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…
I often tell gardeners in our region to rediscover their “Evergreen State”, which (in a play on words) simply means to show some gardening style with the structure, texture and color of conifers. Around here nature has the many shades of green covered, but how about some bold blues and bright yellows? When all of the deciduous shrubs and trees have…
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…
In my front yard is a mature White Pine that currently looks like it is about to die. The entire tree has a yellow cast to it caused by bundles of 2-year-old needles that have finished up their life cycle, have turned yellow, and are now dropping and blanketing my lawn. If this were a different plant I might be concerned, but…
Over the years I have written multiple columns on the merits of conifers, or what we like to call in the vernacular, “needle-leafed evergreens”. It always boggles my mind to think of the variety of evergreens available to the northwest gardener. In our little nursery alone, we offer 25 different genera and close to 300 individual varieties…
As promised a few weeks ago, I want to introduce you to a few more conifers that I find to be real gems to add to our landscapes. But before launching into some specific varieties of interest, my botanical nerdiness requires me to share what I consider to be truly fascinating facts about this group we refer to as conifers or “cone bearing” plants…
The Golfing Gardener
Trevor Cameron
The winter solstice is upon us, and I am sure everyone is looking forward to a bit more light each day, eventually steering us towards the great annual awakening of spring. To most gardeners, the idea of year ‘round interest is top of mind, as patrons I speak to year after year look to add specimens into their landscapes that provide that “WOW” factor all year long, including…