A Grower Perspective

Where I grew up in western Washington we had a saying if you couldn’t see the mountain it was raining and if you could see the mountain it was going to rain. The mountain referred to here was Mount Rainier (14,411’ high). Because it rains a lot in the great Pacific Northwest this was a fairly accurate evaluation of the weather. Where I live and work now there are no high magnificent mountains. But there is great beauty and our landmarks and gauges are a bit subtler. I look out from the nursery and am surrounded on all sides by natural beauty. Papenfus Creek marks the south and east border. I don’t see the creek but I do see all of the deciduous trees bordering it. To the west are brittle cottonwoods that are snapping off as I write and the Friends of Buford Park Natural area. And to the north is the grand Mount Pisgah (1,531’ high), my weather gauge for my life here. As I drive to work I head toward the mountain and check it out and see if it is fog covered, misted over or even topped with a bit of snow. And then I think about my weather day. This is the first indoor winter job I’ve had in 30 years so the relative weather is not so important to my personal comfort as it used to be. It is important to the nursery. Dave Daniel, the nursery owner and our leader, uses a much more sophisticated weather analysis. He has many weather web sites he checks often. He knows where the reservoirs are and how to find out when the water is held in and when it is let go. He checks state weather maps and can see what is predicted and what is happening right now. He intimately knows the lay of his land, how the creek and river run and where the water collects. He makes notes where more gravel needs to go to prevent puddles and where more drains need to go for more efficient drainage. This is good land and nursery management and adds to the quality of the plants produced here.

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After the recent snow and cold I am reminded of the excitement and power of the force of Nature. I am always curious to see the surprises Mother Nature has in store for us, what changes happen and how we humans respond to this. A walk in the snow revealed a large branch came off the Douglas Fir in the far field. Another wind storm and it will be down on the ground, fuel for the next bonfire. This is a small action of nature power and one that will not require much response on our part other than to be noticed.

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We had our first annual Christmas Tree decorating contest at Pleasant Hill Nursery and it was a lot of fun. All the office staff got into it this year. (Our plant production crews took a “wait and see” approach but now say they will do it next year!) There were only two rules: 1) You had to use a plant from the nursery, and 2) You had to incorporate some handmade or natural elements for decorations.

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