Gabriel's Garden Notes

Snowy Days are for Seed Catalogs

    The Puget Sound region finally got a dose of winter and boy is it a doozy.  Much of the city is shut down including public schools, Universities and businesses.  I thus assume that other garden designers, farmers, and gardeners are passing the time perusing seed catalogs and planning to outdo themselves this year.

    I have already received my first order of seeds from PineTree Seeds not only do they have over 1,110 seeds to choose from, but the packets are very reasonably priced at under $2.00.  I stock up on the basics at Pine Tree, sunflowers, broccoli, peas, carrots, lettuce and my favorite cherry tomato Sungold.  Seeds of Change has 100% certified Organic seed and they have some really unusual varieties that I just can't live with out.  There seeds are $3.50 a pack but they are currently offering a 20% discount on tomato seeds so I will definitely be ordering a few new types to try out this year.  I also spotted a rare yellow Zinnia called Peggy's Delight(from Vietnam) that I plan to grow alongside a  blue flowered Nigella and a bluish purple Papaver somniferum (pictured below).     

    I consider myself fortunate in that I have more than one garden to experiment in.  I love the challenge of a dry garden with limited sunlight.  If you have an area that has those conditions try sowing some Forget-Me-Nots and Welsh Poppy's for a cheerful display of blue and yellow from April to July.

    For a full sun area try a mix of Papaver somniferum, Cosmo's and Nigella.  Mix the seed packets together and sprinkle about in between shrubs and perennials in early spring.  Thin out as the seedlings reach an inch or two in size and be dazzled later in the season with the number of appreciative pollinators that visit your garden throughout the spring and summer.  After these happy annuals finish flowering they will produce seed that will pop up as flowers the following year or you can collect and share with friends.

    If you have never grown annuals before you will surprised at how easy it is.  Just be sure to keep the seed beds moist so new seedlings do not dry out.  If you live in south Snohomish County or the greater Seattle area and would like some help getting started I am available for garden consulting, design and maintenance.  Contact me at gabbysgardening@gmail.com

 Till next time, Happy Gardening!

   

Feeding my addiction.

    

    You would think someone who works outdoors all year round Monday through Friday might be content to spend the weekend indoors.  Well, I am here to tell you it ain't so!  As there were no tasks crying out to be done in the garden today I had to find another excuse to get outside.

    On nearly every Sunday in January you can find me and Alvin, traipsing through some urban or suburban park somewhere in King or Snohomish County.  Funny how long it took me to realize why I chose a profession in the field of Horticulture, and likely why I always have a dog companion.  I "need" to spend time outdoors every day and so it seems that gardening and dog walks are both ways to help me stay motivated to get on outside.  I prefer a setting with mature trees towering overhead and birds flitting about offering me a song.  In the woods there is just so much life to see and wonder at. Mushrooms, moss and lichen are among my favorite forms of life on earth. I like them I think because I know so little of how they function. 

    Today I picked a hike I found on Hiking with my brother that was not to far a drive, had a bit of an elevation gain (800ft), but was still supposedly easy at 5.5 miles.  I had never been to Cougar Mountain before and was excited to check it out.

    We encountered lots of other folks out enjoying the mild winter day including trail runners, families and first timers like me.  Everyone was friendly and why wouldn't they be?  What more could one ask for than a mild winter day spent walking in the woods?

   

2012 is starting off with a bang and plop!

  

     As I toured my home garden on New Years Day 2012, I realized just how much I cherish this garden I have experimented and played in for 9 full years now.  The area devoted to food production grew from a tiny 25 sq. ft. spot in the border to over 400 sq. ft. of vegetable gardens, a greenhouse, fruit trees, rain barrels, compost piles and free range chickens.  There are also flowering trees, perrenials and shrubs which offer seasonal interest and help to attract bees, butterflies and birds.

    There are however, some areas of my outdoor space that I admit are terribly neglected and underused.  For example, I have one area where all the black plastic pots accumulate throughout the year waiting for me to pile them in my truck and take them to a nursery that will recycle or reuse them.  I have another area in my garden that houses the brush pile which I am always meaning to slowly have disappear via my green waste bin.  My procrastination is aided however, in that one of my chickens has created a perfect next box within the bowels of this unsightly mass.

    Then there is the fencing which may seem hodgepodge and shabby to some, but it keeps my dogs and chickens contained so it suits my needs just fine.  A few poorly sited trees that I placed without considering how tall they would one day become are another reminder to that one must always return to the number one rule "right plant, right place". I work around these misplaced trees for now knowing at some point they may have to be removed for the sake of the vegetable garden.    

    The wonderful thing about my garden though is that there is always something happening out there to connect me to nature and to make me feel unbounding joy.  The chickens busy in their search for a tasty worm or larvae.  The Junco's delight me by flitting about the barren trees in search of seeds.  Brussel sprouts waiting patiently to be harvested and enjoyed.  Buds slowly or the Service Berry and Cornelian Cherry swell in preparation for spring. 

    Just today I noticed the exploding yellow flowers of the Witch Hazel as I searched through the brush pile for the seasons first fresh eggs.  2012 is starting off with a bang and plop in my garden.  How about yours?

As I talk about my garden I wonder, what is the most important thing to consider when planning a garden? How would experts answer this question?  Is it the soil, sun exposure, or perhaps where to put a focal point?  For me there is no consideration greater than that the garden you create be one that represents you and your family.  If you don't enjoy working in a garden and your budget does not allow for hiring a professional to help you with a high maintenance garden, then that should be of greatest consideration in a design or renovation. 

    There is much to consider when planning a new garden or in renovating an old one.  I find it surprising how many people neglect the outdoor space around their homes.  As I drive around neighborhoods in the Seattle region I note that 90% of gardens detract from the curb appeal of the home.  How I would love to help a few more of these homeowners come up with a plan that will create a landscape that would fit their needs, their budget, their lifestyle and likely benefit the community as well.

   My life revolves around gardening so I consider myself fortunate because I have been able to work in a wide array of gardens throughout my 15 years of working as a professional gardener. I also recieved outstanding, well-rounded horticultural training through Edmonds Community College Horticulture Department.  For the most part I have spent my time improving private gardens, but I also spent one year working in the Soest Perennial Garden at the Center for Urban Horticulture and a year on the Grounds Crew at the University of Washington.  By working in many different settings I gained valuable hands on knowledge about how to best care for trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and bulbs.  I also learned which trees to never plant near patio or lawn, and which perennials perform the best. Gardening I have learned is best learned not from books but by working in the garden, observing and noting failures as well as successes.

If 2012 is the year you decide to give yourself the gift of a garden that you love then please follow my blog or contact me for a garden consultation.

For more information you can contact me at gabbysgardening@gmail.com 

An Autumn so beautiful it made me weep.

For those who tend gardens fall and winter are times to reflect upon the success and failures of the past season.  The first big storm of fall arrived in the Puget Sound on 11-11-11.  This storm was part of a storm that hit Alaska this past week.  My friend Geov Parrish put it this way in an email correspondence to me:

I guess the weather today is the dregs of a huge, once-in-a-lifetime storm that hit Alaska a couple days ago. It was particularly bad because the Bering Sea would normally be frozen over by this time of year, but thanks to climate change, that's no longer the case, so the open water fed the development of the storm. Yet another connection to CC our liberal media can't be bothered making.

Overall we have had a magnificent fall prior to this recent weather pattern.  Many days full of sunshine and blue skies for which to enjoy an array of trees showing off their yellow, red, and orange leaves.  I have talked with many other gardeners and they echo my thoughts that we are about 2 weeks behind the normal time of leaf drop for our area.  This is probably due to our very long wet spring and coolish summer.

In my own garden I continued to harvest tomatoes into October and am still harvesting lettuce that was planted in August.

 November was much drier than normal, but now the rains are here with a vengeance.  Still, fall clean up continues.  Summer perennials are cut back and divided as needed. Leaves are raked up or left to decompose.  Time to start perusing gardening books, magazines and seed catalogs. 

Cottage Gardens

 

 

What do you think of when you imagine a Cottage Garden?  If you have ever visited one I would expect your answer to include: climbing roses, rosemary, lavender, sweet peas, phlox, sunflowers, shasta daisies, and columbine. 

What do I think of when I imagine a Cottage Garden?  WORK!!!!  Of all the styles of garden I have worked in or created by far cottage gardens take the most planning and maintenance. The mix of vines, shrubs, perennials, annuals and trees that appears so slapdash and free from editing, is in fact quite the opposite.  The denseness of the plantings that make the garden look so full make the garden nearly impossible to keep weed free.  Working in a garden where nearly every square inch is covered in flowers of some sort with out stepping on anything is somewhat like playing the game twister.  Now add pouring rain or sun and you will start to appreciate the work a cottage garden takes. 

And though I may sound like I am complaining or trying to warn you about creating such a garden, which perhaps I am.  I must also say that cottage gardens are also my favorite.  They have so much variety that each day there is something new to celebrate.  Each year it is only a matter of picking up a few different seed packets than the previous year to completely change the color scheme. 

So if you dare start a cottage garden, I say do so.  In preparation though, you may want to take up yoga.

 

Revenge of the Lawn Part 1

 

Although my garden service does not include lawn maintenance I do know through my years of working in gardens that a beautiful lawn can be a lovely accent to the garden.  It can also be a detriment and cause many extra hours of maintenance per year if it is not maintained properly.

Many of my clients hire me to maintain their garden beds, but take on the lawn maintenance themselves.  This can help cut back on the overhead expense of lawn care, but can add to the expense of maintaining the garden and detract from the overall design if best practices are not utilized.

Proper tools are essential to maintaining your lawn.  You may use a manual or gas powered mower, please note that with a manual mower you will want to mow very often as they tend to not do a good job on longer grass.  Sharp blades cut the grass, dull blades rip and tear leaving the lawn looking dull and drab.  To keep the edges of the lawn looking tidy you will need a line trimmer.  There are both electric and gas powered types of line trimmers and both will work on a maintained area.  An electric trimmer though does not have the power to take on overgrown areas however.  Electric trimmers are generally much lighter than the gas powered versions. So depending consider what type of tasks you will use your trimmer for before choosing between an electric or gas powered version.  Last, to clean up hard surfaces after mowing you will want a good push broom or power blower.

Other tools that may be needed from time to time are:  edger, thatcher, aerater, spreader.  These are all available to rent if you want to try to take on these tasks yourself or another option is to hire those yearly tasks out to a reliable company. 

I do recommend fertilizing your lawns.  The key here is to use the right amount, too little and your grass will have a hard time competing with weeds.  Too much and your lawn will grow to quickly and become overstressed which can lead to disease.  The lawn care company I recommend fertilizes with organic fertilizer in late spring and early fall.  He may also recommend an application of moss killer in late winter or mid autumn if needed. 

If a lawn does not get the nutrients it needs it will become overrun with weeds and sparse patches.  These weeds if allowed to go to seed will blow into the surrounding landscaped beds, leading to more maintenance of the beds.  The grass itself can also set seed which can spread into the beds if not mowed and trimmed on a regular basis.

Mowing season in the Puget Sound area starts in March and can extend into November. In cool weather when lawns are growing slow to moderately they should be mowed once every 10 days to 2 weeks at the minimun.  As the weather warms in late April weekly mowing is best to maintain a healthy lawn.  A lawn that is allowed to grow long between mowings and then cut very short becomes very stressed and can become vulnerable to disease, bare patches and invasion by weeds.

If you have not been using best practices to maintain your lawn don't worry, lawns improve quickly with the above listed techniques.  And do consider that the time spent properly maintaining turf areas enhances the curbside appeal of your home and saves time and money on maintaining your landscaped beds as well.

 

Who has time for blues?

 

  

Winter started out quite cold here in the Puget Sound area.  It is very rare for us to experience below freezing temps this time of year, but we are just now thawing out from over a week of clear skies and nights in the low 20's.  Needless to say I have been able to take some time off to relax as even the most enthusiastic of gardeners should stay out of their gardens with temperatures that low. 

Why, you ask?  Well, for one the ground is frozen so no hand weeding or transplanting can be accomplished.  Secondly, when it is that chilly pruning should also be avoided as branches become brittle and thus it is easy to snap and break branches as you work.  It is though a good time to plan! 

For the vegetable gardener there are stacks of seed catalogs to peruse.  Then there is always the stack of gardening books and magazines to catch up on that you couldn't get to all spring summer and fall because you were too busy working in the garden.  It's also a great time to take a class at the Edmonds Community College Horticulture Department(where I received an ATA in Landscape Management) or check out one of the organic gardening classes held by Seattle Tilth. 

 

I also love to visit my favorite nurseries in the Seattle area this time of year.  Molbaksin Woodinville, Wight'sof Lynnwood, Swanson's in Ballard and and Sky Nursery in Shoreline all offer seminars found listed on their websites.  Many of these seminars are free and feature local gardening experts like Cisco Morris and Valerie Easton.  Molbak's and Swanson's also have nice cafe's within their stores that are surrounded by tropical plants and water features stocked with Koi.  In fact, a trip to Swanson's with a friend on a rainy day is a sure cure for the Seattle winter blues!

 

A visit to Kauai

A trip to the Garden Isle of Kauai is a must for those who love plants.  The botanic gardens of Kauai hold great collections of tropical plants from around the world as well as plants native to the islands of Hawaii.  Pictured above is a view from the visitor center at the Allerton Garden.

Visitors may enjoy the gardens around the visitor center for free or take a tour of the Allerton or McBride Gardens.  Among the collection of plants you will find Palms, the wonderfully fragrant Plummeria (used for making lei's), Lotus Flower, and pictured below Torch Ginger.
  

To sample some of the plethora of fruits and vegetables grown on the island visit one of the many Farmers Markets where you will no doubt find locally produced ripe pineapple, mango, papaya, bread fruit, and bananas. 

Waimea Canyon is another must see if you visit the island of Kauai.  Plenty of gorgeous views and scenic trails for plantsmen, hikers, bird-watchers and amature geologists alike.  Stop by the Kokee State Park Historical Museum for all the information you will need to explore this national treasure.

How's your harvest?

This year has been a challenge for vegetable gardeners in the Northwest.  We had a very cool wet spring and the first half of summer was also fairly cool.  I hear many friends and neighbors grumbling with dissappointment about their piddly harvest thus far.  Luckily we still have some time yet to go.

I have had a fairly successful year.  I had plenty of lettuce for fresh salads and I had a good harvest of spinach as well.  I was most excited this year by the amount of cauliflower, brocoli and cabbage I have been able to harvest.  I chose a 4 varieties of broccoli, 2 varieties of cauliflower and 3 types of cabbage.  By far my favorite was Cheddar Cauliflower pictured above.  It keeps that yellow color after cooking and has an extremely delicate flavor.

Each variety I chose to grow had a different number of days to harvest ranging from 65 to 90.  I hoped that would prevent me from having everything ready to pick at once, with nothing left for harvest the rest of the summer.  My plan worked well.  I have been harvesting broccoli since the end of June.  And my fridge and garden is still full of brassica's.

Tomato's are just now starting to ripen, I don't know though that I will get any cucumbers this year though.  Beans and squash are on finally looking like they may bring me some bounty as well.  Garlic should soon be ready to harvest and hang to dry, and good thing as I my harvest from last year is nearly gone.  That will make room for my new set of fall/winter veggies that I planted in flats last week.  I will be planting more broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and chard so I can keep that harvest going as long as possible.

My 'Early Jersey' Cabbage was delicious.  Nothing pleases a crowd more than a batch of coleslaw made from a just picked cabbage.  
 I planted some blueberry bushes this year but they won't yield much for at least 3 years.  I really enjoy blueberries on oatmeal in the morning so that means a trip to a u-pick blueberry farm sometime in the next few weeks.  If you are interested in picking your own berries look up information on u-pick farms in the Puget Sound Fresh guide.  Last year I went to Mountain View Blueberry Farm in Snohomish and at just $1.80 a pound for delicious blueberries I plan to go back again very soon.

The Year of the Weed

It has been months since I have posted anything new and I can lay almost all of the blame on a very cool damp spring.  It is now July 3rd and I think we have had only one day where the temperature topped 70 degrees here in the Puget Sound area.  We have also had lots of rain so our soil is nice and damp.  This has created a season of unimaginable high rates of seed germination.  For us in the landscape management/gardening field this has meant a lot of extra work.  With unemployment running so high I try to see this as a blessing, but I will be happy when me and my knees get a bit of respite.

My strategy for reducing weeds is to mulch with an inch or two of quality compost over all beds each year.  Any weeds that do show up are hand pulled before they go to seed.  I encourage my clients who have lawns to keep the lawns healthy to reduce weed production in the lawn areas as well.  This works really effectively in most of the gardens I manage.  Where this is not as effective is in gardens that are next to properties where weeds are not managed. 

I think often about how we could erradicate many of our nations noxious weeds by employing and training people who need work.  There are some great programs out there such as the Veteran's Conservation Corps doing this, but I think lot more could and should be done.  Himalayan Blackberry and English Ivy are two plants in the Puget Sound area that take over large areas in green belts, parks, and other unmaintained areas.  These plants once established prevent native plants from thriving and reproducing.

Native plants provide food and habitat for native wildlife, pictured here a Flicker feasting on Sambucus nigra/Elderberry.  I really believe we must work not to just be sustainable, but that we need to begin to work to preserve and improve much more of the natural environment upon which our survival as well as all other life on the earth depends. 

Bursting with color

Springtime flowers are bursting with color here in the Puget Sound area.  If your is garden is lacking pizazz and you aren't quite sure what plants to add, just head out to a local nursery and see what's in bloom.  Many of our local nurseries do a great job with their displays.  If you see a color combination you like you can start by copying the plants that are used in the display.  The easiest way to add color is to purchase a nice big colorful pot and plant it up with a small shrub with interesting foliage.  Add a perennial that compliments it and for long lasting color put in a few annuals.  Last add a plant that will cascade over the edge of the pot. Place the pot near your front entry or along an often used path.

As you walk around a nursery you will see this type of container repeated in every color combination imaginable.  In this photo the color combination leans towards tropical with the deep purple pansies and corral/pink geraniums.  The purple is repeated in a lighter shade with a Bacopa which in a few weeks would be trailing over the edge of the pot.  This combination would not last though as the pansies are suited to spring, but would need replacing when the weather warms.

Another fun way to add color and brighten your entry is to paint your front door a nice bright color.  Repeating the color in the landscape finishes the look. In this photo the bright chartreuse color of the front door is repeated in the landscape with the flowers of Euphorbia wulfenii.  Euphorbia's are drought tolerant and prefer full sun exposure.  

Head on out to your favorite nursery today.