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

perennial

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Lotsa Hosta

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Lotsa Hosta

Spring is always a great time to talk plants, and this week Hostas (or what some call Plantain Lilies) are on the top of my mind.  This time of year local garden centers provide plant enthusiasts with a slew of options, big or small, with varying textures, variegation and flowers.  Now, I am always honest and will freely…

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Hellebores - The Winter Jewel

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Hellebores - The Winter Jewel

One of my all-time favorite plants is the Hellebore, a magnificent evergreen perennial that goes back for millennia in gardens across the globe.  These plants thrive in our climate and should be utilized in every landscape without question. They make wonderful…

Ornamental Grasses: Plumage and Fall Color

Ornamental Grasses: Plumage and Fall Color

Ornamental grasses provide many desirable qualities to our home landscapes and containers, especially in the fall season.  They add wonderful texture, color and structure, and when the breeze blows they also add motion and sound to any garden.  There are essentially two types...

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Stylish Sedums and Succulents

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Stylish Sedums and Succulents

Hardy Sedums come to us from across the globe and have adapted perfectly to almost all arid, and even higher elevation, locales.  Modern Succulents, of all kinds, have been bred into a massive array of...

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Healthy Hardy Fuchsias

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Healthy Hardy Fuchsias

The Fuchsia flower is somewhat unique in the world of gardening, sporting a pronounced corolla and often contrasting sepal color, all in a pendent-type flower.  Over the eons, these are plants that have evolved right alongside their pollinating partners, the hummingbirds.  They provide rich nectar for our winged friends, but also…

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Captivating Coneflowers

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Captivating Coneflowers

Now that we are in the heat of the summer, perennials like Coneflowers are blooming and providing important benefits to our pollinators.  Personally, I have a number of these cultivars planted in my own landscape and truly enjoy their…

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Perennials for Pollinators - Episode III

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Perennials for Pollinators - Episode III

As our journey in the garden progresses into summer, I will continue with even more perennials for pollinators, one last time.  This is episode three after all, and everything seems to work best in the form of a trilogy, right?  In hindsight perhaps I should have…

Latest post from “The Golfing Gardener”:

The Golfing Gardener

Trevor Cameron

Featured
Summer Pruning
Summer Pruning

As we head into the glorious months of summer in the PNW, it is the perfect time to consider what needs a little summer pruning in the landscape.  Not everything will, so please do not think that your whole yard needs to be done.  It is of course your garden and not mine, so…

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