Hardy Fuchsia love sun and do fine in part shade.  Once established they tend to be drought hardy plants – I have one in my yard that I never water in summer and it has thrived over the past 15 years.  They are the hardiest species of the Fuchsia genus and are rated for USDA Zones 6 & 7.

With September’s arrival, so begins our thoughts of fall on the farm: swiftly flipping beds from one crop to the next to capture the last warm days and kick start our fall crops, transplanting others for over wintering, choosing garlic varieties for planting in October, and gearing up for the cover crop season.

Despite the cold snap we have been experiencing in Seattle, the UW Farm is hard at work preparing and planting our first crops across the Farm’s three campus locations.

Though we appreciate native plants every day, Washington State designates April as Native Plant Appreciation Month. This year’s theme, “Native Pollinators Need Native Plants,” is a mantra to live and garden by. Pollination is just one of many ecosystem services provided by native insects, and while there are many resources published about gardening for pollinators and building pollinator pathways, we should also take a moment to look holistically at supporting all beneficial insects in our garden, for pollination and beyond. 

Originally posted July 1, 2014
An evergreen hydrangea?!!  You betcha!
There are very few evergreen vines for gardeners in the Pacific Northwest, but this gorgeous gem from Asia is  becoming more readily available and it’s simply one of the coolest flowers you’ll ever get to witness opening.
From plump, peony-like buds, they begin to slowly crack open, a froth of fertile flowers begin to form and over the course of a few days, a flat umbel “lacecap” begins to form. 

“Compost is an essential component of any sustainable agriculture operation; without the addition of nutrients and organic matter lost from harvest, agricultural systems would soon be unable to support crop life. I encourage you, as you read on, to keep in mind the ecology and cyclical tendencies of the entire farm (and how compost fits into this larger system). Decomposition is a (mostly) silent process with uncanny influence over future growth. 

~Rae Russell
Seattlites are fortunate to not only enjoy the benefits of a maritime climate that allows us to grow year-round, but to have access to so many wonderful gardening and farming resources. Whether you want to take a short workshop on container gardening, complete a serious course in sustainable farming, or simply find some tips and plant lists, everything that you need can be found nearby, even land!