http://www2.allblues.org/aroundthehouse en-us http://www2.allblues.org/aroundthehouse N/A alfred@nwnet.us Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:30:37 PST 20 http://www2.allblues.org/aroundthehouse/articles/106/1/Water-Features-for-the-Small-Garden Recently, I saw a cartoon that really made me laugh. It showed a homeowner standing in her small back yard with her landscaper, holding a picture of Versailles in her hand. The caption read "I'd like to try something like this."Certainly Louis XIV valued the beauty that water adds to the garden, as the fountains of Versailles attest. However, my guess is that you don't have quite that kind of real estate. No matter how small your garden is - even if it is just a lanai or a small deck - you can experience the beauty and pleasure of water in the garden with less trouble than you might think. When space is at a premium, I often recommend adding a "water pot" to the garden. By choosing the appropriate container and planning accordingly you'll be surprised at how easy it is. What follows are some suggestions for containerized water features for the small garden.The sound of splashing water is often something we look for in a water feature, and this is easily accomplished as long as there is a source of electricity for your container. Choose a container that complements the scale of the space it will stand in, and also an appropriately sized pump. Drill a hole with a masonry bit a few inches from the bottom of the container. Thread the pump's cord through a rubber plug, seal around holes with a silicone sealer, attach your piping and bubbler to the pump and splash away. If your container is unglazed on the inside (like terra cotta) you will also need to seal it with a premixed sealer like Drylock. Alternatively, balance a spout on the edge of the container (as with bamboo spouts) and no drilling is required. The water re-circulates but you may need to add more occasionally due to evaporation. Supplies are available at home improvement centers and many reputable nurseries.In the absence of electricity, consider installing a container filled with aquatic or bog plants. The appropriate mix of plants will keep the water naturally clear, without added chemicals. Oxygenating grasses compete with algae for food. True aquatic plants do not mind having their crowns submerged in a few inches of water and some can live in water that is even deeper. There are also the carnivorous bog plants, like Sarracenia purpurea, which do not like to be submerged but don't mind very wet feet. A hole drilled higher up on the side of the container will keep the water from rising over the crowns. A great source of information for these types of water gardens is Oasis Water Gardens (206-767-9776) in the Georgetown area of Seattle.Even a simple bird bath will create a source of water, decoration and an attraction for birds. A birdbath does require some regular cleaning, and birds don't particularly like warm water, so the bath should get some afternoon shade.You may not get Versailles, but you can aim for the Petit Trianon!by Toni Cross, CPH Toni Cross Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www2.allblues.org/aroundthehouse/articles/102/1/Go-Native Washington boasts a great diversity of native plants. These  plants are an important resource and necessary part of our ecosystem. They provide habitat for birds, insects and wildlife.  They help limit erosion on steep slopes. They can provide filtering for water runoff and protect fragile stream banks and wetland areas. They are the greenery that makes the Pacific Northwest the lush green paradise that it is.  Native plants make a wonderful addition to the home garden. They offer seasonal color and interest with interesting blossoms, fruits/berries, and a variety of foliage textures and shapes. Some native plants have foliage that offers varied colors during different seasons. Many native plants provide food to birds (and some have tasty fruit for us humans to enjoy as well!)  If you have a shady area, many native plants, used to growing under the forest canopy make a good choice for these parts of the yard.     Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen Huckleberry) is handsome plant with glossy evergreen foliage that looks good all year. The spring flowers are whitish pink bell shapes. The dark blue-black berries are slightly sweet, offering food for birds and a treat for the gardener. In winter months, the foliage takes on bronze burgundy hues and provides a spot of color. Evergreen huckleberry will tolerate sun or part shade, a variety of soils and is quite drought tolerant when established.  Height can vary from 2'-3' in sun, to over 6' in shade. Other medium growers such as mahonia aquifolium (oregon grape), polystichum munitum (western swordfern) rosa gymnocarpa (baldhip rose) make a colorful addition to the ornamental garden.  Selections such as holodiscus discolor(oceanspray), amelanchier (serviceberry), symphiocarpus albus (snowberrr), myrica californica (pacific wax myrtle) make interesting transitions to adjoining native areas.  For groundcovers, or foreground interest, a favorite is Blechnum spicant (Deer Fern). Smaller than the Western Sword Ferns it can be planted along a path in shade or part shade and is evergreen. Other choices are the lower growing mahonias (m. nervosa, m. repans), gaultheria shallon (salaal) for larger areas and arctostaphyllos uva ursi (kinnick kinnick) for sunny slopes. Native plants need little maintenance or irrigation once they are established. Most are fairly drought tolerant but they will benefit from watering during the first couple of growing seasons after planting. Washington state governor Christine Gregoire has proclaimed the week of April 27th-May 3rd, 2008 as Native Plant Appreciation Week. Celebrate this by adding a few native plants to your own garden! For information about the weeks activities, visit the Washington Native Plant Society at www.wnps.org.Not sure how to work native plants into your garden? Contact me at  pnw135@verizon.net for a garden consultation.   Pam Roy Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www2.allblues.org/aroundthehouse/articles/97/1/Gardening-for-the-Greener-Good Our gardens are an important part of the ecosystem. What we do in our home gardens greatly impacts the environment. Here are some ways you can put sustainable practices to work in your own garden and contribute to the greener good.1. Plant the right plant in the right place.  Choose plants that will thrive in the various conditions of sun/shade, dry or wet soil, and hardiness ratings for the different microclimates in your yard. Select plants that will not outgrow the area they have.  2. Practice water conservation. Use drought tolerant plants.  Group plants according to water use needs. Water in the early morning hours when less water will be lost to evaporation. If you have an automatic sprinkler system, invest in a rain sensor that automatically prevents the system from coming on during rain. Don't overwater - if your lawn is going "squish, squish" when you walk across it, it's getting too much water. Monitor amount of water the lawn is getting with a rain gauge set out in the yard, or by putting some empty tin cans around and measuring the amount of water they collect. One inch of water per week is enough. Let the lawn be off color in August, knowing it will green up once the fall rains commence.  3. Eliminate or reduce the amount of lawn area in your yard.   If you have a lawn, adopt lawn care practices that will minimize harmful impacts. Mow with an electric mulching mower, or better yet skip driving to the gym for your workout and mow with a push mower. Keep the lawn at a consistent height of one and a half to two inches. Stay away from products like weed and feed which can leach harmful chemicals into the storm water system. Use organic slow release fertilizers that have a balanced 3:1:2 ratio of nutrients. Avoid overfertilizing with high nitrogen fertilizers.4. Build healthy soil for your plants by incorporating composted organic material into soils as needed. Think of the soil in your garden as a living entity and encourage microbial activity to help develop a healthy growing medium for your plants. Apply 2" of composted mulch to planting beds or 3-4" of aged wood chips to larger areas after planting to suppress weed growth, conserve moisture and insulate plant roots.  5. Use native plants. Many of our native plants are drought tolerant, offer year round color and interest, and provide nutrition for birds, butterflies and bees.  Look into getting your yard certified as a back yard wildlife habitat (www.nwf.org/backyard).6. Install rain barrels or some other type of on site water catchment system to reuse storm water on site. Plan a rain garden or bioswale to slow down and filter storm water runoff. Take the "greener good" challenge and incorporate at least one of the above into your landscape this year.  Consultations are available to help implement the above with an award winning landscape designer/certified professional horticulturist with 30 years experience.By Pam Roy, CPHPlanscapespnw135@verizon.net Pam Roy Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www2.allblues.org/aroundthehouse/articles/92/1/Gardening-For-Year-Round-Color By Robin Haglund, CPHIn the Pacific Northwest we are blessed with weather that allows us to create colorful, fragrant, multi-textured year-round gardens. Unfortunately, many who garden here are unaware of the bounty of plants that create sometimes subtle, sometimes striking colors, fragrances and textures throughout the year. Parney cotoneasterToday I visited a new client's garden. The ground was frozen and heaving. In this frigid wonderland, I saw many plants that in spring will unfurl leaves, flowers and fruit to create a stunning garden from spring through fall. Yet, this mature garden was lacking in well placed winter interest. More often than not, omission of winter interest plants is what I encounter most often.Many of my clients' gardens evolved through a series spring and summer nursery trips. They readily admit they garden during the spring and summer but don't consider the garden "when everything is dead" in the winter. So, their purchases reflect the warm season nursery display "eye-catchers". These seasonal shoppers tend to ignore the "off-season" plants in "boring parts of the nursery". Hence, their gardens may be filled with floriferous geranium, bleeding hearts, Echinacea, and day lily.  But winter bloomers, evergreens, and plants with striking winter bark and berries are mostly absent. Usually, the addition of a few striking winter specimens increases the homeowner's interest in year-round gardening.  By providing every winter garden with colorful blossoms, fragrant surprises, bird-attracting berries or even simple evergreen foundation ensures an interesting garden even the shortest, darkest winter solstice day.Before you add winter interest to your garden, remember each garden is different. Each plant should be selected to fit the aesthetics of the homeowner as well as the environmental requirements of the plant. Proper pruning is critical to ensure that these plants perform as expected. That said, following are some plant options - certainly not the only ones - that will provide color to the winter garden as well as interest throughout the year: (* = fragrant)Garrya elipticaWhites: White flowers, bark and berries add brightness on dark winter days. Also, they can brighten up dark corners of the garden. Options include: Birch, Snowberry, Hellebore, Camellia sasanqua 'White Doves', Flowering Quince, Sarcococca*, Silk Tassel Bush, Star Magnolia and Pieris.Reds: Red is striking against green boughs and white snow. Options include: Red Twig dogwood, Coral Bark Maples, Parney cotoneaster, Camellia sasanqua 'Yuletide', Nandina, and HollyPinks: Pink offers a bright reminder that spring is on the way. Pink winter bloomers include: Camellia sasanqua 'Apple Blossom', Dawn Viburnum*, Hellebore, Kaffir Lily, Flowering Quince, Winter Daphne*, and Euonymus fortuneii 'Emerald Gaiety'Winter HazelYellow: There's nothing like the brilliant fire of yellow when the sun hasn't shone in weeks. Add a hint of fire to your winter garden with: Witch Hazel*, Winter Hazel, Yellow Twig dogwood, Forsythia, Edgeworthia*, Hellebore and Mahonia.Variegated evergreen shrubs: Variegated shrubs have foliage that mixes white or yellow with green. Adding evergreen variegated shrubs like Euonymus, Eleaeganus, Fatsia, Aucuba, Pieris, Forsythia, and Holly to the garden can not only add backdrops to highlight striking specimen planting throughout the year, but they also provide colorful interest in the winter brightening up dark corners and dreary days.Be sure to consider the variety of benefits beyond color that your selections will make to the garden. Many of these selections will attract nectar-seeking hummingbirds and berry-hunting robins to the winter garden. And, a plant like Parney Cotoneaster offers red berries and evergreen leaves in winter while it also provides important pollinating bees an abundance of white flowers in late spring.  Adding plants that shine colorfully in winter will not only expand your gardening season, but also help you realize that life goes on even in the dead of winter.Robin Haglund, founder of Garden Mentors, is a garden coach and designer in the greater Seattle area. For more information or to contact Robin visit gardenmentors.com.More Gardening! Robin Haglund Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www2.allblues.org/aroundthehouse/articles/90/1/Mowing-in-the-Wind By Robin Haglund, CPHAs a professional garden consultant, I work year-round with gardeners ranging from novices to masters. A common thread among most is an aversion to winter gardening. As much as I agree that gardening under the burden of bulky winter clothes in cold, wet weather isn't as much fun as throwing on shorts to garden in summer sunshine, I encourage everyone to find some joy gardening in winter. Winter reveals sparse, open spaces allowing us to see jobs we need to tackle. It exposes damaged branches in need of pruning. Weeds are unmasked as perennials wither, retreating into the earth until spring. Hornet nests, hidden amid lush summer beds, are unveiled as leaves scatter.  Because so much is bare, this is the ideal season to clean up rapidly. Damaging top growth is less likely because so many garden elements have retreated to grow quietly below ground, awaiting spring's awakening call.So, what should you be cleaning up during winter? Really, needs and priorities vary by gardener and garden. However, a few rules hold true for everyone.  Wait until after a hard frost to remove newly revealed nests.First, decide if gardening on a given day is going to help or hurt your garden. If it has been raining steadily saturating your beds, stay off of them. Give soil time to drain so you don't compact the soil. If the weather has been hovering around or below freezing, hold off on doing a lot of pruning. Yes, it is okay to prune in the cold, but take care. Breaking branches is easy on frigid days. If it's really freezing or soggy out, consider focusing on indoor garden clean up tasks instead!Cold wet days are a great time to get your garden shop in order. Although I encourage everyone to keep their tools sharp and sterilized at all times to avoid injuring themselves, damaging plants, or transmitting disease, winter is a great time to focus on your tools. Are your shears dull or nicked? Can they be sharpened and repaired or is it time to buy a replacement blade?  Does your lawnmower need servicing? Drop it off now to avoid delays in spring. If shovels, shears or other tools are corroded, get out the steel wool, oil, and whet stone to clean and sharpen them thoroughly.  Witchhazel branches make beautiful indoor winter arrangements. When the ground finally drains and the temperatures are above freezing get out there and put those freshly laundered tools to work.  Soak up some Vitamin D.  Rake leaves to compost. Prune branches. Pull weeds. If there has been a hard freeze, take down papery hornet nests. (By now, the hornets have moved on.) Cut down withered fall perennials and grasses like Monkshood, Hardy Fuchsia, Miscanthus, and Autumn Joy Sedum. Lightly prune decorative cuttings from winter bloomers like Witchhazel, Dawn Viburnum, Camellia Sasanqua and Winter Daphne; use them for indoor arrangements. Top dress your cleaned beds with high quality mulches to protect roots, deter weeds, add nutrients, and manage rain water. The more you do now, the more spectacular and low maintenance your garden will be during the spring and summer ahead.  Robin Haglund, CPH runs Garden Mentors, a garden consulting service.  To learn more, visit her online at www.gardenmentors.com.Contributed by Breanne JonesCommunication DirectorWashington State Nursery and Landscaping Association (WSNLA)Gardening Archives! Robin Haglund Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www2.allblues.org/aroundthehouse/articles/81/1/The-Fall-Garden-Bouquet By Colleen MikoSome of the most unusual flowers for the vase are those found in the fall garden.  Beyond the typical autumn plants like mums and asters, there are wonderful, easy to grow perennials that can keep bouquets on the table through the end of October.  One of my favorite flowers for the garden and vase alike are the tall and stately Aconitum, or Monkshood.  With these bold blue flowers that make Delphiniums look wimpy, staking is imperative as certain cultivars can reach six feet, but wow! Come September when most perennials are in decline, the Monkshoods are opening their buds, which are green with blue veins and to my vivid imagination look like alien heads. The flower spires can stop traffic. Straight and thick stems are useful for both tall and compact flower arrangements and combine well with many flowers.  Their main caveat is that they are poisonous and both cut flowers and plants should be kept away from toddlers.  Monkshoods appreciate morning sun and even moisture.  Shown here with the unusual companion of dark Aralia berries in a blown glass vase, this is an arrangement that lends itself to a sophisticated Halloween décor.  Place it on a black or deep purple table runner and any modern witch would approve.Another fall blooming perennial that makes a wonderful centerpiece is Boltonia asteroides.   Looking like summer incarnate, its froth of white daisies with chartreuse centers makes an easy bouquet solo.  Boltonia also makes great filler and because the plant reaches 6' tall in bloom, these daisies can be used in short, compact arrangements, but also alongside longer stems like Monkshoods and store bought Gladiolas and Lilies.  I like them with the green button mums that are available in this time of year.  The green of the mums echoes the center of the Boltonia daisy and both can be arranged into a tidy, globe shaped arrangement with a tailored look.  Like many perennials, Boltonia needs little care other protection from slugs in early spring and staking.  It requires full sun and one plant will provide enough blossoms fill vases while still shining in the garden bed.Schizostylus coccinea or Kaffir Lily is a fall star.  Its stunning coral red color blends effectively with other plants showing their fall tints.  Schizostylus, which is related to Gladiolas, can be found in white or shell pink, but I find the red most dramatic.  I've combined it in a Murano glass vase with two autumn kissed leaves of Oakleaf Hydrangea and the long leaves of the New Zealand Flax 'Pink Panther'.  Easy as cake to grow and blooming from late August through October, save a sunny place in the garden for Kaffir Lily, whether or not you intend to ever bring any indoors.Thanks to Colleen Miko, CPH of Colleen's, A Landscape Design Company.  For more information about Colleen's business, visit www.colleenmiko.com.Contributed by Breanne JonesCommunications DirectorWashington State Nursery and Landscaping AssociationMore Gardening! Colleen Miko Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:00:00 PDT http://www2.allblues.org/aroundthehouse/articles/78/1/Orange%3A-The-New-Black By Phyllis WarmanHow is it the color I once despised in my garden as much as my closet has become my favorite in both places? And, I suppose, if you consider tangerine and amber just shades of the same, then the walls of my bathroom and tile in my kitchen is only further testimony that the once-elusive orange now colors my world. How could I resist?What other color can be so tropically seductive, so boldly exotic, through spring and summer then later that fall come back to romance us with its smoldering, rich warm glow. Orange is truly wicked!  Back when I was a new homeowner, like so many virgin gardeners, I played it safe, always reaching for the white-, blush pink- and blue-flowering plants at the nursery. At some point I tried to cheer the place up with yellow, and then was briefly courted by red. Back then, provocative for me would have meant a flashy hot Fuchsia. Like so many others, I later dappled in plants of the variegated persuasion. This is how chartreuse first found its way into my garden. Somehow I managed to resist those plants deliciously described as chocolate, but only because my garden was growing full. Then one Halloween season, I had the bright idea of dressing up my front garden in orange. So, I brought loads of orange pansies (Viola sp.) home from the nursery where I worked at the time. I littered the porch and front steps with mounding containers of them. I stuffed bundles of orange pansies in the bare spots left by my summer perennials. I had more pumpkins than my family could possibly carve that year so I filled them with more orange as well as a few Black pansies. Not that I was a pansy fan, but besides black, orange was the only Halloween color I could think of and pansies the only orange flower available in late October. The idea, of course, was to decorate for the holiday. I wanted something more than your average graveyard scene, flying ghosts or hanging bloody limbs. The point, I'm not afraid to admit, was to dazzle the trick-or-treaters and impress the neighbors with a charming, more creative view. It was nearly dark when I stood up, having finally planted the last of my seemingly endless supply of pansies. And, as usual for late October, it had begun to rain. It was cold, late and I now found myself cursing Halloween as those plucky, sunny-faced little flowers seem to choke the holiday spirit right out of me. I was tired, my back ached and my hands were numb. But before heading indoors, I stepped back instead to admire my handiwork.  And as I looked around under that threatening dark sky and through that menacing wet haze, I realized my garden was glowing. I could practically feel its radiance rise up from the ground. All around me the landscape had transformed and was now ablaze in that one enchanting, luminous color. And there I was, standing in the rain, totally transfixed and completely spellbound by orange.Squeezing Orange into Your Garden The easiest way to test drive orange in your garden this fall season is with Pansies. Look for enticing hybrids like 'Mariposa Orange,' 'Karma Fire' and 'Icicle Clear Orange.' Orange flowering bulbs you can plant now for their spring performance include  'Jetfire' Daffodil, 'Orange Emperor,' and 'Orange Cassini' Tulips.When you're ready for an all-season commitment, try some of these orange bloomers: FALL-WINTERCelastrus scandens (American Bittersweet)-orange berriesHamamelis 'Jelena' or 'Diane' (Witch Hazel)Ilex verticillata 'Winter Gold' (Winterberry Holly)-orange berriesPyracantha coccinea 'Orange' and 'Gnome' (Firethorn)-orange berriesSPRING-SUMMERAgastache  'Apricot Sunrise' and 'Tangerine Dreams'  (Hummingbird Mint)Berberis darwinii (Darwin Barberry)Campsis radicans 'Madame Galen' (Orange Trumpet Vine)Campsis x tagliabuana 'Indian Summer' (Trumpet Vine)Canna 'Wyoming'Cestrum 'Orange Peel' (Night Scented Jasmine)Crocosmia 'Emberglow' Echinacea purpurea 'Sundown' and 'Orange Meadowbrite' (Coneflower)Euphorbia 'Fireglow'Geum speciesHemerocallis fulva (Orange Daylily)Heuchera 'Crème Brulee,' 'Georgia Peach,' 'Marmalade,' 'Peach Flambe,' and 'Peach Melba' -orange foliageKniphofia uvaria (Red Hot Poker)Lewisia species (Bitterroot)Papaver orientale (Oriental Poppy)Potentilla fruticosa 'Sunset' or 'Hopleys Orange' (Bush Cinquefoil )Primula species (Primrose)Rhododendron or Azaleas species (www.rhododendron.org). (My favorite is the early spring blooming Deciduous Azalea 'Mandarin Lights')-orange flowersPhyllis Warman, an award-winning Landscape Designer, lives in Kirkland and is considering repainting her green truck orange. Visit her website at www.PhyllisWarman.com. Contributed by Breanne Jones, Communications Director Washington State Nursery and Landscaping Association   More Gardening! Phyllis Warman Mon, 08 Oct 2007 00:00:00 PDT