Plants for the Pacific North-west

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Vinca minor (periwinkle) is an evergreen viney groundcover that forms large masses up to 30 cm tall and spreads indefinitely. Though still sold in nursuries and planted in landscapes, this is a rather invasive plant, due to its ability to spread very easily and quickly with stolons and runners. It will do well in a wide range of conditions from full sun to full shade, though it does not flower readily in full shade. Flowers occur during spring. Despite its popularity as a ground cover, I do not recommend periwinkle. It is very invasive and difficult to remove. This photo was taken March 23rd.

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This is Daphne laureola (spurge laurel) in the Thymelaeaceae family. This is a weedy evergreen shrub. Though attractive as a tough space-filler in the garden, I would not recommend this plant at all as it is rather invasive. It self-seeds prolifically and is difficult to kill, out-competing and displacing native plants. In early spring, it produces clusters of yellow-green flowers that last several weeks. Late summer, it produces small black berries which are poisonous to humans and pets, but not birds. The sap is also toxic, and can cause rashes and worse. This shrub gets to be about 1.5 m tall and a single plant will get around 2 m wide. It will tolerate and thrive in a wide range of conditions, like any weed. These pictures were taken March 23rd.

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Galanthus nivalis (common snowdrop) is one of many similar species in the genus Galanthus. This small bulb perennial is remarkable for its blooming time, bringing flowers into the garden as early as early February. This picture was taken in my yard mid-February, and these flowers are already a week or two old. Snowdrops prefer part shade, in well-drained, moist soils. If they are able to thrive, they will readily naturalize and self-seed, slowly spreading.

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Styrax japonicus (Japanese snowbell) is a deciduous tree growing between 6 to 9 meters tall and wide. This picture shows a cultivar with pink petals, but they can be both pink and white. The fruit is where the Japanese snowbell gets its name, being a round drooping drupe with an almost artistic look. This tree prefers full sun to part shade and well-drained soil. Click-through for more pictures from their website!

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Gentiana acaulis (stemless gentian) is a small evergreen perennial native to central and southern Europe, growing primarily in mountains. It is small, only 10 cm tall and 30 cm wide. It likes acidic, sandy, moist soils in full sun.

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Aquilegia caerulea (Colorado Blue columbine) is a herbaceous perennial native to the Rocky Mountains. It prefers moist, well-drained soil and full sun to part shade.

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Greetings!

Hello! This is a little side-project of mine, to help me categorize and organize the wide variety of plants I could use in my garden, to create a sort of library to choose from. Since I live in the Pacific North-west, you can expect plants on this blog that would work here, more or less.