The Pacific Northwest is blessed with considerable coastline, both on the open Pacific and the shores of the Salish Sea. While beautiful, the coastline might not be the first place a gardener would go for inspiration. “The Northwest Coastal Explorer” by Robert Steelquist may change that attitude.
The author engagingly introduces plants ranging from seaweed to conifers, from underwater to the coastal forests and riverbanks. He includes kelp, eelgrass, and pickleweed – all plants that have adapted to a very specialized environment.
Steelquist understands that these plants, while rather odd-looking and perhaps not as appealing as the animal life, have an equally important role in the coastal ecosystems. If you see on the water surface the floating stems and bulbs of bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana), then “…what’s underneath is as lush as any rain forest.”
Excerpted from the Fall 2017 Arboretum Bulletin.