Leaving Summer Behind
We are fortunate to live in an area where seasonal changes are so vivid and obvious. Though many of us dread the coming short daylight hours and rainy days we can take solace in the reality that these changes help our gardens thrive. The Coming Dark The longer nights can give us a chance for […]
Mulching Your Garden Beds in the Fall
When we first get the hints of colder weather to come, we tend to withdraw into our homes for warmth and out of the garden. However, this is a great time of year to warm up by applying mulch to your garden beds! Not only do you get a good workout, but your garden soil […]
Embrace Beneficial Insect Allies in Your Garden
pollinators and predators, oh my!
The summer solstice is nigh and we are happily gardening these days with a little more warmth and sunshine than we encountered this past spring. Many plants have finished blooming and many others are just making an appearance. Along with all those fabulous flowers follows a plethora of amazing and beneficial garden allies in the […]
Rainy Season in the Northwest
keeping an eye on wet things
We live in a lush environment. Now that smoke and fire season is behind us we can lean into our wet and cold season. According to the Farmer’s Almanac we are to expect snow, cold, and lots of rain over the last half of November which will wind down into mild temps and rainy […]
Fall Gardening Tips and Resources
Don't stop gardening yet!
Fall is a great time to do some very important work in your garden. This is a prime season to improve your soil, get ahead of weeds and set up wildlife resources in the landscape. Give us a call to discuss personal priorities and let us help you get your garden set up for the […]
Fun With Food Scraps!
Sue Hartman - Garden Hotline educator emeritus
We throw away a lot of food! According to Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle residents throw out approximately 100,000 tons of food annually. Composting food waste is an important step in reducing this mountain of garbage that is now hauled 300 miles away for disposal in a landfill in Eastern Oregon. But you don’t have to […]
Planting Peas!
Cultivating the Pisum sativum
Melissa McGinn and Laura Matter – Garden Hotline Educators Peas are annual plants (grow, bloom, flower and set seed within one growing season) that grow like a vine and can be planted in the cooler part of spring. Peas can be planted from March through May in the northwest for a reliable crop. We sometimes […]
Mulch 101
Laura Matter, Garden Hotline Educator
What is Mulch? Mulch is a form of organic matter spread on the surface of the soil around plants to keep weeds down, conserve moisture and moderate soil temperatures all year long. Fall is a great time to apply mulch—getting ahead of cool season weeds and freezing winter temperatures. When applying mulch to beds with […]
Celebrate the return of our cool season flowers!
Sue Hartman, Garden Hotline Educator ‘Tis the season for pansies, violas, calendula, and sweet alyssum. The weather is changing, the rains are returning and the nights are cooling off. This means those delightful spring bloomers that thrive in this kind of weather are also returning to our gardens. They will all easily self-sow and Calendula […]