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

oakleaf hydrangea

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Perfect Panicle Hydrangeas

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Perfect Panicle Hydrangeas

As this glorious PNW summer weather continues, let us continue delving into the world of Hydrangeas.  It is time for episode three, the grand finale of the Hydrangea trilogy… at least for the year 2025.  In the last couple of weeks we have talked Hydrangeas for partial shade (Big-Leaf or Hydrangea macrophylla cvs) and others for a bit more sun like Oakleaf types (Hydrangea quercifolia cvs) and Smooth types (Hydrangea arborescens cvs).  Now we get to talk about one of the most useful species for sunny gardens, Hydrangea paniculata, or what we call Panicle Hydrangeas…

Latest post from “The Golfing Gardener”:

The Golfing Gardener

Trevor Cameron

Featured
Bring on More Hellebores Please
Bring on More Hellebores Please

I know we are in the midst of fall and I hate to even bring up the term “winter” quite yet, but as they say, “the early bird gets the worm”.  Like the box stores, gardeners like to stay ahead of things and I am already seeing…

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