Space in a greenhouse is often at a premium. Traditionally, seed starting requires room on tables for multiple containers, heat mats, etc. So, when I found out that my colleague, Seattle garden journalist and speaker, Erica Browne Grivas was working with a new space-saving method, I was interested. Basically, it involves creating long rolls of […]
For more than twenty-five years, with few time-outs, I have attended Seattle’s Northwest Flower & Garden Festival. This year, in the gardens created on the show floor, I was struck by the tawny shades of winter—tan, brown, gray, and almost black—apparent in many of the displays. Not that the gardens didn’t show off massive amounts […]
Many gardeners are particular about protecting their hands with gloves for different jobs. But what about their feet? Anyone familiar with a greenhouse knows that the coolest part is at floor level. Boots or shoes can only go so far. If you stand around for any time on those floors, your feet will be getting […]
One of the best benefits of a greenhouse is bringing bulbs to bloom at the time when you most need them—décor, a celebration, or just for cheer in the darkest winter days. This month I’m talking with Brent Heath, the eponymous head of the family-owned mail order business, Brent and Becky’s. After an amazing number […]
It’s bulb season. This will be a two-part column about how to enjoy growing bulbs inside a glasshouse. Most of this advice will also be useful for growing on a sunny windowsill. Next month I will talk about forcing other tender and hardy bulbs indoors. But this month, I’m talking about Amaryllis with Christian Curless, […]
In the busy life of a home gardener, tools are essential. However, if your time is like mine, in the garden and the greenhouse, I’m more focused on caring for plants than I am on caring for tools. And yet, as my friend and artist Phyllis Helland observed, “A shovel easily knifing into the soil—there’s […]
After the heat and stress of the day, evening is a perfect time to enjoy our gardens. So, creating vignettes of what works best in the falling light is important. White flowers are touted for evening and moon gardens because other colors fade back, but the same is true for light-colored foliage, especially the silvers. […]
Forest bathing, or taking an aware walk in the woods, has become popular for its health benefits—it’s known to lower blood pressure and boost immunity. The name is a literal translation of the Japanese term shinrin-yaku, or taking in the forest atmosphere. Last weekend I had a chance to go on a guided forest-bathing walk […]
It’s the time to look at other people’s gardens. While public gardens are great at showing you what’s possible in your area, signing up for a tour of private gardens can give you a strong sense of what you could achieve in your own back yard. Plus, you may be able to talk to the […]
It’s that time of year when gardeners go out on the great plant hunt. “There are so many choices out there, “says Richie Steffen. “Some are fine, but there’s a lot of poor-quality plants as well.” Richie should know. He’s the Executive Director of the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden in Seattle, as well as […]
One of the most effective ways to generate a multitude of plants is to grow your own from cuttings that will get a good start in the greenhouse. This month, I’m talking with Nancy Connolly Blum, a professional landscape gardener and former owner of the Sawmill Ballroom Lavender Farm in Oregon. Here are the propagation […]
Ideally, plants in gardens and greenhouses are designed in layers. And the most neglected layer is right at the bottom—the groundcovers. Using living plant material instead of just mulch makes for easier maintenance, and less weeding. This is true in garden beds and in containers, where shallow-rooted groundcovers do not compete with their deeper-rooted companions. […]
