Gardeners are always on the lookout for shrubs that have an extended bloom time, particularly over the months of summer. Some of the best choices in our area are Hydrangeas, as these beauties start blooming in June or July and most will…
Dads Like Flowers Too!
One of best things about being a Dad is spending time with your kids, especially when an activity is made even better by sharing a personal passion with them. In my case, as with many other Dads, a keenness for gardening is towards the top of this list. I mean seriously now, just like Moms at Mother’s Day, us Dads like…
Happy Mother's Day
Going Vertical With Vines
Going vertical with climbing plants adds visual interest to any garden, providing nice foliage and often ideal seasonal flower power. There are useful vines out there in all kinds of shapes and sizes; some for larger areas and others to use as smaller garden accents, or even as simple container specimens. Whether you are trying to grow on a decorative trellis or obelisk, up a post, along a railing, over a large pergola or arbor, or even naturalize something along a fence line, vines may be exactly what you are looking for…
These Late-Blooming Shrubs Are Worth Waiting For!
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…
Here's How To Up Your Fall Gardening Game
If you don’t like looking at sticks over the winter and loath having to rake leaves, then you might as well stop reading this and find something else to do. Plants that lose their leaves in the fall are the backbone of an interesting late season garden, and if your entire landscape consists of nothing but Conifers and Broadleaf Evergreens (like Rhodies and Azaleas), chances are this time of year is going to be pretty ho-hum. Using deciduous plants in our landscapes is an easy way to up our gardening game and move us ever closer to that elusive goal of “year ‘round interest”…
4 Great Reasons To Visit The Garden Center In August
I was in the nursery the other weekend looking for some ideas for my next column, when it occurred to me: “What is it that draws shoppers into the garden center this time of year?”. Considering that there is nary a shy bone in my body, I thought, why not ask a few customers why they were there. This is what I found out…
3 New “Pee Gee” Hydrangeas To Salivate Over
This happens to me every spring and it drives me crazy… I am perfectly happy with the plants I have in my garden until I see the “new and improved” versions out on the market. They all have these fancy new features that make them irresistible, and all of a sudden, my established plants start looking dull and underperforming. It’s not their fault mind you…
The winter solstice is upon us, and I am sure everyone is looking forward to a bit more light each day, eventually steering us towards the great annual awakening of spring. To most gardeners, the idea of year ‘round interest is top of mind, as patrons I speak to year after year look to add specimens into their landscapes that provide that “WOW” factor all year long, including…