Entry to the woods Since we are having rain in spirts, now is the time to get a little bit done back in the woods in-between showers. Our little woodland is one of my favorite places to be. This is a very peaceful time of the year here at the farm. Most things are dormant so the garden is quiet, except the noise from all the birds in the distance. It is the time of year I am drawn into the woods. CJ and Blanche taking a stroll We have just an acre and a half of woods but it f

the trail into the winter garden Now is the time of year when gardeners in the Northwest start itching to be back out in the garden or thinking about it on those few nice days. The holidays are long gone, the days are barely starting to get longer, tons of spring catalogs are arriving daily in the mail but we are only about half way through winter. Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’ It is also the time of the year when most gardens aren't looking their best. Most things are dorma

Western Red Cedar – Thuja plicata Today is one of those cold winter days in the Northwest, highs just in the 40s and raining. It’s really the kind of day I don’t want to be out working in the garden but I don’t mind a walk-about. Everywhere I see little signs of spring but what I really appreciate are the simple things like the color and texture of the bark, mosses and lichens. I’m fortunate to have big trees with stunning trunks. There are a couple Western Red Cedars, a cou

Old Goat Farm The one constant at Old Goat Farm was Christmas. Gary had a passion for Christmas that was unsurpassed. He had always pulled out all the stops and decorated to the nines. It probably wasn’t a coincidence that Gary saw Old Goat Farm for the first time on Christmas Eve. He immediately started to think how cool it would be to decorate this old house. Being a Victorian type farmhouse it lends itself well to being decorated. peeking in the window When I say Gary had

Orting Washington It is mid November and here in the Northwest, with the changes in the season the plants take notice. It is probably the most dramatic time for deciduous plants. It is when the color really pops. Japanese Maple It is a very simple process in the leaf. The leaf starts to produce less chlorophyll which is what makes the leaf green. Chlorophyll captures sunlight and turns it into food for the plant. As the days shorten and the temperatures decrease, this process

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

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,

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

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

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

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

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

Old Yellow House Color is always an important attribute to the garden. The one unifying color at Old Goat Farm is yellow. It helps that the house is yellow so that the plants have a truly big anchor. We both are fond of yellow (and Green) so we tend to gravitate towards plants that are yellow or bloom yellow. yellow new growth on Epimedium and yellow blooms on lady’s mantle In a plant collectors garden, repetition of color is one way to tie the other plants together whether i

Arisaema griffithii dark form For me, one of the exciting things about traveling is seeing plants that I grow in my garden grown in the wild. Recently I had the opportunity to travel to the Sikkim region of India with 20 like minded individuals. Sikkim is an area of legend. Plant explorers have been traveling there for over a hundred years. At first these exotic plants were taken to prestigious gardens such as Kew in England but in more recent years plant hunters have taken t

Saxifraga ‘Maroon Beauty’ and Kerria japonica ‘Variegata’ Here at Old Goat Farm that would be way to constrained for even just a part of the garden. Here color seems to run amuck. We do use white though, particularly in the shadier parts of the garden. I noticed recently how these principles seem to work. On a warm evening, while sitting in the garden at dusk, I noticed the greens starting to meld together, the dark colors fading and the white coming alive. Variegated Hosta T

Larger grouping One of the secrets to a good garden are good plant combinations. Sometimes they are just trial and error but there are a few rules that make it a bit easier and a whole lot more satisfying. The first thing is to keep in mind the right plant in the right place. Just because something looks good together in the nursery doesn’t mean they will grow together well. Do a little research and learn the plants soil requirements, flowering time, water requirements and ul

Seattle Garden Tour 2018 I’ve had the opportunity to escort several garden tours over the last 15 years. Usually most people accompanying me experience them similarly, taking photos and and asking questions. It is quite a visual approach to the experience. That is not always how people see gardens though, some artists look at things differently than most of us. Chihuly Garden I have had the chance to travel with one particular individual three time, Charleston/Savannah, Engla