summer

It's Dry Out There, Water Your Yard... Please!

It's Dry Out There, Water Your Yard... Please!

I will be the first to admit that this extended warm and dry period (100 days with only one-half inch of rain) brings with it mixed blessings. On the one hand, all this sunshine keeps things growing and puts me in the mood to spend time in my garden where my perennials are in their full glory and the yard continues to be full of…

Planting Containers In The 'Shoulder Season'

Planting Containers In The 'Shoulder Season'

September and October can be tricky times of the year when it comes to our container plantings. Depending on our level of care, some of our pots may have…

Something Coming And Something Going

Something Coming And Something Going

It’s been almost 3 years since my wife and I moved into our new house, just 2 miles from the nursery. In the first year we did nothing to the yard, but the second year (2020)…

A Few Tips To Get The Most Out Of Late Summer

A Few Tips To Get The Most Out Of Late Summer

As we wrap up the end of August, we should for the most part be able to simply sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor. Yes, there are still beans to pick, cucumbers to pickle, zucchini to put on the neighbor’s front porch when they are at work, flowers to harvest for dining room bouquets, and of course watering. But certainly, there is not the intensity of gardening chores that we face in the spring of the year…

4 Great Reasons To Visit The Garden Center In August

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…

Some Like It Hot

Some Like It Hot

Summer wouldn’t be what it is if it wasn’t for the hot, passionate side of the color spectrum that contains red, orange, and yellow. It makes the long slog through the wet and grey days of spring all worth it…

Evolution Coneflowers - They Just Keep Getting Better & Better

Evolution Coneflowers - They Just Keep Getting Better & Better

Over the last 10 years I have written several times about the attributes of our North American native, Echinacea purpurea, or what we commonly refer to as a coneflower. These tough perennials mix well with Ornamental Grasses, Sedums, Lavender, Black-eyed Susan Daisies and really, just about any summer blooming perennial that likes a hot, dry, location. And while they have been a staple on most gardens…

Westcountry Lupines Are To Die For

Westcountry Lupines Are To Die For

I think it is safe to say that most northwest gardeners (or even non-gardeners) a familiar with lupines - those plants we see along the freeway in late May and early June with their spikes of blue flowers. They are native all-over North America and are one of the first plants to…

Love It Or Leave It

Love It Or Leave It

August can either be a month where the fruits of our labors and expressions of love come together into a glorious crescendo of all the wonderful colors of the rainbow, or it can be a time when we head out for vacations and ball games, and our yards become neglected barren patches of dried out dirt…