When it comes to perennials, the Perennial Plant Association is the place to go when you want to know what is happening in the world of these wonderful plants. One of the things that this association does is to promote certain perennials by declaring a ‘Perennial Plant of the Year’. These are not new introductions but rather tried and true varieties that are guaranteed to be easy to grow and disease and pest resistant. Back in 2005 they decided on a shade loving perennial known as Helleborus x hybridis. Over the past 14 years this perennial has grown in popularity to the point that there are now a plethora of varieties to choose from. They are the consummate winter interest plant for our northwest gardens and you can find them for sale this time of year in garden centers all over the Puget Sound region. Here’s a bit more info about this wonderful Genus…
Learn How To Talk "Garden Center Speak"
We Could All Use A Little Less "Screen Time" And A Little More "Green Time"
Okay, I confess that one of the first things I do in the morning is to turn on my phone/computer and check my news feeds - mostly to see what might have happened over the last 8 hours I was sleeping. It’s pretty ridiculous when you think about it, but that seems to be the norm. It has been estimated that adults spend 11 hours a day looking at screens and check their phones every 10 minutes. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, tweens log in 4.5 hours a day and teens spend almost 7 hours. Imagine how much happier and healthier we all might be if we spent that much time in the garden….
Bare Root Roses Have Arrived
A lot happens behind the scenes in a garden center in the month of January. Most of it isn’t very glamorous and frankly is just plain hard work. The weather is always cold and usually wet, sometimes even snowy. And yet, the arrival and planting of bare root roses is one of those activities that is probably the most looked forward to for garden center employees - a rite of passage some would say…
It may feel like the dead of winter, but the garden is wide awake
I have been rather neglectful lately. What with all the rain and holiday activities, I haven’t taken much time to walk around my garden. From a distance it looks like it is in a deep sleep and nothing of any significance is going on, but with closer inspection it is anything but snoozing. I took a little tour this week and much to my surprise I found lots of activity. You should do the same, for it will surely lift your spirits. Here are some of my discoveries…
My Final Words Of Wisdom For The Year
As we wind down the final days of the 2018 gardening season I find myself struggling to find something to say that will seem profound and lasting. In light of all the political and worldly trauma, the suffering and hunger and homelessness and generally disgusting things that mankind continues to do to one another, talking about the garden seems so trite. And yet, for me (and I suspect many of you), spending time in the garden is what keeps me sane…
More Great Gift Ideas
A Few Gift Ideas For The Gardener In Your Life
Let’s take a break this week from the endless garden chores I am constantly throwing out at you and look at a few cool gift ideas. This is, after all, the season of giving, so whether you are looking for something for your favorite gardener or just for yourself, here are a few things to think about…
Wreath Making - yet another way to enjoy our gardens
Fantastic Fatsias
Customers that visit my garden will invariably ask me if I have a favorite plant and my standard (and somewhat flippant) reply is: “They are all my favorites or I wouldn’t have planted them in the first place”. In reality, what qualifies as my favorite depends on the time of year - whether it is sun or shade, wet or dry, annual, perennial, shrub, tree, or bulb. In other words, I have lots of “favorite” plants for lots of locations in my garden and at some time during the year each plant in my garden becomes my favorite for that brief period of time. It just so happens that at this exact time of year my favorite plant(s) are my Fatsias. Let me tell you all about them…
Winter may have just begun, but it has been a strange one for us thus far. We were blessed with a few frosts last week, but really have had minimal cold weather invade our corner of the PNW. No arctic blast came in November, just copious amounts of our signature liquid sunshine. I know I speak for everyone when I…