Many Threads, One Fabric
Lessons in garden diversity from floodplain, forest, and farm
Stand on the dike along Fir Island and watch the snow geese begin to gather here across the fields, thousands rising in a single breath of wings. Drive the winding roads of the Stillaguamish Valley in spring, where farm fields, wetlands, and woodlots share the same patchwork of land. Walk under the canopy of Lord Hill Regional Park, where alder, cedar, and maple grow shoulder to shoulder, each offering something unique to the forest community.
Here in Skagit and Snohomish counties, diversity is everywhere—in the tidal estuaries that cradle salmon fry, in the farmland that feeds our communities, in the forests that shelter owls and deer. Permaculture’s tenth principle, “Use and Value Diversity,” reminds us that our gardens can echo this wisdom: a place where resilience is born from variety, and abundance flows from many voices working together.
Diversity as Resilience
A garden of only one crop is like a song sung in a single note. It can be clear, but it leaves little room for harmony. When we rely on just one crop, one method, or one way of growing, we leave ourselves open to disappointment. A wet spring along the Skagit River may rot the roots of one plant, while a dry summer on Camano Island may stress another. But a garden designed with diversity—annuals and perennials, natives and edibles, deep-rooted anchors and shallow feeders—offers a safety net. This diversity creates layers of sound—protecting, supporting, and amplifying one another. If one fails, another fills the gap. These are the small mercies of planting with diversity: the safety net of many voices working together.
Think of the Skagit Flats in March: daffodils blaze yellow, tulips soon follow, and migrating swans rest in the same fields. No single flower or bird carries the story—it is the collective that creates wonder. So too with our gardens.
Reflect for a moment: What would your garden feel like if it echoed the abundance and resilience of the landscapes around you?
Ways to Invite Diversity into Your Garden
Interplanting: Tuck chamomile among your brassicas or let calendula weave through your beans, much as salmonberry and thimbleberry share the forest edges along the Pilchuck River.
Crop Rotation: Like the seasonal floods of the Stillaguamish, rotating crops refreshes the soil and interrupts cycles of disease.
Polyculture: Try planting a guild beneath a fruit tree: nitrogen-fixing shrubs, aromatic herbs, and flowering groundcovers—much like the layered forest slopes above Big Four Ice Caves.
Wildlife Habitat: Border your beds with natives like vine maple, red flowering currant, or snowberry, echoing the woodlands of the Skagit uplands and inviting pollinators and songbirds into your space.
Why Diversity Matters in Our Region
Soil as a Living Web
From the fertile floodplains of the Skagit to the gravelly ridges of Snohomish hills, soil comes alive when many plants feed it. Deep-rooted comfrey, nitrogen-fixing clovers, and shallow-rooted greens create balance underground.Harvest Through the Seasons
Imagine kale thriving in winter along with leeks, peas announcing spring in Stanwood gardens, and berries ripening in the long days of summer near La Conner. A diverse planting ensures your table reflects the turning of the seasons.Natural Pest Balance
Marigolds deter nematodes, fennel attracts lacewings, and yarrow calls in ladybugs—just as diverse wetlands host the herons, swallows, and insects that keep balance in nature.Resilience to Climate Fluctuations
Our counties see wet winters, dry summers, and more unpredictable extremes each year. Planting with diversity spreads the risk—some plants shelter others, some endure drought, some thrive in damp soils.Supporting Local Biodiversity
When you plant natives like camas, Oregon grape, or evergreen huckleberry, you are feeding pollinators, birds, and other wildlife that depend on the richness of this place. Your garden becomes a bridge between cultivated land and wild.
A Question for Reflection
As you walk your own garden, ask yourself: Where could I invite more variety, more resilience, more life? Could camas bulbs connect you to the prairies that once stretched across these valleys? Could a guild beneath your apple tree reflect the layered forests near Granite Falls? Each addition roots your garden more deeply in place.
How Eco-Restore Can Help
At Eco-Restore, we design gardens that reflect the resilience of Skagit and Snohomish landscapes. Whether you dream of year-round harvests, pollinator corridors, or a backyard food forest, we can help you choose plants and patterns that echo the beauty and abundance of this region.
Together, we can create gardens that are not only productive but deeply connected to the land—gardens that thrive like the tulip fields of Mount Vernon, adapt like the estuaries of Port Susan, and endure like the forests along the Sauk.
