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…
During the months of May and June one of the all-time favorite plants of local gardeners, the peony, is bursting into bloom. There are many excellent peonies available to utilize in our landscapes; including herbaceous cottage types in all sorts of colors (and varying fragrances) and larger growing tree peonies too. I would never scold anyone for growing either of these types (since I do as well), but I want to bring attention to another fabulous peony option… what is known as the intersectional or Itoh Peony.
As we head into the peak spring season and the temperatures continue to rise, more and more of our landscapes are popping with spring color. Another shrub all gardens should contain is a deciduous Azalea. Us gardeners have plenty of evergreen options to help with our Azalea and Rhododendron addictions, but a deciduous Azalea specimen offers…
Now that spring has officially arrived and the sun has returned, our gardens are beginning to brim with activity. Bees are buzzing about visiting early flowers, foliage is emerging everywhere, and plants are awakening from winter dormancy. Perennials in particular are a welcome sight for this gardener’s eyes, as they finally spring back to life and…
The Golfing Gardener
Trevor Cameron
At some point each spring I have to pay homage to our Washington state flower, the Rhododendron. We are in the midst of April and heading towards May soon, which means that the glorious time of year has arrived for Rhodies to shine in all of our landscapes…