Life
Compost: It’s what every gardener really wants for Christmas
A pile of decomposed and recycled organic matter is the gardener’s gift that keeps on giving.
Life
A mild December makes for easy winter cleanup in the garden
If you haven’t finished your November gardening tasks, here’s a list of chores to do this month.
Life
Buying a fresh-cut Christmas tree is the natural choice
When decorating for the holidays, Steve Smith goes for the real deal. He lists some pros and cons.
Life
Add evergreen perennials to your garden for winter interest
Here’s a list of plants that compliment the seasonal shrubs you’ve just added to your yard.
Life
Around Thanksgiving, gardeners give thanks for the garden
What are they most thankful for? The pleasure they receive from spending time in their yards.
Life
Keep the garden interesting all through the winter
These plants will add much-needed color to the winter garden.
Life
Fall pruning at the top of the gardener’s November to do list
Gardening in the Northwest really is a year-round hobby. Check off this month’s chores.
Life
So much happens in the fall garden that you’ll never get bored
Watch for gardening surprises: While many plants go to sleep this season, others are just waking up.
Life
Fall is just another blooming season
October can be a time of spectacular colors in your garden.
Life
How to prune a hydrangea: An exception to the pruning rule
It helps to think of a growing blackberry vine when you’re about to cut back this blooming shrub.
Life
Planting bulbs requires optimism and patience
Here are seven tips on how to plant bulbs now for beauty come spring.
Life
Gardener’s to-do list: October perfect time for planting bulbs
Here are columnist Steve Smith’s suggestions for which tasks to do around the garden this month.
Life
Plant these late bloomers to brighten up your shade garden
In this follow-up to a column on sunny borders, Steve Smith lists flowers to liven up a dark…
Life
Here’s why late summer pruning of plants makes a lot of sense
The heavier you trim a plant, the more likely it is to grow back profusely.
Life
Cutting the lawn down to size in pursuit of greener grass
Let’s face it: Even in today’s society, the lawn is the man’s domain.
Life
Fall is for planting: The gardener’s September check list
Fall has always been my favorite time of year, especially when I lived in California and the summers…
Life
Don’t ignore these late bloomers for your fall garden’s border
As we move from late August into early September, it is not unusual to have our borders start…
Life
Now’s the time: Here’s how to plan for a fall vegetable garden
Believe it or not, it is time to start thinking about planting a fall vegetable garden.
Life
What exactly does it mean for a plant to be ‘drought tolerant’?
It’s been almost five decades since I had a college-level plant physiology class and studied the process of…
Life
Answers to three of your most common gardening questions
At the bottom of every column I write is an invitation to send in your questions about gardening…