Hobbies And Interests
Sagebrush Mariposa Lily
The sagebrush mariposa lily grows to 20 inches high and produces as many as three flowers on the top portion of an upright stem. The flowers have a bell-like appearance and are lavender, with a greenish line in the middle of the petals. In southeastern Washington, a subspecies exists that is white and has a red line on the petals. The sagebrush mariposa lily has leaves that resemble grass. It grows mostly in volcanic types of soil. It requires very little water to grow and will develop in partial shade. This flower is difficult to cultivate since the bulbs have to stay dry and you would need to raise them by means of the seeds.
Farewell-to-Spring
Clarkias are a West Coast wildflower, named for Captain Clark of Lewis and Clark fame when they made their way to Washington in 1806. One type is farewell-to-spring--a plant that gets its name from the fact that it blooms only in the summer when spring is a distant memory. It has large pink flowers that blossom out through the uppermost leaves on the plant, which ranges between 1 and 3 feet in height. At night, these flowers close up but faithfully open back up come morning. It is an annual plant that does well in sandy loam, according to Wildflowers.org, and although it needs moist soil at first, after the plant starts to flower it can withstand dry conditions.
Frikart's Aster
Frikart̵7;s aster is a flower that has a long blooming period, lasting from the summer well into the fall. It is hardy enough to grow in Washington gardens and often winds up as a potted plant for use on patios, decks and porches. This hybrid aster is the creation of horticulturist Karl Frikart in the early 1920s and grows as tall as 2 feet in a garden setting. Frikart̵7;s aster has lavender-blue flowers resembling daisies, with heads so large you have a hard time seeing the leaves below them. The plant needs to be in a place where the soil drains well, as it will rot when exposed to too much moisture. It blooms well before the typical aster does and will continue blooming through a mild frost.
Washington's State Flower
The Pacific rhododendron won a very close contest with the clover in 1893 to become the state flower of Washington. The legislature later amended this in 1959 to specify the species called Rhododendron macropyllum--the Pacific, or coast, rhododendron. It grows in the wild beneath cedars, hemlocks and the great Douglas fir trees, sometimes attaining heights of 20 feet but usually growing to between 4 and 10 feet high. The leaves are 3 to 6 inches long and elongated, with a leathery texture. The flowers are normally pink, but on rare occasions, you will find some white ones. The Pacific rhododendron, called ̶0;rhodie̶1; by residents of Washington, is poisonous, so keep small children and pets away from it.