The Whistling Gardener

Kiwis against the sky

2009-12-18T12:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of my kiwi vine heavy laden with unharvested fruit that is no longer edible due to the lousy weather but none the less very decorative.

frozen garden

2009-12-10T15:30:00.000-08:00

They claim that it is going to get warmer but so far every morning it has been the same. Here at the nursery it has stayed around 14 degrees in the morning. Several customers have told me they got down into single digits in parts of Marysville. I do truly believe that it will be warmer by this time next week. In the mean time stay off the lawn and just let things lie where they are until they thaw out. You will need to water containers just as soon as you can get water through the hoses again. Good luck and stay warm.
Steve

Leaves on the lawn

2009-10-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

I was coming back from the Y this morning and couldn't help notice the carpet of maple leaves on the lawn all nicely dancing above the grass blades. It looked so natural and dare I say normal compared to leaves on the sidewalks and streets which feel more like trash. I guess it's all about the presentation or to put it another way: location, location, location.

The photo is in my back yard where my large and old European Weeping Birch has littered my little (but just the right size) lawn.

Sunnyside Nursery

2009-10-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

Sunnyside Nursery

Structure--It's what you need for winter containers

2009-10-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

Arranging containers for winter interest can be a challange. There really isn't much color except for pansies and ornamental kale and cabbage if you want to call them color. So structure is extremely important and the easiest way to achieve structure is with the use of evergreens. In this photo I have arranged three containers into a vignette with a thriller being the spiralled juniper, the filler the single ball arborvitae and the spiller the weeping deodor cedar. It's just that simple and this arrangement will look fab all winter long.

2009-10-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

Ginko biloba has the absolute best yellow fall color of any tree I know. And the foliage is so unique that it is a must have for any garden. This picture was taken today as the last of the leaves were falling onto the ground. You can plant Ginkos now and they will be fabulous next year and you too will have this wonderful beacon in your garden come next October.

2009-10-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

Check out the attached photo of a Beauty Berry from my back yard. This is a fabulous shrub that comes into its own in the fall with these incredible purple pearl-like berries that hang on for several months. The fall color will improve as well. It likes full sun and is very easy to grow. I think everyone should have one in their yard.

2009-10-21T12:03:00.000-07:00

On the hunt for new introductions as always. I spotted a new Euphorbia in the nursery today which was very eye catching. Ascot Rainbow has the same variegated leaves and growth habit as Glacier Blue only it is on the warm side of the spectrum with yellow and green leaves and changes to the pinker side in the winter. Looks like a real keeper to me.

2009-10-20T12:08:00.000-07:00

I spent the better part of the day today moving all of my containers into a cool greenhouse for the winter. When I say all I really mean just the ones that are on the tender side that I don't want to risk loosing. So the Aloes, bananas, Melianthus, Corokias, Citrus, Albutilon, Borinda (a clumping bamboo) and several mixed containers that had cannas, aeoniums, lantana and few other exotics got to move inside for the winter. Now it looks so bare in the patio that I might have to pot up a few more conifers to fill the space for the winter!

Now is a really good time to visit the garden centers and see what kind of interesting conifers they have for winter interest. Many of them change colors over the cold months, going from yellow to copper or from blue to purple. Keeps the garden interesting.

2009-10-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

I know it rained like hell the other day but don't let that fool you. It has been a long, hot and very dry summer and while these recent rains have helped tremendously you will still find dry spots in your garden, especially under trees and certainly under the eaves of our homes. Look around the yard and scratch the soils down at least 2 inches to see if they are still dry. If so then run a soaker hose on them to get some moisture back into the soil. Your plants will weather the winter much better if they are not under any moisture stress.

2009-10-18T12:59:00.000-07:00

The fall color has been out of this world this fall. Must have been all those sunny and hot days we suffered through this summer. Even the Magnolia across the street which is usually a dirty yellow turning to an even dirtier brown is sporting touches of orange, red and gold, at least that's how it looks through my kitchen window.

Drove over the pass this last week through Blewett on the way to Cle Elum and it was glorious. Vine maples, big leaf maples, red twig dogwoods and higher up larch. Probably saw some vaccinium too but at 50 miles an hour it was hard to tell.

In my own yard the blueberries are fabulous and several assorted japanese maples are spectacular. Now is a really good time to visit the nursery and see what is turning color.

Tell me what looks good in your garden,
Steve

2009-10-17T13:21:00.001-07:00

Hello fellow gardeners. This is a totally new experience for me so you will have to bear with me until I get the hang of things. My plan is to post daily (or at least more often than once a week) whatever is hot and top of my mind in the gardening/horticulture world. You can always go to my website at sunnysidenursery.net and view my weekly column. Next educational opportunity for you all is on November 7th at 10:30 am at the nursery. I will be teaching a basic pruning class which is always well attended (like over 100 the last two times) so you should call to let us know you will be coming. Phone number is 425-334-2002. More thoughts to come later.
Steve