It has always puzzled me that there are plants that bloom in the fall, or stranger yet, in the winter.  It seems so out of sync with the rhythms of nature, but hey, while I may not understand the “grand plan”, I am sure as heck going to take advantage of these little beauties and enjoy them in my garden.  Here are three bulbs that bloom this time of year and can usually only be found and planted in the fall…

September is a glorious month in the northwest - the days are warm, the nights cool, the shadows long, and the lawns are coming alive again after their dry summer slumber.  The garden wakes back up for about 6 to 8 weeks before it shuts down for the winter and it is an excellent time to get some serious gardening done.  Here are some suggestions on how to best spend your time…

It always seems a bit odd to me to be talking about fall and winter gardens when we are still very much into late summer, but “fall is in the air” and now is the time to make some changes in our containers and plant some fall veggies while the soils are still warm and conducive to good root growth.  It’s also a perfect time to…

Trees are our friends, in more ways than one.  There are a multitude of benefits that we receive from trees and it never hurts to remind ourselves just how important trees are to our ecosystem.  As we look around the world…

I love summer tropicals.  The drama they create is unsurpassed by anything the northwest has to offer.  Take my red Abyssinian bananas for example.  In the month of May, or even early June, I always plant a couple of pots up with a red banana in the center as the focal point of the container…

Believe it or not, August can be a busy month in the garden.  Watering, of course, is at the top of the list…

A funny thing happens to me this time of year…  As we move from the glory of spring to the doldrums of summer, I often find myself in a state of mild depression.  I call it my “gardener’s post-partum depression”.  All of the fabulous floral displays that I labored over in spring have now faded and I am faced with the drudgery of taking care of what is left…

I think it is fair to say that for a lot of us, our vision of a shady garden area is one that is mostly green with a few varieties of plants such as rhodies, a couple of ferns, and a hosta or two.  The thought of a diverse mix of plants with colorful foliage, contrasting textures and even some flowers is a reach.  A monochromatic blend of plants is the most we can hope for.  Well, I am here to tell you that nothing could be farther from the truth and here are some prime examples to try out…

We are blessed in the northwest to be able to grow a wide variety of plant material from many other parts of the world (in addition of course to our own native flora).  Like most people, gardeners are always looking for something new and different that is not locally found.  But going what seems like a long way away to find new plants isn’t always necessary.  Take for example Clethera alnifolia, or Summersweet as it is commonly called…

It’s been a while since I have thrown a “to-do” list at you so I think it is about time to get back to the basics.  Chores this month can be summed up with the following words:  water, feed, mulch, prune, stake, and manage insects and diseases.  Here’s a little more detail on those items…