It pains me to see customers spending hundreds of dollars on new plants and simultaneously refusing to spend a few more on a bag or two of compost and a box of starter fertilizer. These two items are not unnecessary “add-ons” that the retailer is just trying to add to the sale, they are critical components of a successful transplanting process - or as I like to refer to them as “plant insurance”. Unless you have phenomenal soil, you should always add compost and starter fertilizers when you are planting new plants. Here is why…
August can feel like a long time to wait for a some plants to finally put forth flowers, all while the rest of the garden might be blooming its head off. On the other hand, by the time we get to August, our gardens can conceivably start to look kind of tired and bedraggled, and having a few plants that are just coming into bloom can be a very good thing. I have often said that in the Pacific Northwest you can find a plant blooming every day of the year…
The Golfing Gardener
Trevor Cameron
I think all gardeners crave color and flower power that brings smiles to faces throughout their landscape. When we talk about options for summer-blooming shrubs, Roses and Hydrangeas stand above all others for both choice and longevity. Roses are for full sun, while depending on the variety, Hydrangeas can be for sun, partial sun or shade. I seem to write about…