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

indoor plants

Going Vertical With Houseplants

Going Vertical With Houseplants

I thought it might be a nice change of pace to move indoors this week and talk about some of the outstanding tropical plants that we can grow in our homes.  As the rain pounds on the roof while I write this, a tropical destination does sound nice… perhaps with golf clubs in tow and my camera in hand to take a bazillion photos of all the cool plants I encounter…  Sorry, got distracted there for a moment.  As you consider which tropicals to cultivate indoors, keep in mind that many of them love to do one of two things…

Purify Your Indoor Spaces

Purify Your Indoor Spaces

The annual human autumn migration from outdoor activities to more indoor focused tasks has commenced, so let us shift gears this week and delve into some houseplants.  I spend plenty of time, like I am sure many of you do as well, outdoors in the yard year around.  However, there are those days when...

Pick Up Your Spirits With These Indoor Blooming Bulbs

Pick Up Your Spirits With These Indoor Blooming Bulbs

For those of us that miss the pleasures of gardening this time of year, growing things inside the house can be a good substitute. Forcing bulbs like Paperwhites and Amaryllis can help us fill a need to be grounded in nature and can uplift any soul mired in the gray doldrums of a northwest winter…

Houseplants: More Choices Than Ever

Houseplants: More Choices Than Ever

The year was 1970 and I was just about to graduate from college with a degree in plant science. One of my job options was to go to work in Leucadia or Encinitas, California for one of the many foliage companies where plants like Spider Plants, Boston Ivy, Snake Plants, Aglaonema, and Prayer Plants, to name just a few, were propagated by the millions. These plants were sold all over the country to customers much like myself, young and idealistic and wanting to make the world a more loving place to inhabit…

Latest post from “The Golfing Gardener”:

The Golfing Gardener

Trevor Cameron

Featured
Part 2 of the Trilogy of Conifers - Beyond Blue
Part 2 of the Trilogy of Conifers - Beyond Blue

Honesty is always the best policy and since I promised a “Trilogy of Conifers” last week, on we go with even more conifer mojo.  We explored their variations in color, texture and growth habits for local landscapes.  In episode two this week, I want to focus on the many calming shades of blue, highlighting some selections with both superior color and shape…

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