Mar 29, 2016 | Lawn Care
Are you fighting moss in your lawn? Moss invades lawns when the grass does not have the right conditions to be healthy. If the lawn is healthy and in a location that favors grass, it can outcompete moss. Still, western Washington provides an ideal growing environment...
Mar 24, 2016 | Eco-friendly Gardening, Landscape Design
Natural areas provide a wealth of wisdom about garden design. While we may not have prairies in western Washington, the design principles apply to our local landscapes. We can learn similar principles from our local fields and forests. There’s a nice essay on...
Mar 22, 2016 | Eco-friendly Gardening, Garden Care
Ladd Smith and Ciscoe Morris had a rollicking time talking about the five myths of sustainable gardening on Ciscoe’s KIRO radio show. Share the fun with the podcast. Here are a couple of highlights: Myth #1: One person can’t make a difference. Fact: One...
Mar 17, 2016 | Lawn Care, Video
The grass is growing, and your lawn may need mowing. Before you get out the mower, take a look at this video about how to mow for a healthy lawn. A properly mowed lawn will need less fertilizer, better resist weeds and have less drought stress in summer. The star is...
Mar 8, 2016 | Disease Control, Garden Care, Recommended Plants
Many people love the beauty and fragrance of roses. But growing roses in western Washington can be challenging. Our moist, cool weather is ideal for diseases such as black spot, rust and powdery mildew. Roses are high-maintenance plants in our region. They are not...
Mar 1, 2016 | Eco-friendly Gardening, Garden Care, Landscape Design, Lawn Care
Homeowners and gardeners have heard the term “sustainable gardening” for decades. A Google search leads to 18,700,000 results. But there are many myths, or misconceptions, about how sustainability applies to gardening. Here are five common myths. Visit the In Harmony...
Feb 16, 2016 | Recommended Plants, Tree Care, Video
Do you like the idea of eating apples off your own tree? Perhaps you haven’t planted a tree because you have heard that our damp climate makes it challenging to grow apples. The good news is that you can successfully grow healthy, delicious apples in western...
Feb 9, 2016 | Eco-friendly Gardening, Garden Care
You’ve probably read about the alarming decline of bees. Bees face many threats, such as pesticides, loss of habitat and the spread of diseases. This is a big deal because bees are essential to most of the food we eat. You can help in your own garden by bringing in...
Jan 5, 2016 | Disease Control, Garden Care, Tree Care
January and February are great months to prune your trees and shrubs. Woody plants are dormant, and deciduous trees and shrubs have lost their leaves, making it easy to see their shape. In Harmony has ISA Certified Arborists on staff. They are experts at selective...
Dec 18, 2015 | Nature
The winter solstice has been celebrated in cultures around the world for thousands of years. The solstice marks the shortest, darkest day of the year. It also marks the rebirth of the sun, when days begin to grow longer. This year the winter solstice occurs in Seattle...
Dec 8, 2015 | Landscape Design, Recommended Plants
Would you like to add visual interest and texture to your landscape but don’t have room for another large tree? A number of gorgeous evergreens are available that work well in small gardens. Some are mounded shrubs, and others are columnar trees. The Great Plant...
Dec 1, 2015 | Eco-friendly Gardening, Landscape Design, Nature, Recommended Plants, Tree Care, Wildlife
At this time of year, many families bring evergreen trees into our homes. We decorate them with lights, ornaments and garland, and we savor their sweet fragrance. We even sing carols to them: “Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree! Thy leaves are so...
Nov 24, 2015 | Nature
Thank you to our clients for your business and for trusting us with your landscapes. And thank you for being our partners in building a healthier planet one landscape at a time. Here is an Iroquois prayer of thanksgiving. We return thanks to our mother, the earth,...
Nov 12, 2015 | Disease Control, Garden Care, Tree Care, Watering
Phytophthora is a soilborne pathogen that causes crown and root diseases in a number of western Washington plants. There are several species of Phytophthora. These organisms may infect fruit and nut trees, ornamental trees and shrubs, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant,...
Nov 3, 2015 | Eco-friendly Gardening, Garden Care
There’s a good article this week on Houzz about why you should plant in the fall. Here’s a quick summary. Planting in fall will stress your plants less: cooler temperatures and no hot sun to scorch them. You don’t have to spend a lot of time watering...
