Dear Tweeters,
When Cliff Drake posted the info given to him by the Ballard Locks gardeners
about a winter blooming "Chilean Firebush" or embothrium coccineum (a Hummer
magnet when it blooms in June), I ended up doing a month long search for
the identity of the bush, which did not resemble my young tree or the ones
at the arboretum. Cliff said he had received a lot of Tweets inquiries about
it, so here goes:

To make a long story short, I eventually happened upon the bush when I
visited Heronswood Nursery in Kingston on Saturday. Was I ever happy! They
have one there in the garden, and it is in bloom now, as is the one at the
Locks. Heronswood is only open to the public a few days each year, and
they do most of their business by mail. Their website: www.heronswood.com
The identity of the shrub is Grevillea Victoriae. There is a page+ about
this genus in the new Western Garden Book, and this subspecies is toward the
end. Heronswood has 2 inch starts of the plants for $10., for those of you
who are interested and very patient. Dan Hinkley, the nursery founder,
thinks that the bush is underplanted in Northwest gardens....perhaps Tweets
Hummer lovers can change that!

Happy spring,
Janeanne Houston
"As long as the ancient harmonies were sung, the universe would not entirely
lose its joy." - Madeleine L'Engle, "A Swiftly Tilting Planet"
www.sogreatajoy.com
houstojc at plu.edu