Volume 3, Issue 8
David Fishman photography exhibit
reception August 4 

Visit the library to see David Fishman's original photographs August 3 through 30. David's work is focused on unusual plants and garden scenes, highlighting the bright colors and striking patterns found in plants. The element of surprise is important in his photographs. Just like in a garden, the closer we look at the plant structures, the more we see!

Join the artist for a reception on Thursday, August 4th from 5 to 7 pm.

Be in a Treehouse by Pete Nelson
reviewed by BrianThompson 

This spring I had the opportunity to visit the Cleveland Botanical Garden. Throughout this small garden are a number of treehouses, delighting the school children with whom I was sharing my visit. After climbing the steps up to one and looking out from this new perspective, I understood their enthusiasm.

Later, in the Garden’s gift shop, I explored their several books on treehouses. I was surprised to learn that the most prominent author, Pete Nelson, is from the Seattle area. I quickly had his latest book, Be in a Treehouse (2014), added to the Miller Library collection.

At its heart, this book is inspirational. Page after page of excellent photographs will bring out your inner child. The author’s images of his own bed and breakfast of treehouses, located near Issaquah, may inspire your next vacation. If you decide to build your own, “Treehouse U” introduces the design and construction principles that one must consider for a structure typically located 10 to 20 feet off the ground and anchored to a living being.

While many of the examples are in the Pacific Northwest, Nelson also explores the world for outstanding and widely varying houses.  Ranging from Austria to Zambia, this review demonstrates that almost any climate that has trees is perfect for elevated houses. In describing one favorite masterpiece, now sadly gone, the author declares it “…inspired many of us to reach for the highest branch and build our wildest dreams.”

Ask the Plant Answer Line:
Trachystemon orientalis:
useful ground cover or potential invader?
researched by Rebecca Alexander

 Q: A mail-order nursery catalog I recently browsed is touting Trachystemon orientalis as the plant for problem areas of the garden where other plants would struggle. They say it will rapidly cover blank or weedy areas in the garden, whether they are sunny, shady, wet, or dry. What can you tell me about it? It sounds intriguing, but I'm worried it might be invasive!

A: Trachystemon orientalis is in the same family as borage (Boraginaceae), with similar blue flowers and rough leaves  ... . According to Perennials by Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix (Firefly Books, 2002), it is a native of eastern Bulgaria, northern Turkey, and the western Caucasus region. It is naturalized in parts of England. The authors say it thrives "in wet beech forest on shady river banks and on damp rocks at up to 1000 meters, flowering in March-May." It spreads by rhizomes and is tolerant of neglect. Its preferred site is moist shade, but it adapts to a wide variety of conditions, and excels at smothering weeds. There is additional information from Missouri Botanical Garden.

You may be right to wonder when a plant seems to be just the thing for almost any spot, and when it is promoted for its ability to spread easily. Some ground cover plants hover on the brink between covering the ground you want covered, and exceeding those boundaries. Trachystemon's common name is Abraham-Isaac-Jacob. The origin of that name is unclear, but my interpretation is that a plant named for the patriarchs of Genesis has a connection to generational continuity, a fitting name for a plant which is skilled at self-propagation!

See garden writer Margaret Roach's blog post entitled "A Plant I'd Order," and notice what she says about the likely behavior of this plant in the Pacific Northwest. ...

You could test its behavior in your garden for a season or two, and if it shows signs of aggression, you should still be able to eradicate it. If your aim is to be cautious, you may want to avoid planting it.

This is an excerpt. Read the full question and answer in our online Gardening Answers Knowledgebase.

New to the Library