With gradually-improving weather and daylight hours getting longer, spring is in the air. Look outside and you’ll be sure to find your bulbs growing, trees and shrubs starting to bud and life bursting forth throughout the garden. As you start your spring clean-up around the yard and make the first gardening to-do lists, here are some early-season jobs you’ll want to accomplish. First, it’s time for spring pruning. Keep [...]
Days of sub-freezing temperatures, a dusting of snow, stiff winds, and a north-county ice storm for the record books. Suffice it to say, winter is in full swing in the Pacific Northwest, and whether you’re in the midst of cleaning up after the last storm or just want to be prepared for the next time wicked weather hits, here are some tips to take care of your trees. First, [...]
With the Christmas season underway, gardening takes a backseat to decorating—and with good reason, since Christmas comes only once a year! In this season of celebration, though, many of the decorations you use indoors and out are perishable and can start to look worn before the last of your Christmas get-togethers are over. To keep your home looking festive and fresh through the holidays, here are a few tips I’ve [...]
Although we’re officially only halfway through autumn, the weather we’ve experienced in the last couple of weeks has felt decidedly like winter. And, if long-range forecasters are correct, this could be just the beginning of another long winter here in the Pacific Northwest. This month, take some time to wrap up the last of your yard projects for the season and prepare your lawn and garden for the wintry [...]
Late summer is upon us, and with it, the joys of eating dinner on the deck and relishing the last weeks of warm weather before autumn arrives. Besides back-to-school shopping, late summer is the perfect time to schedule some preventative insect control for your lawn, prune some shrubs, and show your flowers and hanging baskets some extra love. First, now is a crucial time to apply grub killer to [...]
Last month I wrote about how spring was finally arriving here in the Pacific Northwest. Now, with June drawing to a close, summer is here, and with it, the joy of watching the plants in your garden thrive in the long days and warmer temperatures. If your garden needs some extra color or you want to ensure your yard and garden perform their best this summer, here are a [...]
To be fair, most of us living here in the Pacific Northwest have chosen our lot in life, but let’s be real—the last six months have tested even the most rain-loving among us. With blue skies finally arriving with some regularity, it’s now time to start planting flowers, vegetables, and other plants around your yard. As you relish bringing color back to your hanging baskets and planters, here are some [...]
Last month I wrote about how much I love winter—and don’t get me wrong, I do!—but this year, we've had seemingly more than our normal share of winter weather and frankly, I’m ready to scratch my spring itch. Thankfully, the weather is improving and spring is beginning to arrive, so it’s time to make your early spring gardening to-do list. Gardening in early spring is very weather-dependent, especially when [...]
For as enthusiastic about gardening as I am, I’ll admit I find winter a wonderful season of refreshment with few gardening tasks. And this year, for the first time in several, we’ve experienced a real winter, complete with cold temperatures and snow. That said, spring isn’t far away, and as you work on your New Year’s resolutions, now is a great time to set some goals for your gardening [...]
In the last couple of years, we’ve come to associate winter in the Pacific Northwest with mild temperatures and minimal precipitation. This year is so far proving altogether different, and though we’re still a week away from winter’s official arrival, one look out your window will tell a completely different story. With the new season upon us, here are a few tips to keep your plants healthy and happy through [...]
