One Special Tree – Four Outstanding Seasons

We all want instant gratification in our gardens; plant today – fabulousness tomorrow. At some point most of us have learned the hard way that plants just don’t work to our schedule and we have to wait for the plants to fill in and mature before they really fulfill our vision. Yet occasionally I come…

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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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New and Exciting Foliage to Watch For

My road trip last spring with the National Garden Bureau was a hortiholics adventure of the first order. I was one of four garden writers invited to attend the 2018 California Spring Trials (CAST) as their guest on a week long, plant-peeping extravaganza. CAST is the opportunity for plant breeders across the country to showcase…

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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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Behind The Scenes

video set up

What was I thinking?! Back on a cozy winters evening, glass of wine in hand, it seemed such a good idea. "Let's film a short online workshop to help people get creative with their spring containers," I said. My long suffering husband (aka roadie, book sales assistant, pot mover, and videographer) readily agreed. After all,…

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