One of the many signs of spring, besides the annoying ritual of “springing ahead” with our clocks, is the return of flocks of American robins.  While I saw a couple of pairs back in February, it was just this week that I observed multiple numbers of them in my garden.  This got me thinking about how robins know when to return to the Pacific Northwest and after a little research I learned some intriguing facts...

Considering that it is still pretty darn cold out there, I thought it might be interesting to digress a bit and talk about how some plants go through the “change of life” as they grow up into adult plants.  Here goes nothing...

This recent spate of freezing temperatures has got me thinking about how some plants in my garden seem to be unfazed while others turn to mush.  I find it fascinating that the flowers on my witch hazel, Cornelian cherry, Sarcococca, and even my beloved winter daphne haven’t skipped a beat while the early blooms of the Christmas Cheer and Olive rhodies and Camellias have turned completely brown.  Some plants just seem to be better adapted to dealing with freezing temperatures.  Why is this?  

Considering all the rain that we have received lately, it is probably safe to assume that most of us have not completed the tasks I wrote about last week.  I managed to hoe out some of my shot weed and spent one hour pruning some shrubs, but that was about it.  Hopefully the rest of you were able to do a little better.  Just in case you have run out of chores, here are a few more to consider...

Okay folks, it’s time to get serious about gardening again.  Like I mentioned last time, it feela to me like we are going to have an early spring (unless it continues to rain like crazy and it stays dark, in which case it will be a late spring!  How’s that for some confusing information?)  Actually, when it is all said and done, spring never varies by more than a week or two, so I guess it is a moot point.  Here are a couple of areas to focus on for this week.  There will be more to come later…

Like last week, I am giving you permission to lay low and take it easy for the rest of this month, but watch out!  Based on what is happening in my garden, I am going to predict that we will have an early spring.  The snow drops growing under my Winter Hazel have been blooming for 3 weeks now and my beloved Winter Daphne is just about to break bud - both of these being 2 weeks ahead of schedule.  The mild winter is causing a lot of plants to wake up early and we just might need to be ready to do the same thing....

January is typically a slow month in the garden and since I don’t have a long list of chores for you to accomplish this month I thought it might be enlightening to share a little information on what is happening here at Sunnyside...

House plants are all the rage (again).  That’s right, back in the late 60’s and early 70’s everyone was decorating their homes and apartments with all sorts of foliage plants and even making macramé hangers (myself included)....

A new gardening season is upon us and with it comes an opportunity to review what worked and what failed in our gardens in 2017.  More importantly, now is our chance to dream big and make plans for an even more stupendous garden for this year...

You’ve seen the ads this time of year, every car dealer is running them nonstop.  You can’t escape them.  It’s the one where it’s Christmas morning and out in the driveway is a brand new car with a giant red bow on it.  The family is ecstatic and jumping all over the place.  Their wildest dreams have come true and now their life is complete.  Clearly, this is not the home of a gardener....