With careful attention to deadheading, you can keep many perennials looking their best all summer. Deadheading is a simple technique. It is the removal of spent flowers which encourages repeat blooms or to enhance the plant’s general appearance. If you are wondering how deadheading will encourage a plant to produce a second flush of flowers, [...]

I wish I could stop by your garden and show you how to prune your flowering shrubs, but that just is not possible. The next best option is to help you understand plant growth and provide a few pruning tips before you pull out your pruners. The most common question I hear, how come my [...]

Now that the rains have returned, you can turn off your sprinklers. But,  if you have containers, you still need to water them - especially if they are under eves or on covered deck.  I have containers with only annuals and I also have containers with shrubs, ornamental grasses, and perennials as well.  My containers with annuals [...]

If you are like other vegetable gardeners here in the PNW you probably have lots of tomatoes, but the only problem is they are all green!  My number one tip for ripening your tomatoes is to stop watering your plants in mid to late August. This forces your tomatoes into ripening. Tip number two: cover you tomatoe [...]