The Olympian Logo

Binetti: Some ideas for garden-loving gift givers | The Olympian

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Customer Service
    • About Us
    • Buy Photos and Pages
    • Contact Us
    • Plus
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Newsletters
    • Newspaper in Education
    • Subscribe
    • Subscriber Services
    • Archives

    • News
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Databases
    • Death Notices
    • Education
    • Local News
    • Military News
    • Obituaries
    • Politics & Government
    • State
    • Traffic
    • Watchdog
    • Weather
    • Opinion
    • Cartoons
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Opinion Columns
    • Submit a Letter
    • Sports
    • College
    • High School
    • Mariners
    • Preps Stats
    • Seahawks
    • Sounders
    • UW Huskies
    • Politics
    • Living
    • Announcements
    • Food
    • Health & Fitness
    • Home & Garden
    • Travel
    • Entertainment
    • Arts & Culture
    • Comics
    • Puzzles & Games
    • Events Calendar
    • Horoscopes
    • Movies
    • Restaurants
    • Outdoors
    • Fishing

  • Classifieds
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Place An Ad
  • Mobile & Apps

Marianne Binetti

Binetti: Some ideas for garden-loving gift givers

MARIANNE BINETTI - On Gardening

    ORDER REPRINT →

May 14, 2014 12:00 AM

The second week of May has nurseries and garden centers full of flowers just in time to treat yourself or your gardening friends. May and June is also the time for graduations and nothing says “you’re growing” like a plant. Here are some green ideas for gifting on these special spring occasions:

For gardeners who garden on the cutting edge: Skip the traditional fuchsia basket or pots of geraniums and look for plants that are a bit unusual instead.

Consider a vine such as chocolate akebia with sweet scented puffy blooms, or an annual climber such as Black-eyed Susan or thunbergii.

There are lots of new petunias available at garden centers this year including more of the bi-colored mini petunias or calibrachoa.

SIGN UP

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The Olympian

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

If in doubt, look for plants labeled “Proven Winner” and you’ll impress your friends and yourself with your savvy shopping. Plants that earn the “Proven Winner” name are those that have been tested, evaluated and often new and unusual.

For gardeners who kill plants: Do you or your grad forget to water? Leave for long weekends in the summer or garden with the challenge of poor soil and full sun? Sedums and succulents are fleshy plants with rich textural interest and are now available planted in contemporary square containers, mixed in Tuscan-style pottery bowls or planted in cubes or frames to hang on a fence or wall.

There are also popular perennials that come back year after year with very little attention or water demands. Sedum “Autumn Joy” is a summer-blooming plant with flat panicles of blooms that turn from green, to pink to rust as the summer turns to fall.

The golden groundcover sedum “Angelina” will crowd out weeds and turn into a living mulch that looks good even in the winter. Sedums and succulents will give any garden a fresh look and plenty of drama without the drinking.

For gardeners who love color: If you want the most blooms for your buck, I nominate the Wave petunia. This fast growing ground-cover petunia splashes across any sunny spot with oceans of bloom.

You will need to loosen the topsoil, add some slow-release plant food and water the young plants until they are established, but in Western Washington these tough petunias have proved to be wind-, rain- and drought-resistant.

This year you can find Wave petunias in bright shades of purple, pink, lavender and a bicolor in purple and white. When used in hanging baskets or window boxes, the Wave petunias also do well as long as you keep them fertilized and don’t allow the soil to dry out. Meet Marianne

 • 10 a.m. Saturday, University Place Tour of Gardens. Marianne will open the tour with a talk at University Presbyterian Church, 8800 27th St. W. The event continues noon-4 p.m. Sunday. Information: uphistoricalsociety.org.

 • Noon Sunday at the Grays Harbor Home Show at Elma Fairgrounds. Marianne will speak about “Inspiration for your Garden from Ireland to Enumclaw.” Free. More information: omb.org.

Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of several books. Reach her at

binettigarden.com

.

  Comments  

Videos

Mike Hopkins on UW’s win over Washington State

Get a taste of American Ninja Warrior, headed to the Tacoma Dome in May

View More Video

Trending Stories

Another storm, another big question: Why was power out for so long?

February 16, 2019 07:00 AM

Woman dies after wreck on highway in Thurston County

February 17, 2019 11:20 AM

Infant girl, plus woman holding her, suffer gunshot wounds after man ‘shows off’ handgun at party

February 17, 2019 09:48 AM

Deaths for Feb. 16

February 16, 2019 01:46 AM

Three from Thurston County win Mat Classic titles. Yelm’s Dubose, Platt go back-to-back

February 17, 2019 10:11 AM
Local display advertising by PaperG

Read Next

Gardening experts ready to do battle in Seattle

Entertainment

Gardening experts ready to do battle in Seattle

By Marianne Binetti Contributing writer

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 15, 2019 12:00 AM

The Northwest Flower & Garden Festival show runs Feb. 20-24 at the Washington State Convention Center

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The Olympian

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE MARIANNE BINETTI

It’s about time to feed your lawn and maybe even mow it

Marianne Binetti

It’s about time to feed your lawn and maybe even mow it

February 08, 2019 12:00 AM
It’s February, time to get back in the garden

Marianne Binetti

It’s February, time to get back in the garden

February 01, 2019 08:00 AM
Blooming triplets can get spring going early

Marianne Binetti

Blooming triplets can get spring going early

January 25, 2019 12:00 AM
Winter is a great time to plan your layered garden

Marianne Binetti

Winter is a great time to plan your layered garden

January 18, 2019 08:00 AM
Layer your way to an easier to maintain landscape

Marianne Binetti

Layer your way to an easier to maintain landscape

January 11, 2019 08:00 AM
Small seeds can produce big gardening dreams

Marianne Binetti

Small seeds can produce big gardening dreams

January 04, 2019 08:00 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

The Olympian App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Contests-Promotions
  • Vacation Hold
  • Rewards
  • Pay Your Bill
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Photo Store
  • Archives
Advertising
  • Information
  • Place a Classified
  • Local Deals
  • Place an Obituary
  • Today's Circulars
  • Special Sections
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story