Summers seem so hot and dry here in Seattle now that the long-awaited break in the weather is cause for celebration. It is also a trigger for lots of work!
Based on the weather, it is safe to plant out native seedlings/starts now for the fall planting season. I clawed back some of the Leymus grass in our native plant garden and planted the recovered ground with yarrows, monkey flowers, blue-eyed grass, Oregon sunshine, and lupines.
While I was digging, I found this gorgeous little guy. Caterpillars are like platinum when it comes to food webs–they are incredibly valuable! So excited to see this one!
I set about 20 seedlings out on my free plant wall of blue-eyed grass, yarrow, columbines, and lupines. It took a few days, but the neighbors took them all. One woman caught me gardening later and thanked me for them. She was excited to get a new western columbine, as she had one that perished. She was excited to try the blue-eyed grass, too. It was nice to hear her enthusiasm.
I am excited to start even more native plants in 2026. I have been gathering seeds from nearby natives and have ordered a bunch of seeds from Etsy and other sources, as well. I will be trying multiple stratification methods this year, along with my usual holiday week seed planting event to ensure I get lots and lots of seedlings to plant and give away. I didn’t count all the plants I gave away this year, but I would guess it was close to 100 total…I will hope to more than double that next year. Little by little, my free native nursery will make a difference!