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

winter bloomers

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Overcome the “Dead of Winter” in your Garden

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Overcome the “Dead of Winter” in your Garden

As we enter another year, I am excited to see what 2024 brings for all of us gardeners.  New plant flavors to salivate over, new tools to make our lives easier, and new practices to learn and implement in our landscapes.  The cycle in the garden starts once again, often acting as…

We're Over The Hump

We're Over The Hump

December 21st is what we officially refer to as the Winter Solstice.  This day has the ignominious distinction of being the shortest day of the year (in the northern hemisphere).  Of course, while every day is essentially the same length (24 hours the last time I checked) the 21st has…

Some Undeniable Signs That Spring Is In The Air

Some Undeniable Signs That Spring Is In The Air

I think we all know that the road to spring is never a straight line. Once we pass the winter solstice in December, the days do indeed get longer and longer with increasing periods of sunshine and warmer temperatures. But along that path there are constant detours and a few potholes to navigate…

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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