There are some plants in the garden that when they appear, it is a signal that spring is on the way. The Peony is one and I think when the new growth sprouts from the ground, it is a way of saying that winter is over and spring is…
Sometimes I hear gardeners lament the lack of winter color in gardens but in the western part of the Pacific Northwest, there should be no complaints. It is difficult to find a plant that can provide more winter color than the Camellia. While most are unscented, it…
Selecting a gift for a gardener is not as easy as it sounds. Depending on how well you know the gardener and the garden, it can be challenging to select a gift that would be both useful and desirable. Gifting a plant…
The month of April has a lot going for it, especially for gardeners! Even though the official date for the beginning of the spring season is in March. April is often the month that gardeners get into high gear because the weather is more predictably, what we might refer…
Tomato seeds! Where to start? So many to choose from! Looking over a recent garden catalog arrival, there were over 100 different named cultivars of tomato seed offered for sale. It is hard to think of any other offering that would have such a vast selection.
There are many flowers that herald the coming of the spring season and most gardeners have their favorites. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have a surprisingly large number of shrubs that bloom in January/February. Our own native Mahonia, (Oregon Grape), is a good example with the bright yellow…
As of September 22, we have officially moved into the autumn season. I don’t think that plants know it is autumn, nor that they care, but we humans do know and care. Here in the Pacific Northwest, it has been a very unpredictable spring and summer season, and autumn…
Not all hostas are going to be ‘big and bold’ like ‘Empress Wu’, (photo above), but being one of the largest growing hostas, it certainly does make a statement! At the opposite end of the spectrum is a hosta like the miniature ‘Country Mouse’. photo…
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme is one of the most popular songs by Simon and Garfunkel, and both the herbs and song are favorites. But, what about basil? Shouldn’t basil be a part of the song lyrics? Truly, the addition of basil would create a wordier line in the…
The name Hydrangea denotes water and comes from the Greek words, hydor (water) and aggos (a jar). Together the words mean ‘water vessel’ because of the cup-like form Hydrangea seed capsules. I have looked at the seed capsule, and perhaps my imagination is not quite enough to describe them…
When visiting older established gardens, if there is a border garden, it will probably contain at least one of these three plants: peony, bearded iris, and clematis. These are often considered old-fashioned plants because they have been regularly planted in gardens for so many years. All three of these…
Long ago, Coleus had been considered a house plant. I can remember, my grandmother always had coleus growing in her house. It was a popular winter houseplant because the colorful leaves provided bright spots of color during the long Midwest winter months. Only occasionally were plants planted outdoors during…
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