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

Every Garden Needs A Bluebeard In It

Every Garden Needs A Bluebeard In It

Last week I pontificated about the merits of the genus Hibiscus and the fact that it is among the very few shrubs that bloom late into the summer. There are a handful of other summer-blooming choices that don’t come in quite so many variations but are just as reliable and dare I say, essential to creating that all illusive “year ‘round interest” in our gardens. Bluebeard is one such plant that will add late season interest in the sunny border with not a lot of fuss…

Goodbye June Gloom, Hello Sumer-Blooming Perennials

Goodbye June Gloom, Hello Sumer-Blooming Perennials

It seems a bit trivial to complain about the weather considering all the political upheaval, pandemic, and social injustices that currently abound in our world, but the plain truth is that gardeners live and die by the weather, and to that end, June 2020 will go down in the record books as a real stinker. If you have been feeling a bit cranky about the weather…

Dealing With Mosquitos In The Garden

Now that summer has arrived and we are spending more time out in our yards, it is becoming increasingly apparent that at certain times of the day we are not alone. By that I mean that the mosquitos are out in force and looking for some sustenance. Here are some techniques and more specifically, some plants that will help mitigate these annoying creatures and let us enjoy our yards without becoming victims of these flying hypodermic needles…

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Trevor Cameron

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The Dilemma of Dormancy
The Dilemma of Dormancy

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…

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