The end of June is time for “Phase two” in the garden. The first phase of color from spring bulbs and early perennials is over. Clean up the faded, brown foliage from bulbs like daffodils and hyacinths and make room for some summer color.
The third week of June is when growth surges on bedding plants and perennials so fertilizing now will give you and your plants almost instant gratification.
The middle of June is a good time to plant edibles, flower seeds and add trees and shrubs to the landscape. The soil is warming so you can continue to plant seeds of lettuce, carrots and radish and even add seeds of warm season crops like beans, corn, squash and cucumber.
It’s official. This is the coldest spring on record and I have learned my lesson. In an earlier column I pointed out the advantages of this cold, wet spring – fewer weed seeds, daffodils last longer, gardening in the rain is great for your skin – but judging from your e-mails and comments on Facebook, most gardeners were not amused by my Pollyanna attitude.
The last week of May is a great time to plan a summer garden project, adding a shade garden, planning for more summer color or just indulging your wish to collect beautiful, blooming plants.
Marianne Binetti will teach a class on “The Edible Landscape” at 9 a.m. Saturday at Windmill Gardens in Sumner. Call…
The third week of May is when back yard farmers go crazy for tomatoes, potatoes, herbs, berry plants and other edibles to start a bountiful summer season. The secret to success when if comes to growing food in our cool summer climate is to maximize the heat for warm-season crops.
Meet Marianne Binetti at 11 a.m. May 14 at Covington Creek Nursery in Maple Valley for talk on “Creative Container…
This may be one of the coolest springs ever recorded in western Washington but there really is a silver lining to the gray weather. Listening to the lament of gardeners at nurseries, at spring events and on Facebook, I just have to share a few things you may have forgotten. This cool spring weather does have advantages.
The end of April is a time of garden abundance as rhodies bloom, fruit trees flower and seeds sprout in an orchestra of spring growth. Celebrate the rapid growth rate by mowing, edging and fertilizing your lawn.
The secret to less work in the garden is to have more plants. If you really want to simplify and get back to nature, take a tip from Mother Nature herself and refuse to expose naked soil.
This is the time to weed, feed and heed the advice of experience. If you don’t pull, hoe or smother weeds in April, you’ll have showers of weeds all summer long.
Moss does not kill your trees, shrubs or plants, nor does it kill the lawn. It is simply an opportunist, moving in where nothing else can grow. To tame the furry green monster you must remove the four welcome mats: poor drainage, acid soil, poor fertility and too much shade.
