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 garden

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Lessons From The Garden

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Lessons From The Garden

I am feeling a bit philosophical today, so bear with me.  Last week I finally bit the bullet and got into the garden for my spring cleanup.  I had purposely left everything in the fall to die back naturally, as normally happens in nature.  In retrospect, I think it was a good idea as it provided lots of visual interest throughout the entire winter.  But alas, the time has come to remove the dead and rotting foliage from my perennials and evaluate just exactly what survived and what needed to be replaced.  Here is what I learned…

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March Madness (In The Garden!)

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March Madness (In The Garden!)

I know it is still bloody cold outside, but Mother Nature waits for no one.  Think of March as the fourth quarter in the game of gardening and it is time to score some points.  Here is a game plan that will help you win and go on to a victory over that evil opponent, Winter…

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Recess Is Over, It’s Time For Action

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Recess Is Over, It’s Time For Action

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…

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Slow Down And Enjoy The “Quiet Time” In The Garden

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Slow Down And Enjoy The “Quiet Time” In The Garden

First off, Happy New Year and congratulations on surviving all that 2022 threw at us.  Despite a soggy spring, long dry summer, and a killer freeze in December, I consider the year a success.  I made considerable progress in my new garden, planting a ton of new plants and…

How cold is too cold? It depends…

How cold is too cold? It depends…

As we move into the winter season, I am often asked when we should worry and provide protection for our landscapes. There are, of course, many variables that can affect winter hardiness in a plant, but in general, my rule of thumb is…

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Reflect and Be Thankful

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Reflect and Be Thankful

I have to confess that I seldom take time to reflect. I am a “doer” by nature and no sooner do I finish a project, that I am then on to the next challenge - maybe it’s just my creative juices wanting to express themselves, or my type A personality. Whatever is behind my constant need to “do” something, sometimes it is a good idea to slow down, take a breath, and reflect on what has taken place and be thankful for everything, whether a success or failure. As the gardening season winds down and we are collectively celebrating Thanksgiving, here are a few thoughts that crossed my mind…

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It's Time For A Little Clean Up

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It's Time For A Little Clean Up

Well, I think it is safe to say that our lovely, long-lasting summer is officially over. Between the nasty wind storm and few recent days of below freezing nights, it is time to get serious about putting the garden to bed. Here are a few tips to help your garden survive winter and come back in spring stronger than ever…

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Hardy Cyclamen - Cool Season Jewels

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Hardy Cyclamen - Cool Season Jewels

Most gardeners are familiar with florist Cyclamen. They are popular during the cooler times of the year and are usually sold as a table decoration to be enjoyed indoors for a few weeks and then discarded…. However, there is a hardy relative to the florist Cyclamen that is perfect for our climate and every gardener should make some space for a small drift of them…

Compost, It's What Makes Our Gardens Survive Extreme Weather

Compost, It's What Makes Our Gardens Survive Extreme Weather

Recently I had one of my readers reach out to me and inquire about how all the weather extremes of 2021 might impact our gardening experiences in 2022. It is a good question that is worth exploring, especially since I suspect this won’t be the last time we see such extremes in temperature, rainfall, and snow. Here are some of my thoughts…

“One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides.” W.E. Johns

“One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides.” W.E. Johns

I don’t know how you all feel about 2021, but for me it was like circling the airport waiting for clearance to land and never getting it. Oh sure, we made a couple of approaches and were really close to touching down, but then at the last minute the tower waved us off. There was great anticipation that maybe this was finally it and life would return to normal, or at least something close to normal. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. But thankfully…

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

Featured
Dazzling Deciduous Azaleas

As we head into the peak spring season and the temperatures continue to rise, more and more of our landscapes are popping with spring color.  Another shrub all gardens should contain is a deciduous Azalea.  Us gardeners have plenty of evergreen options to help with our Azalea and Rhododendron addictions, but a deciduous Azalea specimen offers…

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