A harbinger to early spring, the “Dawn” viburnum is also a good antidote to the winter blahs on a dreary gray sky January day. While all other deciduous trees and shrubs only hint at a sign of life with their tight buds, the viburnum has already burst into clusters of tiny pink flowers blooming on… Continue reading ” Pink Dawn” Viburnum x bodnantense
Category: forest
Vine Maple – Acer circinatum
Adding a decorative understory contrast to our stately tall conifers are the native vine maples. While vine maples can be single trunked, they more typically are multi-stemmed large shrubs with the telltale maple leaves and elegant tiered branching like that of Japanese maples. In the fall, the vine maple leaves provides a soft yellow glow… Continue reading Vine Maple – Acer circinatum
Western Red Cedar – Thuja plicata
Known to the native Americans as the “tree of life”, the Western red cedar provided them with virtually everything they needed for their lives. Every part of the tree was used. Tools, baskets and fishtraps were made from the ropey branches, the strong fiber of its roots were woven into hats and headgear, and the… Continue reading Western Red Cedar – Thuja plicata
Big Leaf Maple – Acer macrophyllum
Aptly named, the bigleaf maple is not only a large tree, typically growing up to 66 feet, but it’s best known for its spectacularly huge leaves which can grow to be 12 inches across. It has the largest leaves of any maple tree. The largest big leaf maple stood 160 feet high and the largest… Continue reading Big Leaf Maple – Acer macrophyllum
Katsura Tree – Cercidiphyllum japonicum
Perhaps the most graceful deciduous tree in the Park is the katsura . Native to China and Japan, the katsura is the Japanese word for “tree”. In the fall, its rounded leaves put on a show as they glow in shades of yellow or pinkish yellow. Some say that when the leaves fall, the tree… Continue reading Katsura Tree – Cercidiphyllum japonicum
Mock Orange shrub – Philadelphus lewisii
One of the loveliest native shrub of the early summer is our native Mock Orange, Philadelphus lewisii with its clusters of showy white flowers. The state flower of Idaho, it was discovered by Merriweather Lewis and gets its common name from the delicious orangey scent that makes it attractive to bees and humans alike. The… Continue reading Mock Orange shrub – Philadelphus lewisii
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