10 things gardeners should be thankful for in Western Washington

The third week of November is the traditional time of year to celebrate all that we have and are grateful to enjoy. For one day at least, we can stop the whining about our weather and how things could be better.

It has become a tradition in this column to post all that is good about gardening in Western Washington.

Here is my list for Thanksgiving 2022: Why I am grateful I live and garden in Western Washington.

1. There is no need to wear a mask to nurseries this spring!

This one is actually for all gardeners everywhere this year. Although nurseries were considered essential businesses in our state and were allowed to stay open during the pandemic, visiting without a mask is a luxury we once took for granted.

2. There are no poisonous snakes in our area.

Eastern Washington gardeners have found rattlesnakes hiding behind patio pots and shaking their tails under garden sheds. Our common garter snakes may bite (as a kid, I insisted on picking them up) but there is no need for a trip to the doctor when a snake in your garden takes a nip.

3. We don’t get warnings about hurricane season.

Those East Coast storms make one think twice before we complain about our wind storms.

4. Fire ants don’t attack our ankles when we garden.

I will take slugs over biting ants. I am quicker than a slug.

5. Alligators do not move into our backyard ponds.

Deer may be dangerous because of road collisions and disease from deer ticks. (Yes, we have Lyme disease in Western Washington, and I have contracted it from a black-legged deer tick. Tell your neighbors to stop feeding deer and tell our government to do something about the overpopulation of deer.) However, we must admit that deer are beautiful and look gentle and are less deadly than alligators, which are not only deadly, but they look like they belong in nightmares.

6. We have the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle every February.

Gardeners from Canada, Alaska, Oregon and Idaho regularly travel to attend this show each spring. I am often told by these visitors that Washingtonians do not fully appreciate the spring tonic supplied by this garden festival. They are right.

7. Despite our changing climate, we can still enjoy rhododendrons, clematis and hydrangeas.

Cool summer shrubs and vines still bloom better here than anyplace else in the world.

8. Dust storms are not a thing.

Oklahoma gardeners reminded me of this.

9. Our nurseries can offer excellent, locally grown plant material. (Hello Hellebores, Heucheras and Hydrangeas!)

Perennials, trees, shrubs and annuals grown in the Skagit Valley and by neighborhood nurseries are of better quality, at lower price and offer more variety than anyplace else in the world. Really.

10. Finally, we need to all be grateful for the beauty that surrounds us year ‘round in Western Washington. We live in the Evergreen State. Even in winter we have cedar, ferns, salal and other native plants that make this a beautiful place to live all year — even if you are not a gardener.

Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of several books. Reach her at binettigarden.com.