Project Greenthumb

Winter Color in the Garden

2005-07-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about living in the Northwest is the year round greenery that we get to enjoy. Many states around the U.S. have to endure bleak winter landscapes, months of snow and freezing temperatures with little or no color. While we get that year round evergreen condition, some of us still long to have color in all the seasons and not just spring and summer. The great news is that you can have year round color in your garden by choosing from a broad range of plant material to fit the needs you have for your space. No, not all of them bloom and have showy flowers, but they can bring visual interest to the landscape with color, shape and form.

Some shrubs that are sure to brighten your border include the Red and Yellow Twig Dogwoods. During the summer it can be a nice green shrubby backdrop to your flowering herbaceous perennials, but in the fall and winter months while those same perennials are taking a break, the Dogwoods really shine with their coral colored bark brought on by the cooler temperatures. The same is true for the Yellow twig variety as well. Another large shrub that performs similarly with its own colorful bark is the Flame Willow. All of these also provide extra zing to festive bouquets and arrangements. Not to be left out and certainly a more focal point member of this group is the Coral Bark Maple. Ideal in the entry way to the front of the house, in a large container on a patio or deck, Coral Bark Maples bring year round interest to the landscape.

In line with the evergreen theme and yet defying the description with bronzy foliages that are tinged by the colder weather you can find such things as Nandina with its range of foliages, but more strikingly the bright red clusters of berries that set in late summer and last through the winter. Leucothoe is also another member of the evergreen family that provides you with both rich colored foliage as well as late winter blooms of small white flowers. One of my favorite late winter flowering evergreens includes the Winter Daphne with its variegated foliage and extremely fragrant flowers that begin arriving in February. In addition to these, there are also the winter flowering Heaths (Erica) which host enough varieties to provide blooming periods that can start in October and go through to the following spring. Heaths can come in a range of colors from white, pinks, and magentas as well as having colorful foliage that are just as vibrant and showy. Heath foliage can brighten your landscape with pale greens, soft yellows, to light shades of copper, bronze and gold.

Stepping away from shrubs and trees, I also love to use grasses and sedges to bring visual interest to my garden. Many grasses are now available to choose from to fit almost any condition and location in your landscape. They not only bring movement to your garden swaying gracefully in the breeze, but they also shine in the fall and winter months with their light colored leaves and stalks bathed in winter sunlight. Some of the most striking images I have in my mind are of frosty sunlit mornings and my grasses standing like sentinels welcoming the morning. There are many evergreen grasses that add interest and color, such as Blue Fescue and Blue Oat grass. Along with the evergreen grasses, sedges also provide visual interest with both form and color ranging from gold, green and even bronzy tinges such as on Autumn Sedge. I have to remember that the dark blades of Black Mondo as well as the Green Mondo grasses also make excellent plants in the front of the border or along walkways.

Finally, another consideration in bringing interest to a winter garden should include structural forms. They may not be a colorful addition like some of the suggestions discussed above, but they certainly add dimension to the garden landscape. When planting that border or entry way, try to think about what it will look like when the leaves are gone, the annuals removed or when it’s the only green thing left. Lace Leaf Japanese Maples make beautiful specimen trees in the entry or as a focal point in a border during the summer and fall, but they also develop into strong visual subjects as they mature. With their twisting and arching growth habit, over time they can become architectural additions during the winter months. In line with architectural elements, consider clipped topiary forms of Boxwood, Rosemary or other similar materials.

My Garden Shoes (Sketchers)

2005-06-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

This is for Sierrabella.

It's been a month...here's your update. Finally!

2005-06-01T21:01:00.000-07:00

This is a photo update, more or less. Click on the photo and then click on the 'Garden Update (set)', then click on View as Slideshow.

Garden Club Plant Sale

2005-04-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

Hey, we got a nice little haul today from a local garden clubs plant sale. $40 picked us up some great starts on a few things. Mostly some Day Lilies, Verbena's, some White Birch seedlings and a nice sized Butterfly Bush. Also a couple Rugosa Roses and some limey green Carex or sedge like grass.

This is the Butterfly Bush and a spirea that Nicho picked up at the Homo Depot.

The Shade Garden is really beginning to take off. I haven't made a lot of progress with the hardscape yet but that 's not slowing thing down on the growth department.

Here's a before picture

And this is today...

And finally, the latest addition to the Shade Garden is a new vine to grow on the back fence called the China Blue Vine. It's evergreen and will grown in sun or shade. Very handsome vine once established.

When life gives you rocks...cobble, cobble, cobble!

2005-04-23T18:28:00.000-07:00

With all the digging that I've been doing and because the soil here is glacial till, there are numerous rocks just lying below the surface. I've been amassing quite the pile and I need to do something with them. As it turns out, they made a decent cobble border along the walk way.

Among other things, I mowed the lawn and raked under the large fir trees out front. What a mess that was. I emptied out some of the planters and I'm trying to come up with an arrangement for the entry area. I think I'm on to something here and it's going to look fabo this summer.

Oh boy! I kind of went a little hog wild!

2005-04-18T21:52:00.000-07:00

I went shopping tonight after work. All day Sunday while I was working at the nursery, I was scoping out potential candidates for the front walk way to the house. This is that area that became an extention of my digging for the shade garden. I just kept going and I'm glad that I did. What I didn't realize tonight was, how much I really picked up before I got to the register. Oops!

So I got home and started arranging the pots around trying to get an idea of the placements when I realized, I better take pictures or some blogger is gonna cut me...serious. So with fear in my heart I ran into the house and grabbed my little Olympus and started to take a picture and I got the red low battery light. I snapped anyway becasue light was fading. I don't have vertigo and I don't know many people that do, but this photo might give you some feeling of it. It did me. Sorry for the angle and poor quality, I'll make it up to you later.

Overdue Shade Garden Update

2005-04-11T17:35:00.000-07:00

First, I apologize to you for not getting this updated sooner. With my bronchitis and now the weather, it's been pretty much on hold for over a month. However, while I haven't done much in the way of work, the plants themselves have been doing a little bit on their own. You should be able to click on the photo's which will take you to Flickr. From there you will be able to move the mouse arrow over the photo to see the names or at least some identification of the plants.

I went and did some shopping for the front walkway recently too. Here are some of the new plants that have not been planted yet. I'm still trying to acquire some more plants before I install them. I don't know if I have the look I'm wanting just yet.

So as you can see, things are progressing, but as one fellow blogger so eloquently put it, "gardening, the slowest of the performing arts."

In closing for now, here are a few more photo's.

This is the Acanthus 'Bears Breeches' I talked about earlier. Aren't those leaves cool? I've placed a glazed saucer on top of that stump as a birdbath. It works perfectly.

Here's another peek at the bleeding heart next to the vine maple looking towards the front walkway. You can see the Japanese Maple in the background is beginning to leaf out. That tree was the first tree we planted here.

it's Raining, it's Pouring and my old man is snoring...

2005-03-27T08:01:00.000-08:00

Seriously, he's in bed right now cutting down the redwood forest. I on the other hand, am sitting here in the office looking out my window at the rain drenched back yard daydreaming about summer. I'm not sad about the rain, we need it and the media here was throwing the D. word around like crazy. Hopefully this will calm things down a bit.

I stayed inside most of the day yesterday, but I did make a trip to the nursery to pick up my check and spend it. If I'm anything I'm efficient...you know, kill two birds with one stone. I picked up a few things for the shade and the front walkway. The big purchase was a nice Acanthus mollis or Bear's Breechs. These have really great foliage and a cool looking bloom spike. It's great for under trees and places that are hard to grow in. It does require regular waterings, but I'm incorporating it into the bog area so that shouldn't be a problem. For along the walk way, I picked up some Lewisia, a native drought tolerant plant that has a the sweetest little blooms. Along with the Lewisia, I'm going to put in a couple clumps of Poppy orientalis.

Looks like the rain may be letting up...hmmmm. Might be able to get a few things in the ground today.

Gardening Update

2005-03-20T07:25:00.000-08:00

I see that it's been a while since I posted anything about the progress of Project Greenthumb, but I want to assure you that I haven't let it slip too badly. Some things that have been going on with the yard in general, aside from the Shade Garden are the use of chemicals to get a handle on the weed issues.

Now, I just want to say something now, so that it's clear from the start. I am not a big proponent of Insecticides and Herbicides. I believe in using as little as is possible and that use of any should be as controlled and as eco friendly as possible. There are several products on the markets these days to help with the insects that are environmentally and human/animal safe. I'm not going to name them here, as I'm leery of any and all liability as a result. Visit your local garden center and ask for assistance with these products.

There, that being said, I sprayed weed and grass killer in areas that I can't possibly get to right now AND I used a liquid lawn weed killer to wipe out the Chickweed and Dandelions in that space we call a front lawn...well, I hope to call it that soon. I have over a quarter acre lot here and since I'm the primary yard worker, I had to cut some corners so that I could try and keep up this year. Last year, the dandelions were rampant and I could see my neighbors glaring at me as the lovely and magical seed heads scattered to the four winds. I want my garden to be a unifying element with my neighbors, not a social pariah outpost.

The weather has taken a turn for the wetter lately and so I've been relegated back into the house…for now. I'm sure that I'll be back out there soon. For now, let it rain, we really need all we can get right now.

Here's a sneak peak at another project that I'm working on...More on this soon.

Buried Treasure

2005-03-14T19:14:00.000-08:00

When I was kid growing up in White Salmon, WA, our home was apparently built on top of an old landfill. Even at a very early age I was curious about digging and planting and making things grow. The fact is, that every time I would start to dig somewhere in the yard, I would find a host of buried treasures. I found all kinds of marbles, colored glass, old pieces of pottery and china. I felt like an archeologist. Once, I even found an old button with a swastika on it. Well, now that I'm digging around in our yard here, I was surprised and yet totally thrilled when this small glass bottle came up with my digging fork. On the bottom it's stamped with the name "Owens" and it's obviously some kind of medicine bottle because it has measurments on the side and the face of the bottle has 3 1/2 on it. Then again, it could be something all together different. How about you Internet...any ideas of what it could be?

The Shade Garden: Plantings and Plans

2005-03-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

So far, two beds have gone in for the shade area, but the scope of the project really started to creep past that particular spot. (sorry, that's all that IT Project Management crap coming out) Anyway, let's talk some more about the plans for the area. As I've mentioned before, a crushed gravel path is slated to be the primary hardscape for the area using bender board for the edging. This will help difine the area and also enhance the beds by providing contrast and flow for the eye. Now that one side of the future path is installed, I'm working my way back from the front yard along the north side of the walkway, creating more planting areas.

As you can see from the first two pictures, I've got this stump in the middle of things. At one point I was trying to figure out how to get that thing out of there, but my plans now include it. I've begun digging out sod from the front and will work my around the stump and all along the north side of the path (along the fence) to the gate. Notice that big evergreen hedge that overhangs my fence line? That my friends is the biggest challenge for my lush green zone. You see, the trees, which are leylandi cyprus, the fastest growing genetic mutant of an evergreen, sucks water from the ground as well as shelter the soil below from rain fall. This is called dry shade. It's tough, because the soil has become so dry that it almost repels water now. Believe it or not, soil can and will do that if left long enough without moisture.

So one of the solutions for that area and one I'm eager to install, is a bog garden. (no, not blog...BOG) I promise to devote an entire post to that one, as it will involve a lot of elements. The point is to create an artificially wet area with pond liner and soil etc. More to come on that, so stay tuned.

Lastly for this post, I've installed a few plants that I've had since last year and some that I've moved from other areas of the yard. At the front, by the stump I've planted Euonymous "Dwarf Burning Bush" to someday fill in like a hedge of sorts. this will eventually create some sort of flow towards the path that will terminate there at the edge. These shrubs turn the brightest red in fall..thus the burning bush name. In the last picture, I've planted a vine maple for some vertical height and some fall color. At it's feet is an unknown azalea, Cranesbill or Hardy Geranium, some Hardy Orchids with a bit of gound cover whose name escapes me at the moment sweet something or other...SWEET WOODRUFF...man I hate mental blockage. Lastly, there is the Bleeding Heart that Nick wanted as well. This is a great shade plant and it too likes soil that is evenly moist and looks great in groups. We'll need to acquire more of these as well as a host of other plants. As I said, these were orphans from last year and some stragglers that came with me last year from my house in Portland. Now that I'm back at the nursery, there will be more to come. Okay, that's all for now.

Compost for the Shade beds

2005-03-09T19:48:00.000-08:00

After a lot of digging and rock removal I finally got to the stage where I could bring in the compost for the new beds. Here in Kenmore, WA, which is about 15 miles north of Seattle on the north shore of Lake Washington, we have what you call glacial till for soil. Put simply...at one time in the eons past, a glacier rumbled across and back, and possible across and back again at one time or another, leaving behind a very sandy fertile soil that is chock full of round river rocks. There are buckets of these babies all over the yard and the deeper you dig, the bigger they get.

Because the dirt is so sandy and well drained, it's important to incorporate a healthy dose of organic matter to help retain moisture and bulk up the soil a bit. I got mine from the nursery, it's aged material that started out as yard debris. Pretty much trees, grass, manure etc that's been processed and cooked. As you can see, it's just laying on top here, I still need to work it into the soil.

We are currently in discussion as to what kind of material to use for a border/edge to the future walk way. I found this really cool bamboo edging that is crazy expensive, but ultra cool. However, cedar stakes and bender board is ultra cost effective and since the plan is to fill the beds full with a lot of foliage, you won't see much of the edging after the fact. I'll be laying down landscape fabric between the beds and then using crushed gravel with fines (fines are the small particulates in the crushed gravel that enable it to pack firmly and not slip under foot) as the path material.

Well, that's the latest. I'm eager to begin planting soon. The weather is holding still, so I might get some things this weekend. I'll give you a planting list soon.

Working this small space

2005-03-08T21:44:00.000-08:00

I spent the better part of Saturday digging up sod and rocks from the new shade garden. When I got the front corner of the house however, I didn't stop there. In fact, the new bed now extends out around the front path. It's very gratifying. While I was working at the nursery yesterday, I spent a lot of time just scoping plant material while I was helping customers make decisions about their own shade loving areas.

This small space...

2005-03-08T21:43:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try and document the shade garden project with blogs and photo's. That way friends who are so far away can watch the transformation and I have a way of keeping a journal of the events too.

Here are a couple of before shots for now and then I'll take more as the project progresses. Feel free to ask me questions about what I'm doing here too. I LOVE talking about gardening.

Frame of reference: Before and After

2005-03-07T19:59:00.000-08:00

I thought to put things in perspective of where I started I would publish before and after shots from last year, just for a frame of reference of where I'm at in things.

This is what we started with March '04, the day we made the offer.

I spent the rest of that year working on fencing, laying sod and doing some paver paths. Late last year we painted out all that minty yummie-ness for a more refined look. The awnings were blocking out so much light, it's been a great improvement inside.

Welcome to Project Greenthumb

2005-03-07T19:56:00.000-08:00

This is the new site for all my gardening projects.