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…
One plant that simply must be present in every yard is a Laceleaf Japanese Maple. You know the ones… the beautiful, manageable sized trees that have interesting leaves in stunning colors all throughout the year. Laceleafs can be living art pieces when cared for properly and developed slowly into specimens that add character, texture, and color to any landscape. Even over the dormant winter months, a properly grown Laceleaf can be a stunning focal point in the garden…
After this last hard freeze, I am hoping that the worst is behind us and we can confidently get out into the garden and whip things back into shape. While I realize February is still technically winter, it is also the beginning of spring for north westerners, and there is much to do before the actual spring season arrives. Here are some timely tasks to consider…
There are lots of tasks we could dwell on for the month of February, including nipping weeds in the bud, planting early blooming perennials, controlling moss in the lawn, and general clean up of any left over debris from winter. But by far, the most important task of all is pruning. I do the vast majority of my pruning in the month of February, so let’s drill down to some specifics…
Last week I wrote about pruning hedges and why it was the perfect time to accomplish that task. Continuing along that same vein, now is a very good time to tackle any weeping plants you may have, like laceleaf maples, weeping pussy willows, and just about any plant that defies gravity and grows in the exact opposite direction one would think a plant should grow…
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.