I'm headed to Neah Bay this week, so I'm crossing the whole state from ever-brown to ever-wet. Hoping to find some nurseries or botanic gardens to visit along the way. Also hoping my own plants don't burn up while I'm gone.

Having come to So. Cal. from Eastern Wa. (Clarkston, which I still think of as home after 58 yrs), I've gotten a chuckle out of this thread. As you may know Ca. has tried to split the state every few years since it was formed. Never going to happen. I've been here since I was 10 and still don't know where the split is supposed to be. The National Weather Service radar maps show from the Canada border south to the tip of Nevada and east into Montana, including part of Arizona listed as PNW sector. That would include a lot of climate zones. Our LA weather reporters break it up by Metro, including orange County, Inland valleys, desert, and mountains. I, personally stick to Sunset climate zones because what grows well in Northern zone 10 isn't even available here until too late to plant. I really do miss the flora of the NW, and lurk on the west coast forum, just in case I can push the zone or find a better place to live, but I'm one of few from So. Cal, and I've noticed the SW forum is pretty thin too. From what I've seen on DG, when the areas get too small they turn into chat threads that nothing to do with gardening. If I want to talk about family, illness, or government, all I have to do is step out on my front porch! $00.02

Hi Carol! We were practically neighbors before you moved away! Okay, 40 mile away neighbors, but that is close! I moved to Lenore last year, and I LOVE it here! I'm sure enjoying the warmer zone than I had in Utah, and my plants are loving it too!

I had neighbors that had migrated from Costa Mesa (about 6 mi. from me) to Clarkston when I was a kid. I still have a cousin there, but we don't stay in touch.

I know what you mean about threads devolving into general chats. I guess when nothing much is going on that is a way to keep in touch. Hey, even we don't get down to the 20's at night. Weather is cloudy then sunny and warm ( at least for us.) Running in the 70's. Pretty nice. Garden is doing great this year except for aphid infestation. I pretty much stick with specific threads like dahlias, lilies, peonies. After several years it is interesting to watch in the spring as they start blooming their way up to us. I think I have stolen a march on the lower 48 for dahlias this year. Very unusual.

Hi Mary Stella! Nice to see someone from Alaska on here! Do you grow fireweed? I know it seems to grow everywhere there, but I was wondering if you have ever planted it. I've got some seed, but haven't tried starting it yet. When I was in Fairbanks, it was growing everywhere, and was stunning. Had some pop up in my yard at my house in Utah, and it was so short that I couldn't figure out what it was. It quickly turned into a favorite plant, and I guess I have a bird to thank for it. It grows well in my area, but I haven't seen it planted anywhere in a yard. It's just here and there along the roadsides.

Nope. I planted Bluebells once though. It is pretty while blooming and I guess if you cut it down when it goes to floss it would work in a garden.

I had some fireweed pop up here a few years ago, but it seems to have vanished now. I tried to save some seed, but didn't have any luck getting it to germinate.

I could try to get you some if you want

woofie, did you try to winter sow it? I haven't looked into the specifics on germination, but I think I read that it has to be winter sown. I wouldn't mind it if I had an entire field full of it!

I have had zero luck trying to winter sow anything! At least, anything I've deliberately tried to WS. A friend up in Alaska sent me some seeds for a white fireweed, but I didn't have any luck with them, either. Sigh. Part of the problem is that I don't have a good spot to put stuff for WS-ing. I may try again, because I now have a spot that might work out since we did an addition to the house that has created a small, sheltered area. Might take you up on that offer, Mary. But first I want to see what my new little area looks like during the winter.

@Natalie Is this the plant you are referring to??

I haven't had great success with winter sowing either, but I'll keep trying. I think with the fireweed, I'll put the seeds where I want them to grow, instead of planting them in pots. Seems like I'd have better luck with them that way. If I was smart, I would have sprinkled a few seeds over our burn pile area to see if that worked. I'm just not that smart.

I've never seen a white fireweed! I need to look that up!

I was told they are quite rare, and it was a special favor, which is why it was so distressing that they didn't grow.

I looked online earlier, and they are beautiful! And rare, like you said. I couldn't find a source in the US for seeds, but I'll keep looking. Everything I read said that the seeds need light to germinate. Glad I found that, because I probably would have covered them. I do that every time that I shouldn't. Hopefully the pink ones will grow easily.

Hello, I live in northern California, and no one around here refers N California as PNW. Maybe they do closer to Oregon, such as Crescent City or Smith River. But since I do not know anyone that lives there, I do not know.

But I will be looking for a house in Oregon or Washington. Now THAT is the PNW (to me, anyway.).

Depending on how well you enjoy paying state income tax and property taxes, you might want to look more closely at Washington than Oregon. No income tax (although WA does have a sales tax) and the property tax rates are half Oregon's. At least as of the time we moved here from OR. Oregon is certainly beautiful, tho!

Hi Evelyn!

If you re-settle near sea level, I bet the change in elevation affects your climate more than the change in latitude.

Welcome to the PNW forum, Evelyn. We purposely extended our boundaries to be more inclusive of gardeners who might feel a bit orphaned by not having a specific regional forum to visit. Let us know how your land search progresses. As a native Washingtonian, I've always been a bit drawn to Oregon. Not sure why, perhaps because it's further south and hence a bit warmer and less wet. I could be way wrong on that, though, I've only visited during the summer months. The tax issue that Woofie brings up is a good one to check out - although I've always read that Washington is way down the list on affordable places to retire, so...who knows. It rather boils down to family for me - all my siblings, both my sons, and most of my extended family are in Washington -- so here I stay.