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…
Disaster In The New Garden
Okay, this title is probably a bit more dramatic than it needs to be. The truth is, that while I lost a ton of new plants from last year’s plantings, both from the record heatwave in the summer and the colder-than-usual winter, I probably planted too many in the first place and would have thinned out several of them anyway. Just the same, I think I would have preferred that I made those decisions and not Mother Nature. So much for the illusion that we are in control of our gardens…
Rhododendrons are not only the state flower for our Washingtonian homeland, but they are perhaps the most widely planted shrub in our region. Now that we are in the heart of springtime in the PNW, Rhododendrons (and their cousins the Azaleas) are…