Washington Hardy Plant Society

A new group is forming if anyone is interested.
No affiliation just passing on the message.
I thought it sounded interesting.


HARDY PLANT SOCIETY OF WA

It' finally here, the launch of the Hardy Plant society of WA.

Where: The Graham Visitor's Center, Wash. Park Arboretum
http://depts.washington.edu/wpa/general.htm
When: Tuesday October 21st, from 7pm to 9pm
Bring: Yourself and (optional) a friend (or two)
A light dessert or cookies (optional)

There will be a presentation of seed cleaning by Bob Lilly and Kandy
Kroll. Feel free to bring any of the seeds that you've been collecting.
Bob will take them all, and we will work out a future date for seed
packaging that night.

Here is a short list of topics for the agenda, in no particular order.

by laws
mission statement
who the heck are we
lecture series
formal plant trials
creating a new public garden
seeds
meetings/gatherings
special events
NWFGS
dues
etc.

Come, bring ideas, topics, and a desire to get involved.
Please feel free to send this to anyone who might be interested in our new
group. Also, RSVP so we'll know how many chairs to put out. Reply to
Kandy Kroll kandykp98133@yahoo.com

Hey, Linda. Thanks for posting this. I'm not sure I'll go, but you never know . . .

I joined. I probably won't make any of the meetings but a lot of great folks with great knowledge and a love for gardening. I think some started the Northwest perennial alliance years ago.

Hi Everyone I am living in Spokane WA I like to know about plants that grow in this area.

Hi Marcia -

Yes the climate is certainly different over there than it is here. You might try getting on the Rocky Mountain forum if you haven't already. They should have some good ideas for you.

But be sure to stay in touch over here, too!!

I sure wish I live there sounds so nice.

Well, it is certainly nice. But just about February we're all going to be jealous of you living on the other side of the mountains with all your sunshine. We'll be under the deluge just about then and tempers will be flaring.

You have to learn to be a duck to be on this side. LOL
What zone are you?

Welcome MarciaS

I live in zone 5 The picture is very nice what is the flower? I am new to DG since last May
I have lived in Oak Harbor and in Camas, Washougal. In 1968 I lived in Tacoma, for 11 years in Yakima till I moved here 7 years ago. I enjoy the surrounding trees on the mountains. At times I would like to live in a warmer zone. I am trying to find seeds to plant to help make my place look pretty since I am low income I think the least expensive way to go is this way. I have a lot of hollyhocks and seeds that I trade with.
Have any of you in zone 8 tried to grow Kiwi plants? I wanted too but I understand that I need 1 male to 3 female to make them fruit. I also understand they won't survive the cold and wind so don't know if they would grow here. I have 4 colors of hollhock here is a picture of them. sorry I clicked on my Cockatiel and thought it was my hollyhocks

Here are th flowers

Here is another picture

Black Hollyhock

Very pretty cockatiel flower!!! hee hee

I have friends who grow kiwi here. They started years ago and haven't had fruit yet. They've planted a male and a female about 15 feet apart with a structure to grow the vines one. I think they had to replace the male a couple of times at the beginning. They live in Ballard, so the temps are somewhat moderate.

The vine gets pretty big and heavy - they've rebiuilt the structure several times - this one actually has wood supports in cement at cable holding up upright. Seems like a lot of work. Last summer they had a "specialist" in kiwis come and do some pruning for them. I don't know if they actually got any fruit this year . . .

You doubled.

Love the Cockatie, I have 2

Marcia, The Flower is a bud of 'Mountain Cornflower' Centaurea Montana. I think it will grow in you zone. I'll see if I have seeds, if you like. I have never had luck with Hollyhocks here.
This is what it looks like in bloom.

I am surprised that you have not had success in zone 8. I am in zone 5 and much colder, they really multiply here

Hollyhocks have rust issues here due to the rain. They do best where sited with excellent air circulation. But even that doesn't guarantee success.
I love to grow them, but there have been only a couple years that they have done well.
I gave up because I'm not willing to spray them to keep the rust at bay.
Marcia - please keep growing them & let us enjoy yours... =:0)

Me, too, Kayte. This year I went ahead and put in some starts of a double peach hollyhock, and I'm putting them far away from where I tried to grow other ones. I'm going to see if they can do okay in that area, but if they get rust, they are out of here! I'm becoming ruthless about that. So, Marcia, we may be depending on you to provide our hollyhock needs.

When I visited Robert (balvenie), he had some very nice hollyhocks with no sign of rust. And that on a very dreary, rainy day. Might need to ask him what he does . . .