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

shrub

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Explore the World of Itoh Peonies

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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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Fatsia Japonica: a versatile evergreen shrub for the northwest

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Fatsia Japonica: a versatile evergreen shrub for the northwest

When you are a plant nerd like me, there is no end to the list of plants that fall into the category of “most favorite”.  There are many characteristics that can make a plant qualify for that most coveted classification, such as….

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Celebrate Summerific Week

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Celebrate Summerific Week

Every year during the first full week of August… we celebrate the perennial Hibiscus moscheutos and its many cultivars… An incredibly durable North American native that can sport blooms the size of your face in late summer when lots of other plants have pooped out…

3 New “Pee Gee” Hydrangeas To Salivate Over

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…

Last Chance To Prune Spring Flowering Shrubs And Perennials

Last Chance To Prune Spring Flowering Shrubs And Perennials

As we move through the end of May it becomes imperative that any pruning (think shaping and also about next year’s flower production) of spring flowering shrubs, like Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Lilacs, and Forsythias, needs to be done NOW. The rule is simple: “Prune after bloom”…

2021 - The Year Of The Hardy Hibiscus

2021 - The Year Of The Hardy Hibiscus

Due to the National Gardening Bureau declaring 2021 the Year of the Hardy Hibiscus, I find myself back once again visiting these reliable and late blooming perennial and shrubby plants. For color well into the end of summer, they are hard to beat. Let’s start with the perennial form first…

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

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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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