Flora

Rough Canyon is mostly dominated by Douglas Fir (I think), with many Maples and Birch. There are many varieties of native plants that I still have to learn the names of.

Initial developers (Fred and Elizabeth Pheninger) of the property had established a few of red maple, 8 cherry trees, 2 varieties of pear, 2 plums and 3 varieties of apple. Ornamental plants include many irises, daffodils and tulips that are now hidden in brush. There were other occupants for a few years between us and the Pheningers who had left nature to randomize plant growth.

Two years after moving here we planted a score of roses but these had trouble taking to the sandy soil. Extreme summer and winter conditions stunted their development. The same end resulted with the introduction of numerous fruit trees and blueberry bushes.

The lack of success of new plantings also had much to do with our limited time and planning. The truth is, we did not have much foresight in how to plan. We were not sure where and how to arrange the flora. We did not want to dig and establish underground waterline before concluding on where the forever plants will be. We intended to run surface irrigation but time slipped away and the priority of creating mulch, crop cover and running hose fell behind other concerns.

Planting over the first 2 years was very much like throwing seeds into the air and seeing where they landed. This was an expensive experiment but more survived than expected.

Winter of 2021 devastated our 2000 sqft greenhouse with 5 feet of snow. We will rebuild this at some point but smaller more manageable greenhouses will take precedent.

Moving onto our 4th season, we have a better idea of what we want. Permaculture will guide us in the how. In the coming spring, irrigation will take a priority. A nursery has been established to start our seeds in a sheltered space adjacent the house. This nursery is southwest facing, so we have high hopes of a productive season to come.