Videos

The Stab Wiggle and Drop Technique for Planting Annuals Fast

May 14, 2010 0 comments
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You all know how I feel about my Stainless Steel Hori-Hori – if I’ve got that, my Bahcos, and gloves – I’m ready to tackle the world! Or, um, the world of gardening at least. Anyway, I want to show you a technique for planting six-packs of annuals or veggies FAST – the Stab, Wiggle [...]

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The GroundHog Rake: A Video Review, and Why I Love it for Mulching

May 6, 2010 4 comments
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This time of year, I’m adding a fresh layer of bark mulch to many of my gardens to hold moisture in and keep the weeds down. Right now it’s especially easy to do because the plants are still small from winter dormancy, so I can spread it out without having to bend and wiggle to [...]

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Video Review of Fiskars Powergear Hedging Shear

February 20, 2010 11 comments
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If you’ve hung around North Coast Gardening for any length of time, you know that I’m a sucker for tools that do multiple jobs well. This hedging shear is my go-to tool for cutting back perennials in fall and winter, pruning ornamental grasses and sword ferns in winter, and deadheading heathers and other plants that [...]

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Video Review of the Fiskars Pruning Stik, My Favorite Pole Pruner

December 12, 2009 9 comments
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Lightweight’s the name of the game for this pole pruner. I’ve been using these Fiskars Pruning Stiks for many years in my landscaping business and have not yet broken or had to retire one. Many pole pruners fail because they try to do too much – they have a saw, a lopper, they extend, and [...]

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How to Prune Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ (Video Tutorial)

November 30, 2009 15 comments
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Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ is a true garden classic, especially paired with ornamental grasses, lavenders and colorful sages. It’s particularly great because during the summer when everything else is blooming, its greenish-white buds are getting bigger and bigger, creating a subtly beautiful show, then as everything else slows for the fall, ‘Autumn Joy’ bursts into bloom [...]

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Welcome to my OpenSky Store!

November 28, 2009 7 comments
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EDIT January 2011: I am no longer partnering with OpenSky to bring you my favorite gardening products. I’m now just helping you find the best online sources for the things I recommend. If you’ve hung out at North Coast Gardening for a while, you know I have some, ahem, opinions about gardening tools. Felcos? Forget [...]

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How to Summer-Prune a Floppy Miscanthus Grass (Video Tutorial)

September 26, 2009 9 comments
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I’m a big fan of ornamental grasses because they add so much motion and life to a garden. If you use multiples, they’re an easy way of bringing a sense of continuity to a busy or scattered-feeling garden, because the effect of their foliage is so soothing. Miscanthus is a favorite because it grows so [...]

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How to Prune Hydrangeas (Video Tutorial)

September 12, 2009 8 comments
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I love Bigleaf Hydrangeas (H. macrophylla), the traditional garden Hydrangea with either big mophead flowers or the subtler lacecap flowerheads. Most gardens have a Hydrangea or two tucked in, and why not? As long as they have composty soil and get watered regularly, they make a fantastic show of blooms with very little effort on [...]

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How to Deadhead Mexican Bush Sage or Salvia leucantha (Video Tutorial)

September 1, 2009 4 comments
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I shot this video in December, when this Salvia was at the end of its blooming season and just starting to think about going dormant, but the advice for how to deadhead and prune it is still great for summer. Right now, many of the Mexican Bush Sages in the gardens that I maintain are [...]

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Wicked Plants Book Review (Video with Amy Stewart) Plus a Look Inside the Author’s Wicked Plants Garden

August 3, 2009 6 comments
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I’m a huge fan of Amy Stewart, and I’ve read everything she’s written, including her bimonthly column in our local newspaper and her writing at Garden Rant, so I was thrilled when I heard about her latest book, Wicked Plants. I’m a professional gardener and a total plant geek, so reading all about the wicked [...]

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