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

Holidays

Last Minute Gift Ideas

Last Minute Gift Ideas

I know it is crunch time for gift buying and you might still have a few tough ones to figure out.  Avoid the crazy mall madness and have an actual tactile experience of touching the gifts you’re searching for (to maybe even be hand-wrapped with care, rather than just clicking a mouse for an online purchase) by traveling down to your favorite garden center where there is always plenty of parking this time of year - you just might find that something perfect you’ve been hunting for.  Here are a few ideas to try out…

Christmas Trees - Real or Fake?

As gardeners, the concept of “going natural” is nothing new.  Whatever our reasons, whenever practical we tend to shy away from synthetics and instead choose products that are natural.  In the case of Christmas trees, we have the same choices - one is buying an artificial tree, and the other is buying a real tree.  Here are some things to consider before making up your mind…

Latest post from “The Golfing Gardener”:

The Golfing Gardener

Trevor Cameron

Featured
The Halloweeniest Plants Around
The Halloweeniest Plants Around

This magical month of October is coming to a close, accompanied everywhere by the colors of autumn.  I thought it might be fun to talk Halloween this week, and more specifically botanical treasures that make me think of this fun and festive holiday…  

Read More →