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

Spring Gardening

Coping With The Weather

Coping With The Weather

There is an old expression that goes like this: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” I would add that when Mother Nature give us incessant rainfall and unseasonably low temperatures, we should plant more bog or moisture-loving plants. At least the plants will be happy, even if we aren’t….

Why Am I Still Wearing A Turtleneck?

Why Am I Still Wearing A Turtleneck?

It was 17 years ago in early June when I wrote a column entitled “Are you cranky too?”. It started out like this: “WARNING: Nothing in this week’s column is of horticultural value. The reason is because I am in a totally cranky mood. You might be feeling the same too…

Oh, The Exhilaration Of New Spring Growth

Oh, The Exhilaration Of New Spring Growth

April is a floriferous month to be sure, but along with all those glorious rhodies, tulips, daffodils, flowering cherries and magnolias, there is also an amazing array of new foliage emerging from both evergreen plants as well as deciduous ones. Personally, I find these foliar displays just as exciting as the floral ones….

Introducing 'Ruby Gold' Bleeding Heart

Introducing 'Ruby Gold' Bleeding Heart

All I can say is “Wow” when it comes to this new Bleeding Heart that is now available to gardeners in the Pacific Northwest. But first, a little background on Bleeding Hearts in general…

Do You Have Spring Fever?

Do You Have Spring Fever?

Something special happened in the garden this last week. We experienced the vernal equinox, a time when we receive exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night… Once we hit this spot, when our day lengths start to exceed our night lengths, we can expect to experience magical things happening in the garden…

Some Undeniable Signs That Spring Is In The Air

Some Undeniable Signs That Spring Is In The Air

I think we all know that the road to spring is never a straight line. Once we pass the winter solstice in December, the days do indeed get longer and longer with increasing periods of sunshine and warmer temperatures. But along that path there are constant detours and a few potholes to navigate…

Establishing Clematis In The Garden

Establishing Clematis In The Garden

Some say “tomayto” and some say “tomahto”, some say “CLEMatis” and some say “CleMAtis”. I say, who cares! No matter how you pronounce it, Clematis are the absolute queen of all vines and everyone that gardens should find a way to work in as many varieties as possible into their yards….

Latest post from “The Golfing Gardener”:

The Golfing Gardener

Trevor Cameron

Featured
Magnificent Mountain Laurels
Magnificent Mountain Laurels

One useful plant more and more local gardeners are discovering is the Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia), an evergreen shrub with spectacular flowers.  We are borrowing this beauty from…

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