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
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Choices in the Home Orchard - Part One

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Choices in the Home Orchard - Part One

A huge trend in gardening over the last decade or so has been cultivating your very own homegrown fruit.  The pandemic intensified this practice, and it seemingly continues to become more and more popular for our patrons at Sunnyside, season after season.  While most all endeavors in the garden are gratifying to me, there is something extra special about growing your own edibles, including fruit.  Whether you are adding to an existing garden or starting anew, some planning and a few points to ponder will help you to grow fruit successfully…

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Overcome the “Dead of Winter” in your Garden

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Overcome the “Dead of Winter” in your Garden

As we enter another year, I am excited to see what 2024 brings for all of us gardeners.  New plant flavors to salivate over, new tools to make our lives easier, and new practices to learn and implement in our landscapes.  The cycle in the garden starts once again, often acting as…

We're Over The Hump

We're Over The Hump

December 21st is what we officially refer to as the Winter Solstice.  This day has the ignominious distinction of being the shortest day of the year (in the northern hemisphere).  Of course, while every day is essentially the same length (24 hours the last time I checked) the 21st has…

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50 Shade Of Yellow - The Sequel

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50 Shade Of Yellow - The Sequel

It should be no surprise that in the last few weeks of the year I would take one more opportunity to promote the allure and value of golden foliaged plants.  As we move into the dark months of the year, these beacons of light become absolutely essential in keeping our interest in the garden.  This hit home for me the other day as I…

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50 Shades Of Brown

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50 Shades Of Brown

First off, my apologizes to writer E.L. James for riffing on his popular novel title “50 Shades of Grey”.  I rather doubt that my comments here will ever make it to the big screen.  Just the same, the month of December in my garden is a pretty steamy mix of tan, brown, or black (and all the shades in between) emanating from foliage, seed heads, and bark, and frankly, I find it pretty stimulating…

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Daylight Saving Time — Can we please just make up our minds?

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Daylight Saving Time — Can we please just make up our minds?

It was 20 years ago in the spring that I wrote my first diatribe about the ill effects of daylight-saving time and how, while I love being on daylight-saving time, it is the change that gives me so much grief.  The same can be said for the fall when we go back onto standard time.  I don’t know how you feel about all of this, but I still feel the same as I did 20 years ago and for me the…

Yes, We Do Need To Reduce Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

Yes, We Do Need To Reduce Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

In a recent letter to the editor in the Everett Herald, the author claims that because plants need carbon to function it is insane to be attempting to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.  They detail the delicate balance between plants that take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen and animals that take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide.  So far, so good.  But then they say that reducing carbon will reduce the plant population since photosynthesis will be restricted - this is where I have to disagree…

Latest post from “The Golfing Gardener”:

The Golfing Gardener

Trevor Cameron

Featured
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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