Gardening
Perennials, bulbs and a Bolivian begonia
With most plants that we buy, it is the overall appearance and presence of color that drives us to put it into our cart. Certainly this is the case with annuals and blooming shrubs, but also with perennials. But the trouble with perennials is that most of them only bloom for roughly 5-6 weeks.
Date: 05/29/2012 | Mudrakers
Dandelions: They're the gateway weed
Two regional Pacific Northwest experts will be speaking at the Everett Public Library, bringing new ideas to people interested in growing and harvesting food.Both focus on the importance of sustainable agriculture, and finding food locally.
Date: 05/29/2012 | Life
Growing spuds above ground
Containers make potatoes a snap to grow
Date: 05/24/2012 | Home and Garden
Plants of merit: Candelabra primroses
WHAT: Candelabra primula, tall primroses, are easy to spot in the garden as they reach heights of 14 to 28 inches, and rise stiffly upright. They are available in many colors including pinks, white, purple, red, yellow and orange.
Date: 05/24/2012 | Home and Garden
Create a zinnia Dreamland in your garden
There is nothing that will stop traffic like a large bed of Dreamland zinnias. If you have not tried Dreamland or the competing Magellan zinnias then you are missing some of the finest zinnias for the landscape.
Date: 05/24/2012 | Home and Garden
Garden Clubs
Alderwood Garden Club: Crossroads Church, 18527 60th Ave. W., Lynnwood; Millie Lawrence at 425-743-1430; LMillieBob@aol.com. American Rhododendron Society: Pilchuck Chapter, Marysville First Baptist Church, 4011 81st Place NE, Marysville; Wayne Lawson, 360-659-9218.
Date: 05/24/2012 | Home and Garden
Burpee auctioning famous Kingston garden
KINGSTON -- The famous Heronswood Gardens at Kingston in Kitsap County is being sold at auction.The 15 acres of gardens contain 10,000 plants collected from around the world.
Date: 05/23/2012 | Northwest
Deadheading a sticky topic
You don't have to do it, but there are benefits for your rhodies
Date: 05/22/2012 | Mudrakers
Garden Clubs
Alderwood Garden Club: Crossroads Church, 18527 60th Ave. W., Lynnwood; Millie Lawrence at 425-743-1430; LMillieBob@aol.com. American Rhododendron Society: Pilchuck Chapter, Marysville First Baptist Church, 4011 81st Place NE, Marysville; Wayne Lawson, 360-659-9218.
Date: 05/17/2012 | Home and Garden
Plant Sales
Snohomish High School FFA: 2 to 5 p.m. through May 19, 12:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Snohomish High School, 1316 Fifth St., Snohomish. Sponsored by the AgriScience Department. Call 360 563-4195 for more information.
Date: 05/17/2012 | Home and Garden
Great plant pick: Tatting fern
WHAT: Athyrium filix-femina Frizelliae, sometimes called a tatting fern, is a deciduous plant with bright green fronds, which have an almost beaded look. The small leaflets, called pinnules, are shaped like tiny round fans and are staggered along the stem giving the appearance of tatted...
Date: 05/17/2012 | Home and Garden
Feed a child's mind through gardening
If you think it's hard getting kids to eat their vegetables, wait until you try recruiting them for garden work.But the challenge is worth it: Children just might add more healthy foods to their diet if they've grown them themselves.
Date: 05/17/2012 | Home and Garden
Plant Sales
Lake Stevens High School plant sale: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through May 12, Thursdays and Fridays, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, 2908 113th Ave NE, Lake Stevens. Hanging baskets, bedding plants, perennials and vegetables. We will plant your baskets with five plant picks and fresh soil for $10 per...
Date: 05/10/2012 | Home and Garden
Nuts and Bolts
Make a Mother's Day of it at Meerkerk Gardens on Sunday in Greenbank on Whidbey Island.Bring a picnic, a blanket or lawn chairs, and enjoy a concert on the beautiful grounds by folk harpist Harper Tasche. Then stroll the 10-acre garden.
Date: 05/10/2012 | Home and Garden
Plants of Merit
WHAT: This osmanthus, Osmanthus delavayi, has wonderfully fragrant clusters of small white flowers covering the shrub. It is a beautiful display set against medium green leaves. As an evergreen, Osmanthus delavayi makes a good structure plant.
Date: 05/10/2012 | Home and Garden
Silver dollars a garden jackpot
Whoever said that money doesn't grow on trees was right. It grows on a small, bushy plant.Just one type of currency, though: silver dollars (Lunaria annua).
Date: 05/10/2012 | Home and Garden
Free organic tomato talk
Expert tomato grower Steve Goto, owner of Gotomato, is speaking at a free seminar on growing tomatoes organically from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Molbak's in Woodinville.
Date: 05/10/2012 | Home and Garden
Home-grown tomatoes
Just like with fruit trees, grafting can make magic happen
Date: 05/08/2012 | Mudrakers
Garden clubs
Alderwood Garden Club: Crossroads Church, 18527 60th Ave. W., Lynnwood; Millie Lawrence at 425-743-1430; LMillieBob@aol.com. American Rhododendron Society: Pilchuck Chapter, Marysville First Baptist Church, 4011 81st Place NE, Marysville; Wayne Lawson, 360-659-9218.
Date: 05/03/2012 | Home and Garden
Great plant picks: Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum Mariesii
WHAT: A doublefile viburnum, the Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum Mariesii, is a hardy, wide-spreading deciduous shrub with a brilliant floral display in the spring, clusters of red berries in summer and a fiery red show in autumn. Even in winter, the strong branching pattern creates an...
Date: 05/03/2012 | Home and Garden
Today's gardeners can learn from 18th-century practices
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Wesley Greene has been a gardener with Colonial Williamsburg for more than 30 years. In 1996, he helped start the Colonial Garden where he and fellow gardener Don McKelvey dress in colonial attire and grow plants appropriate to that time, using 18th-century tools and...
Date: 05/03/2012 | Home and Garden
Ornamental shrubs that bear edible fruit
So planting fever has grabbed you, and you're heading out to your favorite nursery or thumbing through a catalog to see what's available in shrubs.Decisions, decisions. Should your shrubs offer tasty berries or good looks?
Date: 05/03/2012 | Home and Garden
How to control pests without harsh chemicals
The Snohomish County Fruit Society will host a presentation on managing pests from 7 to 9 p.m. May 10 at the Snohomish Library.
Date: 05/03/2012 | Home and Garden
Plan your plant shopping
Take your pick of local plant sales this spring
Date: 05/02/2012 | Home and Garden
Time to plant annuals
Which ones thrive in early May -- and which ones should wait
Date: 05/01/2012 | Mudrakers
Snohomish County Plant Sales
Send information about your group or club's sale to features@heraldnet.com by April 30 for our plant sale roundup in the May 3 edition of Home & Garden. Include the time, date, place and types of plants for sale, with a phone number, website or email that can be published in the...
Date: 04/26/2012 | Home and Garden
Make easy-to-grow coleus the go-to plant for your garden
It wasn't long ago, as I drove through historic Madison, Ga., and thought the city was so picturesque with sidewalk cafes and planters everywhere I looked, that I wanted to retire there. Isn't it funny how flowers can literally transform a city?
Date: 04/26/2012 | Home and Garden
Home and Garden Calendar
EVENTSPlanting Spring Crops, Maintaining Organic Garden: Master gardener Diane Decker-Ihle leads class from 10 a.m. to noon April 28 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 913 Second Ave., Snohomish. Suggested donation: $2. Reservations: Kati Anderson, 360-691-9673.
Date: 04/26/2012 | Home and Garden
Plant of Merit: Fritillaria Crown Imperial
WHAT: Fritillaria imperialis, also known as Fritillaria Crown Imperial, towers over other perennials at 3 to 4 feet. It blooms early in the spring with a very showy vertical display of lance-shaped shiny leaves.
Date: 04/26/2012 | Home and Garden
Proper planting ensures trees live long and prosper
Plant a tree? Sure! If Queen Elizabeth II is out there doing it in her mid-80s, you can, too. Of course, Her Majesty has a retinue of staffers who do the heavy lifting: digging the hole, finding and positioning the tree, taking care of it afterward.
Date: 04/26/2012 | Home and Garden
Garden clubs
Alderwood Garden Club: Crossroads Church, 18527 60th Ave. W., Lynnwood; Millie Lawrence at 425-743-1430; LMillieBob@aol.com. American Rhododendron Society: Pilchuck Chapter, Marysville First Baptist Church, 4011 81st Place NE, Marysville; Wayne Lawson, 360-659-9218.
Date: 04/26/2012 | Home and Garden
Gorgeous in the garden
Stunning photos from readers — and 6 tips for taking your own
Date: 04/19/2012 | Home and Garden
Plant sales
Local plant sales are starting to pop up like spring crocuses. Send information about your group or club's sale to features@heraldnet.com by April 25 for our plant sale roundup in the May 3 edition of Home & Garden.
Date: 04/19/2012 | Home and Garden
Great plant picks: Eddie’s White Wonder cornus
What: Eddie's White Wonder is a deciduous tree, an unusual hybrid that's a cross between the Western dogwood, Cornus nuttallii, and the Eastern species, Cornus florida. Its large white flowers open in early spring with abundant...
Date: 04/19/2012 | Home and Garden
Home & Garden calendar
EventsPlanting Spring Crops, Maintaining Organic Garden: Master gardener Diane Decker-Ihle leads class from 10 a.m. to noon April 28 at St. John's Episcopal Church, 913 Second Ave., Snohomish. Suggested donation: $2. Reservations: Kati Anderson, 360-691-9673.
Date: 04/19/2012 | Home and Garden
Match colors to achieve garden art
Over the years I have seen many great gardens, but it only takes a minute to recognize when an artist is the one doing the gardening. They may have the touch of Monet in their plant combinations, but it also seems they also have a flair for what I call echoing of colors.
Date: 04/19/2012 | Home and Garden
Garden clubs
Alderwood Garden Club: Crossroads Church, 18527 60th Ave. W., Lynnwood; Millie Lawrence at 425-743-1430; LMillieBob@aol.com.
Date: 04/19/2012 | Home and Garden
Learn to grow Japanese maples
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...
Date: 04/18/2012 | Mudrakers
Make a garden fairy, see rhodies Saturday
When all the rest of the county is heading north to the tulips Saturday, hop on a ferry to Whidbey for a little "Meerkerk Magic."
Date: 04/13/2012 | Life
The colors of April
This is the month to see pink and white blooms on display
Date: 04/12/2012 | Mudrakers
Learn from the pros
Everett Home & Garden Show puts ideas on display
Date: 04/12/2012 | Home and Garden
Plant sales
Local plant sales are starting to pop up like spring crocuses. Send information about your group or club's sale to
Date: 04/12/2012 | Home and Garden
Garden clubs
Alderwood Garden Club: Crossroads Church, 18527 60th Ave. W., Lynnwood; Millie Lawrence at 425-743-1430; LMillieBob@aol.com. American Rhododendron Society: Pilchuck Chapter, Marysville First Baptist Church, 4011 81st Place NE, Marysville; Wayne Lawson, 360-659-9218.
Date: 04/12/2012 | Home and Garden
In praise of humus, the gardener's best friend
Let's pay homage to humus. As the garden season gets into full swing, it's a good time for such tribute, because enthusiasm can be parlayed into action.
Date: 04/12/2012 | Home and Garden
A garden pro's three favorite plant gifts
Four years ago, Margaret Roach picked up two nearly identical Paphiopedilum orchids at her local garden center.
Date: 04/12/2012 | Home and Garden
Plant of merit: Daphne mezereum
WHAT: Daphne mezereum is a deciduous shrub with extremely fragrant lavender flowers that bloom in late winter to early spring. The flowers are followed by red seeds in June through August. All parts are poisonous.
Date: 04/12/2012 | Home and Garden
Plant Shack pops up
Quartet opens seasonal garden shop at former Emery's site
Date: 04/09/2012 | Business
Great plant picks: Japanese cobra lily
WHAT: Called the queen of the cobra lilies, Arisaema sikokianum sometimes emerges as early as late March or as late as July. The Japanese cobra lily sprouts with a deep brownish black hooded flower striped in white.
Date: 04/05/2012 | Home and Garden
Garden clubs
Alderwood Garden Club: Crossroads Church, 18527 60th Ave. W., Lynnwood; Millie Lawrence at 425-743-1430; LMillieBob@aol.com. American Rhododendron Society: Pilchuck Chapter, Marysville First Baptist Church, 4011 81st Place NE, Marysville; Wayne Lawson, 360-659-9218.
Date: 04/05/2012 | Home and Garden
Nuts and Bolts: Master Gardeners plant sale May 5
The Snohomish County Master Gardeners spring plant sale is set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 5 at the WSU County Extension at McCollum Park.
Date: 04/05/2012 | Home and Garden
Front Porch: Open house for Everett’s waterfront plans
Waterfront meetingThe city of Everett is planning an open house from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday for what it is calling "the Central Waterfront Planning area," which includes the soon-to-be vacant Kimberly-Clark mill and some surrounding properties.
Date: 04/03/2012 | Local News
Nuts and Bolts: Ciscoe Morris celebrates with Everett Garden Club
Club celebration: Join plant guru Ciscoe Morris as he helps the Everett Garden Club kick off their 75th anniversary Saturday in an event that includes raffles, refreshments and door prizes.
Date: 03/29/2012 | Home and Garden
The vitamin D debate and 8 other health tidbits
Should we all be getting more vitamin D (aka the sunshine vitamin), or is it the latest nutrient not to live up to a swell of fanfare? The answer is being vigorously debated by health experts.
Date: 03/29/2012 | Home and Garden
Plant of merit: Bluestar
WHAT: Amsonia tabernaemontana, commonly known as bluestar, is native to Missouri and is as beautiful in natural woodland settings as it is in a native or perennial border. An herbaceous perennial, its light blue star-shaped flowers are one of the harbingers of spring in the Northwest, blooming in...
Date: 03/29/2012 | Home and Garden
Q&A: When to plant onions and an explanation about grafted trees
When is the best time to plant Walla Walla onions?
Date: 03/28/2012 | Mudrakers
Front Porch: An evening with native music and dance
Native music, danceSkykomish Valley Indian Education is hosting an evening of native music and dance March 31.Doors open at 6:15 p.m. at the Monroe High School Performing Arts Center, 17001 Tester Road. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.
Date: 03/26/2012 | Local News
It's almost tulip time
Plan your trip to the Skagit Valley for all the festival events
Date: 03/24/2012 | Life
Garden clubs
Alderwood Garden Club: Crossroads Church, 18527 60th Ave. W., Lynnwood; Arlene Harrison, 425-743-0118. American Rhododendron Society: Pilchuck Chapter, Marysville First Baptist Church, 4011 81st Place NE, Marysville; Wayne Lawson, 360-659-9218.
Date: 03/22/2012 | Home and Garden
Yellow blooms for March
4 flowers that can brighten up your late-winter garden
Date: 03/19/2012 | Mudrakers
Less grass, more veggies
More are turning over their yards to fruits of labor
Date: 03/15/2012 | Home and Garden
Plant of merit: Hellebores
WHAT: Hellebores, once rarely seen in private gardens, have become one of the most popular winter or early spring blooming plants. Colors range from white to near black with an enormous amount of variation in between: red, pink, lavender, yellow, speckled, plain, single and double.
Date: 03/15/2012 | Home and Garden
Front Porch: Firefighters drill
Firefighters drillEverett firefighters will practice navigating their way through a smoke-filled vacant waterfront building during four days of training set to begin Tuesday.
Date: 03/12/2012 | Local News
Plant pick: Christmas Cheer rhody
WHAT: Despite its name, the rhododendron Christmas Cheer doesn't bloom until late January, February or even as late as early March. A small stem with a pale pink bud blooms into a dome of white to light pink on this compact shrub.
Date: 03/08/2012 | Home and Garden
How to attract birds, bees, butterflies
Q: What can I plant in my garden that will attract birds, bees and butterflies?A: Bees and butterflies pollinate flowers, which set the seeds that attract birds. Avian visitors add liveliness and beauty to a landscape, and prey on pests.
Date: 03/08/2012 | Home and Garden
Lynnwood council votes to allow residents to keep up to 5 chicken hens
LYNNWOOD -- The path is set for people to be able to coop up to five chickens on single-family properties in Lynnwood.The City Council scratched into the topic, passing an ordinance allowing chickens, 5-2 at Monday's meeting.
Date: 03/01/2012 | Local News
Nuts and Bolts: Learn to grow herbs
Spring thing: Learn about growing herbs in small places or in containers at the first of a few workshops at St. John's Episcopal Church in Snohomish.
Date: 03/01/2012 | Home and Garden
Plant of Merit: Japanese laurel
WHAT: Aucuba japonica, commonly known as Japanese laurel, is a knockout in the winter because of its high-gloss leaves that are splashed with gold. Aucubas need both a male and a female to produce the burgundy colored berries. All parts are poisonous, so plant away from children and pets.
Date: 03/01/2012 | Home and Garden
How to get a jump on spring planting
Even if you don't have the luxury of a walk-in greenhouse, you can still get a jump start on spring, by starting your seeds indoors.
Date: 03/01/2012 | Home and Garden
Front Porch: NAACP Freedom Fund Gala on Saturday
Freedom Fund GalaThe Snohomish County Branch of the NAACP will hold its 3rd Annual Freedom Fund Gala to honor people of color for their services to the community Saturday at the Embassy Suites in Lynnwood.
Date: 02/28/2012 | Local News
Marysville nursery to host berry day for kids
Those at The Plant Farm nursery in Marysville know berry season is one that little gardeners really enjoy.So why not make them a part of the berry experience, beyond just the eating part?The Plant Farm is hosting a special seminar geared to young gardeners called "Berry Good Berries."
Date: 02/27/2012 | Life
Nuts and Bolts: Book an arboretum tour
Folks at the Evergreen Arboretum & Gardens already are thinking about summer, and they suggest you do, too. Now's the time to book custom tours of the gardens, which are beautiful to see in any season.Custom tours are available any time of year. Just call 425-257-8597 to make plans.
Date: 02/23/2012 | Home and Garden
Don't harm hydrangeas
Prune at the right time, or find a place where they'll flourish
Date: 02/23/2012 | Home and Garden
Stunning in the shade
Plants that thrive in sun-deprived Northwest gardens
Date: 02/23/2012 | Home and Garden
Front Porch: Rain water gardening
Just add water People living in Everett can learn how to capture and use rain water in their gardens at a class set for 6 p.m. Thursday at Legion Hall, 145 Alverson Blvd.
Date: 02/20/2012 | Local News
Great Plant Picks: Plumose Japanese cedar
WHAT: Plumose Japanese cedar features soft, needlelike foliage when it's young, earning it the common name of plume cedar.Its evergreen foliage is green in summer. With the onset of cold weather, it turns a mahogany-plum hue.
Date: 02/16/2012 | Home and Garden
Edmonds garden club has big plans to turn park into ‘gateway to the city’
EDMONDS -- As president of the Edmonds Floretum Garden Club, Jeri Schoenfeld is helping direct the Old Milltown garden project that is to break ground in March.
Date: 02/16/2012 | Local News
Learn how to help others learn how to grow their own food
The Washington State University Extension is offering training classes beginning March 3 for people to become Growing Groceries volunteer mentors, who then will help others learn to grow fresh fruits and vegetables.
Date: 02/14/2012 | Life
Learn tricks for your garden in free classes
Our biggest Northwest natural resource -- rain -- can go to work in your garden to benefit your landscape, better the environment and sustain wildlife. It's free and so's this series of workshops and tours.
Date: 02/11/2012 | Life
2 handy guides for beginning gardeners
Some gardeners save seeds to cut costs. Some save them to preserve rare plant species. Others just crave the kinds of tomatoes you can't buy in a store.
Date: 02/09/2012 | Home and Garden
How to grow citrus indoors
The amazing orangery at the gardens of Versailles, with more than 1,000 perfectly kept potted plants, might be the world's most famous showcase of citrus trees, indoors and out. But you don't need to be Louis XIV or have nearly as grand a setup to grow, display and even harvest citrus at...
Date: 02/09/2012 | Home and Garden
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