Sep 26, 2017 | Garden Care
Fall is great time to choose new trees, shrubs and perennials and put them in the ground. There are several reasons to plant in fall instead of spring. Many people plant in late spring and summer. However, plants that go into the ground then may not look as good...
Aug 10, 2017 | Disease Control, Garden Care
Powdery mildew is a common disease in western Washington. Late summer and fall are prime times for powdery mildew to show up. The disease does best when damp nights are followed by warm, sunny days. There are many different species of powdery mildew, and each species...
Aug 1, 2017 | Garden Care, Pest Control
Hot, dry weather is tough on plants. Plants under water stress are highly susceptible to pest damage. A common pest in landscapes and gardens is spider mites. Spider mites damage plants by sucking juice from the underside of leaves. Unfortunately, they are often not...
Jul 11, 2017 | Garden Care
Kelp, a plant from the sea, is a great way to improve your land-based garden. The ocean’s garden contains many elements that terrestrial plants require to flourish. Sea kelp can contain more than 70 vitamins, minerals and enzymes essential to the health of a...
Jun 1, 2017 | Garden Care, Lawn Care, Video, Watering
It’s hard to believe after the wet winter we’ve had, but the weather is getting warmer and drier. Time to think about watering your lawn and garden. Our YouTube channel contains several videos with tips about how to water your lawn and garden. These tips...
May 16, 2017 | Garden Care, Pest Control
Lace bugs are a problem pest in the Pacific Northwest. Our mild climate means cold weather is unlikely to kill off lace bug in any of its life stages. We wrote about lace bugs last summer. At the time we said you could reduce the problem by taking action in the...
May 8, 2017 | Disease Control, Eco-friendly Gardening, Garden Care, Video
We are currently spraying compost tea on our clients’ trees and shrubs. People tell us they have seen great benefits from compost tea, including healthier plants with more growth and greater vigor, less disease and more flowers. We have been using and brewing...
Apr 24, 2017 | Garden Care, Recommended Plants
We all enjoy the beauty and fragrance of flowers in our yard. If you also take pleasure in having flowers in your home, you may want to plant a cutting garden. Flowering plants give your garden an extra advantage: they attract beneficial insects. Beneficial insects,...
Apr 4, 2017 | Eco-friendly Gardening, Garden Care, Lawn Care, Recommended Plants, Watering
April is Earth Month. Each week this month we will feature a blog post about steps you can take to help protect our planet. This week’s feature is water quality. The steps you take in your yard and garden can have a big impact on how clean our lakes and streams...
Mar 23, 2017 | Eco-friendly Gardening, Garden Care, Pest Control
Most of us recognize an adult lady beetle (lady bug). But many don’t know the larvae. They’re weird-looking critters: we may think they’re dangerous. But they are valuable predators of garden pests. Lady beetle larvae are alligator-shaped with black...
Mar 9, 2017 | Garden Care, Video
Have you seen our videos? The In Harmony YouTube channel has several videos on watering, such as how and why to water deeply and watering a new tree or plant. You can also find videos on some of the products we use, our approach to landscape design, our natural lawn,...
Mar 2, 2017 | Garden Care, Recommended Plants
Are you thinking about adding new plants to your yard? Are you planning this year’s vegetable garden? You will have the best results if you use regional or local sources and choose varieties that will grow well in our Northwest climate. For plants, it is best to...
Feb 14, 2017 | Disease Control, Eco-friendly Gardening, Garden Care, Video
Mulch has many benefits for the garden. It reduces weed growth, protects the soil from extremes of cold and hot weather, reduces watering needs and drought stress, feeds the soil for healthier plants, helps prevent the spread of diseases and prevents erosion. In...
Feb 9, 2017 | Eco-friendly Gardening, Garden Care, Nature, Video
You’ve probably heard about mason bees, the small, peaceful bees that are great pollinators. These non-aggressive bees are safe to have around kids and pets. They don’t live in a hive but are solitary bees. You can buy or rent mason bee houses to pollinate...
Jan 19, 2017 | Garden Care, Landscape Design, Lawn Care, Nature, Recommended Plants
Are you contemplating changes to your landscape? Perhaps a new patio, updated plantings or a water feature? Check out Houzz for ideas. Houzz is a photo-based platform for home and garden remodeling and design. Browse thousands of photos and save them to ideabooks....
