As we continue our discussion on the home orchard this week, let’s dig into some more specifics on growing fruit successfully in Western Washington…
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…
The State of Zone Denial
Find Your Balance Between Neat and Natural
Overcome the “Dead of Winter” in your Garden
We're Over The Hump
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…
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…
On Being "Thank-full"
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…
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…