January 2009 Island County, Washington Issue No. 51
There is a growing trend to incorporate native plants into American landscapes, thereby increasing their retail and wholesale availability and diminish costs. Some people feel that native plants look weedy or unattractive: That can be the case for any plant that isn’t cared for. With care, native plants can be as attractive as ornamentals. Native plants thrive in our nutrient poor soils and our unique temperature and moisture conditions. Like other plants, however, they need supplemental watering for the first two or three years until they become established.
As Puget Sound coastal community residents, use of native vegetation in your landscape
Oregon Grape: an evergreen shrub can have far greater impacts than wildlife attraction and aesthetic beauty. This issue of
Shore Steward News offers the other benefits of retaining or planting native vegetation, tips for choosing appropriate plants for your landscape’s unique characteristics, planting techniques and tree pruning suggestions.
Soil Stability : Experts from University of Washington Sea Grant attest to the fact that your vegetation choices can affect both stability of a sloped property – both on the surface and the deeper movements. This happens as roots reinforce the soil, increasing the lateral soil sheer strength and cohesion during wet or saturated conditions.
In addition, plants absorb and remove water from soils. Evergreen trees and shrubs are ideal choices since they continue to transpire water from the soil even in our wet winter months when deciduous plants have gone dormant. The best way to maintain soil stability is to retain existing native vegetation.
Shade : Temperature and moisture conditions are greatly impacted by the availability of overhanging vegetation in the marine environment. Forage (or bait) fish are an important part of the Puget Sound food chain that supports marine mammals and salmon. Sand lance and surf smelt lay their eggs on the highest part of the beaches just below or among driftwood. In 2001 , Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Dan Penttila found much higher mortality of spawning sites on sun-exposed beaches than shady beaches. Many other species dependent on cool, moist environments experience increased stress or mortality when tree cover is lost.
Salmon Food : Marine fish, like salmon, have been found to eat insects from the terrestrial environment that are provided by overhanging vegetation. More research is still needed to determine the true extent of salmon dependence on these terrestrial bugs. However it is believed that as vegetation is eliminated along our marine shorelines, the food supply is diminished.
Water Quality : Plants of all sorts absorb water to survive. As our communities continue to urbanize, the runoff available from neighboring properties, roads, parking lots and lawns may be carrying an assortment of contaminants. Vegetated buffers absorb these pollutants and prevent them from entering Puget Sound or other water bodies.

The guiding force behind successful plantings is the concept of “right plant, right place”. It is important to choose plants that meet your esthetic needs, but you also need to look at growing conditions and needs. Pacific
Northwest native plants are not all the same – they have distinctly different needs. Placing the wrong plant in the wrong place may result in plant mortality, at worst, or stressed and pathetic looking plants – never a pleasant sight.
To increase survival rate in your yard, do some research before you buy any plants. Understand what type of environment they need to thrive. There are many excellent resources available to learn about specific growing needs for each plant – both in books and on the internet. See the resources section below for a few suggestions.
Also note the mature size and shape of the plant. They can be vastly different sizes from what you purchase, as demonstrated with our four most common native conifers. Some plants tend to spread so avoid those if you want your plant to stay contained in a small space.
Note the growing conditions of the location you want to landscape. The three questions to ask yourself are length of sun exposure, soil moisture at different times of year and potential for contact with salt spray. This information will limit your plant choices, but the plants you pick will be much healthier.
Don’t plant it too deep. The top of the root ball / plant crown should be at the same level or just .5” above the surrounding soil. If planted too deep, the plant stem can rot and the roots suffocate.
Disturb those roots! Pull loose roots outward and cut or straighten any that are encircling the root ball. This encourages the roots to grow into the surrounding soil. If it no longer looks like a root ball, you’ve done well.
A deep hole isn’t best! Dig a saucer-shaped hole that is 2-3 the width of the root mass. Build a mound of soil at the bottom of the hole. You can splay out the roots so they are pointing to the surrounding soils.
No soil amendments. Coastal plants are adapted to low nutrient soils. Adding fertilizer or compost in your planting hole will encourage weeds as well as discouraging the roots from spreading into native soils.
Don’t stomp! We were taught to really pack those roots down – sometimes even pushing down with our feet. This can tear the roots off your plant, which definitely isn’t good for them. Compact the soil with you hands.
On a slope? Construct a soil berm on the lower edge of your planting hole (or all the way around) to help pool water on top of the plant so it can absorb water.
The Final Touch: Water your plant immediately to settle the soil and eliminate air pockets. Add more soil to holes that appear. If you are adding mulch as a weed suppressant, be sure to keep the mulch from touching the stem of the plant.
Native Blackberry: low growing vine with tasty berries.

During the winter, many of our trees show their barest of forms, perhaps making you consider removing or pruning trees to expand your view. Winter storms can also make homeowners nervous about potential damage from nearby trees. Here are a few simple guidelines to consider when preparing for tree pruning, whatever your motivation.
When to Prune : The dormant season is the best time to prune conifers, hardwood trees and shrubs without showy flowers. Conifers can be pruned any time of year, but pruning during the dormant season may minimize sap and resin flow from cut branches. Hardwood trees and shrubs without showy flowers are also best pruned in the dormant season to best visualize the structure of the tree, maximize wound closure in the growing season and reduce the chance of transmitting diseases. Flowering trees and shrubs have different pruning schedules.
Prune for views: To make the most of your waterfront panorama, frame views by selectively pruning your trees rather than cutting them down. Some professional pruning techniques are windowing, thinning and skirting up
(shown below). It’s recommended that you hire a professional arborist when dealing with large trees if you are not familiar with these methods. For example, if you skirt up a tree too far, you can create conditions where the tree will whip around in strong winds, posing an even greater risk to people and property.
Never top a tree! Topping can lead to disease and death of the tree. It could also lead to re-growth of weak upper limbs, which may cause dangerous downed limbs in heavy wind, and/or a lot of new growth, creating a top heavy tree that is more susceptible to falling in heavy winds. The re-growth can also increase your view impediments very quickly.
Source: WA Department of Ecology,
Vegetation Management: A Guide for Puget
Sound Bluff Property Owners
The availability of native plants has grown drastically in the last ten years. Individuals can find native plants in both retail and wholesale outlets. “Plant Native” Native Plant Nursery Directory http://www.plantnative.org/nd_wa.htm
lists all native plant nurseries in Washington. Local organizations, like
Snohomish Conservation District www.snohomishcd.org
and Washington Native Plant Society chapters www.wnps.org
offer annual plant sales. Lastly, both the Washington Native Plant Society and Snohomish County
Surface Water Management s.moore@co.snohomish.wa.us
offer plant salvage opportunities to collect plants off lands slated for development
Marine Riparian: An Assessment of Riparian Functions in Marine Ecosystems, James Brennan and H.
Culverwell, Washington Sea Grant Program, 2005.
‘Plant it Right’ Brochure: Washington State University Extension, Robert Simmons and Erica Guttman, http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/misc0337/misc0337.pdf
.
Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Jim Pojar and Andy MacKinnon, Lone Pine Publishing, Vancouver, BC,
1994.
Native Plant Guide. Greg Rabourn (Program Manager), King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks website, http://green.kingcounty.gov/GoNative/ .
How to Prune Trees, US Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Publication Number NA-FR-01-85.
Vegetation Management: A Guide for Puget Sound Bluff Property Owners. Washington Department of Ecology,
1993, Publication #93-31.

The WSU Island County Extension Beach Watchers are looking for new members to join them in their mission “to improve, maintain and protect a thriving Puget Sound ecosystem through education, community outreach, stewardship, and research.” Those interested in the class of 2009 may download the application right now from the Beach Watchers’ website, http://www.beachwatchers.wsu.edu/island/about/training/ , request a printed copy at the WSU Extension office in Coupeville, Admiralty Head Lighthouse, or ask for it by mail from Sarah Martin (360) 679-
7391. The deadline to apply is Friday, March 18.
Training will take place every Monday and Wednesday in April and October from 8:30 a.m. – 4 pm. Most classes will be held in Coupeville, but trainees also will participate in field trips to such locations as
Skagit County’s Padilla Bay and south Whidbey’s Maxwelton Outdoor Classroom. During the summer months the trainees will engage with seasoned Beach Watchers in active projects such as intertidal monitoring, serving as docents at the Rosario tide pools, staffing the Coupeville Wharf Discovery Center, and more.
Beach Watcher training includes agriculture, aquaculture and shellfish, beach litter clean-up, chemicals and the environment, coastal geology, estuaries, forage fish, forestry stewardship, ground water, growth and shoreline management, Island County government, low-impact development, marine mammals, monitoring, mushrooms and fungi, native plants, Penn Cove mussel farm, Rosario interpretive tour, salmon and the nearshore, seabird decline, Shore Stewards, septic systems, soils and bio-solids, solid waste and recycling, and marine mammal stranding. Classes are taught by top professionals.
This product was funded through a grant from Washington State Department of Ecology. While these materials were reviewed for grant consistency, this does not necessarily constitute endorsement by the
Department.
To view archived copies of past Island County Shore Stewards Newsletters, go to www.shorestewards.org/island/newsletter/
Island County Shore Stewards is a program of the WSU Beach Watchers and the Island County
Marine Resources Committee, and is supported by the WSU Extension in Island County and the
Island County Marine Resources Committee, with grants from the Northwest Straits Foundation and the Washington State Department of Ecology.
Extension programs and policies are consistent with federal and state laws and regulations on nondiscrimination regarding race, sex, religion, age, color, creed, national or ethnic origin; physical, mental or sensory disability; marital status, sexual orientation, or status as a Vietnam-era or disabled veteran. Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local Extension office.
Website: www.shorestewards.org
email: shorestewards@wsu.edu
Contact: Shore Stewards Coordinator Scott Chase at schase@wsu.edu
,
or phone 360-387-3443, ext 258