Category: Gardening
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Late June Blooms in the Pacific Northwest
June Blooms in the Bird and Butterfly Garden Blooming Ditch Lily Remember last week when I showed you the foxgloves and roses, but said the “next wave” was coming? Well, it’s here! The new flowers are starting to come into bloom, bringing brighter and wilder colors. The first thing that always appears is the orange…
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Early June Blooms in the Pacific Northwest
Foxgloves and Roses around Gazebo Bloom on New Dawn Climbing Rose Every evening when I walk into my office, I walk past this window that looks out over the gazebo thing in my garden. And of course I take a peek on my way to the computer to see what’s blooming, how many weeds have…
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December Blooms in the Pacific Northwest
December Rose Blooms < Can you believe these roses blooming in the middle of December? The neighbor told me she’s had roses from the garden on her table for Christmas, and I wasn’t sure I believed her. Now I do. If it hadn’t been for the freak snowstorm we had, these would have been on…
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November Blooms in the Pacific Northwest
Fall Zelkova Serrata Foliage Sunny days are a rarity here in the Pacific Northwest, so I appreciate each precious one. The bright blue sky looks so beautiful behind the fall colors on this “Green Vase” Japanese Zelkova tree (Zelkova serrata ‘Green Vase’) I planted last fall. I planted three of these across the front of…
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October Blooms in the Pacific Northwest
Purple Ornamental Kale Fall is well and truly here in the Pacific Northwest. How can I tell? Not the position of the sun, the turning leaves, or the crisp cool air. I can tell because ornamental Kale looks absolutely beautiful to me. I have some in my containers out front, and the crinkly leaves have…
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September Blooms in the Pacific Northwest
Fall Peony Foliage This month, I’m once again reminded of how maligned peonies are as a multi-season plant. Everyone loves peonies, but many dismiss them as a one-hit wonder. I couldn’t disagree more. Their green foliage provides a lovely counterpoint to other flowers through the summer, and their fall colors are drop-dead gorgeous. Case in…
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July Blooms in the Pacific Northwest
Purple Clematis Vine Since the garden at Pear Tree Cottage appeared to be a blank slate when I bought it, there have been a few surprises. The biggest, and I mean that literally, is the clematis growing on the back fence, behind the pear tree that the cottage is named for. I had a hard…
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June Blooms in the Pacific Northwest
Paeonia Sara Bernhard Peony It’s my first summer at Pear Tree Cottage (what I’m calling my new home), and I’m still discovering what’s here in the garden. Despite it appearing to be a completely blank slate, there is still a fair amount of life here, despite the previous owners’ best efforts. Wandering through the garden…
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May Blooms in the Pacific Northwest
Pink Dogwood Blooms I’m still in my first year at my new-to-me-home, and the garden was nearly a blank slate when we moved in. So there’s not been much blooming. But I was prowling around today and was surprised to find several things blooming. Blooming Pink Dogwood Branches One of the things I was happiest…
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Choosing the Right Arbor for a Front Garden Entry
Selecting An Entry Arbor Like all of you, sometimes I have a hard time figuring out why something isn’t working. Though I never lack for opinions on other people’s spaces, often in my own home & garden I have to feel my way toward the solution. Case in point: the entry arbor from Valentine Cottage.…