It’s easy to plant a garden that is colorful and interesting in June, more difficult is designing a garden that shines in October. Read Autumn Gardens by Ethne Clark (Soma, 1999) to learn both design principles and the best trees, shrubs, perennials, bulbs and grasses to plant in fall. Oakleaf hydrangea, Canadian serviceberry, species roses, and sedums are just a few of the plants featured that will extend the garden interest beyond Labor Day.
Archives: Garden Tips
Gardening tips and suggestions.
Garden Tip #193
National Gardening Association’s Pest Control Library is a pictorial guide to diagnosing pests and diseases. Every article has a color picture to help confirm if the pest in question looks like the bug eating your plant. Major plant diseases are also included and organized by the part of the plant it infects: leaf, fruit, roots or all parts.
Garden Tip #192
Trees are Good, a page maintained by the International Society of Arboriculture, has tree care brochures for the public. Learn why you should pay for the services of a certified arborist, how to plant a tree the right way, and how to identify tree hazards. Included on the page is a link to search for certified arborist by zip code so you can find out who the professionals are in your region.
Garden Tip #191
Silvics of North America Online by United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, 1990.
Property owners with woodlots and tree lovers alike will find the Silvics of North America an informative and authoritative reference source on trees. Two hundred, mostly North American native trees are described including native habitat, associated trees and shrubs, propagation details, growth rate, and information on the major pests that may damage the tree. Many entries have information on the root development, which can be helpful in learning if a chosen tree will tolerate construction, or be appropriate for planting over water utilities.
Garden Tip #190
Growing Up: A Gardener’s Guide to Climbing Plants for the Pacific Northwest by Christine Allen. (Steller Press, 2001)
Urban gardeners need to maximize every inch of their gardens and growing vertically adds another potential place for more plants. Growing up details vines to plant season by season for a year of vertical interest, plus lists the best plants to use for a particular situation, like covering a chain link fence, or for training up a tree.
Garden Tip #187
Wondering what to plant at your cabin in Cle Elum? Or perhaps something to give your cousin who’s just moved to Spokane? A new series of booklets on gardening in the Inland Northwest gives a perspective not found in the many titles written by westsiders. Published by the Washington State University Cooperative Extension, separate volumes cover roses, berries, vegetables, landscape plants, perennials, fruit trees and native plants, each for $12 or less. To order, call the WSU Bulletin office at 1-800-723-1763 or order online
Garden Tip #186
The Rodale family of Emmaus, Pennsylvania has a 60 year history of publishing books and magazines that promote organic gardening and their encyclopedias have come to be regarded as the standards on the subject. A good example is the Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening (DK Publishing, 2002 $40.00). A must-have for serious organic gardeners certainly, but the user-friendly qualities that are a trademark of DK will make it one of the first books in a beginning gardener’s library as well.
Garden Tip #184
If you love Sweet Peas you may want to join the National Sweet Pea Society from England, or at least visit their website for tips on getting the most from this cottage garden favorite.
Garden Tip #180
The Organic Salad Garden by Joy Larkcom. London: Frances Lincoln, 2001. Salads with international personality are a must in any fine restaurant. With this book you can sort out the ingredients to recreate your favorite, encounter new options to seek at your local farmers market, and learn how to grow the best for yourself. Comprehensive yet user-friendly, the photographs by Roger Phillips are simply the best for telling the many look-alikes apart, and there are lots of ideas for both the home chef and gardener. A real feast!
Garden Tip #179
Wild Berries of the West by Betty B. Derig and Margaret C. Fuller, Missoula: Mountain Press, 2001. Plants that produce berries provide food for people and wildlife, plus something to look at in the dead of winter. Use Wild Berries of the West to expand the number of fruiting plants growing in your garden. The authors include botanical descriptions, habitat, how native people used the plants and whether the fruit is edible. They even include recipes like Mom’s Serviceberry Squares.