Ethically propagated native plants of the Pacific Northwest & Columbia River Gorge
Nursery News & Events
Plant sales, educational events, volunteer opportunities and more.....
We will feature select news & events related to native plants, native pollinators, conservation, and restoration on a seasonal basis here, so keep checking in or follow us on Facebook to stay updated.
Featured news & events:
It's time for spring!
Flowers are starting to bloom, plants in the nursery are emerging from their winter rest, and we are gearing up for a great spring season. Visit our plant list to see what is currently in stock at the nursery. We are open by appointment so...
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Call or email us at 503.449.3694, humbleroots@gorge.net
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...to schedule an appointment to visit!
The Pacific Northwest Native Plant Primer
Our book, The Pacific Northwest Native Plant Primer: 225 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden, with publisher Timber Press was released in the spring of 2023! We feel this is a great resource for regional gardeners, particularly in Oregon and Washington. It contains useful information for both beginning and seasoned native plant lovers and covers more than 225 species as we make suggestions of alternate species for different habitats and ecoregions in many of the plant profiles.
Available wherever books are sold. We also have copies for sale in the nursery, so make an appointment to visit us and go home with a book and some plants recommended for you by the authors!
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See what people are saying about our book and read reviews here
Seattle Times article "5 books for gardeners that paint an optimistic reading list for winter"
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Mosier Spring Fest
Saturday, April 20th (plant sale 12-4pm @ Totem Plaza)
Mosier, OR
Come visit our wonderful community in the Eastern Columbia River Gorge. Help with a river cleanup in the morning, take a walk with the Mayor, sip wine, hear music, eat good food, support local businesses and artisans, and pick up some plants for your garden! We will be bringing a great assortment of ethically propagated native plant starts to the Totem Plaza plant sale. Hope to see you there!
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This is also the kickoff for the Mosier White Oaks Group's iNaturalist Bioblitz. Help us record the plants and wildlife of Mosier! Learn more here: Mosier Bioblitz
April is Native Plant Appreciation Month.
This is a great time to learn more about our amazing local flora. During this month a number of organizations are planning hikes, virtual lectures, and volunteer opportunities to celebrate and deepen our understanding of native plants. Find an event near you!
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Visit the Washington Native Plant Society website to find out about events planned around the state, as well as their April virtual speaker series... wnps.org
Or join the Native Plant Society of Oregon Portland Chapter's iNaturalist bioblitz!
and visit the NPSO website to find more events scheduled around the state of Oregon... npsoregon.org
The Garden Show
The Dalles Art Center, The Dalles, OR
As part of The Garden Show at The Dalles Art Center, we will be speaking on the evening of Thursday, May 16th about how to cultivate both beauty and biodiversity by gardening with native plants. This exhibit runs from April 18th-May 23rd and showcases "regional Cascadia artists who are creating work in response to the prompt: How does nature show up in our everyday lives through a garden? Historically, gardens have been designed to tame the wild with the use of landscaping tools and chemicals. In more recent years, aligned with the effort to create pollinator/bird/animal-friendly green spaces has helped to increase the use of native plants and to reduce the use of chemicals. In this exhibit, artists are reckoning with the concepts of traditional and non-traditional standards of beauty as they explore the wild in our everyday lives."
Humble Roots on Cultivating Place
Jennifer Jewell interviewed us for her podcast, Cultivating Place. Listen to this episode of the program (which aired November 2nd, 2023) wherever you get your podcasts...and keep listening! This is a great show with deep insights for plant lovers, gardeners, and anyone who appreciates the greenery of the world.
Link to the program: Growing Home: Humble Roots on Cultivating Place
Mt. Adams Institute's Sense of Place Lecture - Mountaintop to Backyard: The Beauty of the Gorge's Native Plants
Columbia Center for the Arts, Hood River
Follow this link to see our talk in December of 2023 about the native plants of the Columbia River Gorge and the true beauty of gardening with them:
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Learn more about oaks!
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Mosier White Oaks Group
Learn about Oregon white oaks and how to spot the newest threat to these important trees, the Mediterranean oak borer (MOB).
Mosier White Oaks Group website
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East Cascades Oak Partnership
Learn more about the oak trees of the East Cascades with the East Cascades Oak Partnership run by the Columbia Land Trust.
Native Seeds: Supplying Restoration video series.
Created by the International Network for Seed-Based Restoration (INSR) and Hidden Films with support from a number of organizations and agencies, this is a beautifully made video series exploring the need for native seed in restoration and the native seed supply chain in the western United States.
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Watch the full length documentary or individual episodes:
OregonFlora needs your help!
OregonFlora is a vital resource for anyone interested in Oregon's native flora. Their website provides identification tools and information about native plants and gardening with native plants. In addition, they are producing a three volume comprehensive, illustrated guide to the flora of the state.
This important organization relies on community donations and is in need of donations to continue its work.
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Donate and tour the website at: oregonflora.org
Order Vol 1 and 2 of the Flora of Oregon or purchase the Oregon Wildflowers app here: oregonflora.org/pages/store.php
Create nesting habitat for bees and beneficial insects.
When doing any cleanup in the garden, keep in mind that many of our native bees (which also happen to be solitary and stingless) spend the winter underground, in cavities in trees, or the pithy stems of plants. There are many ways to promote, protect, and provide for these vital insect allies, including specific ways of pruning and maintaining your landscape. The Xerces Society provides some great information and online publications which can educate gardeners on how to truly maintain a year-round pollinator-friendly garden.
Learn more about providing nesting resources for pollinators here:
xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/nesting-resources
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Fall gardening for pollinators webinar September 21st, 2023. This class will be recorded and posted to the Xerces Society YouTube channel.
Book features Sheila Ford Richmond's home and neighborhood gardens in Hood River
Under Western Skies is a beautifully photographed and written book by Caitlin Atkinson and Jennifer Jewell that showcases innovative gardens in the American West where nature is the inspiration. It features the hard work of Sheila Ford Richmond and our very own An"Drew".
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The Columbia Gorge is well known for its beautiful wildflowers...
We encourage everyone to take a few steps to help protect the beautiful native wildflowers of the Gorge while out hiking....
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*Clean weed seeds from footwear before hitting the trail and use boot brushes at trail heads to help stop the spread of invasive plants that could harm native plant populations.
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*Stay on the trail and please don't pick native wildflowers! What looks like a common flower may actually be a rare subspecies or an endemic species and picking them could do more harm to the population than you may think.
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*Do not post locations of rare plants on social media.
Columbia Insight
Independent environmental news for communities throughout the Columbia River Basin.
Current news and podcasts on a range of topics related to life in the Columbia River Basin. Read & listen up!
Check back seasonally for updates. We will also post updates & links to these events and more on our Facebook page.
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