skip to main content

Northwestern Gardening

Gardening Season - Now OFFICIALLY open

mdvaden_of_oregon

17 years ago

M. D. Vaden of Oregon has declared that gardening season in the Pacific NW is now officially open.

You heard it here first. Fair and balanced - you decide : - )

Bareroot trees are showing up on the racks. We still have violets blooming at home. And our chips are arriving in the next couple of weeks to start an enormous compost pile. Some Yard & Garden show seminars are just weeks away.

After big winter storms which eliminated quite a few trees, and a year of increased political stress, 2007 deserves a several week head start to gardening season.

Load up on garden tools now. Be generous to yourself. Get a head start.

You may even enjoy getting flat free tires for your wheelbarrow. I just bought some from Les Schwab Tires. Even for my handtruck. No air leaks, and the flat-free tires roll more stable.

Start brushing linseed oil onto your wood garden tool handles to preserve them. No linseed oil? Home Depot or Ace hardware will have it. Helps handles last years longer if exposed to the weather.

Community Education classes in Gardening and Landscape are probably starting right now at local colleges. I'm teaching tree care at Rogue Community College on the 20th and 27th. Look at schedules in your area - there's probably a class that you could enjoy right now.

Have you started your personal garden website or album yet? Now's a great time. Have a digital camera ready to show-off your flowers?

Witchhazel should be blooming in the next few weeks. Forsythia too. Add some January and February plants to your collection.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

morz8 - Washington Coast
17 years ago
The sunshine got to you today, didn't it.

I understand the theory and the mind is willing, but this body is not. I'm in sweatpants, sweatshirt, shoes and knee socks, vest on top of all and I'm obviously indoors at my desk. It's 32o in my backyard - before dinner. When I started my car this morning to go to the grocery store, ICE - 19 - ICE - 19 - ICE - 19 - kept flashing at me

Seriously, I hope your tree care class goes well, if there was ever a winter for wishing your trees had received good care, it was this one. I AM looking forward to spending some time outdoors, and promise to finish my plant and seed orders, submit them online tomorrow :)
amesly
17 years ago
It's still icicle season here on Vancouver Island. I shuffled around my yard in the snow this morning (I bought my first ever snow shovel last week) looking for signs of spring. There are a few crocus & daffodil & narcissususez poking up here and there, but that's about it. Poor confused things. I refilled the bird feeders so my cats are now chattering at the birds through the window. Still winter here. :)

Amy
Related Discussions
Pruning season 'officialy' opened at Nik's garden
Q
Comments (12)
I think it is one of my favorite things to do, with digging the holes and planting being on the polar opposite side of the spectrum. Alameda, I love your pool idea!! Wish you would drive slowly by my house this afternoon and I would load you up! Yes, I am aiming to begin today. Feb. 14 is officially our day to prune, but planning to keep the calendars away from the roses and take advantage of the nice week. I know I will get some die back, but getting ahead of the ball, and then getting mulch and amendments out, and accessing what kind of shape my garden is in will be worth it. I seem to too often back myself into working through something when the heat is strong, wishing I had started earlier. Pruning is somewhat zen. And, like too few things in life, offers immediate satisfaction. Things look so neat, and ready for spring. And the ugly perennials are neatened up as well. Tidy. Hopeful. (The cleaning up is a chore, fortunately Edward Scissorshands, my husband, is a real expert hauling limbs to the piles for the city to pick up), I will try cutting them down and leaving them around the bushes. Of course, I leave the climbers alone, neatening stray shoots somewhat. Then, after their big show....WHACK! Oh, the feeling of my felco #2's in my hand. I plan to be buried with them...
...See More
It's officially gardening season
Q
Comments (10)
Hi, I am in Marion, IA and completely new to gardening, this year is my first time ever planting anything. I planted a variety of things on 4/29/10: lettuce, peas, carrots, and a few pumpkins from seed sown directly into the ground...and about 10 tomato plants and 1 pepper plant that were transplanted store-bought plants. I pretty much took the 'plant it and if it grows, fine' approach since I had this big bed with nothing in it and wanted to save some money growing my own if I could. I can hardly believe that I just harvested my first lettuce this week and all of the rest of my stuff is growing phenomenally well...peas definitely liked the cooler weather we had today - had a ton of blossoms that opened up, it was like they exploded today!! All of my tomato plants have blossoms and I have 15-20 blossoms that have already set fruit and are growing rapidly. Is this common for Iowa Already?? I have Rutgers, Big Boy, and 1 lone Burpee Supertasty plant or something like that. I have since done quite a bit of reading - all post-planting....I feel like I got lucky that all of this stuff is doing so well thus far=) Glad to have a place to share and ask questions!!
...See More
NOTICE: The Florida Rainy Season Has Officially Been Cancelled
Q
Comments (37)
That's an issue that all small/shallow lakes have. When I was in Michigan, there were many kettle lakes (lakes created by ice blocks falling from glaciers) that would be unsafe to swim in by July due to high water temperatures. Unfortunately, ducks and other critters don't know the difference between a man-made retention pond or decorative lake and an actual lake which tends to be fed by some other water source, thus keeping the water fresher and cleaner.
...See More
My season is officially underway! Lots of FFO's
Q
Comments (16)
Gorgeous blooms and photos, Celeste. We'll see what you post and enable me with this year. If I was green enough to have any idea Freedom's Triumph would be that color in my yard, I would be looking for it, but it would not be that luscious color, but a reddish wine here. Same for King Arthur's Court and Sunday River, which I love and that is an extra beautiful photo of it. Nefertiti is awfully pretty too. Your Mint Octopus is less green than it is here unless the photo lies. Altogether a beautiful post, Celeste. kay
...See More
mdvaden_of_oregon
Original Author
17 years ago
Speaking of bird feeders, yard art and feeders are items that people can shop for now.

Often, garden development can work well by installing plants around the yard art, rather than vise versa. But it works either way.

I'm big on copper. Just made some planters for people about a month ago out of 2" x 6" with 4x4 cedar posts on the corners, topped with copper caps.

Those each have one sasanqua Camellia in them - blooming most of the winter - with much more room for perennials.

If anybody hasn't seen all the post cap choices at Lowe's or Home Depot - check out the lumber departement sometime. There's plenty of fence caps and stuff to jazz-up posts, lattice and trellis projects.

Related Stories

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING 3-Season Rooms: Open-Air Living in a Guest Cottage Pavilion

By Becky Harris

Comfy furniture, a fireplace and a vaulted ceiling make dining and hanging out a joy in this California outdoor room

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Lindera Benzoin Offers 3-Season Interest

By Curtis Adams

Support wildlife and enjoy the aromatic leaves of this U.S. native also known as spicebush, Benjamin bush and spicewood

BACKYARD STUDIOS 12 Garden Sheds and Cottages We Love Now

By Laura Gaskill

Get inspiration from these inviting backyard spaces that house offices, guest quarters, garden storage and more

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Energy Now: Designing a Garden That Gets You Going

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Serenity has its place, but a garden that recharges and motivates you can be a beautiful thing

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Houzz Survey: See What Homeowners Are Doing With Their Landscapes Now

By Annie Thornton

Homeowners are busy putting in low-maintenance landscapes designed for outdoor living, according to the 2015 Houzz landscaping survey

SAVING WATER 6 Reasons Why You Should Save Your Rainwater Now

By Falon Mihalic

Collect and store during the rainy season so you’ll have water ready for irrigation when you need it

MOST POPULAR How to Start a Cool-Season Vegetable Garden

By Marianne Lipanovich

Late summer and late winter are good times to plan and plant cool-season crops like salad greens, spinach, beets, carrots and peas

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Aronia Melanocarpa, a Star for Three Seasons

By Pollination Press LLC

Plant black chokeberry in moist sites in eastern U.S. gardens for colorful spring flowers, red fall foliage and dark blue berries

WINTER GARDENING Extend Your Growing Season With a Cold Frame in the Garden

By Paintbox Garden

If the sun's shining, it might be time to sow seeds under glass to transplant or harvest

PRODUCT PICKS Guest Picks: 20 Gorgeous Perennials to Plant Now

By The Estate of Things

Take advantage of warm spring weather to create a colorful garden with blooming plants, succulents and ornamental grasses

Sponsored

J.Holderby - Renovations

4 Reviews

Franklin County's Leading General Contractors - 2X Best of Houzz!

More Discussions

Gossler Farms Nursery visit...Embothrium purchase

7

Arctic blast - NW Edition

27

My favorite plant in my garden, right now.

12

We wants it! (But will it rule them all?)

10

winter losses on new plants

2