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

Dwarf Conifers in the garden This is a good time of year to assess your garden. Does it look good now? If it looks good in January and into early February it probably looks good year round. One way to approach the garden is to try and look at each bed. When I’m designing a garden bed I try and make sure at least one third to one half the bed is either evergreen or the bare trees and shrubs have interesting branch structure. Dwarf conifers in the nursery One of my favorite “go

Old Goat Farm The one constant at Old Goat Farm is Christmas. Gary has a passion for Christmas that is unsurpassed. He has always pulled out all the stops and decorated to the nines. It probably isn’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 has a p

Layers One of the big lessons I have learned in the garden is how to create layers. It is important not only because it makes the garden more interesting but also because it encourages a more natural habitat for birds, insects and animals in the garden. Here in my Northwest garden I have about 6 different layers, the tall trees, understory trees, large shrubs, small shrubs, perennials and ground covers. Old Apple Trees The layer I liked to concentrate on when I was building m

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