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

pollinator gardening

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Not Your Grandma’s Butterfly Bushes

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Not Your Grandma’s Butterfly Bushes

As we inch towards the onset of summer, with the solstice on the horizon, June is another month full of garden temptations and color for our landscapes.  It is also pollinator month, and I urge everyone to do all that they can for our local pollinating friends.  We all need to welcome…

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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…

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Perennials for Pollinators - Episode II

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Perennials for Pollinators - Episode II

As we near the end of June, the summer season has begun and I am hoping that the sun is here to stay.  I, as I’m sure many of you, have always chuckled at the notion that summer in Western Washington starts after July 4th  - some years this rings more true than others.  It has been…

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Perennials for Pollinators – Episode I

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Perennials for Pollinators – Episode I

As we continue the celebration of Pollinator Month all June long, I am hoping all of you will pause and admire all of our little insect, hummingbird, and butterfly friends buzzing about garden flowers.  Ah… the sweet nectars of summertime!  The sun is out…

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Powering Up Your Pollinators

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Powering Up Your Pollinators

June has officially arrived, and as we head toward the Summer Solstice it means gardeners have some extra daylight for frivolities in the garden.  More importantly, we celebrate Pollinator Month (with National Pollinator Week June 17th-23rd as a highlight), a campaign created by the Pollinator Partnership to create harmony between us humans and nature.  We all need to pause and give thanks to…

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'Bee-You' Bee Balm

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'Bee-You' Bee Balm

Monarda, commonly known as Bee Balm, has been a popular garden perennial for many years. Most of the modern hybrids come from two species native to the eastern United States. Today’s cultivars come in a range of colors, including…

Some Like It Hot

Some Like It Hot

Summer wouldn’t be what it is if it wasn’t for the hot, passionate side of the color spectrum that contains red, orange, and yellow. It makes the long slog through the wet and grey days of spring all worth it…

Evolution Coneflowers - They Just Keep Getting Better & Better

Evolution Coneflowers - They Just Keep Getting Better & Better

Over the last 10 years I have written several times about the attributes of our North American native, Echinacea purpurea, or what we commonly refer to as a coneflower. These tough perennials mix well with Ornamental Grasses, Sedums, Lavender, Black-eyed Susan Daisies and really, just about any summer blooming perennial that likes a hot, dry, location. And while they have been a staple on most gardens…

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The Golfing Gardener

Trevor Cameron

Featured
Growing Rhododendrons
Growing Rhododendrons

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…

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