The National Gardening Association is available on the internet with many resources for your garden and beyond.Here are some recent entries in the Seed Swapping area: Date Posted: Apr 26, 2008 Seeds Offered: Hubbard Seeds Wanted: Rhubarb seeds – Date Posted: Apr 19, 2008 Seeds Offered: marigold, snapdragon, and viola seeds Seeds Wanted: Porter Tomato [...]

Here are some interesting garden tidbits that I discovered in the past couple of weeks: Growing Lemon Trees in the Northwest- Yes, apparently they can grow here. In particular the Meyer lemon although a pot is recommended.  It may need brought in at times and can require a lot of care. The author says that the [...]

Well, my garden has had little sun so far, and I know that you can sympathize with me. And I am disappointed in the lack of progress for the organic peas. They are just now poking their heads out, although the non-organic ones did long ago. Is there something in the non-organic seeds that makes [...]

Only a couple miles from downtown Portland is a 187-acre arboretum of living wonder with 12 miles of trails. Whether rain drops plop slowly onto the ground after bending each leaf or sunny skies warm human and plant-life alike, a trip to Hoyt Arboretum is well worth your time. Best part? It’s free.   Volunteers [...]

Bamboo is all the craze. Have you noticed? The kids and I were visiting in Portland this past week and went to the Oregon Zoo. SO fun. (By the way, they have Hoyt Arboretum next to the zoo which I will also be visiting as soon as possible) In between watching the animals and my [...]

It’s almost time. I can feel it; more importantly, I can hear it. An occasional twitter pokes through shrubs—nubby with new growth—to remind me the birds are a comin’. And when they do, they’ll start building homes and families, laying eggs and dive-bombing unsuspecting gardeners. I can already picture them swooping down on me, chiding [...]

Ed Hume has been in the gardening business longer than many of us have been… well, alive. I can probably trace my love for gardening back to childhood; I remember my mother watching him on an old black and white television, his soothing voice lilting in the background about the dangers of black mold and [...]

With the onslaught of spring (does it arrive any other way here in the Northwest?), baby steps are necessary. Even to the most devoted of gardeners, the task of transitioning between last season’s remnants to a whole new season of hopes and dreams can be daunting. Especially to those of us whose gardening tools are [...]

Growing roses is a lot like playing tennis: you’ve got your weekend players and you’ve got the pros. Most of us are somewhere in the middle. Thankfully, we don’t have to sign up for country club membership in order to satisfy our rose fix. The fact that we live in the Northwest gives us a [...]

Check out what Sunset Magazine says is IN and OUT for our gardens: In Single plant containers Overstuffed containers Soothing spring greens Brassy orange with hot pink Solar lighting Out Tiki torches Meditation spaces Wedding-cake gazebos Smart controllers Wasteful irrigation So I see some things in common here. For instance, we must be getting more [...]