We finally got some snow yesterday (about an inch or so, I’d guess) and it stuck around long enough to shine in today’s bright sunlight. The whole garden looks like it’s wearing some fancy new outfit, but the redtwig dogwood (Cornus sericea) is definitely the star of the show. Although there are scads of cultivars available for redtwig (aka. red stem) dogwoods, I chose the species for my garden. I’m a bit of a native plant geek, I admit. Whenever possible, I grow the native species of a popular plant (for example, purple cone flower or wild false indigo) because that’s the “variety” that the birds and beneficial bugs will recognize most easily. Also, if the seeds get spread by hungry birds, I can be assured that those seedlings will be the wild type. This usually isn’t a compromise for me; most of our native flowers and shrubs are plenty pretty without hybridizing them into various cultivars. This redtwig dogwood, for example: as you can see, it’s plenty red enough to light up a winter snowfall.
I do grow hybridized natives (and a few non-natives), but I’m always most excited to add another “true” native plant to the garden. I can see that this redtwig dogwood will be one of my new favorites. What are your favorite native plants for the yard or garden?
Grow your own sweet potatoes 
Your sweet potato questions: Answered! 
What do you want to know about sweet potatoes? 
Sweet potatoes!! 
Sunchokes from store-bought tubers? Hopefully! 
10 rules for growing vegetables in the front yard 
6 vegetables that are super easy to hide from the HOA 
It’s time to harvest sweet potatoes!! 
Weekly garden stroll #11 
Garden stroll #12: Midsummer doldrums 
Earth Day, monarchs and the little things 
Garden stroll #16: More snow!!?? Good grief. 
Garden stroll #15: Snow!? 
E-books and experiments 
Here comes spring! 
2013 Warrenton Seed Swap 
It’s time to plant some … birdhouses!? 
Home-grown vs. store-bought: sweet potatoes! 
2013 seeds: ordered! 
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What a gorgeous photograph! Congratulations on sticking it to the man for a year. I grow Redtwig Dogwood in my Sensitive Area also, but it doesn’t get enough sun to gain its brilliant color; plus, rabbits and deer find it delicious and I am pretty sure the mountain beavers are gnawing on the roots from beneath. I am planning to replace mine with snowberry, a PNW native shrub with persistent white berries. For Pacific Northwest Native edibles, I am planning to add 18-24 Evergreen Huckleberry (Vaccinum ovatum) this season. This blueberry relative has a lovely blush to its winter foliage and an almost black berry that my grandmother used to make pies from (she’d send my Dad and his siblings out to the woods to pick them). While not native to your area, it might do well there. Raintree Nursery sells the shrub from their website and catalog. I’m still sticking it to the man in the upper left-hand corner of the country, too! Keep at it! Best, Caleone
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