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We shan’t be fooled by April’s snow storm. The Inland northwest is still suffering from many years of drought. We see evidence in the stressed pines that forest our region. And those non-native arborvitae show brown and dying needles. Without much imagination we remember the stress of the hot, dry winds of last summer. There is a solution to our fears of fire, it is management. I invite you to become familiar with agencies in our area that may assist you in developing a plan to spare our way of life. Fire wise programs inc...
I have a question for you. When you take your morning walk would you rather be entertained by a strip of neatly mowed grass, a patch of pebbles or a corridor of butterflies? If your choice is the butterflies you might start by replacing your narrow parking strip with hardy perennials. Spring blooming bulbs such as Squill (Scilla Siberica), crocus and hyacinth, varieties of daffodils, paper white (Narcissi ) are welcome surprises. Hardy (Wild geranium), kinnickinnick (Arctostaphylos), lupine and some grasses such as Idaho fesc...
We should bee proud! Washington State is a forerunner in developing legislation for protecting pollinators. May 12, 2021, Governor Inslee signed SB 5253 to provide funding to, among other pollinator health concerns, help to ensure protection for over 400 different species of native bees in Washington. Other native pollinators such as butterflies, moths, wasps, beetles, flies and hummingbirds that help pollenate our agricultural well-being are also included in the Pollinator Health Bill. Awareness is the most effective tool....
Goodbye, Winter! How many times have we said this the last six weeks? Maybe this time it is for real. A look at the forecast gives us hope for warmer temperatures but not too much encouragement to wager when to lock up our snow shovels. Someone told me they knew of someone who cut their grass already. Couldn’t possibly be in Spokane County, I thought. And if they did, why? I can’t imagine it was even green. Even if your lawn is snow-free it is not a good idea to roll machinery and equipment over the soggy grass until the fro...
There is much ado about lions and lambs this time of year. It seems those species are confused about who will win the ‘First of March’ contest. I don’t dare bet on either one. I can guarantee, however, that leopard’s bane, Doronicum caucasicum, (though of the genus Panthera, but not of the species Panthera leo,) will grace your early spring garden with its yellow daisy-like mane around its yellow-gold disk. Leopard’s bane grows in full sun, part shade and even shady locations where it is a hardy perennial. Another member of...
What are Neonics? Neonicotinoid pesticides are contributing to the loss of beneficial insects, especially bees and their ability to pollinate many of our favorite food crops. Honey bees, that have come in contact with plants treated with neonics, are susceptible to disease and mites because their immune systems are weakened. The pollen collectors, the female worker bees, may become disoriented and fail to return to the hive. The entire colony may then starve. If in fact, the workers do return with contaminated pollen, the...
February 2023 We may actually be able to be in the garden or close to it this month. Inside we can trim and fertilize herbs we wintered over. An application of half strength indoor plant food will regenerate healthy growth. After Valentine cards have been opened and the last chocolate in the box is gone it is time once again to survey jobs outside. The evidence of marcescens, the holding on of leaves this winter, may soon give way to the phenomenon known as abscission, the letting loose of leaves. If the ground is soggy...
Just before the ‘Big Weather Change’ several weeks ago, I brought my green tomatoes in the house. They have been ripening nicely in their cardboard boxes. I am concerned though, that my grandchildren think red tomatoes grow in boxes on the kitchen floor. I am hoping there will be a few red ones left for Thanksgiving and maybe even some green ones for ‘Green Tomato Pie’. I haven’t seen a recipe for this but with the price of apples I’m thinking, why not? Stacks of firewood and full barrels of oil grace our homes on these co...
October 24, 2022 October rains: Our grass is green and ready for snow It won’t be long now so we won’t have to mow. Plants in our gardens so hardy and true Loved all the rain and the farmers did too. Missed is the sunshine so warm and so nice And baths for the birds have all turned to ice. There’s comfort in knowing we did what we could Now is the time to stay warm in our ‘hood....
My garden quilt blankets its bed. Seeds that were sown have become the fabric of the garden. Patches of pumpkins, rows of ripe beets, corners of carrots; their feather tops waving. Layers of leaves where zucchini can hide. Fine silk on corn stalks. Patterns of sunshine and shadows throughout. Red accents of strawberries stitched in their ditches. Embossed are designs of tendrils and vines of peas, beans and cucumbers. Borders of berries, raspberry and blue, are hemmed with savory herbs, Rosemary and thyme. Under the cover,...
It is hard to sew on a sunny October day, but not hard to work in the garden. Though I have cut a few pieces of fabric for my quilt, I hear my garden calling. There are bird feeders to fill for those winter residents and other winged ones passing through. And cherry trees that need a good looking after. This is the time to spray copper fungicides to control blight and canker diseases to the branches of cherry and other soft stone fruit trees including apricot, peach and nectarine. I must remind you to read ALL the...
Did September slip as quietly and quickly from your calendar as mine? I was just making my to do list for August and the month was gone. Fortunately or unfortunately, most of those things can still be done in September. Check with your municipal water agencies to reinstate your watering schedules. Your trees and shrubs, especially, need ample moisture to make it through winter after our hot dry summer. Usually the last mowing and fertilizing application for lawns is done in September. This is also an ideal time to install...
The air is different. Its coolness presses against my face. The sounds in the sky are different too. Most of the birds have finished rearing their young and have flown on. Platoons of chattering blackbirds high in the pine trees wait for orders to be deployed, while other species of birds line the high wires passing word to one another to prepare for flight. The frequent winged whir of the long necked Canada Geese fashion familiar Vs in the air as they beckon our craned necks to follow their southern migration. Robins’ e...
I’ve heard of fried green tomatoes but fried pink petunias? I was disappointed when I came home from the lake to find my hanging baskets of petunias dry and brittle beyond recovery. I had planned an outdoor barbecue and was counting on my petunia baskets for decoration. There wasn’t time to replace the petunias and plus 90 degree temperatures were still in the forecast. Though we gardeners usually consider ground covers to work their magic on the ground, why can’t they be as phenomenal hanging at eye level? And there are so m...
Its time to dig and transplant iris to where you want splashes of color next June. If you don’t have iris in your garden there are usually neighbors or friends who are eager to share their beauties. If not, rainbows of colorful iris are available at most garden centers. Iris are tough. Don’t worry about damage to roots or tubers when exposed to the air. Discard soft or damaged tubers when transplanting. You can even break or cut firm tubers that have healthy leaves and set them in the ground. Iris prefer well-drained soi...
The spotted lanternfly is invading Washington State. No, it is not that cute little firefly we read about in stories of the Northeastern part of the US. This insect is a serious pest on grapes, hops, fruit trees, ornamental’s and other important agricultural crops. When closed the grey, black spotted forewing’s hide the red hindwing. The abdomen is yellow and black and the adult is about 1 inch long and 1/2 inch wide. The adults can be seen in July and begin laying eggs in September-October. The Spotted Lanternfly is especial...
When I was a little girl the boys chased me with earthworms. I hated them, the boys too! I learned to tolerate then appreciate them and the boys. I have since learned more about both. I will share what I know about worms only! The study of vermiculture or the growing of worms has been a method of improving soil condition for centuries and has become an important science in agriculture today. There is a distinction between worms used for “worm boxes” and those that find their way into the compost pile. Red wigglers are the...
The lavender harvest is usually around the middle of July. Before then, to find yourself in a French Provincial Paradise of fragrance, a trip to lavender fields in Spokane County is a treat for your eyes and your olfactory. Look online for lavender growers. Though we are on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, lavender is happy in our semi-arid part of the world. Lavender is especially suited to dry, well-drained soils. Its benefits to our gardens are many. Pollinators love them; they are disease, deer and fire-resistant....
Together with my friends in the rainbow, we embrace the world. Yellow colors the world with light and warmth, blue manages the skies and the seas, red moves nations’ lifeblood, purple uplifts mountains and royalty, and orange colors the mornings and evenings with joy. I am Green. It is my responsibility to coordinate blue and yellow. I promote growth: Growth in the earth and also in the womb. I am mother: I cradle generations. I am teacher: I teach patience. I am friend: I practice trust. I come in many shades, this Green tha...
Even though the neighbors line up to take pictures of your impeccably weed-free, absolutely straight rows of vegetables and Better Homes and Gardens has made an appointment to feature your garden in their next issue, or NOT! The reality may be pumpkin vines strangling anything that dares venture on the pathways, zucchinis the size of small children hiding under its giant leaves and tomato plants totally out of control; all is well. Try not to worry about rows of carrots you didn’t thin and as my grandpa used to say, ...
My sister makes the best raspberry pie. She says the ticket to growing healthy berries is to start with new plants. Raspberries are not fussy about soil pH and seem happy with Spokane County gardens' soils. Prepare the soil with a balanced fertilizer and organic amendments early in the spring, then plant bare-root raspberry canes about two feet apart. Raspberries grow a long time. I planted some when my baby was two and they produced until he graduated from high school. A raspberry's first-year growth, the primocane, is...
My green babies are ready to go outside. The soil temperature is nearly 55 degrees and there is no snow on Mt. Spokane. My new irrigation system with drip lines is set up; importantly, I have a new tube of sunscreen. I’ll get a new hat and gloves next week. Since my dear little green ones have never tasted outside air or natural sunshine, I will have to ease them into the real world. After bringing them all back inside the first night, I rigged up vinyl tablecloths to cover them. I didn’t sleep all night, worrying they wou...
This is Lilac Loving time. We have been waiting a year for it and it is finally here. The hardy varieties that came with the pioneers have adapted especially well in Spokane County. Many cultivars are also showcased in gardens in our area. I have a white one called Pocahontas. It is an adorable double-flowered variety that looks like a cloud when it is flowering. There is also a variety introduced by the Spokane Lilac Society in 2005 called Spokane. It is a large shrub with...
There is much talk among Spokane County gardeners about raised beds. I’m not referring to the bunk beds your kids and grand kids jumped from but the intentionally framed structures surrounding an ample amount of soil. However, the recycled kid’s bed is a possibility for very short or very tall gardeners. The whole idea of raised beds is to eliminate a degree of back and knee pain. Also, the elevated growing surface is usually a happy place for plants. At my house, where rocks and clay seem to be the prominent feature in my so...
If you belong to the DIYG’s “Do it Yourself Gardeners,” temptations at nurseries and garden centers are endless. I find the tool isle especially intriguing. Glittering steel rakes and battery-powered diggers and weeders, Ah, the joy of it all. However, my tool belt includes a good quality hand pruner, pocket-size fold-up saw, a strong weed prong, rubber hose washers, and a flathead and Phillips screwdriver (for hose and irrigation line repair). It also includes a small jar of *Vick’s Vapor Rub to repel biting insects...
