Q: I know that Escallonia blooms year-round and wonder what other plants and shrubs do too?
A: I don't know of any plant that really blooms year-round, although on a mild year it can almost seem like it. It's more characteristic for plants to have a full flush of bloom, then sporadic flowering off and on in other months, such as the winter-blooming cherry (Prunus x subhirtella 'Autumnalis').
This small ornamental cherry tree flowers extravagantly in autumn, and again in spring. In between, it blooms whenever the weather warms up a bit. Escallonia is an evergreen shrub that when planted in a protected place can flower for most of the year. Other long-flowering plants include:
Wallflowers (Cheiranthus cheiri) are short-lived perennials with fragrant little flowers that open early and keep on blooming through the first frosts.
Daphne x transatlantica 'Summer Ice' — is a variegated daphne that blooms 10 months of the year.
Geranium endressii is one of the endlessly useful hardy geraniums that spread to cover the ground, blooming continuously from spring to autumn.
Abelia x grandilfora 'Edward Goucher' — is a twiggy, arching with small lilac pink flowers over a very long season starting in spring and carrying on through Christmas.
If readers have other recommendations for plants that flower most of the year, please let me know and I'll print them in a future column.
Q: Can you please comment on the practice of watering Northwest plants in the rain? I have a discussion going on at work about the sprinklers running in the rain recently.
A: It is infuriating to see automatic-sprinkler systems spewing out water when it's pouring rain. However, there are many kinds of rain in the Northwest — mist, fog, drizzle, and even sprinkles often cloud our judgment, for it can seem like a rainy day even when little or no water has penetrated the soil.
Only a prolonged rainstorm really soaks plants in containers and thickly planted borders, because all the leaves and stems prevent rain from penetrating the soil and making it down to the roots.
Plants growing beneath the drip line of large conifers, or beneath the eaves of the house will stay dry and thirsty even in a downpour, for rain rarely really wets the soil in these areas.
So, even thought it seems counterintuitive, there are times when you might need to water even on a rainy day, or during the rainy season. The key is to pay close attention to how dry the soil is. Rain sensors and gauges can help, but just sticking your finger an inch or two into the soil usually makes it clear if a plant needs water.
Valerie Easton also writes about Plant Life in Sunday's Pacific Northwest Magazine. Write to her at P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111 or e-mail planttalk@seattletimes.com with your questions. Sorry, no personal replies.
