Share my passion for all things gardening!
Since there has been so much interest in growing vegetables this year, I’ve been focusing my columns on that topic. Today’s column is about how easy it is to grow beet family crops. Here’s a link to it in The Spokesman-Review: Grow beet family crops, and cover them to keep pests away. (or you can read my column lower in […]
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With all of the depressing news these days, who would have thought that something positive would brighten things up? That’s the topic of this week’s garden column. It’s about the unexpected consequences of having to cut down a few trees at the edge of our garden. Here’s a link to it in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Planting seeds of […]
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Shrubs & Hedges: Discover, Grow, and Care for the World’s Most Popular Plants by Eva Monheim (Cool Springs Press, 2020, 224 pp., $30) Sometimes it seems like perennials are the darlings of the horticultural world. We gardeners love the colors and variations of the many different flowers we’ve added to our gardens over the years. But shrubs are much easier […]
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For this week’s column, I wrote about how to grow cabbage family crops. This includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, radishes and rutabagas, just for starters. Here is link to it in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Netting helps keep pests away from cabbage family crops. (or you can read my column lower in this post) My current […]
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Plant Parenting: Easy Ways to Make More Houseplants, Vegetables, and Flowers by Leslie F. Halleck (Timber Press, 256 pp., 2019, $24.95) How are your plant propagation skills? If you’re like me, you’re probably pretty decent at starting plants from seed but maybe not so great at taking cuttings to propagate plants. I first heard about Leslie Halleck’s new book, Plant […]
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This is when a gardener’s mind turns to all of the spring pruning chores that need to be tackled. Feeling overwhelmed or confused? No worries, it’s “Susan’s in the Garden” to the rescue! Last year, I shot a bunch of spring pruning videos. My goal was to provide you with the rationale and timing for pruning different types of plants. […]
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For today’s garden column, I wrote about growing artichokes. And specifically what you can you to have productive artichokes if you live in a colder, shorter growing season. Here is a link to my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Chill artichoke seedlings to fool them into producing. Or you can read my column below (don’t miss the related […]
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I get a lot of questions about when to prune lavender back. The best answer is “now!” Because of this, I wanted to let you know that I just shot a new video on the topic. And the ever elusive Mr. Bill (a.k.a. “Mr. Pepper”) puts in a guest appearance! He demonstrates his cool tool for trimming back the plants! […]
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For this week’s column, I wrote about seed-starting: the supplies you need and the steps to go through in order to be successful. Here’s a link to it in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Give seeds a good start with the right containers, soil and light. (or you can read my column lower in this post) I’ve been starting […]
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I’ve recently returned from a visit to the 2020 NW Flower & Garden Show in Seattle. This year, the show was held from February 26 to March 1. I would have to say the high point was certainly the Fleurs de Villes exhibit. Local florists created the amazing “clothes” for several mannequins. They used thousands of fresh flowers and it […]
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