, with the main vine in full sun. After a few years, this clematis also got whatever disease is apparently lurking in the soil. I replaced it with Virginia creeper.

Native in the Pacific NW, west of the Cascade Range from Alaska to California. Found at the edges of swamps and wetlands and in moist valleys. Very prickly stiff needles, which purportedly have special powers for protection against evil thoughts. I find my native spruce trees look somewhat like cheerleaders - the upper branches reach to the sky before they get heavy enough to drape down. Makes it easy to pick them out when looking down at a stand of trees. The wood is an excellent conductor of sound, and is often used in the manufacture of pianos, harps, and stringed instruments. The tips of new branches are used to flavor spruce beer and boiled down to syrup.

Slow growing, very symmetrical evergreen. Quite striking with its blue-green needles, very prickly. The inner bark and young shoots are edible. The bark and pitch may be used for medicinal purposes. Legend has it that the sharp needles give it special powers for protection against evil thoughts.

This is a tall vase-shaped Japanese maple, with distinctive red bark. The leaves are smallish, emerging green with a red margin around the edges, and turning pale yellow in the fall. Mine is growing in full shade under mature fir trees, with elderberries and snowberries at its feet.

Native in the Pacific NW, found in moist open forest edges, thickets, and along streams. Produces purple to black fruit, which are edible but not particularly palatable. Beneficial to nuthatches, chickadees, titmice, thrushes, woodpeckers, mockingbirds, thrashers, warblers, jays, crows, orioles, cardinals, and grosbeaks. The wood is very hard and strong with a fine grain. The bark may be used to treat venereal disease, thin the blood, strengthen the heart, or reduce swellings. Watch out for the thorns. They are extremely sharp and numerous. The genus name comes from the Greek word 'kratos' meaning strength.

Nicely shaped pyramid oak. Tolerates wet soil well. Mine is in a field that is saturated most of the year. The leaves turn a spectacular red/orange in the fall and hang on to the tree well into winter. As noted by others, it takes quite some time to develop acorns.

Native in the Pacific NW, found in moist rocky forests, along waterways, and in the spray of waterfalls. The foliage sheds rain, and may be used medicinally for strength and endurance. The name "maidenhair" is indicative of the fine black hair-like stalks, dark root hairs, and its use by native peoples as a hair tonic to bring out golden highlights. It is a delicate fern, very striking in masses. I find that it burns easily if given too much sun. Colonizes slowly.

I am not a fan of yarrow in general. I find it weedy and too often overrun by grass. I do, however, grow it for its herbal properties. I've tried several cultivars and have settled on this one as my go-to. The bloom color is very striking (many others seem washed out or dirty to me), it clumps up nicely, and it hopefully will spread into a solid mass. If all goes well, I will likely divide this so I have 3 groupings of it among my herbs. Nice bright spot among the mostly purple or yellow flowers of other herbs. The leaves are edible either raw or cooked, although they are bitter. Some folks may develop a skin rash from yarrow or become more sensitive to sunlight.

Upright, narrowish, vase-shaped maple. I have to take exception to the database notation that this is the "best red" Japanese maple. Mine is clearly a bright orange, both in the spring and during the summer months. I did wonder whether perhaps my tree was mismarked, but an Internet image search shows both red and orange specimens under this name. Perhaps the soil or location affects the color. Mine is sited on a west-facing slope, with slight morning shade but full afternoon sun, and in general my soil is loamy and acidic. It gets no supplemental watering. In any case, this tree is quite stunning.

After years of waiting for this slow-growing tree to put on some height, I finally figured out it is a dwarf and only expects to reach 6-12' tall. It has a nice vase shape, and the leaves turn a very showy golden yellow in the fall. Will tolerate clay soil.

Native in the Pacific NW; found around bogs, streams, and other wetlands. The flexible waterproof bark was used for baskets and canoes, the wood for fuel, the sap and inner bark as emergency food. The name birch may be translated in many languages as "a tree whose bark is used for writing upon." The sap can be chewed like gum, and it has also been used in a variety of beverages -- wine, soft drinks, and health tonics. The leaves turn yellow in the fall.

This is a nicely behaved small tree with delicious fruit. Ripens for me late August for about a 2-3 week period. Very sweet, firm, and juicy oblong purple plums. Once they become soft and fall to the ground, they make great treats for chickens, pigs, and other farm animals. My dog will even munch on them. Watch for the bees and hornets, though. They also like the fallen fruit. I did try to can these years ago and found it was more trouble than it was worth. Fresh eatin' for me.

This seems like a small plum tomato to me rather than a grape. Good 2-bite size, very smooth and shiny unblemished skin, firm flesh, good production, no disease or cracking issues. But, not much in the way of taste for me, pretty bland.

Large unattractive brownish fruit, cracked really bad, didn't climb well or produce well. Will not grow again.

Kind of a brownish colored cherry tomato. OK producer, sweet taste. I'm just not a fan of oddly colored fruit, and this falls into my 'do not grow again' list.