Pacific Northwest Regional Report

Slimy Slugs, Slippery Snails

Whenever I spot a trail of glistening slime leading across a leaf or flower, I know that a slug or snail has been feasting. I'm always amazed at the amount of damage they can do in a relatively short period of time. Slugs and snails are mollusks,...
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Resources

Earthworms
Garden Glove Care

Cut Back Leggy Annuals
Divide Bearded Iris
Keep Lawn Mower Blades Sharp
Mound Soil Around Carrots
Control Apple Maggots

Propagating Plants by Layering

One spring years ago while I was cleaning leaves away from the base of my favorite hydrangea, I discovered that a low-growing branch had rooted where it touched the ground, producing a new little plant. I snipped the stem between mother and baby and...
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Resources

Container Water Gardens
'Stella d'Oro' Daylily

Start Rose Cuttings
Watch for Spittle Bugs
Fertilize Vegetables and Small Fruits
Check Vegetables for Tiny Pests
Get Weeds Before They Seed

Should Trees Be Staked?

It used to be common practice to stake newly planted trees by encircling their trunks with guy wires attached to vertical supports. But staking has probably killed as many trees as it has helped, simply because so many of them were never unstaked. As...
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Resources

Diascia
Flowering Greeting Cards

Build a Flower Basket
Check for Insects
Thin Seedlings
Thin Apples
Fertilize Lawns

Dynamic, Dependable Dahlias

Now that soil and air temperatures have warmed, it's time to plant dahlias. I never met a dahlia I didn't like. They come in all sizes, from dwarf plants that can be tucked away in a border to almost bush-like giants. They have a variety of bloom shapes...
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Resources

Help with Plant Problems
Making More Plants

Store Extra Seed
Leave Grass Clippings
Fertilize Plants
Encourage Asparagus Foliage
Keep Records

Plant Hellebores for Winter Color

When I began gardening almost 30 years ago, I planted reliable, easy-care perennials and shied away from anything even remotely demanding. After years of getting dirt under my fingernails, my attitude changed. Now I love the challenge of growing plants...
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Resources

Portland Rose Festival
Hosta 'Great Expectations'

Check for Insects
Conserve Water
Apply Organic Mulch
Plant Warm-Season Veggies
Prevent Powdery Mildew Disease

In Celebration of Annuals

Since they only stay in the garden for one season, annuals offer an opportunity to experiment with different foliage textures and flower colors each and every year. If you don't like the effect you've created one year, you can simply chalk it up to...
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Resources

Garden Puns and Wisdom
Diascia, a Nonstop Performer

Divide Hostas
Make Inexpensive Plant Markers
Combat Spittlebugs
Clean Pruning Saws
Set Out Convenient Weed Receptacles

Scent Underfoot

Colorful and fragrant, thymes are diminutive perennial herbs suitable for any sunny, dry, well-drained spot. I use them between pavers, along walks, and at the top of rock walls where they cascade down in soft mats and root between the rocks. More...
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Resources

Field Guide to Insects
Bleeding Heart

Renew Ornamental Grasses
Propagate Dianthus
Plant Extra Veggies
Aerate Your Lawn
Measuring with Ease

Spring Rose Pruning

Growing hybrid tea and floribunda roses in the Pacific Northwest can be a challenge. Despite all the coddling we give them, our cool, wet summers are not at all to their liking. I've found that the best approach is planting the most disease-resistant...
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Resources

Directory of Horticultural Web Sites
Soil and Composting

Choosing Healthy Bedding Plants
Add Wood Ashes
Outwit Cats
Overseed Lawns
Keep a Garden Calendar

Exploring Community Gardens

If you love getting dirt under your fingernails but don't have a place to garden, participating in a community garden might just be the perfect solution. Community gardens are popping up everywhere, from empty lots in urban areas to designated sites...
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Resources

Ornamental Pear
Unconventional Perennial Division

Plan Next Year's Bulb Display
Keep an Eye on Fruit Trees
Apply Mulch
Plant Shrubs and Trees
Plant Cold-Tolerant Veggies

Adding Character With Containers

Containers are everywhere in my garden, lush and vibrant, filled with annuals, perennials, grasses, roses, vines, and shrubs. My collection of more than 50 terra-cotta planters serves a variety of purposes. One group of containers greets visitors and...
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Resources

Bugs of Washington and Oregon
Snow-in-Summer

Water Regularly
Harvest Peas
Scout For Pests
Build a Flower Basket
Encourage Frogs

Selecting Healthy Trees and Shrubs

When I go to a nursery to buy a tree or shrub, I'm looking for a plant that will make steady progress and endure, not one that will cling to life for a season or two, then have to be replaced. Years of experience have helped me hone my detective...
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Resources

Sustainable Gardening
Centaurea 'Colchester White'

Make Pots for Seedlings
Start Seeds Indoors
Prepare Spuds for Planting
Organize Seeds
Harvest Asparagus

Pacific Northwest Regional Report

Slimy Slugs, Slippery Snails

Resources

Reminders

Propagating Plants by Layering

Resources

Reminders

Should Trees Be Staked?

Resources

Reminders

Dynamic, Dependable Dahlias

Resources

Reminders

Plant Hellebores for Winter Color

Resources

Reminders

In Celebration of Annuals

Resources

Reminders

Scent Underfoot

Resources

Reminders

Spring Rose Pruning

Resources

Reminders

Exploring Community Gardens

Resources

Reminders

Adding Character With Containers

Resources

Reminders

Selecting Healthy Trees and Shrubs

Resources

Reminders