Seasonal containers Now that we have had our first frost, I think it is that time of year when I need to start to put the garden to bed. I’ve developed a list over the last several years which comes in handy to make sure I get all my chores done. It goes back to when I worked at the botanical garden and needed to stay organized. I thought I would divide it into two parts, this week and next week. Seasonal container 1. Plant up winter containers. A few strategically placed con

Grasses at OGF nursery Get ready, get set, PLANT. I know you have heard it a hundred times but here in the Pacific Northwest fall is the best time for planting. There are a lot of good reasons to plant now. The soil is still warm so roots will still grow giving you a much larger plant next spring. The soil doesn’t get too cold until about late November. The fall rains have started so you don’t have to water or worry about the new plants getting too dried out or burned. Actual

Inspiration and opportunity usually don’t occur at the same time but when they do it can be quite fun. Now comes the opportunity. About 6 years ago my neighbor decided to clear a part of his lot and cut down twelve big trees to make room for a building. Rather than get upset about the trees I just asked him if I could have the stumps. He of course said yes because he wasn’t sure how he was going to dispose of them. He said he would bring them over so I cleared a space back in

wreath Here on the early days of fall you can definitely feel the change of seasons. Fall color is just starting to kick in and lots of things are starting to fade. I consciously planted this garden with fall interest in mind, a lesson I learned at the Miller Garden, but signs of fall are slow to come. It will be about another few weeks before it really looks like fall. For me, this is the time I don’t always like how the garden looks so I have a few things I like to do so th

Cherry Tomatoes ‘Tis the season to be picky, picking veggies that is. One of the real treats of living here at Old Goat Farm is having the space for a large vegetable garden. Our veggie garden is about 60 ft by 60 ft. That is enough space to generate a lot of food. Before Because we have all the birds we need to protect the crops from them. The chicken coop and bird-run goes completely across the back of the garden. On both sides there are fences with espalier apples, pears a

Container A group of plants that I have developed a growing appreciation for over the years are ferns. I know many think of ferns as background plants or filler but for others the ferns can be the major focal plant in the garden with other plants being fern companion plants. I learned to use ferns in almost any part of the garden from sun to shade, dry to wet. Blechnum spicant When I started to build the garden at Old Goat Farm ferns became a major element particularly in the

Coleus and Begonia Annuals are a group of plants that seems to fall in and out of favor. Some years I grow several and other times I decide that I don’t want to bother with anything that is going to last for just the season. When I get really tired I think that maybe I’ll just grow trees and shrubs so I don’t really need to mess with any of those pesky plants out in the garden. This fortunately is a mood that doesn’t last long. Amaranthus and Marigold I do like to garden and

textural and color contrast When we moved to Old Goat Farm we brought with us about 60 different types of Hostas. Reliable and hardy with countless combinations of leaf color, shape, and texture, hostas appeal to gardeners because of their fabulous foliage. We use them throughout the garden as a great texture plant. Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’ Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ on the fern table. Hostas are herbaceous, mounding perennials, hardy to Zones 3 or 4, depending on the variety.

Hydrangea serrata ‘Preziosa’ Hydrangeas are the queens of the summer garden. Most deciduous shrubs and trees flower in spring giving more time to set seed throughout the summer. Since many hydrangeas flower at this time of year they definitely take the spotlight, not that they wouldn’t anytime with all those big blooms. Hydrangeas are native to the northern hemisphere, mainly Asia. There are a few North American species but the ones that are most popular originated in China,

Lilium The summer blooming Lilies have to be one of my favorite plants in the garden. OK, I know I have said that about a number of plants but this time I really mean it. Lilies are such a versatile plant and easy to squeeze in any border, as long as a few requirements are met. Good drainage is the key. They are a bulb and wet can make them rot so that is a big problem in the Northwest. Fortunately here at Old Goat Farm we are gardening on glacier-till so drainage is great. L

Hemerocallis ‘Cleopatra’ Hemerocallis is a genus of hardy, long-lived perennials related to Lilies. Each plant produces several flower stalks with up to a dozen buds. The buds open in series, but a flower lasts only a day, giving the plant its common name, Daylily. By growing different varieties, you can enjoy blooms from mid-June until frost in a rainbow of colors (except blue). Daylilies grow vigorously, help suppress weeds, and are generally free from pests and disease. La

Rosa blanda There is nothing quite like the smell of roses in the garden in June. For me roses have always been a bit of a challenge. I usually picked the big blooms out of garden catalogs and then found them to be less than satisfying. I would try to deal with black spot and to figure out the right time to prune and which ones did what. I found them a bit confusing. Being the lazy gardener I just moved on and forgot about them. Come June when I would get a whiff of one along

Iris ‘Latin Lover’ The Iris is a staple in many gardens. There are many different kinds requiring a number of different conditions. In the wild they grow from the dry mountains of Turkey to the wetlands of Louisiana. They are divided into two basic groups, bulbous and rhizomatous. The rhizomatous is then divided into bearded, beardless and crested. There are many other divisions and classifications but these are the basic divisions for what we grow. Iris ‘High Master’ In the

Freshly Planted Growing up in North Dakota I thought gardening was just about vegetables. The growing season was about three or four months which is just about the time for a good veggie garden. Everyone had a garden when I was a kid. It was just part of summer. I still think of it it that way. The other nine months I like spending time with all the ornamentals but come summer there is nothing I like more than spending time in the vegetable garden. Overhead view When we moved

Botanical Print When I think back to m childhood in North Dakota and remember flowers the first ones to come to mind are the Peonies. Both of my grandmothers grew them but I remember the ones in my Grandma Jenny’s garden as being particularly beautiful. I stayed there overnight frequently and she baked every Saturday morning. In-between batches of what ever was baking we would weed and I remember the smell of theses blooms being particularly sweet. I’m sure there is a connect

Epimedium Botanical Print Epimedium is another genus that we became avid collectors of several years ago. While working at the Miller Garden we were constantly running across new introductions that we just had to have. Most proved to be very garden worthy and today are some great performers in the garden just about now. Although I’m not on the search for new ones I still have to check them out when I see them at a plant sale and have had to pick up a few here and there. It is

Primula pulverulenta in the landscape Primula is a large genus of about 425 species and an untold number of cultivars. Most are herbaceous perennials and can be found in a variety of conditions from boggy areas to alpine meadow. Most can be divided into 5 basic type, Auricula, Acaulis, Candelabra, Polyanthus and Juliana. I have tried growing a number from all these different types and find some easier than others. I tend to have trouble with the Auricula type. I think these j

Trillium ovatum in the woods at Old Goat Farm One of the real harbingers of spring are the Trilliums. They are also one of the real show stoppers in the garden. There is nothing like coming through the woods and seeing big sweeps of them or just a couple real stand out plants. We grow about a dozen different types here at Old Goat Farm and have about half them available in the nursery. Growing them from seed is a long process but if you do it every year they just keep coming

Helleborus x hybridus – double One of the main foundation plants in our garden is Helleborus x hybridus, the Lenten Rose. We probably have close to 200 because we use them in almost every bed. What I like is the fact that they are evergreen and the foliage looks good year-round. The foliage is also quite bold so it stands out in the garden. When we moved from Seattle we brought a full truck load of just hellebores from our old garden. They were looking good in the garden in J

mix border Spring ephemeral describes a life cycle of perennial woodland wildflowers which develop aerial parts (i.e. stems, leaves, and flowers) of the plant early each spring and then quickly bloom, produce seed and then go summer dormant. Some of the plants included in this group are Tulipa, Narcissus, Eranthis, Galanthus, Trillium, Anemone, Frillaria, Crocus, Cyclamen, Erythronium, Iris, Corydalis, Muscari and Cardamine. Trillium ovatum in the woods at Old goat Farm They