Meet Linda Cochran, a home gardener in Port Ludlow, Washington, Zone 8. She has embraced native plants in her gardening and strives to create beautiful, naturalistic gardens with natives.

How long have I been gardening in Port Ludlow?

Before moving to Port Ludlow, I had a large well known garden on Bainbridge Island which I created over the 20 years I lived there. Since moving to Port Ludlow in 2013, I have developed my much smaller garden, using a lot of natives that I grow from seed. It is not an exclusive native garden, however. I also spend a lot of my time hiking to see and photograph wildflowers in the Pacific Northwest.

What is my garden ‘style’?

I describe it as a naturalistic meadow style, focusing on some of the native plants that are especially appropriate for this style of garden.

What are my favorite wildflower viewing spots?

There are a number of places in the Columbia Gorge including Columbia Hills State Park and Rowena Crest. On Mt St. Helens, Johnston Ridge is a beautiful place to find wildflowers. And on Mt. Rainier Paradise and Sunrise are great places to view wildflowers in the summer.

Photo credit Linda Cochran.

What are some of my favorite plants?

My favorite genus (at the moment) is Castilleja (paintbrush).

Photo credit Linda Cochran.

A plant I do not currently have, but want, is Frasera fastigiata.

A plant that I think is underused or undervalued is Synthyris missurica (Veronica).

A plant that I want, but can’t find is Sanicula arctopoides.

Thanks for sharing, Linda!

You can find more about Linda on her website  and Instagram, @Cochran4131.