It’s been a while since I have thrown a “to-do” list at you so I think it is about time to get back to the basics.  Chores this month can be summed up with the following words:  water, feed, mulch, prune, stake, and manage insects and diseases.  Here’s a little more detail on those items…

Everybody loves hydrangeas.  After the cacophony of spring has passed and all the rhodies and azaleas are out of bloom, hydrangeas pick up the baton and continue with the parade of color in our gardens.  They come in blues, purples, reds, pinks, and even white. Here’s all the information you need to know about these wonderful new introductions…

Ferns are an amazing group of plants.  They are among some of the oldest plants to still inhabit the earth.  Ever since I was a young child I have been drawn to their delicate and soothing foliage.  I remember my first trip to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco…

There is nothing about gardening that can be considered “one and done” - many tasks repeat themselves throughout the seasons.  Pruning happens multiple times as does weeding, but the best task of all that gets to happen almost year ‘round is planting.  There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t find some new treasure on the benches in the nursery that I have to take home and try out in my garden.  No matter how crowded things may seem to be, I can always find room for one more plant.  It just so happens that this week that plant is a perennial lobelia….

June is a fabulous month to be gardening in the northwest.  The soils have warmed up adequately and the air temp is very pleasant.  There’s lots of daylight, so we can get out after work and still get plenty done.  There is no shortage of plants to be found at your local garden center and with 3 to 4 months of good growing weather ahead of us, I think it is safe to say that June could easily be the most productive month of the year.  Here are some things to focus on…

It always seems odd to be talking about drought tolerance when we get literally feet of rain every year and we generally have an adequate supply of water for the summer months, but as we all know, our rainfall isn’t distributed evenly throughout the season and consequently our summers can be quite dry.  Gardeners have options when it comes to selecting plants that are low water users that also have some great visual interest…

When I hear the word “dogwood” I am immediately transported back to a time in my life when I was living on the east coast in Virginia serving my country as a trumpet player in the 392nd Army Band.  I shall always have this picture in my mind of driving down a country road, enshrouded with large trees under which are dogwoods, their horizontal branches clothed with layers of white flowers.  It is a sight to behold…

Never in my 30 years of operating my garden center have I seen such an influx of customers come in all at the same time.  There is something about our long and excessively wet winters that drives us to this state of manic nursery shopping.  I am thrilled to see everyone return for another season, but I always feel compelled to remind everyone that we can plant almost year around in the northwest.  Don’t feel like you have to do it all in the next couple of weeks.  There is plenty of time….

One of the things that always gets me all twitterpated this time of year is “new growth” - it is so clean, unblemished by the elements or the insects and incredibly vibrant.  Even if you are a casual gardener, you should really spend some time looking closely at your plants as the new foliage unfolds for the season.  It is a sight to behold.  A quick stroll through my garden revealed several eye-popping standouts…