North Coast Gardening - Gardening in the Pacific Northwest
An excellent question posted by Fern of Life on the Balcony, a fun blog which shares her adventures in container gardening: Why is it better to transplant a plant into a series of progressively larger pots? I've seen that recommended in books, but … [Continue reading]
If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you’ve probably had the experience more than once of buying a plant that the nursery tag said would grow to the perfect size for your garden – but within a few years, it was pushing against its neighbors and … [Continue reading]
So we’ve talked about why you want to plant in fall – you don’t have to water as much, plants get their roots well established through the winter, and there’s less transplant shock – meaning those plants you paid top dollar for will be glowing with … [Continue reading]
Suntory, a Japanese Whiskey Distiller, has used genetic engineering to create the impossible - the world's first blue rose. Blue roses have a number of legends and meanings attributed to them - they are said to grant the owner youth, to show hope … [Continue reading]
Winter can be dull if we haven't prepared for it, with the gray skies and so many plants dormant. Much as I am a fan of shrubs and low-maintenance perennials, annuals can be a fantastic way of filling in the time between fall dormancy and spring with … [Continue reading]
If it means I don't have to look at any more poodled junipers, I'm all for it: Switzerland places ban on humiliation of plants. Fans of Plant Amnesty's horrible pruning gallery will doubtless be disappointed to find that Switzerland, at least, … [Continue reading]
I know it may seem counter-intuitive to get moving in the garden just as the weather starts becoming dreary, but for the northwest, this is an ideal time to get new shrubs and trees established in the garden. You can skip the watering for the most … [Continue reading]
Now I've raved about my beloved Bahco hand pruners to all who will listen, there is a small secret I have to keeping them and my other tools good and sharp. No it's not an old-skool file like Grandpa used. I have a Speedy Sharp! A client gave me … [Continue reading]
Now, I know pruning shears are a personal topic. Us gardeners have a weird loyalty thing going on with our shears. You want to make a pro mad? Tell them how much better your shear is than theirs. We got the Corona peeps in one corner, saying … [Continue reading]
Tried everything to keep the deer off your supposedly deer-resistant plantings (and off that rose you snuck into your bed in a weak moment!)? If you have deer, you know that most remedies aren’t all that effective, or they require so much, well, … [Continue reading]
The Scarecrow is a clunky-looking, inconvenient, and very effective way to blast the deer away from your plants and make unsuspecting small children howl. You hook it up to a hose, set the stake in the ground with the sprinkler pointing out from … [Continue reading]