“Every garden starts with inspiration, and you can find lots of inspired ideas at garden shows,” says Kathleen Norris Brenzel, editor of the just-published ninth edition of The New Sunset Western Garden Book. She should know. As Sunset Magazine’s Garden Editor, Kathleen has judged countless show display gardens and presented many excellent talks on the […]
Have you ever wished your garden could feel more like a private hideaway? Perhaps your outdoor space has yet to be defined, or maybe the neighbors just added a second story that overlooks your back yard. Because winter is the best planning time for summer projects, this month I talk with Seattle garden writer Marty […]
There’s a gardening aphorism—“The best time to plant a tree? Twenty years ago. And the second-best time to plant a tree? Now.” This month I’m looking back twenty years to my local Northwest experts—Roger Gossler of Gossler Farms, and Harold Greer of Greer Gardens who recommended that I plant these four small trees. Thanks, gentlemen, […]
Why is it that most garden books debut in February? I have to wait until then for Willy Galloway’s terrific vegetable book, Grow, Cook, Eat—A Food Lover’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening. Is February the month when publishers assume gardeners’ hearts turn to spring? This gardener’s heart is warmed by new books in deep winter, when […]
Brent Heath of Brent and Becky’s Bulbs makes this claim with a certain pride: “It’s always safe to walk in our greenhouses.” Most owners of commercial establishments can’t say that. Routine chemical spraying or fumigation of indoor growing spaces means workers are forbidden to enter the area for specific times—from hours to days. But not […]
Home gardeners and farmers look to the past and see their future at the National Heirloom Exposition. Heirloom vegetables —those open-pollinated varieties older than 50 years—have long been treasured by gardeners and farmers alike for their wide-ranging flavors, extended harvest times, and often odd-lot looks. This September, the niche horticultural pursuits of organic practices, seed […]
I recently attended a three-day plant-o-rama—a garden study weekend sponsored by the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon. Each morning, all 500-plus of us (some from as far away as England) gathered at the University of Portland to listen to horticultural stars like designer Nan Sinton, landscape architect Bernard Trainor, and edibles expert Jack Staub. Afternoons […]
What do Aga stoves, Sub-Zero fridges and Bosch dishwashers have in common with conifers? They’re all high end—and they all deliver. Right now, many summer borders are going over the top in a proverbial riot of blooms. They could use a bit of stability, form and balance. So, in the face of frolicking flowers, let’s […]
I love the unexpected look of vegetables growing with ornamentals. Several years ago when we visited Paris, I found many public gardens featured a riot of cabbages, lettuces and colorful beets, all corralled by classic clipped boxwood hedges. Fun. Yet, my own efforts to plant this way have been disastrous. Last year, I boldly grew […]
Nine Newcomers for Every Gardener’s Wish-List As a garden writer, I get to grow new plant introductions when they first come to market. But not all the freebies fare equally well in my garden. After a long cold Northwest winter and spring, here are the best and brightest. They not only survived—they thrived. Look for […]
April is the cruelest month, if only because that’s when slugs and snails start to proliferate. Usually, in this column I seek out an expert to follow, but as far as these slimy underleaf denizens are concerned, I am an expert. After all, I live in Eugene, Oregon, where every year we crown our own […]
Orchids stand apart. At flower shows these movie stars of the plant world gather under the lights, their jewel-tone speckled faces shining. But I confess— Orchidaceae’s astonishing allure has always passed me by. However, that changed last month, when my friend Ann Murphy, Director of Marketing for the Oregon Association of Nurseries, invited me to […]
