Trees:

Diospyros kaki ‘Imoto’ (Imoto Kaki Persimmon)
Ficus carica (Common Fig)
Laurus nobilis (Bay Laurel)
Malus ‘Tompkins King’ (Tompkins King Apple)
Morus nigra (Black or Persian Mulberry)
Osmanthus fragrans (Fragrant Sweet Olive)
Prunus ‘Italian Prune’ (Italian Prune)
Pyrus serotina ‘Chojuro’ (Chojuro Asian Pear)
Taxus baccata (English Yew)

Shrubs (including sub-shrubs):

Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum Rubrum’ (Red Cut-leaf Japanese Maple)
Berberis thunbergii ‘Helmond Pillar’ (Helmond Pillar Japanese Barberry)
Buxus sempervirens (Common Boxwood)
Callicarpa bodinieri ‘Profusion’ (Profusion Beauty Berry)
Camellia ‘Showa-no-Sakae’ (Showa-no-Sakae Camellia)
Camellia sinensis ‘Teabreeze’ (Teabreeze Chinese Camellia)
Chaenomeles speciosa var. (Flowering Quince)
Chimonanthus praecox (Wintersweet)
Choisya ternata (Mexican Orange)
Cistus creticus (Pink Rockrose)
Cornus sericea ‘kelseyi’ (Kelsey's Dwarf Redtwig Dogwood)
Daphne burkwoodii ‘Carol Mackie’ (Carol Mackie Daphne)
Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’ (Variegated Winter Daphne)
Eleagnus pungens ‘Maculata’ (Golden Eleagnus)
Forsythia x intermedia (Forsythia)
Fuchsia magellanica (Hardy Fuchsia)
Gaultheria shallon (Salal)
Hamamelis mollis (Chinese Witch Hazel)
Hydrangea macrophyllum (Big-Leaved Hydrangea)
Juniperus communis 'Compressa' (Upright Common Juniper)
Lavandula x intermedia ‘Grosso’ (Grosso Lavander)
Leucothoe fontanesiana ‘Rainbow’ (Rainbow Leucothoe)
Lonicera fragrantissima (Winter Honeysuckle)
Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grape)
Mahonia bealei (Leather-leaf Mahonia)
Mahonia nervosa (Low-growing Oregon Grape)
Mahonia repens (Creeping Mahonia)
Nandina domestica (Nandina)
Osmanthus delavayi (Delavay's Osmanthus)
Philadelphus var. (Mock-Orange)
Pieris japonica ‘Flamingo’ (Flamingo Japanese Pieris)
Pieris japonica var. (Japanese Pieris)
Pinus mugo ‘Pumilio’ (Pumilio Mugo Pine)
Pittosporum tobira ‘Variegata’ (Variegated Pittosporum)
Ribes nigra ‘Hilltop Baldwin’ (Hilltop Baldwin Black Current)
Ribes odoratum ‘Crandall’ (Crandall Current)
Ribes sanguineum (Red-flowering Current)
Rhododendron impeditum (Impeditum Rhododendron)
Rhododendron mucronulatum ‘Cornell Pink’ (Cornell Pink Korean Rhododendron)
Rhododendron var., probably 'Jean Marie de Montague'
Rosa ‘Autumn Damask’ (Autumn Damask Rose)
Rosa gallica 'Officinalis' (Apothecary Rose)
Rosa gallica ‘Charles de Mills’ (Charles de Mille Rose)
Rosa glauca (Grey-leaved Rose)
Rosa rugosa ‘Alba’ (White Rugosa Rose)
Rosa rugosa (Pink Rugosa Rose)
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Tuscan Blue’ (Tuscan Blue Rosemary)
Ruta graveolens (Rue)
Salvia officinalis ‘Berggarton’(Berggarton's Sage)
Sambucus nigra ‘Purpurea’ (Purple-leaved Black Elderberry)
Sambucus nigra ‘Pulverulenta’(Pulverulenta Black Elderberry)
Sarococca hookeriana ‘Humilis’ (Hooker's Sarcococca)
Sarcococca ruscifolia (Fragrant Sarcococca)
Skimmia japonica (Japanese Skimmia)
Symphoricarpus albus (Snowberry)
Syringa patula ‘Miss Kim’ (Miss Kim Korean Lilac)
Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen Huckleberry)
Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’ (Dawn Viburnum)
Viburnum carlesii ‘Compacta’ (Dwarf Korean Spice Viburnum)
Viburnum davidii (David Viburnum)

Vines:

Jasminium officionalis (Common Jasmine)
Lonicera japonica ‘Halliana’ (Hall's Honeysuckle)
Vitis labrusca ‘Suffolk Red’ (Suffolk Red Grape)

Groundcovers:

Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegatum' (Bishop's Weed)
Ajuga reptans ‘Caitlin’s Giant’ (Caitlin's Giant Ajuga)
Ajuga reptans ‘Bronze Beauty’ (Bronze Beauty Ajuga)
Ajuga reptans ‘Burgundy Glow’ (Burgundy Glow Ajuga)
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ‘Vancouver Jade’ (Vancouver Jade Kinnikinnick)
Asarum delavayi (Chinese Wild Ginger)
Bergenia cordifolia (Heartleaf Bergenia)
Campanula poscharskyana (Serbian Bellflower)
Epimedium x versicolor ‘Sulphureum’ (Persian Barrenwort)
Erigeron karvinskinus ‘Seabreeze’ (Seabreeze Fleabane)
Euonymus fortunei 'Kewensis' (Kewensis Wintercreeper Euonymus)
Euphorbia robbiae (Mrs. Robb's Bonnett Euphorbia)
Fragaria moschata ‘Capron’ (Capron Italian Musk Strawberry)
Fragaria moschata ‘Profumata di Tortona’ (Profumata di Tortona Italian Musk Strawberry)
Galium odoratum (Sweet Woodruff)
Gaultheria procumbens (Wintergreen)
Hebe decumbens (Creeping Hebe)
Iberis sempervirens ‘Snowflake’ (Snowflake Candytuft)
Lithodora 'Grace Ward' (Grace Ward Lithodora)
Mentha requienii (Corsican Mint)
Pachysandra terminalis (Japanese Spurge)
Rubus calycinoides (Creeping Bramble)
Sedum spathulifolium ‘Carnea’ (Red Stonecrop Sedum)
Sedum var.
Sempervivium var. (Hens and Chicks)
Stachys byzantina (Lamb's Ears)
Stachys lanata (Lamb's Ears)
Thymus serpyllum (Creeping Thyme)
Thymus vulgaris ‘Pink Passion’ (Pink Passion French Thyme)
Vaccinium vitis-idaea 'Red Pearl' (Red Pearl Lingonberry)
Vinca major ‘Maculata’ (Variegated Large-leaf Periwinkle)
Viola odorata (Sweet Violet)

Perennials, Grasses, Ferns:

Acanthus mollis 'Latifolius' (Long-leafed Acanthus)
Achillea ‘Moonshine’ (Moonshine Yarrow)
Achillea 'Summer Pastel' (Summer Pastel Yarrow)
Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ (Blue Fortune Anise Hyssop)
Alcea rosea 'Chater's Double Maroon' (Chater's Double Maroon Hollyhock)
Alchemilla mollis (Lady's Mantle)
Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ (Purple Sensation Allium)
Anemone japonica (Japanese Anemone)
Bletilla striata (Hardy Orchid)
Campanula var. (Bellflower)
Carex oshiensis ‘Evergold’ (Variegated Japanese Sedge)
Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian)
Chrysanthemum maximum 'Silver Princess' (Silver Princess Shasta Daisy)
Coreposis ‘Sunray’ (Sunray Coreopsis)
Crocosmia var. (Crocosmia)
Dicentra formosa (Pacific Bleeding Heart)
Digitalis purpurea (Commom Foxglove)
Epilobium augustifolium (Perennial Fireweed)
Erysimum cheiri 'Golden' (Golden Wallflower)
Helleborus argutifolius (Corsican Hellebore)
Helleborus orientalis (Lenten Rose)
Hemerocallis var. (Daylily)
Huechera ‘Plum Pudding’ (Plum Pudding Heuchera)
Hyacinthoides hispanica (Spanish Bluebell)
Hyssop officionalis ‘Dwarf Blue’ (Dwarf Blue Hyssop)
Geranium ‘Rozanne’ (Rozanne Geranium)
Hosta x fortunei ‘Albomarginata’ (White-margined Hosta)
Hosta ‘Northern Exposure’ (Northern Exposure Hosta)
Iris foetidissima (Coral or Stinking Iris)
Iris ‘Pacific Coast Hybrid’ (Pacific Coast Hybrid Iris)
Iris unguicularis (Algerian or Winter Iris)
Liriope muscari 'Big Blue' (Big Blue Lily Turf)
Lupinus polyphyllus 'Russell Hybrid Mix (Russell Hybrid Lupine)
Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’ (Black Mondo Grass)
Origanum vulgare ‘Hot & Spicy’ (Hot & Spicy Oregano)
Papaver orientalis 'Beauty of Livermere' (Beauty of Livermere Oriental Poppy)
Paeonia var. (Peony)
Polystichum munitum (Sword Fern)
Pulmonaria longifolia ‘Cevennensis’ (Long-leaved Lungwort)
Solidago canadensis ‘Baby Gold’ (Baby Gold Goldenrod)
Sedum 'Autumn Joy' (Autumn Joy Sedum)

(this list will be updated regularly, so check back)

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Jim Demetre

Just a few notes:
Japanese anemone. What a winner. Lovely, open habit. Nothing like it for brightening dry shade.

Bay Laurel. Really IS noble. Strong shape, evergreen, what's not to like? I've planted mine with senecio Greyii and rosa rugosa, and the grays and gray-greens make beautiful music together.

Viburnums. I'd like to see your Korean viburnum. The V. davidii is SO overworked in public plantings, and I'm so used to see ratty, neglected specimens that I don't know if I could live with it.

Lavender. I pulled all mine out in a fit of bad temper. They looked good about five months of the year.

And I wanted to put in a good word for clematis (CLEM-uh-tis). I've never gone wrong with them. Some of them are a little aggressive, it's true. Right now I have clematis viticella "Etoile Violette," and it makes my garden look like something in a magazine picture.

Hardy fuchsias are beautiful and reliable. I have three "Hawkshead" plants, pale pink in the bud and white in flower. The one by my kitchen window is still in flower and was visited this morning by a hummingbird.

O.K., I'll quit. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

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Victoria

I potted it up, then when fall hit I planted it a short distance away and it started to prosper just in time to reveal a few pale pink flowers. I hope it returns with a vengeance next summer. With their big, mounding leaves and nodding, delicate flowers (I don't care much for the double varieties), they are among the best, low-maintenance perennials for filling in a lonely, vacant space.

Bay Laurel is a winner due to it's tall, narrow habit and formal appearance. They can also be sheared and not look too unattractive, though careful heading cuts would be a better idea. Since they are not completely hardy in some parts of the Puget Sound area, be sure not to prune them too late in the year -- tender new growth in the fall can be destroyed by the early onset of cold temperatures at night.

The Korean Spice Viburnum, with its dull green leaves, is rather average-looking most of the year, but mine has proven to have some dramatic fall color. Large white clusters of flowers (on pink buds) emerge in late March and have a powerful spicy-sweet fragrance.

Much scorn is heaped upon the overused David Viburnum, but as a foundation plant it fulfills its role better than any of its rivals. I quite like the large, veined, and downward-pointing leaves. Mine even produce shiny, metallic blue berries after the white flowers have passed on. What other attractive, evergreen, low-growing shrub can compete with it? It requires little care, can handle dry shade, and is deferential to the more dramatic residents of the garden.

I shear my lavander at least twice during the summer to keep it tidy and in bloom. They may look ugly in the winter, but I like to remember their intoxicating summer fragrance, especially after they have been watered on a hot afternoon (be sure to water in the morning, though!). They have a short lifespan, so you're better off replacing them every few years.

Clematis is a great plant. Too bad I have no more room for any vines.

My Hardy Fuchsia is still getting visits from some Anna's Hummingbirds (they prefered the Fireweed, but I cut it all back). In a few months they will be visiting the Winter Honeysuckle, which will be full of lemon-scented flowers. I'll probably cut my Fuchsia back hard this spring. It is about 6' tall and has many branches that were killed off in last winter's freezes.

And Happy Thanksgiving from the Artdish Team!

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Jim Demetre

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Jim Demetre

The wonderful thing about gardening at your home is watching nature react to the design choices you've made. When you mess things up, you can always move things around and slowly see your corrections begin to take shape.

Herbs are a great place for the beginning gardener to get started. Most are easy to grow, relatively drought tolerant, bracingly aromatic, and have a tremendous rugged character. The fact that you can use them in your kitchen is an added bonus. What I personally love about herbs are their deep-rooted cultural associations. In addition to their historic culinary and medicinal properties, most also have mythic and folkloric significance.

One herb I really enjoy looking at (though not eating, mind you) is Rue (Ruta graveolens). A relative of the orange, this small sub-shrub has rounded, blue-gray compound leaves that are the origin of the "club" symbol in the deck of playing cards. The ancient Greeks believed that the plant could ward off evil spirits, so I planted it in the alley along my backyard to keep the dogs and neighborhood kids out. One day I had a gardener from Mexico helping me with a landscape project and I asked him if he was familiar with the plant. He laughed and shook his head, "That's for the black magic!"

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Jim Demetre

Whatever their powers or possible functions, specific herbs (and other plants, of course) often appear in different lands among different peoples playing similarly important roles. Rue, which I discussed above, is called the "herb o'grace" by Irish Roman Catholics and is also the "bitter herb" of Jewish Passover.

I guess the best way to find out what a plant can do for you is to put it in your garden and see what happens.

If any of you want to witness herbs growing first-hand, I would suggest a visit to the UW Washington Medicinal Herb Garden. Once a part of the School of Pharmacology, it is on Stevens Way, just north of the Health Sciences Complex.

As a disclaimer, let me stress that medicinal herbs should only be taken under the supervision of a certified professional.

And if you are looking for one, whether for you or your companion animal, try Choy's Herbs at 316 Maynard Ave South in the International District. Mr. Choy miraculously cured my friend of his chronic nasal problem with just one visit and perscription.

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Jim Demetre

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Jim Demetre

blackberry bushes.
crab grass.
2 rose bushes.
2 dahlias.
a few random tulips.
some funky flower that seems to sprout every year.

It's a work in progress.. you have to understand that when I bought this house it was surrounded by 1/2 acre of blackberries growing 12 feet tall.. the crab grass is a major new addition. baby steps....

The Himalayan (which actually is a native of western Europe) can be distinguished from native Rubus species -- Salmonberry (R. spectabilis), Thimbleberry (R. parviflorus), Trailing Blackberry (R. ursinus), and Blackcap Raspberry (R. leucodermis) -- by its angled and usually five-sided stems. Another less-common invasive blackberry is the Cutleaf or English Blackberry (R. lacinatus) which is similar but with very dark, deeply-incised leaves.

Controlling this plant is a long-term proposition, but it can be done. While the thorned, pithy stems can grow up to 40' long, the crown root -- the plant's tough central node -- usually grows just under the soil and resembles a human heart. These can usually be yanked out with a spading fork once they are located.

The best ways to destroy blackberry plants -- hungry hogs or controlled brush fires -- are not practical in urban areas. Instead, you should rent a gas-powered pole hedge trimmer and a dump truck. Make sure you have a large, heavy rake and pitch fork. With the hedge trimmer, you can attack the pile from a distance and gradually cut it down until it can be loaded and hauled off. As you continue to clear the brush you can cut back the canes that you missed in your previous attacks.

After you are done with this, mow the area to cut any remaining canes to the ground. If you continue to do this over time, you will cut back both the new shoots and any seedlings that grow from germinated seeds left in the soil. After a couple of years, the crown roots will give up and die and you will find yourself with a turf of native and invasive grasses that can be easily maintained.

You may want to establish other plants in the area. Himalayan Blackberry seeds will not germinate in the shade, so if you plant the area with trees you may eventually be able to keep them from returning. Try planting Black Walnuts (Juglans nigra), which are notorious for making it difficult for any plant to survive within their drip zones.

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Jim Demetre

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Victoria

I removed the Hidcote Lavenders that I had planted along my alley. This is still one of my favorites varieties (the darkest of the dwarf forms), but after five years they were looking a little ragged. But lavenders are short-lived subshrubs and are best replaced every few years anyway. I took the beautiful Rozanne Geraniums from their location in my front yard (a site for which they had grown too large) and put them in their place. I am hoping that they can handle the blazing heat of July and August. I still have the much larger Grosso Lavenders growing against my garage underneath the Suffolk Red Grape, so I will not miss out on the summer lavander experience. I also ripped out the Santolina, mainly because the Rugosas had been crowding it out and it had not responded well to my repeated shearings. I would like to add more of these eventually (including some green ones) but will need to take out more lawn first. Some perennials, including the Drumstick Primrose, didn't resurface. My guess is that the Mexican guys from Pacific Topsoils didn't see them and covered them with the four inches of Pacific Garden Mulch they blew in.

Some of my plants remain under close observation. The mature, established Pieris shrubs looked almost dead last fall, but bloomed nicely this spring. I am hoping that they put on some new growth soon. The Pulverulenta Elder has put on almost no new growth since I put it in the ground a few years back, while the Purple-leaved one I planted at the same time is nearly 10' tall. The Hardy Orchids, which I foolishly left in their 4" pots over the winter, are off to a slow start. I may need to get some new ones if nothing happens soon. And then there is my Persimmon. The caliper of the trunk seems to have widened some, but it too has put on very little shoot growth since I planted it. I have read that it takes a few years for them to get established, however, so I have not given up hope. The one gallon Variegated Pittosporum I planted last fall looks dreadful and chlorotic, but appears to be well-rooted in the ground. The Sweet Olive Osmanthus, which I spent all summer looking for, lost most of its leaves to the unusually low temperatures of last winter (it is only borderline hardy here) but I'm going to give it another season before turning it into a house plant.

I spent over $600 last October to have 15 cubic yards of unfiltered, composted plant material blown into the beds (about 4 inches deep) and it seems to be paying off. In addition to the increase in soil nutrients, I have both better drainage and moisture retention. I am still faced with weeds but they tend to be more gentle species that can be plucked out of the ground with ease.

I will be curious to see what happens this summer.

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Jim Demetre

Check out the one in the UW Medicinal Herb Garden. If are reigned in this way, they can be great residential garden plants. Because they are susceptible to damage from cold weather, do not prune them until after the last frost. Do not shear them too late into the fall, either, for this may stimulate a great deal of fresh new growth that is more likely to be destroyed by the sudden arrival of cold winter temperatures.

In many parts of the country, this plant is kept rather small in containers through regular shearings and root pruning, and then brought inside for the winter. This is how they are kept at the Cloisters, for example.

Bay Laurel is an essential culinary ingredient for sauces and meats, so be sure to harvest the leaves when you cut back your plant. Only the newest ones are used for this purpose, so allow it take on some new growth before you decide to shear it. Bay leaves also must be dried before being used in cooking, so clear out a space in your cellar.

Before you do any of this, make sure your plant is indeed a Laurus nobilis and not its larger California relative, Umbellularia californica. The California Bay is best left to grow as big as it wants. The leaves can be used in the same dishes, but because they are more powerful, less of them are required. The trees emit such a strong scent in the summer that they are often referred to as the 'Headache Tree'. Also, the term "laurel" is used to describe a great many unrelated and often inedible evergreen shrubs and trees including the English and Portugese Laurels (both members of the genus Prunus) and the poisinous Mountain Laurel (a Rhododendron relative from the East Coast), so have it identified by a professional before serving it to your friends and family.

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Jim Demetre

Also, when I use the term "shearing" I am suggesting that you use a pair of bypass pruners and administer a series of heading cuts. If the plant is too large you can use a hedge trimmer, of course, but the sliced-up leaved don't always look very nice afterwards.

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Jim Demetre