Now that we have had a few good soaking rains, some of you might think that the gardening season is over. But as you might expect, I am here to inform you that there are at least 2 more good gardening months to look forward to…
Fall Color In A Can
Here Are A Few Gems To Brighten Up The Fall Garden
It always amazes me that no matter how many times I visit the garden center, I always seem to find something that looks interesting and is calling to me to take it home and add it to the landscape. You would think that I would run out of space eventually, but the reality is that any gardener worth his/her salt can always find a spot for a new introduction. Here are a few that caught my eye this week as I toured the nursery looking for treasures…
A Few Important Things To Do This Month
Fall is in the air! The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting cooler and the sun is moving farther south, creating longer shadows on the north side of the garden. These climatological events are triggers for the garden, to let it know that winter is coming and seasoned gardeners will respond accordingly. Here are some things they will be doing this month, that you should do as well…
Perennial Herbs You Can Grown Year 'Round
There is a surprising array of hardy herbs that we can grow in our northwest marine climate and not have to worry about replanting every spring. Many of them can actually be brought inside and placed on a bright window sill for the winter where sprigs can be plucked as needed. Left outside, many can even still be harvested throughout the winter. Here are several hardy options that I discovered while walking through our herb department this last week…
New & Exciting Ferns From Monrovia Nurseries
Ornamental Grasses - Purveyors of Whimsy & Drama
Every Garden Needs A Bluebeard In It
Last week I pontificated about the merits of the genus Hibiscus and the fact that it is among the very few shrubs that bloom late into the summer. There are a handful of other summer-blooming choices that don’t come in quite so many variations but are just as reliable and dare I say, essential to creating that all illusive “year ‘round interest” in our gardens. Bluebeard is one such plant that will add late season interest in the sunny border with not a lot of fuss…
Speaking as a self-proclaimed “plantaholic” who likes just about all things with foliage, fronds, or needles, one plant I started to salivate over in the 1990’s was Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia sp.). For us in northern latitudes, these mythical plants were uncommon and were perceived as…