Category: Gardening
-
Pollinator in my garden.
How to identify a pollinator. That’s the goal isn’t it? Create a garden that attracts pollinators and when they come, identify them. Who are they? What are they? This morning, basking in the summer sun here in Western Washington is this gorgeous butterfly. I didn’t scare it off and it waited while I ran back…
-
July: Mid-summer blooms from the Hydrangea, Wax begonia, and a Daphne.
How foolish of me to think I only had one bloom on the property. I overlooked a wax geranium in a large pot. They love the sun and this one really sprang to life after placing it here next to the driveway. Wax begonia can be overwintered. Overwintering involves taking plants that you know will…
-
July 2025. A Prunus what? Difficulty identifying this tree growing in the front yard.
Coming off Covid and getting stamina back. No matter how hard I try, I cannot precisely identify a young tree growing up from the Salal in the front side. Between Google Lens and Plantnet, I’m getting inconsistent results. One set of leaves determines a Prunus domesticus. Other leaf groups cause a different reading. I’m going…
-
Mystery of the pumpkin seed, solved.
About two weeks ago I planted a bunch of pumpkin seeds. A special batch of seeds that I scraped out of a Halloween pumpkin in October of 2023. I left the seeds out to dry for several months then slid them into an envelope and marked it 1/2024. The envelope went into a drawer to…
-
The amazing Salal bush. Prolific to the northwest from Alaska to California
Here in Washington state, the woodland undergrowth will almost always include salal. As common as ferns yet more tolerant of conditions and widespread from Alaska to California. This dense, sometimes impenetrable bush extends from the eastern side of the Cascades to the west side and on to the coast. A study of the northwest forest…
-
Flowers of the Rhododendum
Residential neighborhoods are ideal for wildflower viewing, especially Rhododendrons in May. While maybe not a wildflower, the state plant is eye catching for its vibrant color and large and full bloom. The plant is immersed and sometimes completely engulfed in 5 to 8 inch flowers of blue, pink, white, and red. Different hues can emerge…
-
Wood projects over the fall: Compost bin.
These projects won’t impress a finished carpenter, but they do serve a purpose. That’s why they were made, to solve a problem. The first is a compost bin created to capture the fall leaves. The amount of fall leaves that drop on this property is immeasurable. Somewhere there’s a forest of deciduous trees with no…
-
Plant Id: Brooklime, Veronica beccabunga or European Brooklime
The pot is mine, but I don’t remember planting this brooklime. Plants that do well are left alone, this one I’ve paid almost no attention to. Now that it’s November and temperatures are dropping, I thought I’d bring it indoors, but there was no need. These plants can take the cold and this one has…
-
Plant Id: Japanese Maple, Acer Jacanicum. A show-stopper in fall.
Once a year this tree stands out amongst all the others around it. The foliage in October is bright scarlet. At this point the leaves drop to present a red tapestry on the ground. Look for small flowers carrying seeds and replant. Otherwise wait until late spring, early summer to propagate using cuttings of new…
-
Plant Id: Cherry Plum tree. Diciduous tree with deep purple leaves.
Our cherry plum tree stands about 20 tall and provides a privacy screen with the next-door neighbors. It took a direct hit when a 180-foot Douglas fir fell on it. The tree split in two yet survived. The branches extend up and out laterally. The rain will weigh the lateral branches down to where they…
-
Overwinter wax begonias; key steps
Born with a stubborn streak I have refused to buy plants from the store, instead favoring the plants already on the property. This works well if you like an abundance of sword ferns and hydrangeas. We lacked color in key places like up the driveway and the wife noticed. I broke down and bought more…
-
The germination of a wild chestnut seed
I live in the neighborhood of Chestnut Hills. The actual tree that these quaint few streets are name after is around the corner or so I’m told. There is a Chestnut tree on my lot.. From my humble research which includes Google Lens and Plantnet, it is an American Chestnut. In the fall they drop…
-
Slap together the compost bin for fall leaves
I bought the wood months ago then procrastinated on this compost project. Even this small project has countless details and things to work out like will it work as a compost bin? What size? What type and size of wood? I attempted a 3’x3′ box with no bottom and no top. The corner boards are…
-
Backyard potato harvest
Sow in December; reap in August. That’s how things turned out with our small potato crop. The initial batch that got sowed came from the local grocery chain. I also planted some potatoes I harvested that year. Additionally, I bought seed potatoes for growing from Home Depot. Finally, my son handed me a bag of…
-
July Snap pea harvest and they’re good
The expansive, massive, garden has turned into a complete failure so far, except for what I’ve learned. Someone said, in the garden the best thing you grow is knowledge. Aside from failed vegetables, the snap peas have flourished despite a drought of rain. On Sunday, July 21, about two dozen pods were picked. We ate…
-
Homemade bouquet cut from the hillside
There’s an art to flower arrangement. The first and most important thing is to start. Don’t overthink or be too critical. Flower arranging is fun and teaches. This is my start and I think the results are fine. We have daisy, hydrangea, euonymus, and a purple flower I haven’t identified. Each year I take a…
-
From cutting to blooms; success with hydrangeas
Propagating hydrangea isn’t difficult. Take a cutting from the stock that is not blooming and cut below the node. Make the cutting four inches or more. Use growth hormone or not. Plant the cutting in a pot and place in a shady place, don’t let it die of thirst. This year my vegetable garden is…
-
Cherry Plum tree of misfortune is alive and well / wound dressing applied
Back in 2015, our plum tree got clobbered by a falling 180 foot tall Douglas fir; practically split it in half from the top down. It survived and since has been left alone. Until the other day when we heard a crack and swish. Not an unfamiliar sound around here, but this was distinctive. Our…
-
Relocation of an English holly
The poor English holly (Ilex latifolia) has a bad reputation for being an invasive species. Described as “highly invasive” and a “serious threat” to other more desirable native species of plants. In my many travels around Washington state I’ve seen massive bushes that stand like trees. So large and wide they become a hedge. But…
-
Surprising discoveries on the hillside of plants
This steep hillside along the street once flowed a torrent of salal. The native shrub grows prolifically here and is good for erosion control. But it was feet thick with decades of dead growth underneath. As it cascaded down it covered rocks and ferns alike. Anything in its way got covered and ended up a…
-
Garden update June 2024
Partial success with potatoes and snap peas. Lettuce is growing out of a hanging container as are wildflowers. The vegetation or leafage from the potatoes is so large it droops. When I dug into the earth to sample a potato, I found only a very small pale round tuber. It’s a waiting game when the…
-
A bench with a view
Took out a large hydrangea to make room for a bench overlooking the front yard, trees, and darting birds. The bench has iron sides with slats cut and installed by the owner. Found it on Craigslist for $35 in Bellevue, Wa. I tightened each bolt on each slat and cleaned the wood with Murphys Oil…
-
Vegetable gardening in the garage
You can have seedlings in less than a week by placing the seeds in a wet napkin and the napkin into a sandwich bag. Place the bag in a drawer and come back in a week. You’ll have a mess of sprouts. Problems arise when you try to pry the sprouts from each other and…
-
Felling of an alder
I’m still not sure if it was an alder or dogwood. I hadn’t noticed the heavy lean or was it my imagination? It had to come down. Here’s the video:
-
Stonecrop groundcover
This little succulent does well where you least expect it. Back a few years ago, along the well worn walkway leading up to the front door were several strands of this plant. I took some cuttings and replanted in pots. There was a time when almost all my cuttings and the original ground cover died…
-
Over winter potato planting
In some dark corner a bag of potatoes sprouted. In January 2024 these were planted.
-
Last year’s potato harvest
In 2022 I was given a bag of Potatoes by my daughter Cecilia. She had received these from a co-worker who picked them at a local form. These are what we call seed potatoes. They are meant to be either eaten or planted in the ground. Store bought potatoes have a growth inhibitor that is…
-
Pallet tables
Take two pallets; make no modifications. Attach discarded wood planks for legs. Measure twice, cut once, and you have a hippy dippy potting table. Now, take the same concept, only cut the pallet in half. Use wood slats from a bed frame for the legs. And voila, a chic designer outdoor table. Watch out for…