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…
If you are like me, you are probably a bit conflicted this time of year. My summer containers, while looking a bit worn out, are still drawing droves of honey bees and hummingbirds (especially to my salvias) and the thought of ripping everything out and denying these delightful creatures their meals is almost more than I can bear…
Summertime in the northwest is a great gardening time. There is lots of sunshine and warm soils to make plants grow, and as long as we remember to water, we can have some amazingly productive veggie gardens and luxurious landscapes (or at least some bodacious containers). Here are a few random comments to consider on the above topics…
The Golfing Gardener
Trevor Cameron
My hope from last week is that I got everyone’s pruning juices flowing. This week I will attempt to build on that momentum and get into some more specifics. If you got outside in this wonderfully cold and sunny weather and started your personal pruning battle plan, pat yourself on the back! You have earned a gold star and embarked on a journey to pruning success. If you haven’t, don’t worry, there is still time…