What to Plant?

Shamelessly Tropical: Hawt Plants for a Variety of Climates (The Garden Designers Roundtable on Under-Utilized Plants)

July 27, 2010
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I admit it. I’m in zonal denial. I love the huge tender leaves of bananas, the glorious hanging trumpets of Brugmansia, and anything so wild and lush that it makes me feel like I’m on vacation to the kind of rainforest-y tropics that have monkeys and great winding green snakes and crazy bugs that for [...]

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Bulletproof Rhododendrons: Rhodies for Sea Coast Wind and Other Tough Conditions

July 9, 2010
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Rhododendrons are tough performers in our Pacific Northwest climate, and have become a standby for landscapers looking for a plant that’s sure to thrive. But not all Rhodies are created equal; some are more suited to tough conditions than others, as evidenced by the horrible-looking Rhodies in so many local parking lots. Finding the right [...]

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Coastal Gardening: Screens and Hedges for the Sea Coast Garden

June 10, 2010
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If you’re gardening on the sea coast, the wind can make it hard to enjoy being outdoors. Using fast-growing hedges or screening plants can help you block the wind and enjoy hanging out and working in your garden. How to use hedges and screens successfully to block wind: First, think of what direction the wind [...]

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Coastal Gardening: Groundcover Plants for the Sea Coast

May 8, 2010
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Using groundcovers in sea coast gardens can give you easy low-maintenance color. I love to use ground-covering plants in masses because the waves of color kind of echo the broad waves of the ocean. Planting groundcovers also avoids a lot of the issues found when planting individual shrubs or trees. When planted in masses, the [...]

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Coastal Gardening: Shade-Loving Plants for the Sea Coast

May 1, 2010
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Sea coast gardening is challenging enough in full sun, but choosing wind- and salt-tolerant plants for the shade can be downright daunting. Most shade plants didn’t evolve in unprotected, windy zones – they are used to the shelter of trees. Not to worry – there are a few beautiful plants that can help give your [...]

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Coastal Gardening: Perennial Flowers for the Sea Coast

April 28, 2010
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Recently I discussed some of the challenges people face when gardening in windy coastal  conditions, and some counter-intuitive tips for gardening on the sea coast. The biggest struggle is finding plants that will thrive and bloom even with all that wind and salt. Trial and error is a big part of gardening, but it’s nice [...]

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Callunas, Ericas, Daboecias, Oh My! Demystifying the Different Kinds of Heather

April 17, 2010
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I first heard about the heather plant when I was 10, reading an old-fashioned British book about a group of children who escaped their abusive guardians and made a home together on a secret island. They built a willow house out of live willow stems, so their home grew lush and protected, and they used [...]

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Victoria, B.C.- Style Hanging Flower Baskets

March 17, 2010
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The city of Victoria, British Columbia has the most decadent flower baskets hanging from the lamp posts in the shopping district all summer long. They’re bright, they’re cheerful, and most importantly, they guide tourists down the streets and show shoppers which areas they’re likely to find most interesting. How can you use this idea at [...]

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Podcast on Natives with Doug Tallamy

February 16, 2010
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Douglas Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home, wants to change the way we landscape- radically. He’s a native plant buff and makes a scientific case for planting more natives in our gardens to preserve biodiversity. This five-part podcast (it’s only about 45 minutes long all put together) presented some game-changing info that’s making me really [...]

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Disease-Resistant Roses for Damp Coastal Climates

January 19, 2010
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It’s bare-root season, guys, and the roses are cheap and plentiful! I’ve written before about how to select a bare-root rose and about some disease-resistant rose varieties for the coastal Pacific Northwest. I wanted to follow up with some additional suggestions that our local rose expert, Cynthia Graebner of Fickle Hill Old Rose Nursery, left [...]

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