Mushrooms make their appearance in lawns and gardens anytime, but more conspicuously in the fall. That’s when wetter weather and cooler temperatures make ideal conditions for them to emerge. Should you be concerned? Or, can you embrace your garden mushrooms? Read on for more information about these fascinating funghi.
The marigold is much more than a beautiful garden flower. Its utility as a colorful annual, edible flower, and companion plant for vegetable gardens is greatly enhanced by its profound role in religious and cultural practices around the world.
When fall arrives, it always inspires me to nest. I search out new recipes, spend weekends cooking and baking, and then test my creations on my friends and family. There’s just something about the chill in the air and the early sunsets that encourage a hearty, home-cooked meal or sweet treat. Here are a few of my favorite fall recipes, including fall cocktails, sweet treats, and savory dishes.
Dahlias die back each year as autumn advances, but, with the proper care, the tuberous root system can live on to produce a stunning display year after year. The advice in this post is based on many years of growing dahlias in a low-lying area of Seattle with relatively moderate winter temperatures and excellent drainage.
Sure, you can buy garlic, but for the best flavor - and an incredible sense of satisfaction - nothing beats growing it yourself. Unlike most vegetables, garlic is planted in the fall but not harvested until the following summer, making it a very long-season crop that’s worth the wait. In fact, it can be very encouraging to plant something new in late fall when all around you, most plants are fading in anticipation of winter.
The world’s favorite flower just might be the rose, inspiring epic romantic poetry, sonnets, even wars, for thousands of years. And, in addition to bestowing elegance and altering the course of history, roses offer us an astonishing variety of flower types, fragrances, and colors! So we want to keep them looking their best, and proper pruning can significantly improve most roses’ blooming performance and overall health.
Rhododendrons, arguably the Maritime Northwest’s most beloved plants, can vary from two-foot-high dwarf shrubs to 30-foot trees. Most varieties don’t typically need a lot of pruning for their first several years but over time, many rhodies grow a dense weave of thick-wooded branches, and the thought of pruning one can intimidate all but the most experienced gardener. Of course, we are here to help!
Hydrangeas are classic garden shrubs known for their bold leaves and long-lasting clusters of flowers in shades of white, pink, red, or blue, blooming from mid-summer to autumn. More varieties are becoming available, featuring unique flower shapes, leaf colors, and even stem colors! Read on to learn how to care for your hydrangeas and help them thrive.
We love our lilac shrubs with their exemplary fragrance in May but almost any lilac that has not been pruned for two years or more is likely to have flowers up high, out of optimal sniffing range. Pruning can help keep your lilac to a manageable size, accentuate its lovely form, and improve flowering. Sometimes, a complete refresh is needed (coppicing). In this post, we walk you through several options for pruning your lilac bush, using helpful diagrams.
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