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…
Over the years I have written multiple columns on the merits of conifers, or what we like to call in the vernacular, “needle-leafed evergreens”. It always boggles my mind to think of the variety of evergreens available to the northwest gardener. In our little nursery alone, we offer 25 different genera and close to 300 individual varieties…
As promised a few weeks ago, I want to introduce you to a few more conifers that I find to be real gems to add to our landscapes. But before launching into some specific varieties of interest, my botanical nerdiness requires me to share what I consider to be truly fascinating facts about this group we refer to as conifers or “cone bearing” plants…
During the months of May and June one of the all-time favorite plants of local gardeners, the peony, is bursting into bloom. There are many excellent peonies available to utilize in our landscapes; including herbaceous cottage types in all sorts of colors (and varying fragrances) and larger growing tree peonies too. I would never scold anyone for growing either of these types (since I do as well), but I want to bring attention to another fabulous peony option… what is known as the intersectional or Itoh Peony.