Gardeners are by nature learners. This hobby we call “gardening” is not one to be mastered—with new plants, new insect and disease issues, and weather conditions constantly in flux, the school of gardening has no graduates as we all learn more skills and gain fresh knowledge with each passing season. As spring unfolds, you may be discovering new issues around your yard you need to address, so let’s dive into [...]
Charles Dickens once wrote of sunny March days as “summer in the light and winter in the shade.” With the promise of sunny, warmer weather arriving in the coming days, the chilly late winter we’ve been experiencing lately may begin to shift to real spring, when even the shade isn’t so wintry. As we gardeners excitedly get outside to feel the sun on our skin and work the soil in [...]
Looking out my window, the maples and sumacs in my neighbors’ yards are proudly showing their fiery fall colors, the last of the cucumbers are ripening in my vegetable garden, and the zinnias and dahlias are beginning to wind down their summer blooms. As autumn tightens its grip on our corner of the world, October is the month to begin preparations for winter and take the first steps toward a [...]
We gardeners are drawn to shiny new things—the lure of something new causes us to browse seed catalogs, stroll the aisles at garden centers, and try to convince our spouse to carve out just a little more flowerbed space. Admittedly, new introductions are exciting, but what I find most attractive are improvements on tried-and-true plants—something old, made new. As you get started with planting shrubs and perennials around your yard [...]
Sitting outside the other night, I was struck by how early it was getting dark. It should come as no surprise—after all, last I checked, this happens every year—but I’m always disappointed the first time I notice the days getting markedly shorter. Especially this year, when decent weather didn’t arrive until later in June, it’s hard to accept the fact that we’re firmly into late summer. As you tend to [...]
Ask any native Washingtonian and they’ll tell you that “June Gloom” is a very real thing in our corner of the world. Unfortunately, this year’s June Gloom comes on the heels of Abundant April Showers and a Mostly Moist May, leaving weather forecasters with few friends. With summer just around the corner (one can hope!), June is a great time to work outside, ensuring a colorful, productive, and healthy garden [...]
They say that “April showers bring May flowers,” and this year, I’m sure I’m not the only one clinging to that promise! With the last nine months bringing a 100-degree spread in temperatures, endless rain, and for many, flooded yards and gardens, I think we’re all ready for a good stretch of nice weather. With the effects of severe weather in the last year becoming obvious around your yard, now [...]
In the last few weeks, the lives of many people around our county and region were upended, with homes, farms, and businesses damaged or destroyed by raging floodwaters. While fixing damage to structures and vehicles has been the primary focus in the intervening days, many yards and gardens have sustained significant damage as well. If your yard was overwhelmed by flooding, here are a few tips to help repair and [...]
With regular soaking rains, cool temperatures, and crisp sunny days marked by the slanting rays of a sun sinking further into the southern sky, there’s little doubt that autumn is here to stay. As you work at cleaning up your yard and getting your garden ready for winter, here are a few items to keep your lawn and garden healthy and thriving throughout the months to come. First, while our [...]
I’m not the athletic sort, so forgive me for mixing metaphors when I say that we gardeners have to learn to roll with the punches when life throws us curveballs. Whatever word picture you prefer, the heat and sun we experienced late last month was a curveball we’ll talk about for a long time. As you clean up damaged plants and try to help your garden recover, here are some [...]
