Before a few years ago, I had no idea there was a difference in types of tomato plants. Now, I knew there were different varieties, Beefsteak, Roma, Early Girl, etc., but I had no idea there was a difference in the plants themselves. Tomatoes come in either a determinate or indeterminate variety, meaning they have two very different growth and production habits. Maybe I paid … Continue reading Tomatoes: Determinate vs. Indeterminate
I work at a local garden center and the other day I received a phone call from a customer with some questions about petunias. We spoke for about 7-8 minutes about all things petunias, ‘why are mine leggy?’ ‘why aren’t they blooming profusely?’, etc. I got home and told my husband about this conversation over dinner and sort of scoffed at it. How did this … Continue reading Petunias!
One of my flower beds is in almost full bloom right now (mid-June). Which in theory is great, but the colors in bloom are yellows, reds and oranges. I’ve got Stella D’Oro day lilies, red asiatic lilies, orange day lilies, white calla lilies and sunflowers in bloom. (So many lilies!) The one thing these colors have in common is that they project a ‘hot’ feeling … Continue reading Adding Cooler Colors to a ‘Hot’ Garden
My roses have bloomed out their first flush of roses and are starting to fade. They were gorgeous with multiple blooms on each shrub. But now it’s time to deadhead them. By doing this, you’ll promote a new flush of blooms to come on in another round. You’ll know your roses are ready to deadhead when the petals are soft and falling off. The inside … Continue reading Deadheading Roses
Spec-i-men Plant: an unusual or impressive plant grown as a focus of interest in a garden. Update: I finally got a Flame Thrower redbud!! She’s a beaut! It’ll get to be about 15’ high by 15’ wide and will add amazing shade to our hot back patio. Please know that I’m exaggerating when I say my ‘favorite tree’ because if you know me well enough, … Continue reading My Favorite Specimen Tree
These grey, gloomy Western Oregon days have really put a cramp in my hankering to get outside. I hate to be cold, and this weather is doing me no favors. It even snowed earlier this week, what the heck Oregon?! So I decided to work on a little container project I’ve been putting off, it’s a gift for my Mom! I started with a cute … Continue reading Succulent Planting Project
The Vachter Six 