Just in case you forgot, the first week of every month I will give you a list of chores for the month.  Be forewarned.  I expect you to get out and accomplish these things.  Trust me, in the end you will be glad you did.  Here we go…………

Well, I have good news and bad news.  The bad news is that there is a pollination crisis going on in the world due to a serious decline in honey bee populations, the cause of which is still not clearly understood.  The good news is that home gardeners like you and myself can help out by encouraging native populations of mason bees (also known as blue orchard bees) into our gardens where they will happily pollinate our fruit trees and berries even when the weather is lousy.  In fact, one little furry mason bee can do the work of 60 honey bees.  Here are some tips from Missy Anderson, King County Master Gardener and owner of www.rentmasonbees.com

Hellebores are commonly known as Christmas Roses or Lenten Roses.  They of course have nothing to do with actual roses and in fact bear no resemblance at all.  Go figure!  But many varieties bloom from Christmas to Easter and therefore are associated with this time of the year.  This is “high season” for Hellebores so I thought it would be timely to give them their 15 minutes of fame.  

I once had a rose garden of 100 roses right smack dab in the middle of my circle drive.  I also once owned a 1966 VW Bus (both of which could be grounds for questioning my sanity).  “What?” you might ask do these two things have in common—high maintenance.  Like a boat owner, the two happiest days of my life were when I planted my rose garden and when I plowed it under 14 years later.  Don’t get me wrong, I received a lot of pleasure out of both the rose garden and the 1966 VW Bus but it took a commitment to make it happen.  Growing high quality roses in the northwest isn’t for wimps but by choosing disease resistant varieties and following a few timely tips you too can be successful.  Here are some suggestions.  For a more in-depth discussion come to our free rose class this coming Saturday at 10am here at the nursery.

There is a new breed of berries on the market that can offer the home gardener not only great tasting fruit but attractive and functional landscape shrubbery at the same time.  Fall Creek Farm and Nursery in Oregon has bred a series of blueberries and one raspberry that are ideal for our smaller landscapes and container gardens.  Here is a sampling of what they are currently offering...

Yikes, where did the month go?  Here we are in February and this is the month that we should dig into the garden in earnest.  Here is a short list of things to focus on...

This coming Saturday at 10am is our annual class on learning all about growing tree fruits in our very own backyards.  If you have ever dreamed of picking your own fruit right off the tree and want to know how to make it happen then this is the class for you. 

I am constantly amazed at the number of attendees that come to our pruning classes no matter what time of year we offer them.  Of all the classes we teach this is by far the most popular one so for those of you that weren’t able to attend on the 10th you have one more chance this Saturday the 24th.

While I realize that many of you aren’t quite to the point of visiting your favorite garden center, the fact is that all of us have been hard at it bringing in new stock.  One of the early arrivals is bare root plants.  These can be shrubs, roses, trees, berries and assorted perennials including vegetables.  So let me explain just exactly what a bare root plant is.

I don’t know about you, but for me as soon as we pass the Winter Solstice I start getting more and more excited about the gardening season knowing that with each passing day there is a little more day light and a little less night time.