The Missus and I have a very convenient arrangement.  The back yard is hers and the front is mine.  So in the backyard she has created a very pleasing cottage garden look with lots of flowers and raised vegetable beds.  But in the front yard I have gone the tropical route.  In fact, I have done the tropical thing for many years using real tropicals that have to be dug and green-housed every winter.  It is truly a labor of love and a monumental endeavor.  But several years ago I decided that while I like the tropical look I was no longer going to dig up and put everything under cover for the winter.  So I started to create a tropical looking border that consisted of plants that were hardy for our northwest winters.  The results have been stunning if I do say so myself.

As gardeners, we all know there is more to gardening than just the plants.  There is a whole ecosystem that includes microbes, insects, worms, mammals (some less desirable than others) and of course birds.  All of these players interact in a healthy garden and for the most part support one another.  How we design and maintain our gardens plays a huge part in keeping all of this in balance.  I have written endlessly about building healthy soils, which encourage lively colonies of soil microbes that keep our plants healthy, which then provide the environment needed for the birds and the bees to visit our gardens.  Everything is interconnected, even if it is not obvious to us.  Here are some thoughts on attracting birds and pollinators into our gardens.

In light of all this heat we are having it just seems appropriate to talk about gardening in the shade since that is probably where most of us are hanging out these days.  Gardening in the shade can be a tricky business but once a gardener figures out their space it can be very rewarding.  Here are some factors to consider...

By July most of us have finished our annual plantings and it is time to maintain what we have and do a little editing and tweaking.  It is perfectly fine to continue to plant and I highly recommend doing just that for extending color into the fall season and for establishing new shrubs and trees.  Here’s a list of chores for this month....

The world of hydrangeas has absolutely exploded in the last ten years to the point that it is impossible to keep up with all the new cultivars.  If you Google https://www.provenwinners.com/Hydrangeas-Demystified you will find no less than 6 different types of hydrangeas to choose from.  There is a 7th variety (aspera) as well that is just as exciting as the other 6 they mention (this latest one has purple foliage).  In my small garden alone I have 8 different varieties and that doesn’t include any of the new ones that have come on the market recently.  My point is simply that no garden in the northwest is complete without a few hydrangeas.  There are the classic ball type for shade, PG types for sun, climbers, oak leaf and arboreal aspera types to name just a few.  If you are missing this important summer blooming group of plants then it is time to get with the program and plant a few.

Now that the summer weather has arrived it never fails that someone will ask the perennial question:  “Can I still plant now or should I wait until the fall?”  For the record, as a landscape contractor in the Sacramento valley where it was routinely 85-105 degrees, I planted all summer long and never lost a single plant.   You can have the same success rate by following my directions below.

As promised, this column deals with proper watering.  Yes, I know this could turn out to be a real snoozer but it’s important so pay attention.  It could mean the difference between life and death of your plants.  Let me get straight to the facts...

It's beautiful outside these days making it the perfect time to get out in the garden and take care of that to-do list we all dread so much.  Follow these June to-do tips to get your yard in tip-top shape.

WATERING:  If ever there was a year to apply mulch to our soils this would be it.  The Everett area rainfall is about 4 inches below normal which is the equivalent of a month’s worth of water that would normally be in our soils for plants to draw from and it just ain’t there.  This year especially it is so important to water efficiently and to do all we can to conserve that moisture.  Watch for my advice on how to get the most out of the end of your hose next week.

Here we are in the last week of May and for the most part the glory of spring has faded away.  If we want to keep a continuous display of color in our gardens then we need plants that will bloom in the summer rather than the spring.  Besides the obvious choices of annuals, perennials and bulbs there is a surprisingly large pallet of shrubs that will give us a thrill throughout the summer months.  Here are some of my favorites.  For a more complete review come to our free class this Saturday May 30th at 10am taught by Trevor Cameron C.P.H. and learn more about how to incorporate these plants into your landscape. 

The year was 1956, I was 8 years old and the family was on a vacation up the California coast.  We were traveling up Hwy 101 and came into the town of Capitola which is near Santa Cruz.  There along the side of the road was a nursery growing tuberous begonias and for this 8 year old kid it was love at first sight.  Fast forward 6 years to my first job at the Coronado nursery (I can’t believe they actually hired me at 14 years old) and one of my jobs was to pot up tuberous begonias.  I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  These shade loving plants come in both upright and hanging varieties and have colorful blooms that look like carnations on steroids.  Far superior to the “non-stop” varieties on the market these days, these American tuberous begonias are extremely hard to find but worth the effort to locate them.  With a little effort the tubers can be saved from year to year resulting in larger and larger plants each successive season.  I have seen tubers the size of dessert plates.