Native flora in many places around Washington reach peak bloom around this time of year.
It’s easy to forget that they do much more than please the eyes. Native plants play a vital role in maintaining and enhancing ecological systems.
Recognizing this importance is what Native Plant Appreciation Week, April 22 through April 28, is all about.
The week, sponsored by the Seattle-based Washington Native Plant Society, celebrates the state’s 3,000 native plants by offering ways to learn, protect and foster them in your back yard and beyond.
Plant society chapters and other organizations are offering over 100 events across the state. Some are about appreciating the beauty of native plants, while others will give people a chance to get their hands dirty.
They include field trips and hikes to explore wildflower blooms, as well as learn how to landscape with native plants and how to get involved in restoration projects.
Getting involved and taking action can have a domino-like effect, said Elizabeth Gage, office and volunteer coordinator for the native plant society.
“If just one person from each event gets the bug and starts to appreciate native plants and maybe puts a few in their garden, they’re going to increase the number of native plants happily growing,” Gage said. “They’re going to tell their friends and they’re going to see them and want to know more about them.”
Snohomish County does not have a local native plant society chapter; the nearest events are in King County. More are happening in Benton, Chelan, Kittitas, Okanogan, Pierce, Whatcom and Yakima counties.
In King County, Van Bobbitt, a plant society board member, will demonstrate how to choose and care for shrubs in native or mixed gardens in a session set for 6:30-9 p.m. April 23 at South Seattle College, 6000 16th Ave. SW. The cost is $45.
Bobbitt will also introduce basic guidelines for using native ferns, ground covers and herbaceous perennials in gardens in a session planned for 6:30-9 p.m. April 30 at the college. Admission is $45 for that as well.
Over 130 species of native plants will be on display from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 23-25 at the Oxbow Farm and Conservation Center, 10819 Carnation Duvall Road NE, Carnation. Visitors can take home a free sample plant, while there will also be some for sale. Contact Bridget McNassar at bridget@oxbow.org, or call 425-788-1134 ext. 4 for more information. More at www.oxbow.org.
Up north in Whatcom County, plant society members are leading a walk from 1 to 3 p.m. April 28 through City Greenways Trail along Padden Creek in Bellingham to see a variety of trees, shrubs and flowering native plants. Meet at Fairhaven Village Green, 1207 10th St., Bellingham.
A full list of events and activities during Native Plant Appreciation Week is at www.wnps.org.
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