Hi folks,

Are you planting a garden this year?

If you are on the fence, it’s not too late to plant many summer annuals. I like to wait until I see a little rain in the forecast (then I don’t have to remember to water 😆). Because the soil is getting warmer, you can direct seed, which means plant them straight into the ground. What can you direct seed? Zinnias, cosmos, amaranth, cucumbers, dill, squash, carrots, and many more.

Have you heard of the Chelsea chop? It’s this moment in mid-May where you chop back your later-flowering perennials so they don’t get too tall and flop over. I just chopped my fall asters and chrysanthemums. You can also chop your yarrow, phlox, rudbeckia, sedums, and more.

My favorite part of my farm is one I didn’t plant. It’s a hedgerow that separates my flower field from the road. She’s a wild tangle of mostly native plants, and she’s currently blooming in full glory.

What’s a hedgerow? It’s a living boundary, a windbreak, a refuge for animals, and historically has been used to separate fields or enclose livestock. It’s a bit different than hedge laying or dead hedges. Also very neat though.)

What’s in my hedgerow? It’s full of nootka roses, a hawthorne tree, a rowanberry tree, an elderberry bush, thimbleberry, our little native blackberry, cow parsley, buttercup, ocean spray, and many more characters. It’s a buffet of beauty and food.

Funny story - last year, Kai and I were convinced that the hedgerow was overtaken by poison hemlock. A toxic and invasive plant that you should remove asap. We were stressed! How were we going to pull it out of the brambly nootka roses?! It took us a while to figure it out, but eventually we realized that while there were some hemlocks to remove, it was mostly cow parsley. Phew! Here’s a good guide to spot the differences.

Wild spaces on our land are important, but that doesn’t mean we don’t tend to them. Removing invasive species is a crucial human responsibility for our ecosystems.

Not sure where to start? Here is a guide to invasive species in Western Washington. Scotch broom is the big one out right now. (It’s all those bright yellow flowers on the sides of the roads right now. Each single scotch broom plant produces 7K-12K seeds. 😳) Now get out there and pull some scotch broom!

Free community classifieds section

If you have something to share - a service, an event, an offering, or maybe even something for sale for the general Western Washington area - you can send me a couple of sentences ‘ad’ and a link. I’d love to connect my community with your work!

Here are this week’s classifieds:

• Introduction to Hand Brooms at Finnriver Farm and Cidery, June 26, 2026. Learn to weave your own turkey wing and hawk's tail hand broom in this introductory, hands-on class. We will discuss the tools, materials, and techniques for crafting beautiful and functional brooms that will have you sweeping out the corners in style. Open to all beginners. Participants will leave with two completed hand brooms. Please be aware that broom making is a physical task that requires the use of hands and feet, and moderate hand strength is recommended. Sign up here!

Sending you a robin’s song,
Emmy and Kai