Garden Shop Online Blog

Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'

I’d love to say this is my garden and these are my plants but, truth be told, this is a beautiful garden I only visited, created by one of my favorite customers. Her shady hillside garden drew me in and calmed me down after a warm and busy day at my nursery. Shade gardens can do that. She’s a true plant lover/collector and has an eye for design. Here are just a few of her favorites and the photographs are hers.

There’s an App for that!

Talk about armchair gardening! Now, you can design your garden on your iPhone…no kidding. The Garden Design by Orilla is the most gardening fun you can have on your $400 iPhone for just 99 cents. Here’s how it works. Take a picture of the area in your yard that needs some design help. That is your background picture. Then you can add or subtract virtual flowers and shrubs either from your own pictures or from their album. Drag the flower and shrub pictures onto your background picture to get an idea of how your garden can look.

Alien Veggies

Heirloom vegetables are fun to grow because they’re odd and sometimes look other worldly. They don’t have the standard, grocery store look. Agri businesses that supply our “super” grocery stores grow vegetables for looks, ease of transportation and shelf life. We can buy picture perfect vegetables in abundance at any food store. So, why grow odd, sometimes ugly heirloom vegetables? In a word, nutrients. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition compared the nutritional values of 43 garden crops from 1950 and 1999.  They found a decline in six nutrients across the crop group. Yet another reason to “grow your own”. Washington based heirloom seed distributors include Ed Hume Seeds, Not Spuds and Uprising Seeds. Another large selection of heirloom vegetable seeds is at www.heirloomseeds.com..

Powerhouse Plants

Every garden is made interesting by adding rare and unusual plants. However, that same garden is held together with some  “powerhouse” plants that are easy and long lasting. If evergreens are the “bones” of the garden, “powerhouse” plants are the “backbones” of the garden. Take daylilies for instance. Daylilies are tough, long lasting and depending on the variety, provide blooms from June to September. Daffodils are “powerhouse” plants but tulips aren’t. Daffs multiply, come back year after year and neither deer nor squirrels find them tasty. Ferns and hostas for shade gardens are practically impossible to kill so use them often. There is a really good reason why some of the most common plants are still around. They’re “powerhouse” plants that survive no matter what. Plant those and then go for the wild and crazy new varieties to distribute among the reliables.

Yoga for Gardeners

Even “gym rats” find new muscles when they turn to gardening. “Gardener’s Yoga” is a little gem of a book that scales back yoga movements just for gardeners. Gardening requires more bending and stretching that brute force. The 21 gentle yoga positions in “Gardener’s Yoga” by Seattle author Veronica d’orazio, get you ready and help maintain some flexibility for playing in the dirt. The positions are basic and easy. You won’t be standing on your head or balancing on an elbow. Sasquatch Books, $12.95, 64 pages.

I don’t have patience. I like plants with a good start, preferably already flowering. I’m terrible at the tender care that seed starting requires. I cringe at the thought of having to wait weeks on end for germination. I lose interest and forget to water. Thank goodness there are people who are decidedly different than me and are willing to wait…and wait…and wait…for results.

Take Erik for example. I have seen him transplant dozens of cyclamen seedlings whose stems and root systems looked like threads. It gave me a headache just to watch.  But his latest bit of patience is above and beyond the call… Apologies for you home gardeners with similar propensities. I admire you. I just know I will never be like you.

The picture below is Lilium pardalinum , or soon will be.

One tiny lily sprig was purchased in 2000 at Heronswood when Heronswood was still on Bainbridge Island, WA (when their plants were truly unusual ones). Erik’s Lilium pardalinum has been moved all around his garden for 10 years, practically on wheels to find just the right growing spot.  He finally found the right spot. His patience paid off. Now he has 9 lily starts all happy to be left alone.

Here is a great idea…garden bloggers converge on a single blog…and they’re from all over the world…this is just the beginning of something that could be a lot of fun. It’s great to know what gardeners are doing in other parts of the globe.

http://karenplatt.co.uk/blog/

At the risk of sounding judgmental…when I hear a gardener saying, “I don’t do orange” (and I just did), I worry. For some reason, the color orange is one of those embedded harbingers of “bad taste” that has no real basis. The sunsets and sunrises are a beautiful shade of orange, sherbet is a translucent orange, southern gardens are filled with the smell of orange blossoms, Mimosas are filled with tasty orange juice and the orange flavor of Grand Marnier can turn a ho-hum dinner entrée into something extraordinary. So, what’s wrong with orange in the garden? A few hot colors in an otherwise pale garden bring the landscape to life. They add spark. Having been around an “anti-orange”
segment of gardeners for quite awhile, I almost succumbed to their discrimination of orange and then…I took a trip to the United Kingdom and all my prejudices melted away. That summer I saw gaudy nasturtiums that made me smile, crocosmia that brought brightness to overcast days and impatiens that set off all the plants that surrounded them. I am a convert to orange.

CELEBRATE MAY DAY TO MOTHER’S DAY

Lakewold Gardens to Host MayFest, a Weeklong Spring Celebration

LAKEWOOD, WA – MayFest, Lakewold Gardens’ annual spring celebration, is approaching quickly and with many plants already blooming, the gardens will be such a delight for visitors this year. MayFest highlights the time of year when the gardens are flourishing – just imagine 10 acres filled with fragrant wisteria, vibrant cherry blossoms, and rhododendrons.

“Many of our visitors list a spring trip to the gardens as a ‘must do’ activity. With our garden partners showcased in the Wagner House, MayFest is a great week to make that annual visit before the busy summer schedule sets in,” says Stephanie Walsh, Lakewold’s Executive Director. MayFest features extended open hours, horticultural exhibits and displays, discounted memberships, and a wonderful Mother’s Day Brunch. Open everyday May 1 – May 9 from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, visitors to the garden can enjoy the following:

• May 1-May 9: Half-price on any Lakewold membership purchased
• May 1-May 8: Keith Phillips Stonework Display at The Garden Shop
• May 8 from 12-2pm: ‘Meet the Artist’ session with Keith Phillips at The Garden Shop
• May 1-May 2: Ikebana International #147 flower arrangement display
• May 1-May 2: Tacoma Orchid Society display
• May 1-May 2: Olympia Bonsai Club display
• May 3-May 7: Lakewood Arts Commission Art Exhibit
• May 5: Buy one/get one free admission to the gardens
• May 5 from 3-5pm: The Informed Gardener, Part II – Presented by Linda Chalker-Scott, PH.D.

fee is $10 for members and $15 for non-members

• May 8 from 12-4pm: Origami Star-making Workshop

Rounding out the festivities is Lakewold’s annual Mother’s Day Brunch on Sunday, May 9. Reservations can be made for either 10:30 am or 1:00 pm. This year’s brunch is presented by Occasions Catering featuring an assortment of sweet and savory items. We encourage those interested to make reservations early as this event is sells out quickly. Pre-paid brunch tickets are: $45 for members, $50 for non-members and $20 for children 12 and under. Attendees will enjoy a buffet-style brunch and a stroll through the gardens – truly the perfect setting for celebrating such an extraordinary day.

Unless otherwise noted, MayFest activites are included in the cost of admission. Standard admission fees are: $7 for adults, $5 for senior/student/military, and free for children 12 and under. Please contact Amanda Wood at 253.584.4106, x108 for more information. Sponsorship for MayFest is generously provided by Occasions Catering, Columbia Bank, and AA Party Rentals.

Lakewold Gardens is a ten acre, non-profit public garden located at 12317 Gravelly Lake Drive SW, Lakewood, WA 98499. We are open year-round for self-guided tours April – September, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. As winter hours vary, please call ahead to 253.584.4106 or visit www.lakewoldgardens.org.

Brick Walk at Lakewold Gardens

No, Not That Kind of Hemp

Last year everything was made from bamboo…this year it’s hemp. Good news for gardeners though, especially if you need twine for vine tying and staking. The usual plastic twine disintegrates in about a hundred years and is made from petroleum products. Cotton twine is short lived and may have to be replaced during the growing season. Jute twine can mildew before you even use it and green jute is dyed with toxic chemicals.

Industrial hemp twine is the perfect alternative for gardeners. It is grown without chemicals, pH neutral, resistant to moisture, mold and mildew, UV resistant, strong, durable, biodegradable and reusable…and CHEAP!

CSA and Farmer’s Markets…a reminder

Growing your own vegetables is a treat but not always practical. Bad soil, lack of time and not enough growing room makes it difficult. English gardeners use “allotment gardening”. Allotments are the precursors to our community gardens or “pea patches”.  Google “allotment gardening”. Fascinating.

If you don’t have enough room in your own yard, you can usually find a neighborhood “pea patch” where you’ll have plenty of room to grow all the produce you’ll need. If that still sounds too time consuming get your seasonal produce from either a local farmer’s market or a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) group. CSA’s show up at local farmer’s markets but you can also contract one of the CSA members and receive weekly boxes of organic, homegrown produce. Vegetables grow great in containers too if you want to give it a try on a small scale.

False, Blue and Wild

For the past 30 years the Perennial Plant Association has chosen a “perennial plant of the year”. This year it’s the Baptisia Australis, also called Blue Indigo, Wild Indigo and False Indigo. It is native to the eastern half of the country but will grow very well in our area. It is 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide and grows in full sun and part shade. It has beautiful pea-like blue flowers that blooms mid spring.  Baptisia used to be difficult to find but now that it’s a “perennial plant of the year”, I’m guessing you won’t have any trouble finding it.

In Defense of Food

Reading takes a back seat to gardening when the weather improves but if  you like to garden with a little  iPod music, you’re just a soft click away from a good gardening reference book. Try  “Botany of  Desire” Michael Pollan’s latest book, “In Defense of Food”. If you’re  already vegetable gardening, you’ll be encouraged to continue and if you’re a flower gardening purist, it just might encourage to start growing vegetables. “In Defense..” is a continuation of Pollan’s “Omnivore’s Dilemma” a ground-breaking book that blows the lid off agri-business and sends you running toward those wonderful Farmer’s Markets.

Download “In Defense of Food” from iTunes , $15.95

Anemone nemorosa from Garden Shop

A couple pics of my Garden Shop purchases that are successfully making a return.

The anemone nemorosa is HUGE! It came back with a vengeance – the four inch pot I bought last year is now covering an 8 to 10 inch area! WOW! And the Shop Hops… holy cow! Another four inch pot that I grew in this container last year and the thing is going to be amazing! I am so excited – it’s already more than a foot high with dozens of shoots! I better find something tall and sturdy to grow it on this year…

Garden Shop Hops

Newsletter #1_Sep’08

Summit Organic Farm, New South Wales, Australia

It’s pouring rain, cold, dark clouds…not complaining, mind you, but I was lifted by an email from a nice customer in Australia who sent me these Southern Hemisphere pictures of his organic garden. They supply local families with over 50 vegetables. Enjoy.  Click on their first newsletter above. It explains it all.

Summit Organic Farm, New South Wales, Australia

I’m greatly relieved. Being female and from the 60’s and American I have some shame connected with the “conspicuous consumption” label that often stereotypically follows Americans.  That shame is no longer there. I’m currently hooked on a cable HGTV show called “House Hunters International” which follows cross- cultural moves and house hunts all over the world and I have discovered that Americans are no more conspicuously consumptive than anybody else. As a matter of fact, after carefully “studying” (off work for 2 months) the house buyers in House Hunters International, it looks like people are pretty much the same everywhere. The wealthy homebuyers are very particular and the middle-income homebuyers are very grateful.

In the same vein…and still hooked on House Hunters and House Hunters International…Remodelers!  Get ready for steady work . All the prospective house buyers now looking for homes are insistent on these four things: stainless steel kitchen appliances, granite countertops, hardwood floors, and an “OPEN CONCEPT”.

They envision “Martha Moments” with happy, quiet children watching videos in the media section while the adults belly up to the granite island with their oversized wine glasses, engaging the cook in meaningful conversation as she chops, cuts and bakes.

Are they nuts??????  Fun  and reward in “entertaining” in one big room?  Really?  It sounds like a recipe for disaster.

REAL-LIFE-CHECK! The “entertaining” idea will last about as long as a new video game. Then you will discover:

1. Guests eat, drink and leave dirty dishes.

2. Kids get bored and the older they get, the less they want to be with adults.

3. Stainless steel appliances stay gorgeous if you polish them every day.

4. Everybody looking at the cook is not necessarily a good thing.

5. The staged “open concept” that appealed to you to begin with will suddenly take on the look of a really big room with a really big mess. You have the same mess as before but without the luxury of walls to hide the mess.

So, remodelers and renovators, be ready…soon you will be re-building walls.