Over the years I have written multiple columns on the merits of conifers, or what we like to call in the vernacular, “needle-leafed evergreens”. It always boggles my mind to think of the variety of evergreens available to the northwest gardener. In our little nursery alone, we offer 25 different genera and close to 300 individual varieties…
Some Undeniable Signs That Spring Is In The Air
February Is "Prunuary"
There are lots of tasks we could dwell on for the month of February, including nipping weeds in the bud, planting early blooming perennials, controlling moss in the lawn, and general clean up of any left over debris from winter. But by far, the most important task of all is pruning. I do the vast majority of my pruning in the month of February, so let’s drill down to some specifics…
Plant A Rose For Valentine's Day
It's Time To Plant Blueberries
Everything You Never Wanted To Know About Fruit Tree Pollination
The 2022 Gardening Season Has Begun - Bare Root Fruit Trees & Roses Have Arrived
It is finally time to get the new gardening season started… January is the perfect month to start shopping for roses, fruit trees, berries and grapes, along with other shrubs that are dormant this time of year. Most of these plants are sold as what is known in the nursery industry as “bare root”. Let me take a moment to explain…
Regenerative Gardening: Saving The Planet One Garden At A Time
Have you heard of “regenerative agriculture”? I hadn’t until recently, but after a bit of research, I realized that this “new” movement is at its base just an expansion of organic gardening and farming principles that can be adapted from commercial agriculture to our very own backyards. Here are some components of this style of gardening that we should all take to heart…
Compost, It's What Makes Our Gardens Survive Extreme Weather
Recently I had one of my readers reach out to me and inquire about how all the weather extremes of 2021 might impact our gardening experiences in 2022. It is a good question that is worth exploring, especially since I suspect this won’t be the last time we see such extremes in temperature, rainfall, and snow. Here are some of my thoughts…
“One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides.” W.E. Johns
I don’t know how you all feel about 2021, but for me it was like circling the airport waiting for clearance to land and never getting it. Oh sure, we made a couple of approaches and were really close to touching down, but then at the last minute the tower waved us off. There was great anticipation that maybe this was finally it and life would return to normal, or at least something close to normal. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. But thankfully…
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…