Deer-Resistant Combinations for Hot, Sunny Sites

Deer-resistant garden border

Learning to select plant combinations rather than just individual plants, will immediately transform your garden from the onesy-twosey look to a cohesive design. For those of us who share our gardens with deer it can be especially hard, yet it really is possible. Deer behaviors and tastes vary across the country, so not every suggestion…

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Container Design Challenge: Mix to Match!

sunny front garden

Do you have one of those tricky scenarios like I do: two containers that need to "match" yet have different lighting conditions? The two pots flanking our front door are always a challenge.The one on the right receives more direct sun than the one on the left, and the far left side of that left…

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Versatile Container Plants for Spring

spring container garden

After being buried under snow for weeks, my Seattle garden is finally green again – with splashes of yellow, blue, pink, and white as spring-blooming perennials and shrubs wake up. It's so exciting to see color! Inevitably a few things look worse for wear after the winter – especially some of my containers, but rather…

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A Low Maintenance Garden that Celebrates Fall

Heart-shaped, golden leaves of a katsura tree in fall

It's a truly glorious fall here in the Pacific Northwest – blue skies, incredible foliage color and warm temperatures that have me still wearing T-shirts rather than polar fleece. It's a joy to be outside on days like this and spending a day "working" in the garden is both fun and easy. Can you say…

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What does deer-RESISTANT mean?

If you share your garden with deer, you'll be familiar with the term, and when shopping for plants have undoubtedly asked nursery staff for assistance in choosing things that are deer-resistant. Yet what does that really mean? Let's be clear: it does NOT mean deer-PROOF. With that out of the way let's dive a bit…

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