Bosky Dell Natives

Bosky Dell Natives , in West Linn (OR), has quickly become my favorite nursery. It's a lovely place just to visit, and they are absolutely nutty about Northwest native plants.

An interesting time to visit is late Winter/early spring, when the greenhouse buildings are set out with all kinds of native starts - tiny sedums, fescues, lupines, ferns, and more. This spring, while at Bosky Dell, I asked someone there about the difference between streambank lupine and bigleaf lupine, since they looked pretty similar in the tiny 4 inch pot. She guided me all around the nursery to visit different mature lupines; the lesson - bigleaf has  a branching growth pattern, while streambank grows from the ground on individual stems. Our streambank lupine is now over two feet tall, and looks lovely with the purple aster-like blooms of the Beach Daisy (as recommended by Bosky Dell).

We've made an effort to plant our side yard - on the shady east side of the house - with Oregon woodland natives. We've gotten Oregon grape, Salmonberry, and Wild Strawberry from Bosky Dell. We also purchased some Sword and Deer Ferns and an Ocean Spray from the nursery, but had to move them after discovering Elka's fondness for playing tug of war with the fronds.

If you are prone to daydreaming what might be your next plant to fill an open spot in the garden, and enjoy using Northwest native plants, the Bosky Dell website is an excellent resource. In the  Plant List section, plants are listed by habitat - woodland, sun worshipper, riparian, alpine, coast and Willamette Valley natives, with wildflowers and bulbs, ferns, shrubs, and trees presented separately in each habitat section. The listings also include a code for each plants' water needs.

Of course, the website is no substitute for a visit to the nursery . Be sure to check out the demonstration garden around the house - full of great ideas!