February in The U.W. Medicinal Herb Garden
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Spring in Seattle is a leisurely process beginning in January and ending in June. Elsewhere, in areas boasting real seasons, it is abrupt, wonderful, and lives up to its name. In a typical February hereabouts, you can expect to see some of the following plants showing growth, a few even flowering. Early February is slower, of course; late February is eager to become March. Numerous unmentioned rarer plants also are every bit as fascinating.
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WOODLAND HERBS: gray-green, lacy Bleeding Heart (Dicentra) shoots uncoil from the cold soil; Stinging Nettles emerge in sheltered ravines --they'll be large enough to eat in March; in mucky areas, Skunk Cabbage shoots poke up, a few conspicuous in their bright yellow, odorous bloom.
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TREES: Alder catkins release pollen; 'Hollywood' Plum begins opening its white flowers in the garden's Section G; Pussy-Willow catkins swell their silvery beauty; Yew releases its dusty yellow pollen.
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WILD SHRUBS: Redflower Currant starts opening its lovely hummingbird blossoms in late February; Hazel catkins dangle; Tall Oregon-Grape begins blooming --rich yellow; Oso-Berry leaves (soft green; cucumber-flavored) appear with white flowers; Salmonberry leaves unfold, and its first rosy flowers open in late February.
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GARDEN SHRUBS: certain Camellias blossom; sweetly scented are the flowers of Daphne Mezereum and Daphne odora; vivid yellow flowers grace Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum); also yellow is Mahonia 'Arthur Menzies' (north of the garden's Cascara Circle); for screaming pink, relish the thorny Flowering Quince; Rosemary exercises restraint with a smattering of pale blue blooms; Spurge Laurel bears hidden, greenish-yellow flowers, well worth smelling in the evenings.
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FERNS, etc: Horsetail shoots up; the first rubbery Bracken fiddleheads appear late in February.
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ROCKERY PLANTS: Basket-of-Gold; Bergenia makes a hot pink display.
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GARDEN ANNUALS: praise the stalwart Winter Pansies.
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BULBS: Bluebells send forth dark green, lustrous leaves; Crocus opens cheerful flowers amidst its slender, striped leaves; Daffodils spear forth, a few bloom; Daylily sends up delicate green leaves; Snowdrops; some Tulips appear; Winter Aconite (Section F) has heart-warming yellow flowers.
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GARDEN PERENNIALS: European Colt's-foot (Section D) and its Japanese cousin Fuki (Section G) burst forth; the Hellebores --Christmas Rose, Lenten Rose, and Stinking Hellebore-- blossom; Mandrake flowers late in February; the low green groundcover Pachysandra blooms late in February; Periwinkle has blue flowers; Primroses present a rainbow of color if the slugs leave them alone; Sweet Violet enchants us late in the month.
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The lower your elevation, and nearer you are to the south, the earlier all this happens. If you don't get much in February, be patient, it will still arrive --in March. The Medicinal Herb Garden is one of the mildest and most protected microclimates of Puget Sound.
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(Originally published in the February 1993 newsletter of the Friends of the Medicinal Herb Garden of the University of Washington, Seattle)
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