Winters in the northwest can be unpredictable. As I look around my neighborhood, I can still see trees (like my neighbor’s corkscrew willow) that are green as grass and completely foliated, while next to them are maples that are fully denuded of all their summer leaves. My hostas have mushed down to nothing, but the roses are still blooming. Such is the nature of our Pacific Northwest falls/winters. You just never know when that hard “killing frost” is going to hit, but if you are not ready to deal with it, then you very well might suffer some serious losses. Here are some tips to manage the freezing events that will be coming our way…
Here Comes The Cold Weather
Creating Winter Interest In Our Containers
I recently read an article on designing with foliage in the garden by a local author, Christina Salwitz. Her main point is that while flowers are ephemeral, foliage can last all season and therefore should be the first consideration in any garden design - be it in the landscape or simply in our containers. As we move into the fall and winter season…
More On The Big Freeze
Last week I pontificated on the ramifications of the recent winter storm. We discussed frozen roots on container plants, broken limbs on trees and shrubs, disfigured evergreens, and frozen buds. In retrospect, that all sounds very depressing, but please don’t despair - I am pretty sure the worst is behind us. Here are a few more, hopefully uplifting, thoughts on what to look for in assessing the extent of winter damage in your garden….
Life After The Big Freeze
Be Thankful For Snow
If you are like me, you went to bed last Sunday night with a light dusting of snow on the ground and woke up to 8 to 10 inches covering virtually everything in the garden. Now, somewhere underneath that white stuff, are my blooming hellebores, snow drops, and budded daffodils. You might ask: “Is all lost?” Hardly! Mother Nature is a lot more resilient than that and while my perennials may be bent, they are most likely not broken. In fact, they are probably snug as a bug in a rug and once everything thaws out they will pop right back up again. As it turns out, snow is much more beneficial for the garden than it is detrimental. Here are some things to consider…
It may feel like the dead of winter, but the garden is wide awake
I have been rather neglectful lately. What with all the rain and holiday activities, I haven’t taken much time to walk around my garden. From a distance it looks like it is in a deep sleep and nothing of any significance is going on, but with closer inspection it is anything but snoozing. I took a little tour this week and much to my surprise I found lots of activity. You should do the same, for it will surely lift your spirits. Here are some of my discoveries…
As we march on through the month of January, it is time to recall the annual gardening tradition of dormant spraying. The ideal products may have changed a bit over the years, and certainly their effectiveness has improved as well, but the spray techniques and principles remain the same. A plan for success always begins with…