Steve Smith

TSR image for landing page

Winter solstice kindles renewal, hope and introspection

Winter can be an excellent time to deepen our spiritual understanding of life and how interconnected we all are on this round mass we call Earth.

 

Sprout of an oak tree in man's hands

Let the garden, always alive with hope, renew your faith in a better future

As much as gardens provide bounty, they also yield hope, which our spirits need as much as our bodies need nutrition.

 

Group of Golden false cypress trees

On gloomy, gray winter days, golden foliage breaks through brilliantly

There may not be 50 shades of yellow, but many plants turn to gold come winter and pop in our otherwise dormant gardens.

 

With 132 shades of brown, December gardens burst with ‘winter interest’

With most primary and secondary colors lost to the changing seasons, I’ve come to see just how beautiful browns can be.

Hand holding a  colorful Rose Flower

Being ‘thank-full’ means filling up on the beauty right under our noses

With people so divided and quick to argue, I hope you’ll literally and figuratively stop and smell the roses — cliche as it may be.

Hand holding a  colorful Rose Flower
Electric Time technician Dan LaMoore adjusts a clock hand on a 1000-lb., 12-foot diameter clock constructed for a resort in Vietnam, Tuesday, March 9, 2021, in Medfield, Mass. Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. local time Sunday, March 14, 2021, when clocks are set ahead one hour. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Daylight-saving time is a government plot to turn us all into zombies

They say it’s all about saving energy. But what about the lost energy of every sleep-deprived citizen caught up in this time warp!?

Electric Time technician Dan LaMoore adjusts a clock hand on a 1000-lb., 12-foot diameter clock constructed for a resort in Vietnam, Tuesday, March 9, 2021, in Medfield, Mass. Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. local time Sunday, March 14, 2021, when clocks are set ahead one hour. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
nature and industry - misty landscape from above with you on the power station

No, reducing our carbon footprint won’t hurt our planet’s plant population

On the contrary: Climate change, and the resulting increase in extreme weather events, will reduce plant growth far more.

nature and industry - misty landscape from above with you on the power station
Collection of fallen leaves. Raking autumn leaves from the lawn on the lawn in the autumn park. Using a rake to clear fallen leaves. The concept of volunteering, seasonal gardening.

To rake or not to rake? With fall leaves, there are two kinds of gardeners

Whether you’re a rake-wielding Neat Nellie or a let-‘em-lie Messy Molly, here are the facts about fallen foliage.

Collection of fallen leaves. Raking autumn leaves from the lawn on the lawn in the autumn park. Using a rake to clear fallen leaves. The concept of volunteering, seasonal gardening.
Fatsia japonica is a large leaf tree with cuts and white flowers bloom in late autumn.

For bold texture in the shade, fatsias are among my ‘most favorite’

These versatile evergreen shrubs thrive in the understory, bringing a tropical feel to gardens and living spaces alike.

Fatsia japonica is a large leaf tree with cuts and white flowers bloom in late autumn.
pine needles background. pine needles cover the ground in a pine park

Your pine is fine: Seasonal needle drop is perfectly normal

Even in “The Evergreen State,” people needlessly fret over the health of their cedars and pines. Here’s how to tell if something’s actually wrong.

pine needles background. pine needles cover the ground in a pine park
Ginko yellow leaves during autumn season with clear blue sky

How plants make fall magic with their brilliantly colorful leaves

I certainly can’t begin to explain “why” fall color happens, but I can explain “how” it happens.

Ginko yellow leaves during autumn season with clear blue sky

With winter on the way, October is the time to tuck and roll

That means preparing to put our gardens to bed while taking stock of the season gone by so we can plan for the year ahead.

A clump of flowering ornamental grass or pennisetum alopecuroides in an autumn garden.

My garden runneth over with fountain grasses, and for good reason

These late-blooming perennials come in many varieties. They work well as accents, groundcovers, edgings or in containers.

A clump of flowering ornamental grass or pennisetum alopecuroides in an autumn garden.
Flowering knotweed Persicaria amplexicaulis firetail in the morning light.

Save for one infamous variety, fleece flowers are easy to fall in love with

This long-blooming, easy-to-grow perennial comes in many desirable varieties. But watch out: One is an invasive knotweed.

Flowering knotweed Persicaria amplexicaulis firetail in the morning light.
Freshly picked carrots and beetroots on vegetable bed in the garden

September is the time to get growing on your cool-season veggie garden

From carrots, beets and garlic to broccoli, cabbage and spinach, it’s just plain fun — albeit a bit spendy — to grow your own food.

Freshly picked carrots and beetroots on vegetable bed in the garden

As with the seasons, container plantings are not meant to be permanent

Here are some tips for reinvigorating your tired-looking pots with plants fit for fall and, in some cases, winter, too.

Cook Island pines grow straight up in their natural habitat of New Caledonia. (Getty Images)

Auxins, tropisms and apical dominance: The curious case of the crooked conifer

Cook Island pines grow straight up in the New Caledonia islands. But anywhere else, they grow toward the equator.

Cook Island pines grow straight up in their natural habitat of New Caledonia. (Getty Images)
Purple ASters with Golden Grasses Portland OR

As summer fades, you can fall in love with your garden all over again

The days may be getting shorter, but the gardening season is hardly over — it’s simply shifting gears, so get ready.

Purple ASters with Golden Grasses Portland OR
mixed border in summer garden with yellow spirea japonica, pink astilbe, hydrangea. Planting together shrubs and flowers

Garden variety: Diversity and inclusivity yield good vibes

If variety is the spice of life, let me extoll the merits of including a diverse palette of plant material into our landscapes.

mixed border in summer garden with yellow spirea japonica, pink astilbe, hydrangea. Planting together shrubs and flowers
Wisteria needs to have about half of its new growth removed now. In late winter, you can cut that new growth back half way again. (Getty Images)

Snippin’ and clippin’: Take time to tend to your garden

These may be the lazy days of summer, but there’s still work to do to keep our yards looking tidy and trim.

Wisteria needs to have about half of its new growth removed now. In late winter, you can cut that new growth back half way again. (Getty Images)