THE MARSHALL
IS IN TOWN

Bainbridge Island has a strong connection to strawberries. In the past, hundreds of acres of strawberries covered the island. For decades strawberries were a major revenue source for farmers on the island.

And what was the variety of strawberry that powered this success? The Marshall Strawberry.

The Marshall was so coveted that hundreds of crates of Marshalls were sent to Vancouver BC when King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited in 1939.

Old timers and foodies remember this berry. It was sweet and rich, with a strong "strawberry" note. Sorry, not the best description, but consider what most packs of berries in the grocery store taste like...well, they kind of taste like nothing. But they sure look good!

And that is one of the reasons that the Marshall just about fully disappeared from the Island. They did not store well. In fact, they practically became jam as soon as you transported them any reasonable distance. But fruit afficionados know that when you prioritize looks and storage over flavor, you are losing something very important in the process.

Another reason that Marshalls disapppeared was they had a very short season, maybe a just a few weeks.

So it sounds like we're talking you out of getting Marshall strawberries, but in fact, we're telling you to pick up a start or two and try them. If the weather is good, you'll be in for treat.

And get a few other strawberry varieties as well. Some of the newer ones have good production and flavor, and while not quite as good as a Marshall, they'll kick the pants off of anything in the store for sure. Try an Albion or Shuksan. You'll thank us later.

POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY
GARDENING

Did you know that one out of every three foods we eat rely on pollinators? Pollinators fertilize flowers, which then produce seeds, which you can find buried in that apple you eat or on the outside of the strawberry that you pick. In the non-edible world, pollinators help maintain a thriving ecosystem by continuing plant species and adding biodiversity.

As you garden, think about what you are doing in your garden to encourage bees, birds, and butterflies. And also to ensure that we aren't doing to anything detrimental to our flying and buzzing friends.

• Create a pollinator-friendly environment in your backyard. Plant flowers that encourage bees and birds, like asters, coneflowers, lavender, sunflowers, yarrow, etc. Have water dishes in a safe place for pollinators to get a drink.
• Check the labels of any insecticide, herbicide, or fungicide that you use. Be aware of spraying where the bees are and minimizing spray drift.
• Take care of the environment. Climate change not only affects humans.
• Come on in to pick up our list of pollinator friendly plants.

APRIL IS FULL OF DAYS:
EARTH AND ARBOR

It might be confusing, but April is full of planting celebrations. Arbor Day is Wednesday, April 9th. Earth Day is Tuesday, April 22nd. National Arbor Day is April 25th. Why so many days?

Well, for starters, the Arbor Day mission is get people to plant trees, which is a day that we can get behind! Earth Day is more broadly about encouraging people to get involved in environmental stewardship and educate them about the environmental movement. Yes, we support that too.

And why are there two Arbor Days? Well, states are able to choose a day that they think is best for planting trees. In Washington state it apparently is the second Wednesday in April. Okay, sure. And Arbor Day may be different in other states. Different countries celebrate their version of Arbor Day in different months.

So, how are we celebrating Earth Day and Arbor Day? Well, with activities and sales, of course!

On April 22nd, you can celebrate Earth Day by coming here and creating a wildflower seed ball. In this activity, we'll make seed balls of compost, clay, and wildflower seeds to take home to plant. It's a good activity for kids as well as adults. There are more details in the Classes link above.

On April 9th and April 25th (the two Arbor Days), all trees are 25% off. Yes, that's how much we want you to plant trees on that day!

What kind of trees should you plant?

Here are a few trees (of many) that we are fond of this year:

Japanese Maple 'First Flame' (Acer Palmatum) - First Flame (picture above) is named because the spring growth is fiery orange-red, then the leaves turn a coppery-green in the summer, and then back to orange in the fall.

Katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonica) - Katsura is great for areas of the garden that are naturally moist. We currently have the classic Japonica variety as well as the weeping Morioka and Pendula varieties. All have leaves that go from reddish in the spring to green in the summer and yellow in the fall.

Japanese Cedar 'Sekkan Sugi' (Cryptomeria japonica) - The Sekkan Sugi stays chartreuse to gold year round stays columnar even though it can grow to 20 plus feet tall.

Serviceberry 'Autumn Brilliance' (Amelanchier x grandiflora) - The Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry has small blue berries that provide food for songbirds, like Cedar Waxwings. They also bloom eraly in the spring and have orange fall color.