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.

1)    Libertia peregrinans                                                             New Zealand Iris

An iris in which each bloom only lasts a day, but blooms prolifically for several weeks.
Named/honored after Mde. Maire-Anne Libert, a Belgian botanist, mycologist, and plant pathologist.
Has sword-shaped leaves, only about one foot high off the ground, and easy-to- miss blooms.
Found in the New Zealand Entry Garden, at the north entrance of John Wott Way (U-shaped path). 

1)   Equisetum arvense L.                                                                    Horsetail

Equisetum arvense (commonly known as “horsetail”) is native throughout the temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere – any place with wet or damp soil with some sunlight.
Colonization relies heavily on its extensive, deeply-penetrating creeping root system and to a lesser extent, on spore production. During the winter, the foliage dies to the ground. 

In Japan, the seeds of the nutmeg yew are desirable to be roasted and eaten or used to produce a cooking oil with a subtle nutty flavor highly prized in some circles for tempura. The ‘nuts’ are rich in vitamin E as well as sciadonic acid, known to reduce cholesterol.

1)  Darmera peltata                                                                            Umbrella Plant

Darmera peltata, commonly known as “Umbrella Plant”, is native to the West Coast of the United States, ranging from northern California to southern Oregon.
Umbrella Plant’s natural habitat is shady-to-partly shady stream banks and woodlands although it can be cultivated in full sun with proper watering.
In spring, Darmera sends up a cluster of small pink or white flowers on a single stalk before the umbrella-shaped leaves emerge. 

As Spring arrives, we here in the Pacific Northwest are gifted the opportunity to observe a wide variety of plant species we may not have noticed before. This month, we are focusing in on a beautiful, rare, San Francisco Bay-area endemic shrub. Dirca occidentalis can be found in the Washington Park Arboretum, but wait… what is it doing here?

Champion Trees of Washington Park Arboretum
 
What is a Champion Tree?

A Champion Tree is the biggest tree of its species in either circumference, height, or spread (how far the branches spread out to either side). Their measurements are given a point valuation in American Forest Points and then sent to either the state, national, or international registry who all keep track of Champion Trees with the highest point values in each species. 

1)   Picea abies                                                                             Norway Spruce

This evergreen conifer displays a beautiful pyramidal shape that adorns the entrance of the Asian Maples when coming from the Graham Visitor Center.
In its native habitat, the mountains of northern and central Europe, this tree matures to 100 – 150 feet tall. However, naturalized trees planted in temperate regions of North America mature to 40 – 60 feet tall. 

1)   Berberis darwinii                                                           Michay, Darwin’s Barberry

This thicket-forming evergreen shrub is native to Chile and boasts small holly-like leaves, profuse orange blossoms, dark blue berries, and ample thorns.
Darwin is usually credited with “discovering” this species, however, it was known and used by Indigenous populations long before he collected it.
Michay is a serious environmental weed in New Zealand and is on the watch list in California. 

The Baker cypress, the most northern and hardiest cypress in North America is a tree with a challenging future ahead of it. Within its native range of southern Oregon and northern California there are several populations, many a long distance separate from others.