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