Jun 19, 2018 | Eco-friendly Gardening, Recommended Plants
In honor of #PollinatorWeek, we are recommending a few plants that attract butterflies. Pollinator Week is a time to celebrate pollinators and spread the word about what you can do to protect them. This year it runs June 18-24. People love seeing butterflies in their...
Jun 8, 2018 | Disease Control, Garden Care, Recommended Plants
Roses are in bloom right now in Seattle. 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...
May 1, 2018 | Recommended Plants, Watering
May is a great time to add plants to your garden that will thrive in dry weather. Every week you will find big plant sales, and nurseries are stocking a wide range of plants. This week both the Master Gardeners of both King County and Snohomish County are having...
Apr 19, 2018 | Eco-friendly Gardening, Nature, Recommended Plants
Earth Day is this Sunday, April 22. We hope you use the occasion to both celebrate steps you are already taking to help the planet and consider what else you could do. Here are a few suggestions for things you can do to help the earth in your own yard and garden....
Feb 15, 2018 | Eco-friendly Gardening, Recommended Plants
Are you looking for an easy way to reduce weeds in your garden? Plant more groundcovers. Weeds will invade bare ground. Adding groundcovers to landscape beds fills in bare spaces and shades the soil. Weeds will have a tough time sprouting and growing without sunlight....
Jun 29, 2017 | Recommended Plants
We’re headed for more hot and sunny weather. This weekend might be a good time to assess your garden for its drought tolerance. Plants that wilt easily in hot weather require a lot of time and money to keep watered. Wouldn’t you prefer plants that require...
Jun 20, 2017 | Eco-friendly Gardening, Recommended Plants
This week, June 19-25, is National Pollinator Week. It is a time to celebrate the valuable services we get from bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles. Ten years ago the U.S. Senate unanimously approved naming a week in June as “National Pollinator Week.” It was a...
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 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 23, 2017 | Recommended Plants
In late February the wet, gray days of winter may weigh us down. A splash of color in the garden can lift our spirits. Here are a few plants for early season color that you may want to add to your landscape. These plants bloom in late winter or early spring....
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....
Nov 17, 2016 | Disease Control, Recommended Plants, Tree Care
Phomopsis is a fungus that causes shoot blight and twig cankers. The disease is most common among junipers. Phomopsis may also affect other evergreen ornamentals and a few deciduous trees. This may include American and Oriental arborvitae, hinoki cypress, English yew,...
Aug 25, 2016 | Disease Control, Garden Care, Recommended Plants
Late summer in western Washington provides ideal conditions for powdery mildew. Powdery mildew is common on a wide range of plants, including annuals, perennials, food crops and ornamental shrubs. To help you manage it, we are updating a post on powdery mildew from...
Aug 16, 2016 | Garden Care, Pest Control, Recommended Plants
Plants that are drought stressed are more susceptible to insect pests and diseases. As we discussed in last week’s post about drought stress in trees, stressed plants often emit distress signals that many damaging insects pick up on. We are seeing signs of lace...
