Updates From The Farm
Frost and fruit buds
With our mild winter and early spring, most fruit trees are breaking dormancy a bit ahead of normal. This time of year when the forecast is for sunny days and clear nights, it's possible we'll get some frost. Should you worry about those fruit buds? Critical Bud...
Plant of the Week- July 30
Plant of the Week- Sea Buckthorn aka Seaberry Hippophae rhamnoides or Seaberry is a large, thorny, deciduous shrub native to Europe and Asia. It is a member of the family Elaeagnaceae, which also contains Autumn Olive and Goumi. The yellow to orange berries are...
Plant of the Week- July 3
Plant of the Week- Currants & Gooseberries Currants and Gooseberries are all members of the genus Ribes. This large genus includes all the fruiting black, red, and white currants, gooseberries, and hybrids including Jostaberry, as well as many flowering ornamental...
Plant of the Week- June 25
Plant of the Week- Diospyros kaki Asian Persimmon The Asian persimmon is native to China, and has been in cultivation for more than 2000 years. There are many varieties in commercial cultivation, but most of them are unsuitable for the Pacific Northwest due to their...
Plant of the Week- June 11
Plant of the Week- Oregon Box or Paxistima myrsinites Oregon box is one of the lesser know natives in Pacific Northwest nurseries. This low growing evergreen shrub can be found from Mexico into British Columbia and Alberta, east into the Rocky Mountains. Oregon box is...
Pest Alert
Codling Moth Alert One of the consequences of this year's unusually warm spring and early summer- pest issues are cropping up earlier than we've ever seen them. Most years, we watch our heat units and degree days to properly time a spray for codling moth, one of the...
Plant of the Week- May 21
Plant of the Week- Styrax japonicus Late May and early June in the garden is a time of flowering abundance. Most woody plants have flowered by now, but the annuals and perennials are just starting up. There are a few trees that wait to flower until now, though. One of...
Plant of the Week- May 3
Plant of the Week- Elaeagnus umbellata or Autumn Olive Autumn Olive is a deciduous shrub native to Asia. Growing to 8'-10' in our climate, in the wild it can reach 20' or more. This shrub has silvery foliage, small cream colored flowers, and fall fruit of bright red...
Pear Trellis Rust
This is a fairly recent disease in Whatcom and Skagit counties, but recently has been showing up with increasing frequency. Because of the accelerated spring, the spots are showing up earlier than usual this year. As with most rust diseases, this one has two host...
Plant of the Week- April 26
Plant of the Week- Actinidia sp. or Kiwis Kiwis, kiwifruit, and Chinese gooseberry are some the common names for the fruit of vines of the genus Actinidia. In the produce section of most supermarkets, the kiwifruit found is the fruit of the Fuzzy Kiwi, or Actinidia...
Plant of the Week- April 19
Plant of the Week- Pinus species or Pines Walking around the nursery and the display beds at the farm this week, I can see the various pines are waking up and starting to grow. Their new growth tips are one of the true signals that spring is really here! Conifers (and...
Musing on weather- Alternative to Plant of the Week
At Cloud Mountain, we have a long history of growing fruit trees, first as a commercial orchard and nursery and now as an agricultural education center. But after many decades of experience, we can still be astonished at how different plants react to varied weather....