Technically it’s still Saturday on the West Coast.
You’ve heard the stories about Seattle and its rain. When I tell people that I lived there for ten years – that I actually lived there twice, by choice – I always get the looks and the verbal expressions concerning the endless rain. Yes, it rains. Yes, there are many, many cloudy days. But life goes on. And then on those miraculous days when the sun come out, it is truly spectacular. Such has been my visit to Seattle this weekend. The weather has been perfect, and the trees are putting on the most magnificent show with their autumn colors.
My Six on Saturday is a tribute to Delaney’s college visit to the University of Washington (UW). Go Huskies!
1. UW Medicinal Herb Garden. We found this garden by accident, but Delaney and my friend Shelley were gracious enough to let me explore. The trees in the background give you a taste of the color we’ve seen this weekend.
2. Cranberry. Well, here is something I certainly never considered growing. This is an evergreen shrub – which could serve a variety of purposes for me. You know I have blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries on my list. Maybe I should see if cranberries are viable in Oklahoma.
3. Strawberry Tree. The marker says this is an evergreen shrub or small tree grown in the Mediterranean region and Ireland. I would love to see it in full bloom. I wonder if students know to find this garden when the fruit has ripened. I imagine it to be a sweet treat!
4. Common Fig. I do not know much about figs. I don’t know how to tell if they are ripe. I don’t know how to prepare the different types. But I certainly enjoy eating figs prepared by others. I’ve had figs in everything from charcuterie plates to appetizers to desserts. I know they grow well in the South because I can remember my mother picking them directly from a tree and eating them right away. I’ve also seen plants for sale in my local Oklahoma nursery. Add it to the list for further consideration!
5. Double-Flowered Pomegranate. It is easy to get distracted by the gorgeous yellow leaves and miss the pomegranate. Again, I wonder if UW students will be picking these yummy fruits in the weeks to come.
6. Happiness. I’m not sure who decided to spread happiness on the UW campus, but these circles of leaves do just that.
Bonus Pic. For the last couple of weeks, my friends on the Sammamish plateau have been posting fall pictures on social media. I love seeing each and every one. The colors are so vibrant. Just seeing the pictures transports me back to the long walks my family would take along Klahanie Boulevard and around Yellow Lake. Everyone needs a chance to see some of this vibrant fall color. If your region of the country misses out on the color show, this bonus pic is for you!
To see what other gardeners are featuring this week, check out the post and comment section in this link: Six on Saturday. Happy Fall!
Patch405 
It is only Saturday for a few more minutes.
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Now it is Sunday.
The strawberry tree never blooms profusely. It instead blooms sporadically throughout the year, with berries ripening at random times. You probably noticed that some trusses of fruit supported berries in various degrees of ripeness, ranging from green to yellow to orange to red. The fruit is rather bland, so is left for the birds.
Figs are certainly worth asking about. If nurseries sell them, they probably do well there. I know that they can freeze back to the ground farther north in Chicago, but some people grow them anyway. Stems can grow from the roots and fruit late in the summer. (There are two crops of figs. It is a long story.)
I would not know about cranberries. We can grow them here on the coastal side of the Santa Cruz Mountains, but not in the Santa Clara Valley just a few miles on the other side. Again, they are worth asking about.
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Your pictures are fabulous. I bet you guys had a ball in that perfect weather.
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what a lovely place to visit – I live in Manchester in the UK and everyone goes on about how it rains here all the time. It doesn’t but when its sunny any time of year we get out and enjoy it. Cloudy/wet weather slows me down taking six on sat photos though.
It’s too cold for figs here in the NW unless in a green house but once a plant gets going plenty of fruit – pick when brown not green 🙂 love Bec 🙂
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O, you tempted me w/so many fruiting trees/shrubs that I’m beside myself, wanting a HUGE garden. I hope Delaney likes the campus, but it sounds like a great visit regardless.
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First reading and nice Six! I also grow figs here and my strawberry tree has fruits like the picture you took. My zone 8a is more tolerant than yours for that.
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