Patio decor inspired by sites around the globe

posted 11:49 PM 05/21
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The third week of May means it is time to fill your garden with color. Gardeners all over the world bask in the beauty of natural color. Take a cue from global inspiration to design a patio or deck that will inspire joy all summer long. Here are winning color combinations.

HOT ORANGE AND BRIGHT YELLOW

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Area soil great for rhodies but also great for moss

posted 11:46 PM 04/30

Gardeners, your lawn needs your attention right now. This is the week you should get into your garden and fertilize grass with a slow release plant food.

Hardy flora for the 'dark side'

posted 02:26 PM 04/24

Head to the nursery this week because new plants are arriving daily and the best plants go first. Last week, I gushed over unbeatable plants for the sun, and to be fair to gardeners on the dark side, here is a partial list of the best-looking, well-behaved plants for the shaded areas of the garden.

Plants that will love you – and you’ll love them back

posted 11:47 PM 04/16

Why put up with problem plants when there are so many well-behaved trees, shrubs and flowers that love to grow here and never complain?

Spring could give tender plants the cold shoulder

posted 11:49 PM 04/09

The beginning of April is always going to be somebody’s heartache. Spring can be a flirt but the nights are still cold. If you fall madly in love with a gorgeous but tender young thing at the nursery, you will risk losing the entire plant after one frosty night.

A rainbow for your garden

posted 11:44 PM 04/02

Spring and summer color in the Pacific Northwest is as easy as picking the right plant for the right place. If nature sings with flowers you can create an entire symphony of blooms just by placing plants in the perfect location.

Here’s how to segue into spring

posted 11:48 PM 03/26

Spring is here, but you still need to protect your flowers. Don’t get too confident and think you can start planting warm-season crops.

March is time to gear up for wet weather gardening

posted 11:44 PM 03/05

This is the month to march right outdoors and start gardening. There are weeds to pull and smother, perennials to dig and divide, plants to move, trees and shrubs to add and the soul-satisfying, instant gratification that comes from cleaning up the beds.

Seek and destroy now to halt full-on invasion

posted 11:46 PM 02/26

The end of February is all about the weeds. The start of longer days and warmer weather means that annual weeds will be sprouting up anyplace they can find open ground, and early spring is the time to get control and become a first-responder to this attack. Here are the weeds you should seek — and destroy.

Bare-root roses and strawberries among plants that can go in now

posted 07:25 AM 02/20

The third week of February and it is time to start planting — but not everything can go into the ground. It still is too cold and early to set out annuals, plant most new perennials or to seed a new lawn, but you do have the green light to start sprouting pea seedlings indoors and to add bare root roses, fruit trees and shrubs to the landscape.