Kat Harman

@pnwkat

🇺🇸 Native plant and wildlife nerd. Raised in AZ, married to a 🥝 🇳🇿. Gardening for the birds in Central WA Zone 6b (Yakima Folds/Slopes) and Seattle Zone 9a. May also post about hiking-MTB-skiing-travel-music-AoNZ-AZ and other random interests. 🖕🏼🧊 ❌👑

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Kat Harman@pnwkat· 5d

Tahoma and Tipsoo looking gorgeous today from Chinook Pass. Haze on the way up the west side of 410 from the Grand Park fire. #pnw

Tipsoo Lake in the left foreground with green meadows behind and darker green forests on the right. Mt Rainier (Tahoma) in the middle of the photo. Haze on the right side from the Grand Park Fire and blue skies with high clouds above.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· 14d

Urban park walks can be incredibly rewarding. 🦉🪶

A Barred Owl sitting on a small tree branch at eye height, next to a removal order tacked to a western red cedar. One branch is in front of the owl so it looks like it’s cut in half.

A large fluffy juvenile Barred Owl perched on a tree branch.

A dying cedar tree the Pileated Woodpeckers have discovered. The outer bark has been removed in patches exposing insect holes. A laurel hedge is growing up around it.

Closeup of the Pileated Woodpecker’s work. Shredded outer bark, they’re just starting to work on the lighter inner bark.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· 28d

The soil in my Heritage Garden is “somewhat poorly draining.” Terrible for Salvia Dorrii. But after a few years of trial, error, and elk damage, I have six of these beauties forming a half circle around the basalt columns. Spring plant on a gravel amended mound and give NO supplemental water. 🌱

Purple Sage, Ball Sage, salvia Dorrii. Violet flowers mature to a deep rose, and bloom late spring through summer. This plant was the only survivor from 2021 so it’s the largest in the garden. It’s hard to find this plant in nurseries, and there’s a lot of demand, so it’s taken me until this spring to have six that are fully established and happy.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jul 14

Penstemon - finale! Cutleaf Penstemon P. richardsonii is the last (11th type) to bloom in my garden. Popular late nectar source as they bloom until frost. Color can vary from blue-violet to magenta. They’re easy to grow from seed and have a deep taproot. These are growing in my Heritage Garden. 🌱

P. Richardsonii likes spring water (snowmelt or seasonal creek) and dry summers. This one is a few years old and is I think two plants grown together. It is giant - 3’x4’ and I have to cut it back after its first flush of blooms to keep the size manageable. It will put out a second flush and bloom into October. This is Violet with bluish lips.

This one is my favorite - hot pink flowers! And it’s a manageable size, about 18”x24”

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jul 13

It’s the fencing I use to keep the elk off my younger trees. 2x3” openings. It’s open at the top. I also stake the wire into the ground with 6” u stakes. To keep out the feral cats, raccoons and coyotes. I’ve never seen a cat jump over fencing and so far it’s working.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jul 7

As much as I love being in the wilderness, spending time on my bike in Seattle makes me appreciate what an amazing city it is. Elliott Bay bike path is finished, separate from the meandering ped path. Lots of new native plants thriving! 🌱🩷 🚲

Sign posted in a new native plant bed at Elliott Bay Park. Native shoreline plants are growing. You can help. Please keep feet and paws on path.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jul 7

This young Hoary Marmot was not the least bit disturbed to share a picnic spot. We were on top of the outcropping, it popped up just below us (to our delight, and its disinterest). It chewed lichen off the rocks, then moved on to Cliff Penstemon and Creeping Phlox! 🌱 #MRNP

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jul 4

Penstemons Pt 8! P barbatus (Scarlet Bugler) is reliably in bloom by the 4th of July and blooms through summer. If you’re in the West and looking for ONE plant to attract hummingbirds, this is it. It seeds readily and being shallow rooted, transplants easily. Can get floppy if over watered. 🌱

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jul 4

My glasses are magenta. Not uncommon for a hummingbird to fly up to my face to check them out. This one stayed long enough for a quick photo. Too bad the plants were in focus and not the bird! 🌱🤪🤓

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jul 3

Penstemon Venustus, the Lovely Penstemon. I’ve had this plant for a couple of years now, and it’s still relatively small. Native to the counties south and east of ours, mid to high elevations, rocky, gravelly sites. Likes a little extra water. Can shear for a second flush of blooms in the fall. 🌱

Penstemon Venustus. Flower stalk with many lavender colored tubular flowers.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jul 2

Been gone for over a week. Came back to this milkweed goodness. 🌱🦋

Yellow and black Swallowtail butterfly on pink blooms surrounded by large light green leaves of showy milkweed.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jun 27

Penstemons pt 6. Firecracker penstemon! Another AZ native, they are a welcome flash of red along Hwy 87 in the Mazatzals in April. My 1 yo plant had one flower stalk this year, but I was out of town when it was blooming. So here’s one I took in AZ, maybe in a few years mine will look like this! 🌱

Penstemon eatonii- Firecracker penstemon near Mt Orr, Arizona. Long spikes of tubular red flowers grow out of a green rosette. The long slender flowers were made for hummingbirds!

I was interested in this plant because it is growing with a Palmers Penstemon. You can see the longer undeveloped stalks growing out from behind the rock on the right. P. Eatonni leaves grow UP from the stalk, while P palmeri leaves grow straight out and down.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jun 27

Penstemons! (pt 5) Cliff penstemon is one of my faves, and I’ve been trying to grow it from seed for a couple years now. This year success! I’ve got 5 tiny plants in the ground and happy. Hoping someday they look like this beauty, blooming in the cliffs NOW above Hwy410/Chinook Pass. 🌱

Fuschia flowers and glaucus leaves of Penstemon Rupicola growing out of the cliffs on the west side of Chinook Pass.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jun 23

One more penstemon for the day. I was introduced to Palmers penstemon in AZ, when I was stopped cold by an amazing 5’ tall stand on a rocky hillside. They’re a favorite of bumblebees and have an amazing scent. They’re happiest in full sun, dry soil. 🌱

P. palmeri can be pale to light pink, with darker pink lines at the mouth. I have them stakes until end of month when the winds will lighten up. I can tell this plant isn’t as happy as new ones I just planted in full sun. Those leaves are glaucus, these have a yellowish tinge. They’ll get bluer as the berm dries out.

The dark pink “landing strips” on Palmers Penstemon.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jun 23

More penstemons! Another early bloomer here is the Lowly Penstemon. Small but mighty, it is happy in blazing sun or part shade, low to high elevations. A newer addition to my garden is Cascade Penstemon. It’s found at higher elevations on the east side, and the hummingbirds love it. 🌱

P. humilis growing in full sun with Salvia Dorrii in the background. These are generally blue-purple with foot tall flower stalks. They form basal rosettes with spoon shaped leaves, but stem leaves are quite pointy.

P. serrulatus grows on both sides of the Cascades, but on the east side they prefer high elevations. The hummingbirds really like this one, maybe they’re used to them being a reliable food source in the alpine sky gardens. Or maybe there’s enough brightness to the purple that makes them attractive. Bees of all sizes also like them.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jun 20

Royal Penstemon - P. speciosus. Inflorescence can be a stunning royal blue to purple. A bee and pollen wasp favorite, hummingbirds will occasionally visit. Blooms May- June. P. Barrettiae blooms at the same time. Endemic to the Columbia Gorge. Likes pm shade. Foliage is a deer favorite 😠 🌱

Blue blooms of Royal penstemon with basalt columns behind. Likes full sun. Can tolerate some pm light shade. No supplemental water once established.

Barrett’s penstemon has orchid color blooms (in Crayola 64 speak). The leaves are glaucus and fleshy. Very drought tolerant. Hand water down the side of the column once in July once in Aug. The deer and elk love it so I have to keep it caged Oct-late April.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jun 20

Penstemons! My longtime favorite group of wildflowers. Currently growing 11 different native species. First to bloom here, early May, is Shrubby Penstemon - P. fruticosus. Supports insects and hummingbirds, blooms last about a month. No supplemental water. 🌱

Purple of shrubby penstemon in front of Carey’s Balsamroot, blue bunch wheatgrass and Big Sagebrush.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jun 20

It’s hot and windy here today. Venus Penstemon, Grand Colomia, and Yarrow are holding up. 🌱 #nowblooming

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jun 19

And here is Scabland Buckwheat at the beginning of its bloom cycle.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jun 19

Sulfur buckwheat!

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jun 19

Buckwheats! There are more than 20 species of Eriogonum east of the Cascade crest, alpine - shrub steppe. Blooming now in my gardens are: Scabland (Douglas), Parsnipflower (Wyeth), Northern (Heartleaf), Strict and Sulpherflower. Coming later is Snow. The tiny Thymeleaf didn’t bloom this year. 🌱

Eriogonum Douglasii, starts red and yellow, fades to pale yellow and then to pink as the seed heads dry out. The grey leaves are small and plump! They’ll turn greenish if they get alot of water. They’re more attractive with the grey foliage, I don’t water them at all.

Eriogonum heracleoides here with Munro’s Globemallow and Lewis Blue Flax. Wyeth Buckwheat is a woody perennial/small subshrub with creamy flower clusters on a longish stem.

E. Composition grows from mid to high elevations. There are three forms in Washington state. It has large bright yellow or cream flower clusters on a longish stem. The green leaves are fuzzy, and white underneath.

E. strictum loves my berm. I think it holds quite a bit of moisture and I’ve never seen such large plants. Strict buckwheat has beautiful light, but bright, yellow flowers with largish floppyish gray leaves.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jun 7

For those that wonder why I am vehemently against Standard time all year, I offer proof. Who wants first light at 3:30am and sunrise at 4? We in the PNW cherish our long summer evenings! It makes up for the Big Dark: Nov-Jan.

Diagram showing our current DST sunrise sunset times. If we went to permanent standard time, shift these times one hour EARLIER.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jun 4

I have a new found interest in wasps. Specifically, pollen wasps. They are solitary, and apparently very docile. They live solely on pollen and nectar. 🌱 #bugsky

Black and pale yellow striped insect with wings folded, head and front legs inside a purple tubular flower.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jun 4

Swallowtail enjoying the last of the shrubby penstemon. 🌱

Yellow and black butterfly on green foliage with purple tubular flowers.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· Jun 1

Pollen wasp doing the work. 🌱 Penstemon Speciosus - Royal/Showy Penstemon. This shrub-steppe native is primarily pollinated by insects - although a Black-Chinned hummingbird was an unusual visitor yesterday! Grew this one from seed last year and now it needs no supplemental water. #nowblooming

Kat Harman@pnwkat· May 31

Shrubby penstemon with Carey’s Balsamroot. Second year for Balsamroot blooms. Had to wait a few for those! 🌱 #nowblooming

Yellow sunflower like flowers with a bunch of purple blooms behind. The green is mostly grasses.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· May 31

Prairie smoke with Idaho fescue and bearded irises. 🌱 #nowblooming

Up top are pink and purple blooms of bearded iris. Middle of pic are pink hanging blooms. Vegetation is sword shaped leaves of iris on the left, soft fern like leaves of prairie smoke at bottom, wispy grass blades and dark green of ponderosa top right. Pine needles at the bottom.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· May 31

Sometimes you get really lucky with flower color. First year bloomer and she’s a beauty. Lupinus latifolius collected locally. 🌱 #nowblooming

Purple flower spike surrounded by deeply palmated green leaves. Oregon sunshine buds in the foreground - bit of yellow with gray green foliage. Background soft focus vegetation, forested hill and sky.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· May 23

When we bought our place 20 yrs ago there was a garden bed with bearded irises. I kept some of them and this is my absolute favorite.

A white bearded irises with a purple iris and yellow columbine around it.

Kat Harman@pnwkat· May 22

Ms white-crowned sparrow has finally laid all her eggs. And thrown my gardening plans awry. This overgrown part of our meadow garden is rhizomatous non-native grass and I had planned to clear it for planting…but now it will have to wait. White-crowned sparrows are ground nesters in our area. 🌱