Home & Garden

Garden help in palm of your hand

Answers for your springtime problems

The third week in May brings questions from gardeners about growing quandaries. Readers this week are puzzled by azaleas and peonies that just won’t bloom, problematic buttercup, where to apply mulch and how to get those tomatoes to ripen before fall. Here are easy answers to the most-asked questions this spring:

Geraniums offer color, tolerance to drought

Home & Garden Calendar

Home & Garden calendar plantasia flower garden workshops Best Plants for Northwest Landscapes, 9:30 a.m., Saturday; Herb Gardening, 6 p.m., May 31; Creating a Container Fountain, 10 a.m., June 9; Perennial Gardening, 9:30 a.m., July 21, at Plantasia Flower Garden, 3938 88th Ave. S.E., Olympia. Register by calling Tumwater Parks & Recreation, 360-754-4160.

Creeping bentgrass difficult to clear

May 13-19 declared Master Gardener Week

Orchids make houseplants cool again

Marianne Binetti: Hearty plants can take the chill

With the start of May comes an all-hands-on-deck mentality – it’s time to plant those pretty flowers you love. This week, fill your container gardens or window boxes with weather-resistant annuals and flowers.

Think tall, compact in container gardens

Use dwarf shrubs for smaller gardens