Plant Me Up

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Mike and me at Native Grounds Nursery

“I want your old composting toilet,” Mike told me, looking up from a heap of plastic parts. “But would you be open to a trade?” On what planet would I say no to a nurseryman inquiring to trade? Welcome to barter in Kristin’s world: I’ll give you … one composting toilet for X dollars in plants and a swim in your swimming hole. Mike was down.

Three years passed. Finally, we’d moved the fence and were ready to plant native trees and bushes on the land we’d recouped from our former chickens. With a wishlist and a quick sketch map, I headed north to Brownsville with a smoothie jiggling below the dashboard.

Mike’s wholesale nursery, Native Grounds, is exceptional in many ways. Mike is a unique guy and rolls with the land. His home is clearly everywhere, his touch and his vision stretch from sunny cabins and older growth plantings to the infant rows of seedlings that fan out behind us in the photo above. On the day I arrived, Mike fielded a call from the Eugene airport. They had ordered a swath of plantings to welcome folks to native soil when stepping off the plane. If you live in our area, you can thank Mike for your grounded experience of natives in both private and public spaces.

Gleefully, it turned out that we’d both booked a couple of hours for the exchange, which meant we could stand in the shade of his tall Douglas Fir and spread our wings in conversation for awhile. Joy, family, friends, loved ones of all species, and the delight of frugal and grounded living transported us from laughter to near tears.

Mike then gathered my plants and made suggestions as we toured his Native Grounds until my van, Harbor, nearly burst with the forest garden within. Twinberry, mock orange, wild lilac, Osoberry, goldenrod and more waved in my rearview mirror on the long drive home. Mike and I exchanged “one last thought” three times before I headed into the forest toward the second gem of my visit. Smiling while I walked, I knew my planting was not done. I would be back.

When have you explored seedlings for your future and discovered more delight than you’d have hoped for, just in the exploration?