When I moved up to the Pacific Northwest over 30 years ago, I was shocked to see annuals, vegetables, and perennials in 4-inch pots or even 1-gallon containers. This never happened in California…
Celebrate National Pollinator Week
Coping With The Weather
A June Standout - Korean Dogwoods And Their Hybrids
Starting in late March our native dogwood tree, Cornus nutallii, starts bloomin and then in the month of May we can observe the eastern dogwood tree, Cornus florida. Finally, in the month of June the Korean dogwoods, Cornus kousa, come into bloom. They are a slightly larger tree with more of a rounded form and can also bloom in either white or shades of pink…
Last Chance To Prune Spring Flowering Shrubs And Perennials
Westcountry Lupines Are To Die For
Why Am I Still Wearing A Turtleneck?
May Is Annual Planting Month
Before I launch into my diatribe on the glories of annuals, I probably should make sure everyone understands the difference between annuals and perennials… Annuals are plants that grow, bloom, set seed, and die all in one season. Perennials, on the other hand, grow, bloom, set seed, go dormant, and then return the following season twice as big. Where as annuals will bloom all summer long, perennials, for the most part, only bloom for 5 to 6 weeks….
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….
All Hail To The Lowly "Pigsqueak"
Over my lifetime as a horticulturist, I have found myself enamored with different genera of plants to the point that I have gone out of my way to collect as many variations of the same genus, simply because I thought they were “really cool”. The genus “Bergenia” is a typical example and for me it all started when I was quite young…
The kingdom of plants offers seemingly endless treasures for us plant addicts to admire, collect and then cultivate. Stunning shrubs, stately conifers, magnificent trees, climbing vines, creeping ground-covers, perky perennials and stunning tropicals, just to name a few. One plant that always catches my eye this time of year is the…