General Gardening
Ben Smith
Compost and Fertilizer - A Boring But Necessary ...

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…

Compost and Fertilizer - A Boring But Necessary Topic
Summer Gardening
Ben Smith
The Secrets Of Proper Summer Watering

Summer watering is inevitable in the northwest if we want to keep our landscapes green and healthy…

The Secrets Of Proper Summer Watering

holidays

Wreath Making Is Back Again - YAY!

Wreath Making Is Back Again - YAY!

For the last two years I have been missing one of my favorite activities this time of year… wreath making at my favorite garden center! Before the pandemic, wreath making had become an annual ritual for our family - it was part of our holiday season festivities, and to a large part helped get us into the mood. Well, I am happy to report that Sunnyside Nursery (along with several other garden centers in the area) are now offering this activity once again, and I for one can’t wait to reserve a spot. Here is a little information about what goes on behind the scenes to make this all happen…

Pick Up Your Spirits With These Indoor Blooming Bulbs

Pick Up Your Spirits With These Indoor Blooming Bulbs

For those of us that miss the pleasures of gardening this time of year, growing things inside the house can be a good substitute. Forcing bulbs like Paperwhites and Amaryllis can help us fill a need to be grounded in nature and can uplift any soul mired in the gray doldrums of a northwest winter…

A Few Gift Ideas For Your Favorite Gardener

A Few Gift Ideas For Your Favorite Gardener

Now that we have passed our traditional “giving thanks” holiday, we might just as well keep the spirit flowing by showing our love and appreciation to our friends and relatives who have the passion (or perhaps some would say addiction) for gardening. Gardeners love gifts as much as the next person and what better place to find some stellar ideas than at your local garden center. Here are a few items that caught my eye recently…

Christmas Trees - Real or Fake?

Christmas Trees - Real or Fake?

As gardeners, the concept of “going natural” is nothing new.  Whatever our reasons, whenever practical we tend to shy away from synthetics and instead choose products that are natural.  In the case of Christmas trees, we have the same choices - one is buying an artificial tree, and the other is buying a real tree.  Here are some things to consider before making up your mind…

A Few Surefire Ways To Bring Some Color Inside This Winter

A Few Surefire Ways To Bring Some Color Inside This Winter

As the temperatures continue to drop, along with all those leaves on our deciduous trees, we are pretty much left with just shades of green in our gardens to look at throughout the winter.  There are, of course, quite a few winter-blooming perennials and shrubs that can add some winter interest to our gardens, but as far as bouquets or vases of blooms, the pickins are slim.  For those of us that experience color starvation, here are some ideas…

Latest post from Trevor Cameron,  “The Golfing Gardener”:

Featured
Explore the World of Itoh Peonies

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.

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