For all you hard core veggie gardeners out there you probably already know that March is a good time to get started on the veggie garden.  But first timers may not realize that there are really two seasons to plant veggies (and I suppose a third in the fall) and that we can’t just plant everything all at one time.

Let’s face it, for the most part the lawn is the man’s domain.  It is literally his “turf” and when left alone he can spend endless hours mowing, edging, aerating, dethatching, feeding, reseeding, watering and weeding not to mention the time it takes to keep his trusty John Deere steed in good running condition.  If this man is also a golfer then his passion for his lawn is even more intense.  Some would say it is obsessive but I would submit that the lawn is probably the safest place in the garden for the man to be (and all the wives say Amen)!  

Life can be stressful and the more we can do to relieve that stress the happier and healthy we can be.  Nothing causes me more stress than trying to adjust to Daylight Saving Time and while I would dearly love to use this space to rant about how much I loath it the fact is that this is a gardening column so I am going to instead tell you about how stress-relieving Bonsai can be for our sleep deprived souls.

SORRY.  I couldn’t resist jumping on the “50 Shades Bandwagon”.  But it is true that even within the world of needle-leafed evergreens (what we nursery types call conifers) there is a wide variety of choice in foliar color from bright or dull green to bluish or chartreuse or to reddish and even variegated.  Truth be known, there are a heck of a lot more than 50 shades!

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...