It’s June, and although the warm, dry weather feels more like late July, summer is only just begun. By now, your garden is likely planted, your flowers are growing and you’re beginning to see the fruits of your labors as plants do what they do best: look beautiful! With the new season upon us, here are a few tips to keeping your garden looking its best and a couple of [...]
As a gardener, I’m always looking for new and exciting plants. And I know I’m not alone—many gardeners I meet are constantly on the lookout for what’s different and exciting. With spring now well underway and the planting season for flowers upon us, here are a few of my favorite unique annuals to enjoy all summer long. The first of my favorite plants is a climber, ideal for pots situated [...]
Even though it's still January, I have to admit I’m already feeling the itch to start doing some work around the yard, a sentiment I normally don’t feel until February at some point. If you’re also beginning to feel the “need to weed” or get gardening, here are some recommendations to keep you busy without getting ahead of yourself. First, let me offer a word of caution. Last year [...]
Autumn is quickly settling in here in the Pacific Northwest. As we begin to experience more regular rains, cooler nights and foggy mornings, here are some tips and a few of our favorite plants for a new season. First, I'm going to go out on a limb (pun intended!) and predict that trees in our area will show beautiful fall color this year. After a long, hot summer, deciduous [...]
We’ve all heard it a thousand times: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Nowhere is this truer than in gardening. From the basics of planting to proper nutrition to dealing with pests and disease—gardening is a hobby that is best enjoyed when done right. As you begin caring for your garden this summer, here are some tips to make the season enjoyable. After you’ve made your [...]
It’s hard to believe, but in just a couple weeks, summer will be over—at least for those of you who have children going back to school. In reality, though, summer in our corner of the world typically runs from July through September, so summer is only halfway over. Now the big question: are your flowers looking up to the challenge of the second half of summer weather? If not, [...]
They say there are only two things certain in life: death and taxes. For us in Western Washington, though, I’d like to add a third: June gloom. You can count on it like clockwork—summer likely won’t really arrive until our Fourth of July picnics are over. So what can you do in your yard this month to brighten your flowerbeds and your spirits? Annual flowers are great—nothing provides quite [...]
One of the most common questions I hear from customers at the nursery is, "Which fertilizer should I use?" Annuals, shrubs, perennials, trees--all plants need proper nutrients to keep growing and looking their best. So why the confusion? The fact is, you could probably go shopping for fertilizer and end up with a different product for each and every one of your plants. Discouraged by so many choices, many people [...]
I know I’m being repetitive when I say that I love this time of year. Look back at any column I’ve written in the past and you’d probably find some reference to how much I love the current season. The truth is, we live in a beautiful corner of the world and with our moderate climate we really can enjoy four seasons of garden interest. At the peak of summer, [...]
In the world of gardening, this is the time of year I like most. Each morning I walk through the greenhouses at our nursery and marvel at how fast everything is growing. The longer days and warmer temperatures throw annuals into overdrive—one day, a greenhouse of Lynden baskets may be merely budded; the next, it’s full of color. In the last couple weeks, cooler, wetter weather may have dampened your [...]
