What to Plant?

Fall Color Container Planting Idea

October 24, 2009 7 comments
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A client came up with this pretty container planting idea for summer and fall. The spiky Phormium/ Flax Grass makes a vivid centerpiece, then she used red Coleus and orange Impatiens to pick up on the Flax’s colored stripes. Last, she used some purple trailing Petunias to cool down the combination and spill over the [...]

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Fall-Blooming Heathers for Autumn Color

October 10, 2009 4 comments
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Calluna vulgaris ‘Sister Anne’ In all the time I’ve been designing gardens, I have never had anyone tell me, “please, no heathers!”. Thank goodness, because heathers are my secret weapon for extending any season’s interest. By the end of summer many perennials have stopped blooming, but the winter bloomers and fall colors haven’t started in [...]

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Disease-Resistant Roses for the Pacific Northwest

July 20, 2009 11 comments
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As a professional gardener, my philosophy leans more towards making organic and sustainable choices in the garden, not only because I’m afraid of what long-term repeated exposure could do to my health, but also because I have the power to help so many people make better choices for their gardens. The organic philosophy can be [...]

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Container Plants that Birds Love

March 21, 2009 9 comments

Finishing off our series on planting to attract birds, here’s my love poem to container gardeners – some of my favorite plants to attract birds and hummingbirds to your urban or patio garden. Fuchsia thymifolia or Fairy Fuchsia This is the fuchsia that makes me go starry-eyed with love. Blooming all year  long on the [...]

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Nectar Plants for the Hummingbirds to Enjoy

March 5, 2009 14 comments

If you’ve been following my series on Planting to Attract Birds, you may already have a few plants in mind to attract hummingbirds to your garden. Who wouldn’t want to bring that energy and life into their garden? Even though I’m a landscaper and get to see hummingbirds every day, they never lose their magic [...]

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Smaller Plants to Attract Birds – a Few Favorites

February 27, 2009 11 comments

We’ve covered my favorite trees and larger shrubs to attract birds; now I want to talk about some of the smaller plants to bring the birds and hummingbirds flying to your garden. These are just a few of my favorites to use as a starting point – there are so many gorgeous small shrubs, perennials, [...]

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Shrubs to Attract Birds – Planting for Year-Round Berries and Habitats

February 22, 2009 11 comments

Now that we’ve talked about trees to attract birds, and how to attract birds using feeders and birdbaths, I want to get on to some of my very favorite shrubs. From the rich purple berries of Callicarpa to the hanging clusters on Leycesteria, I’ve chosen my top five shrubs to plant for the birds: Berberis [...]

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Trees to Attract Birds: New Stars and Old Favorites

February 18, 2009 4 comments

We talked earlier this week about how to attract birds using feeders and water. Since we’re all plant geeks here, I’m dying to share some of my favorite trees for the Pacific Northwest to attract birds. Do remember that any tree that has fruit or berries is going to be messy, so you should place [...]

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Braving The Thorns: How to Select a Bare Root Rose

January 6, 2009 7 comments
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If you want to buy a rose anytime this year, January’s the time to do it. They have just arrived in the nurseries and are cheap, transplant well right now, and the selection is fantastic. (Next month they’ll be even cheaper, of course, but do you want to risk your favorite being gone?) Here’s how [...]

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Cheerful Conifers: Some Year-Round Stars (With Photos)

December 22, 2008 4 comments

To finish up my Fall Planting for Winter Interest series, I’m excited to share some of my favorite conifers that look awesome in winter. Conifers are one of the strongest evergreen elements in a garden. They’re usually fairly tough once established, and there’s an enormous variety in textures and colors – from stately and stiff [...]

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