Native plants provide habitat and food for many of the insects, birds and animals in our communities. They are typically well adapted to our wet winters and dry summers (yes it is true, it does stop raining for a while each year!), making them easy to grow and requiring minimal watering after they have become established.
This year we have made a special effort to further expand our selection of native plants. From Oso berries to Cascara we have an interesting and useful selection of native plants for you. Perhaps you are interested in incorporating some native plants into your suburban landscape or you need assistance in satisfying a city ordinance while planting native plants. In any case our friendly staff is here to assist, and introduce you to a new section of our nursery that features only Pacific NW native plants.
Native plants also have an interesting place in the story of residents that helped build our community many years ago. Twenty years ago our neighbor, an old timer who served in the navy during WWII, recounted stories of how cascara bark helped to earn money for his family. He and his friends would walk from the Coalfield area (think Renton Highlands) down the Tibbetts Creek valley (where Squak Mt Nursery is located) to Issaquah High each school day. On their 8 mile stroll they would gather bark from cascara trees in bags. It was dried and sold as a mild laxative. At the time of the depression that extra income was quite important for his family to survive. Cascara trees help remind us how much our city has changed over the past 90 years.