Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Let's Get (Native) Planting!

Black Huckleberry
Spring is definitely in the air- little bits of green life are starting to make their brave entrance into the world, the piles of snow that once towered are shrinking by the minute, and we at Cascadia are starting to think about our springtime projects.

The main one I want to touch on today is our Native Plant Sale and Workshop. This year we are offering nine different species of Native Plants. These plants are grown from Eastern Washington seed stock by the Washington Association of Conservation Districts Plant Materials Center in Skagit County. Plants offered include Ponderosa Pines, Vine Maples, Black Huckleberry and Red Osier Dogwood, among others. These plants are commonly used for restoration, soil stabilization, and some are considered to be fire resistant. A brochure describing the uses and benefits for each plant is linked to our website, along with an updated plant listing, and order form. Plant orders are due by March 4th and can be mailed into the Cascadia Conservation District office with a deposit. Once ordered, you can pick up your plants on April 16th from 10am to 1pm at the Stemilt Growers Warehouse in North Wenatchee.

Ponderosa Pine
If you are interested in ordering Native Plants, but have no idea how to best utilize them on your property then you may be interested in attending our Native Planting 101 Workshop. This FREE workshop is taking place on March 5th from 12 to 4:30 pm at the PUD Auditorium on N. Wenatchee Avenue. This workshop is perfect for landowners in our district who are interested in learning techniques to effectively use native plant species to encourage pollinators, restore damaged areas, and create a low maintenance yardscape. It may be particularly useful for property owners who lost vegetation in last summer’s fires or for those who are seeking to become more FireWise. The workshop features presentations on Yardscaping, Pollinators, Restoration, and Integrated Weed Control Methods by local plant and natural resource experts. Workshop attendees will have an extended deadline of March 11th for ordering plants from the Native Plant Sale. You can register for this free event on our website!

Serviceberry
If you are interested in either of these events you can find more information on our website, cascadiacd.org. Our Native Plants are selling out quickly, so if you haven’t already had a chance to make your plant selections, I strongly urge you to do so as soon as possible! We are also looking for more volunteers for both of these events- if you are interested in volunteering send an email to americorps@cascadiacd.org

-McKenzie

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