Garden Tools: tips, resources and reviews for gardeners

You need only take a walk through Washington Park Arboretum or peer into your own backyard to notice that May is the season of the rhododendron. It would seem that rhododendrons are native to the Northwest, the superb way they thrive both in the cultivated garden and wild forest floor. But those rhododendrons, which have become such a mainstay in Pacific Northwest flora, are relative newcomers to these parts and have been plucked by enchanted plant hunters from China and the Himalayas.

Jane Brown tells the dramatic and long history of the rhodies global travels in her recent book, Tales of the Rose Tree: Ravishing Rhododendrons and Their Travels Around the World, (Harper Collins, $36.75). In this accessible historical account, Ms. Brown tells of the legend & lore, as well as the botanical significance, of the rhododendron. She includes many fine illustrations and color plates of many notable representations of the rhododendron. In addition, she lists many of the best places to find rhododendrons, mainly in the UK, where she resides. Travel to the Royal Horticultural Society's Wisley Garden or the Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden for grand displays of this woody and lovely plant.

Or remain closer to home and visit The Rhododendron Species Foundation and Botanical Garden in Federal Way. Twenty-two acres encompass nearly 10,000 rhododendrons in all shapes, sizes, colors, and scents. From March through May, the Garden is open from 10:00 - 4:00 six days a week (closed on Thursdays). June through February, the Garden is open 11:00 - 4:00 five days a week (closed Thursdays and Fridays). Admission is $3.50 for adults and $2.50 for seniors and students. For additional information and directions, call: 253-927-6960.

A good little primer on these plants is called Summer-Blooming Bulbs, edited by Beth Hansen (Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, 9.95). Chapter topics include botany, care, design and a mini-encyclopedia. Contributing authors Brent and Becky Heath, owners of the top American bulb nursery (Brent and Becky's Bulbs), suggest a few summer bulbs that will come back every year without lifting in Pacific Northwest gardens:

• Crinum lily (Crinum 'Bradley')
• Pineapple lily (Eucomis autumnalis)
• Guernsey lily (Nerine bowdenii)
• Crimson flag (Schizostylis coccinea)

Ornamental Foliage Plants, by Denise Greig (Firefly Books, $45) inspires with a section on foliage plants for specific themes and situations. Judy Glattstein's prose in Consider the Leaf: Foliage in Garden Design, (Timber Press, $24.95) is rich with experience and example, including information about growth habits and care. David Joyce organizes plants by leaf shape and size, texture, color, and overall plant form in Foliage: Dramatic and Subtle Leaves for the Garden (Trafalgar Square Publishing, $35). The highlight of Leaf, Bark and Berry: Gardening with Foliage Plants, by Ethne Clarke, is a plant directory organized by color groups with luscious photos (out of print, but available through online booksellers and at the Miller Library).

On the web, the University of Illinois Extension has an attractive and easy to use Fabulous Foliage website for using plants with colored foliage. Give it a try.

For tulips, it's a bit more complex. Most showy, large-flowered tulips don't rebloom well, so should be treated like an annual- dug up and tossed. However, Darwin Hybrids, 'Apeldoorn' is one example, do rebloom the following year. These should be allowed to yellow and wither naturally and their seed heads removed. They can be divided when the foliage withers. If you don't know what you have, play it safe and leave your tulips for another year. If the show is disappointing then dig them up and toss.

For a fun tour of the world of bulbs try Lois Hole's Favorite Bulbs (Hole's, $1995), a book packed with photos, trivia, growing advice and design tips.

Asters, chrysanthemum, salvias and ornamental grasses are a few perennials that emerge and distract the eye when bulb foliage is yellowing.

The experts all agree, you should cut off the first flush of flowers so that your plants will develop larger crowns and eventually more fruit. This means no fruit for the first year for June-bearing strawberries. Don't scrimp on water, but good drainage is also essential. Applying a mulch will help keep the soil cool and moist and protect the ripening berries from soil fungus. But mulch will also give shelter to slugs, so take care to use an organic-acceptable iron phosphate bait (such as Sluggo) regularly.
While technically perennial, strawberry plants should be replaced every 2 to 3 years with newly purchased stock. Recommended reading on growing strawberries, from Oregon State University, will get you off to a good start.

Stephen Wilhelm and James E. Sagen in their book, A History of the Strawberry: from ancient gardens to modern markets, investigate how the strawberry was named. The theory they give most credence to is that the runners are "strewed" from the mother plant. In ancient times one word used for "strew" was "straw," and thus a strewing berry became strabery (sic) which eventually became strawberry in England.
If you want to use straw as the mulch for strawberries look in the yellow pages under "feed stores."

Local communities also organize charitable garden tours which usually feature 5 to 10 private gardens within driving distance. Some tours also include speakers or music. The Elisabeth C. Miller Library compiles a list of regional tours each spring.

Seed racks are sprouting up at nurseries and grocery stores across the city - it's time to start seeds. One reason to start your own transplants is to save money. One packet of 50 marigold seeds typically costs the same as one 4" little start. The budget growing may extend into seed growing supplies by using recycled plastic pots from last season or even reusing individual yogurt containers or other comparable containers. "Growing chambers" can be made on the cheap from clear plastic bags and chop sticks to keep the moist plastic off emerging sprouts. The frugal gardener will be tempted to put those seedlings in a south facing window, but beware: Pacific Northwest windows are NOT bright enough to produce healthy, sturdy seedlings.

Invest in a 4 foot fluorescent shop light from the hardware store. It is worth the small amount of money. Buy one 40 watt cool tube and one warm tube, or if you're feeling extravagant buy the full spectrum grow lights, which will cost more. These lights should be replaced every year or at least every two years. Once your seedlings are up, the lights should be about 2 - 4 inches above the leaves. This can be tricky if you have plants growing at different rates. Try placing a platform under the short seedlings.
For a full explanation of fluorescent lights for seedlings go online to: http://www.garden.org/articles/articles.php?q=show&id=817