As we continue our discussion on the home orchard this week, let’s dig into some more specifics on growing fruit successfully in Western Washington…
Choices in the Home Orchard - Part One
A huge trend in gardening over the last decade or so has been cultivating your very own homegrown fruit. The pandemic intensified this practice, and it seemingly continues to become more and more popular for our patrons at Sunnyside, season after season. While most all endeavors in the garden are gratifying to me, there is something extra special about growing your own edibles, including fruit. Whether you are adding to an existing garden or starting anew, some planning and a few points to ponder will help you to grow fruit successfully…
Fruit Tree Season Is Upon Us - Choose Wisely
In this last full week of January, when I can truthfully declare that our vacation from gardening is just about over, all around us nature is once again waking up and it is time to prepare for another gardening season. In my world, what always announces that event is the arrival of bare root fruit trees in the garden center…
Everything You Never Wanted To Know About Fruit Tree Pollination
The 2022 Gardening Season Has Begun - Bare Root Fruit Trees & Roses Have Arrived
It is finally time to get the new gardening season started… January is the perfect month to start shopping for roses, fruit trees, berries and grapes, along with other shrubs that are dormant this time of year. Most of these plants are sold as what is known in the nursery industry as “bare root”. Let me take a moment to explain…
Johnny's Fig Comes Marching Home
Here's A List Of Garden To-Do's For The Month Of June
Recently, I was browsing through my past columns looking for ideas when I came across my very first monthly check list, written in June 2001, 20 years ago. I have spilled a lot of ink since then, but the idea of a list of chores for every month of the year still seems useful. That being said, here are some thoughts to ponder…
It's Time To Think About Fruit Trees
Growing Citrus In The Pacific Northwest
I have mentioned many times over the years that I believe that we live in a horticultural paradise. There is very little we can’t grow successfully in our Pacific Northwest climate and lord knows I have tried it all at one time or another. Citrus are perfect examples of what we can pull off, if we just persevere…
I often tell gardeners in our region to rediscover their “Evergreen State”, which (in a play on words) simply means to show some gardening style with the structure, texture and color of conifers. Around here nature has the many shades of green covered, but how about some bold blues and bright yellows? When all of the deciduous shrubs and trees have…