Oregon Grape

To round out Native Plant Appreciation Week here is a cross-stitch my great aunt made in 1984. She had bought the patterns and made one for every state, with the Oregon Grape being the symbol for Oregon. When my husband and I first moved to Oregon I remembered being amazed at all of the vegetation like the Oregon Grape, salal and Nootka Rose, and especially the beautiful Oregon Coast! It was all so different from anything I had grown up around in the mid-west.

Below is a Nootka Rose that we have. It came to our house as just a small plug and sat in front of our garage, still in its little plug, for probably over a year. It pretty much looked dead. But we planted it and it took over. And watch out it because it does take over. It's a bit too much for someone who wants a little control over their garden. Its underground runners pop up all over. I'll have to take a picture of it later when the small pink roses are in bloom.

The Madison Avenue Task Force in Corvallis will hold its annual Spring Garden Festival this Sunday, May 4 in Central Park. I love this festival. Can't wait!

Happy May Day today!

Native Plant Appreciation Week

In honor of Native Plant Appreciation Week here are a few natives in my garden:



Inside-Out Flower. I believe I need to relocate this one since it is getting too much sun and prefers more shade.

Common Yarrow

Fringecup

Baby bird

We found a fledgling Western Scrub Jay in our backyard this weekend. It landed in the chicken coop area and later went under the fence to the neighbor's yard. Its parents sure were squawking up a storm.

Sustainable kids' meal 'toy'

So we went to Burgerville for lunch yesterday. Burgerville is a northwest chain that prides itself on sustainability and using local ingredients, like hazelnuts, berries and Walla Walla onions. I am fond of their white bean and basil burger. The kids meals always come with something a little more interesting than the standard plastic toy, for instance, this time of year their meals come with a seed packet. Our boys ended up with sunflowers and purple basil. Once we got home they started planting.

He loved touching and comparing the colors and sizes of the seeds.

And to top it off the seed packet states a double whammy on the back. The packaging is "made from 100% pre and post consumer recycled paper printed with soy-based inks" and the "seeds are heirloom (non-GMO), open pollinated and are not processed or treated with any chemicals."  Very cool!