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Western Riparian Trees for Wet Soils
Trees that naturally grow by waterways or riversides make good landscape trees for wet ground. Do you have moist ground in your yard but want trees for the site? For a gardener with wet or damp soil,...
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California Wild Lilac for Western Gardens
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus is the most commonly cultivated species of California wild lilac. (Image by Kousvet) It is difficult to think of another plant genus that has the diversity of violet-blue flowers...
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Five Bold Salvias for Summer-Long Color
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ is tall, beautiful and blooms effortlessly. Ask any gardener what their favorite plant is, and you are sure to get multiple answers. Some of my favorites are in the...
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Five Great Daylilies for Continuous Bloom
Rainbow Rhythm® Tiger Swirl is an extra pretty, large-flowered everbloomer. (Image care of Proven Winners) Daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.) are one of the most welcome flowers of summer, but most bloom...
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My Favorite Summer Flowering Trees
With the proliferation of spring-flowering shrubs and trees, sometimes the trees that flower in the summer can be overlooked. This is too bad because there is quite a selection of summer flowering...
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Ginkgos Large and Small
In Portland, Oregon, Ginkgo biloba trees line the streets in an area called Park Blocks. These magnificent trees were planted years ago and today reach a height of perhaps 100 feet. The Ginkgo is an...
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Bold Grasses for the Fall Garden
Pennisetum ‘Jade Princess’ is a spectacular variety with huge, showy plumes. With many summer-flowering annuals beginning to fade, autumn is the season when many ornamental grasses take center stage. I...
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Overwintering Outdoor Ceramic Containers
With 150+ potted containers throughout my garden, it is important that I overwinter them well. Living on the relatively mild western slope of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, our winters do not compare...
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Favorite Oregon Grapes for Landscape and Garden
A well-established Oregon grape looks spectacular in full fruit. It was not too many years ago that gardeners often thought of Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium, syn. Berberis aquifolium) as primarily a...
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Colorful Flowering Kalanchoe for Winter Cheer
Do you seek a cheerful holiday plant that will look good in your home all season long? One of the best is the succulent flowering kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, USDA Hardiness Zones 10-11)....
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Award-Winning Flowers for 2020
Echinacea Sombrero® Baja Burgundy (Image by AAS Winners) The beginning of the year is always filled with award shows to highlight the best-of-the-best. In the entertainment industry, there are the...
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Late-Winter Garden Tasks for a Happy Garden
Clean off any debris that has collected on the lawn over the winter. Take a Garden Stroll With a steaming cup of coffee in my hand, I walk out into my garden this February morning and delight in seeing...
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How to Amend Clay Soils
One of the garden necessities that should never be overlooked is having the right soil for the right plant, which often means having good, fertile loam. For our plants to perform at their very best,...
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Spring Garden Tasks for a Happy Garden
Amidst these very troubling and upsetting times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I appreciate my garden even more. It is a refuge where I can go and clear my mind of all the chaos around me and feel some...
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Diverse, Beautiful Garden Hostas
Diverse, beautiful garden Hostas come in all colors and sizes. The plant kingdom never ceases to amaze me with the diversity that it offers. Even plants in the same genus can have very unique traits in...
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Early Summer Garden Tasks for a Happy Garden
By the time the month of June arrives, I like to think that I have many of my early-season garden tasks completed. However, this is rarely the case because in a garden, there is always something to do...
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The Best Container Plants for July Heat
The Best Container Plants for July Heat It is July, and there are so many plants in bloom on my deck that it is like a bonanza of color. It is so relaxing to sit there and be surrounded by containers...
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Late-Summer Garden Tasks for a Happy Garden
Late-Summer Garden Tasks for a Happy Garden Sometimes this time of year is referred to as the “dog days of summer”; however, I do not think of it in these terms. Yes, it is hot, many garden flowers are...
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Favorite Shade-Loving Flowering Shrubs and Perennials for Fall
Reblooming hydrangeas, yellow waxbells, and fuchsias are three reliable bloomers that flower into fall. We’ve had a long hot and dry summer here in the Pacific Northwest, so those plants that relish...
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Fall Garden Tasks for a Happy Garden with Mike Darcy
Fall Garden Tasks for a Happy Garden Here in the Pacific Northwest, we often get some wonderfully warm and sunny days in late September and early October. This year is no exception. Now that most of...
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