Look around the neighborhood in mid to late May and you will see some of the most glorious rhodies ever created by horticulturists. Just to the north of the nursery is a home resplendent with pink and red rhodies and even oranges from deciduous azaleas. Immediately to my south is a home with a Cynthia rhodie that is taller than the ridge of the house. (Check out my Facebook page for a picture of it.) While May is...

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I had a customer tell me one time many years ago that “annuals are the gateway drug to gardening.” I never thought about it before but it is so true. Most of us got started in gardening through planting a few summer flowers either in pots or in mom's or grandma's garden. Unlike trees and shrubs that take several years to mature or even perennials that when planted by seed usually don't bloom until the second season, annuals are the epitome of instant gratification, which is just...

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Yes, I am disseminating more info on growing tomatoes. One might wonder why I would go to such lengths for a fruit like tomatoes (my former father-in-law referred to them as poison apples and my oldest son still prefers not to eat them) but the simple fact is that there is nothing quite as delectable as a home grown tomato, especially considering that most of what we have to buy in the store are greenhouse grown and are tasteless. Case closed.

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May for the northwest is the time for us gardeners to get into gear when it comes to planting annuals. Up to this point there was always the risk of a late frost and frankly, the soils were still too cold to plant most annuals. But that all changes in May.

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With the last two sunny weekends, gardeners have been coming into the nursery anxious to get their gardens going for the season. And one of the plants that everyone wants to get established early is tomatoes. Now, I could give you a lecture about the futility of planting tomatoes before the soils warm up to 55 degrees but I think I would probably be beating my head against the wall. When a gardener is ready to plant it's best just to get out of the way. So my strategy is to do what I can to...

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This coming Saturday, April 21, at the nursery we are offering a class in growing Japanese maples by Trevor Cameron, our Japanese maple expert. It starts at 10 a.m. like all our Saturday classes do, and it is free. I am confident that it will be well worth your time to spend an hour learning about how to grow and prune and collect some of the finest maple varieties available. And for your time we will reward you with a 20 percent discount on any maples you purchase that day. If you happen to...

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If March was yellow, then surely April is white and pink

Last month I declared that the month should be remembered for all the yellow flowering plants. Granted, other colors of flowers were present but yellow in my estimation seemed to dominate our landscapes. This month I have to say that what I see mostly is white and pink. Here are some examples.

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What with our colder and wetter than normal spring many plants in our gardens are behind schedule and believe it or not, that can be good news when it comes to chores that we still have not completed. Specifically, it’s not too late to prune our roses.

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When is the best time to plant Walla Walla onions?

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Editor's note: Steve Smith of Sunnyside Nursery is sharing his regular gardening column with us. He writes about plants that work in our area and includes a handy to-do list to keep you on top of your garden chores. Watch for more columns as the gardening season really gets going.

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I had a chance to tour the Northwest Flower & Garden Show, which opens today in Seattle. The timing could not be better. With all the nice weather, I'm dreaming big garden dreams.

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