Hi Folks I’ve had a number of people comment to me directly about the new blog. Almost all of the comments have been very positive, but some folks have asked why the focus on the big negatives? That’s not going to sell plants.. Well, maybe not. I think all of us need to keep an … Read more

Dear Friends I am joyful, truly joyful, to share with you a little about my good friend Leo Hernandez, who is leaving us after over 20 years of faithful, reliable service to this farm and our family. Leo is one of the best men I have ever met. He has stuck with us through thick … Read more

And unfortunately it’s not a good one. All the hard work folks in Oregon have done to manage landscapes sustainably, and the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on water quality and salmon recovery don’t amount to a hill of beans. Why? Two reasons. First, we aren’t learning as we go, a necessary step toward … Read more

Hi Folks, Yep, it’s a beautiful world. If only we can keep the sociopaths from destroying it. But that is a topic for later in the week. What can you do today? How about you buy some cherries?! The chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var demissa) is another great climate-adapted local plant that is actually thriving right … Read more

Alright, before we talk about birds and bees, I just gotta say..it’s HOT. And sticky. I took a year off college and worked construction in New Orleans in 1983. Swinging a hammer in New Orleans in summer is brutally, mind-numbingly sweltering. We’re not that hot and sticky, but things are veering uncomfortably in that direction. … Read more

Hi Folks, It’s been a few days since I wrote in the blog. It has been hot, and we are mid-stride on field prep for next year’s crop so I’ve been sitting on a tractor when I might otherwise have been writing. I tend to have profound thoughts when I’m doing mundane chores like tilling … Read more

Hi Folks, Yep, it’s hot. We hit 101 on Friday, 104 yesterday, and we just hit 100 today. Gotta love it! My crop of Himalayan blackberries that I have been tending behind the farmhouse is literally getting broiled on the vines. So depressing.. But the Viburnum out front that hasn’t had anything appreciable to drink … Read more

Well, aren’t they all? Otherwise they wouldn’t be here.. There’s been a lot of interest lately in what plants might be adapted to our changing climate, so I’m going to toss in my two cents about what “climate-adapted” might mean. Climate-adapted plants are the ones that survive whatever the future climate throws at them, and … Read more

Not much of a cone crop this year, except for Ponderosa pine and incense cedar. Everything is advanced and the IC is already beginning to open, so my son Max and I had to hustle today and climb some trees before all the seed flutters away. We work really hard to keep this place going, … Read more

It must be mid August, because the great golden digger wasps have shown up, as usual. They are especially fond of Asclepias fascicularis, the narrow-leaf milkweed, and together the milkweed and wasp make a striking display. There are more of them this year than I have ever seen, probably because we have milkweeds naturalizing all … Read more