moving soon

As soon as I can figure out how to integrate Wordpress into our site, the blog will move to its new home. Facebook, schmacebook - we need more! :b I see we have one subscriber left here so I'll update here for a final time once we move. Thanks for your patience.

Fait accomplis: we now live HERE. Bookmark us or subscribe to the RSS feed!

You think it's been an eternity since this blog was updated, consider our actual website at emeraldcitygardens.com - it had languished since February! Today brought restoration and healing, though (and a lot of editing) - it's leaner and meaner now, with a renewed sense of purpose. Even some useful information!

As to what now becomes of this blog, well, who knows? Facebook and the restored site seem to cover most of its function and no offense, Blogger, but this interface is clunky to distraction. It would be easy enough just to shut it down but I think we'll just let it rest awhile and see what evolves. The media will be alerted if anything changes. :b

Fall Bulbs at Emerald City Gardens: The 2009 Collection

This year we ordered from the same company as last year - which, to shorten a long story, means we have to wait a little longer for them (they're due in shortly after the equinox) but the quality is outstanding since they dig their bulbs later than most growers, giving them time to mature and store more sugar for energy. Tulip bulbs are notoriously perishable but most of our leftovers were viable even into January, when we finally planted them out on our parking strip. They bloomed beautifully, and pretty much on time - so your window to get these guys planted is longer than you might think.

The following list contains more species and "rock garden" tulips than last year, which are becoming increasingly popular as people discover they make for a more-or-less permanent planting as opposed to the 2-4 years most people are able to get out of the usual big, blowsy hybrids. By popular request we're offering more alliums this year, too, and some interesting fritillarias; also a complete color range of hyacinths for your garden or indoor forcing. We're offering fewer daffodils (narcissi) this year because they just didn't sell well for us last year; you can get your big yellow 'King Alfred's and the like from Fred Meyer for the proverbial dime a dozen and that leaves us more space for fun stuff. Our holiday bulbs (paperwhite narcissus and amaryllis) will be in by late October or early November.

Here you go!:

- Tulip 'Little Beauty'
- Tulip batalinii 'Apricot Jewel'
- Tulip humilis 'Alba Coerulea Oculata'
- Tulip humilis 'Eastern Star'
- Tulip humilis 'Persian Pearl'
- Tulip clusiana 'Lady Jane'
- Tulip marjoletti
- Tulip turkestanica
- Tulip 'Analita'
- Tulip 'Shakespeare'
- Tulip 'Heart's Delight'
- Tulip greigii 'Red Riding Hood'
- Tulip 'Princess Irene'
- Tulip 'Bastogne'
- Tulip 'Jackpot'
- Tulip 'Jan Ohms'
- Tulip 'Angelique'
- Tulip 'Blue Parrot'
- Tulip 'Formosa'
- Tulip 'Ballerina'
- Tulip 'Swan Wings'
- Tulip 'Queen of Night'
- Tulip 'Passionale'
- Narcissus 'Decoy'
- Narcissus 'High Society'
- Narcissus 'White Lion'
- Narcissus 'Suzy'
- Narcissus 'Actaea'
- Narcissus jonquilla 'Simplex'
- Crocus tomassinianus 'Barr's Purple'
- Crocus vernus 'King of the Striped'
- Crocus chrysanthus 'Goldilocks'
- Hyacinth 'L'Innocence'
- Hyacinth 'Woodstock'
- Hyacinth 'Blue Jacket'
- Hyacinth 'Delft Blue'
- Hyacinth 'Fondant'
- Hyacinth 'City of Haarlem'
- Muscari aucheri 'Ocean Magic'
- Muscari 'Valerie Finnis'
- Muscari - Magical Mix
- Fritillaria pallidiflora
- Fritillaria michailovskyi
- Fritillaria persica
- Allium albopilosum (christophii)
- Allium 'Ambassador'
- Allium azureum
- Allium bulgaricum
- Allium cowanii
- Allium stipitatum 'White Giant'
- Anemone blanda - blue shades
- Galanthus nivalis 'Flore Pleno' (double snowdrops)
- Oriental lily 'Mona Lisa'

Enjoy, kids!

late summer shopping

New this week:

• Houseplants! Almost the only things that sold during the late July heat wave, we're guessing people were trapped indoors by their fans (or a/c for the lucky 15%) and noticed the lack of greenery and oxygen in their interiorscapes. We brought in a bunch of pretty new jungle components yesterday and more are being delivered tomorrow (Thursday 8/13).
• Perennials! Presumably arriving today. Our 25% sale continues to the end of the month and has been successful enough, so far, that we need to re-stock! Even more is due in next week.
• Vegetables! Again! 'Cause you can't get enough. Lettuces, beets, cole crops, leeks, gourmet 'Cippolini Boretana' onions and more...
• Seeds! Limited quantities of many varieties should arrive by week's end, and if you sow them within the next month or so you can still have incredible home-grown vegetables 'til frost - and beyond. It's an El Niño year which usually means milder-than-normal temps. All remaining seeds NOT suitable for fall planting are now 50% off. Here's what's on the way:

FLOWERS

Calendula 'Flashback', Pansy 'Victorian Posy', Sweet Peas 'April in Paris', 'Blue Celeste', 'Jewels of Albion', 'Saltwater Taffy Swirls', 'Perfume Delight', 'Queen of the Night', 'Royal Wedding', 'Cupani's Original', 'Watermelon' and 'Zinfandel'.

HERBS

Arugula, Garlic Chives, curly Parsley and Hungarian breadseed poppies (note: not many herb seeds, but lots of beautiful fresh plants already here!).

VEGETABLES

Beet 'Jewel-Toned Blend', Broccoli 'All-Season Blend', Broccoli Raab, Carrots 'Baby Babette', 'Sunshine Orange and Yellow', 'Bolero' and 'Round Romeo', Chards 'Bright Lights', 'Pot o' Gold' and 'Scarlet Charlotte', Fennel 'Trieste' (bulbing type), Greens 'Crispy Winter Salad', Kale 'Lacinato' (a.k.a. dinosaur kale), Leek 'Baby Primor', Lettuces 'Paris Market Mesclun', 'Garden Babies', 'Heirloom Cutting Mix' and 'Merveille de Quatre Saisons', Onion 'Delicious Duo' (scallions - red and green), baby Pak Choi 'Green Fortune', Radishes 'Crimson Crunch' and 'Easter Egg', Spinaches 'Catalina' (baby leaf type) and 'Oriental Giant'.

Seed quantities are very limited and they should be planted within the next month or so in most cases, so come see us early next week for best selection.

Thanks for reading - check back soon for updates.

New this week! (tomorrow, in fact)

Cooler weather doesn't turn everyone's thoughts to fall planting but as for us?...oh yeah. Last week's record heat made for almost no business and fortunately we didn't order any new stuff, but this week we're back on track.

Veggies from Langley Fine Gardens:

- onion 'Cippolini Boretana'
- broccoli
- brussels sprouts
- leaf lettuce 'Merlot'
- baby butterhead lettuce 'Tom Thumb'
- leaf lettuce 'Sunset'
- Swiss chard 'Ruby Red'
- beet 'Bull's Blood'
- pepper 'Bolivian Rainbow' (okay, not technically a "fall vegetable" in these parts but super cute, multicolored HOT fruit on a small plant that makes a decent houseplant when the weather gets cold)

Herbs from American Gardens:

- catnip
- chives
- bronze fennel
- French tarragon
- mint 'Kentucky Colonel' (suitable for juleps OR mojitos!)
- golden oregano
- Greek oregano
- Italian parsley
- rosemary 'Tuscan Blue' (and we still have some 'Arp', the super hardy stuff) and
- English thyme

Next week: hopefully even MORE vegetables and shiny new perennials, which are 25% off through August. You're welcome! :)

new month, new ad, new sale!

Starts today! Annuals and our few remaining old veggie starts are still 40% off (actually, ask us nicely and you can just TAKE the remaining veggie starts) and the coleus are so awesome right now we don't know how anyone could resist them. New vegetables - the start of our "fall veggies" assortment - will start coming in next week; these will be at the normal price, $2.49 for most 3.5" pots or 4-6 paks.

The discount on perennials, trees and shrubs includes groundcovers, perennial herbs and succulents, too, even the tender ones. We've worked hard to keep things alive and even looking good through the horrendous heat wave - now it's time for you to come in and take them home!

July was pretty bad, but we're hangin' in there. August will bring new plants, new seeds, garlic and shallot sets and who knows what else? Fall flower bulbs are being ordered, too, but won't arrive 'til mid-late September. ~

coming this week!

The following should arrive Wednesday or Thursday:
(again, a reminder - we're now CLOSED ON TUESDAYS)

- Raoulia australis
- Coprosma 'Tequila Sunrise'
- Carex tenuiculmis 'Cappuccino'
- Sedum spurium 'Red Carpet'
- Sedum spath. 'Cape Blanco'
- Kalanchoe thyrsifolia
- Vitis 'Gewurztraminer'
- Abutilon 'Variegated Peach'
- Crocosmia hyb. 'Lucifer'
- Echinacea purpurea 'Tiki Torch'
- Fuchsia magellanica 'Isis'
- Gaillardia 'Sunburst Yellow'
- Ampelopsis brevipedunculata 'Elegans'
- Hosta 'Elvis Lives'
- Hakonechloa macra 'Beni-Kaze'
- Helictotrichon sempervirens
- Geranium 'Rozanne'
- Ficus 'Violetta'

thinking out loud (hey, at least I'm thinking)...

I think we may finally have a plan for the blog. We haven't used it well to this point but more than anything, I think it's had an identity crisis.

We have our primary website at emeraldcitygardens.com; it's rarely updated and is there primarily to show...well, that we have a website. Some general info about who we are and what we do, job postings (and considering we just laid almost everyone off, I REALLY need to take it down some time once I'm on the right computer when I think about it and can use the unexpired version of the web editor I use and actually get into the thing...yeah, a real tech-head, that's me!).

We have this blog. Ideally it was to be for newsy updates, advice/seasonal reminders and of course - pictures! Fair enough, and basically what we've done, but not frequently enough to make it all that useful. I'd love to incorporate it into the primary site so it isn't at a separate address...I'm told that's not easy with Blogspot, much easier with WordPress but I'm only beginning to get back the free time I need to do something like that, so it may be a while yet.

We have a Facebook page. FB is nice because it's convenient and LOTS of people are on it, and so far I've been much better at keeping it updated than our other online presences. Thing is, though, FB is for sound bytes - you can certainly type longer entries there if you're so inclined (and I might at some point), but after so many sentences it automatically goes under a cut. For the kind of rambling I'm known for, a good old-fashioned blog still seems like the way to go for a primary web presence.

Lastly - probably most successfully - we communicate via an opt-in email list. Approximately 500 people allow us to spam them - infrequently - to get all of the above and more: general info, newsy updates, sale notifications and whatever else comes to mind. In return they get a "Frequent Flyer" card with a yellow brick road of sorts on the back...for every $10 spent, a brick is initialed until all 20 have been, at which point the card becomes a $20 gift certificate. They're also privy to exclusive sales and offers the general public doesn't get - after all, this is our loyal customer base and did I mention, they allow me to spam them? :b

It's becoming clear, though, that the email list needs re-thinking. More than anything, the mail itself needs to be more concise - maybe teaser headlines with links to more? In fact, yes, I'm sure that's exactly what should happen. Some sweet people are apparently fans of my writing, and they wish I sent the email with greater frequency: never mind that I DON'T particularly care for my writing, that will never happen. The point was driven home in the last mail I sent out, which netted us several "unsubscribe" requests. Hard not to take that personally, but the message is clear:

tl;dr

(and maybe my writing sucks, but I'm not inclined to ask!)

So...yeah. I'll transfer much of the email's function to the blog beginning approximately August 1st. If I update here at the beginning of each month, that should suffice - and it will already be more frequent than the email.

If we're lucky enough to stay in business long enough, we may even be perfect one day. :) Thank you for hanging in there while we strive for perfection!

Happy Easter From Tanker

Tanker just had to dress up for Easter. So, with Sandy's help he greeted customers for part of the time in his bunny costume.

Veggies, herbs, annuals, perennials, and house plants oh my!
Spring is here, regardless of temperatures, and the trucks have started arriving. We are packed with veggies appropriate for planting now. In addition we have a great herb section and some scented geraniums for those who love fragrance in their garden. Each week we're getting in more and more. We've re-designed the back area to make things more visible and easier to navigate. Oh, oh, oh . . . . and we've just gotten a shipment of dwarf conifer and Japanese maples. A really cool selection, some of our favorites.

In addition to the new stock of plants we are lucky to have two new helpers. In addition to Sally and Amy we have Holly and Sandy. Both experienced gardeners and very knowledgeable with plants and design.

See ya soon,
Andy

We could wish it would warm up a bit - okay, maybe a lot - but spring is here by the calendar, anyway, and it's time to plant stuff! We got in a fantastic collection of ground covers yesterday, some flowering perennials, more blueberries, 'Violetta' figs, 'Glenora' and 'Chardonnay' grapes, 'Shinseiki' Asian pears and those newfangled columnar apple trees you can grow in patio pots. The edibles continue to be our best-sellers this year so far...seed potatoes are going fast and when they're gone, they're gone. We're selectively re-stocking the seed racks but the seed companies are up to their eyeballs in backorders, having their best year in a long time.

People are starting to ask about tomatoes, basil and other tender plants. Short answer is, they should be available mid-April (but keep them indoors or in a greenhouse 'til night temps warm up). Strawberries and asparagus crowns are due in any day.

Next week: excitement of the non-food variety! Seven varieties of Japanese maples, including a few favorites we weren't able to get last year: 'Azuma Murasaki', 'Scolopendrifolium', 'Shindeshojo', 'Trompenburg', 'Ukigumo', 'Umegae' and the laceleaf 'Tamukeyama'. Lots of dwarf conifers and other fun things as well. We're making another house plant run, too, as they continue to sell briskly - a lot o yas just don't want to play outside yet!

Have you been in lately?

Happy 1st Anniversary, ECG!

Wow, we did it! Having survived 1929, we're excited to see what 1930 brings. *g* Thanks to all involved in our continued existence - you are the wind beneath our wings, the butter in our pastries, the leaves on our tree! Yesterday was our best day in many months and today - for ONE DAY ONLY - everything in the store, excluding consignment, is 20% off. Come 'n get it. :)

the Cult of the Potato

My dad's family is from southern Idaho and one could say potatoes are literally in my blood, but, true confession: last year, 2008, was the first year I ever grew them myself. Now, they may be what I'm most looking forward to growing this year! As the Solanaceae go they're a damned sight more rewarding in this climate than their cousins, tomatoes and eggplants, and the harvest is kinda like a "treasure hunt" - you get down 'n dirty and root around like a truffle pig 'til you fill your netted bag with home-grown unchemicaled goodness. Yeah! :b

They're easy enough to grow, but not effortless. To maximize your crop you really should hill them up as the tops grow - the leaf nodes you bury on the lower stems send out roots which eventually form even more tubers. I planted them last March (St. Patty's is traditional in these parts) out on our parking strip at the nursery - not the most ornamental thing for our frontage on Leary Way but it's good loose, rich soil and seemed an ideal spot to conduct the experiment. I worked some of our super-duper Down To Earth certified organic All-Purpose fertilizer into the soil before planting them and covered them initially with about six inches of soil. They broke the surface in early April and started reaching for the sky...

By the time September rolled around they were in a waist-high "volcano" of dirt and I commenced with my truffle pig action - excellent harvest but WOW with the impracticality of a big mound like that in the average small city garden! This year we'll either grow them in big plastic garbage cans with drainage holes cut in the bottom (not the prettiest look) or, more likely, cylindrical cages of chicken wire wrapped around fence posts. Proponents/suppliers of small-space gardens as we are, potatoes are very suitable subjects for vertical gardens that make extreme good use of limited space. This year's harvest is looking good before it's even planted!

So, here's what you'll find in the store right now and here's what's coming: we're (hopefully temporarily) sold out of 'Yukon Gold' but still have a few bags of 'Nooksack', 'Russet Norkotah', 'Kennebec', 'Red Pontiac', 'Island Sunshine', 'Purple Majesty', 'Red Gold' and the fingerling varieties 'Red Thumb', 'Butterfinger', 'Russian Banana' and 'Rose Finn Apple'. We will also have - hopefully tomorrow! - the Washington state heirloom potato 'Ozette', brought up the west coast of the Americas by the Spanish in 1791, grown in obscurity on the NW tip of our Olympic Peninsula until their re-discovery in the 1980s. Not just a great story, they're actually the tastiest taters we know of - $6.98 a pound once they're here as they're still relatively rare, but once you've had them, you won't want to do without them!

Save some space for these guys. Even if you're not freaked out by the chemical content of non-organic taters or the high price of the "safe" organic ones, they're among the most satisfying things you can grow.

Not loved by everyone? How can that BE? :b

It's a really good idea to Google yerself (and your business, if applicable) now and then to see what's out there. I was mostly pleased when I did it yesterday, but THIS didn't make me happy at all:

http://www.nwsource.com/shopping/home/home-garden/envy-new-central-district-nursery-put-green-back-your-life

Read the comments. :( Wow. Someone thinks I would do this? Declares themselves a "former loyal customer" based on their own baseless accusation?

I only heard about this shop a month or two ago and decided then and there that I intended to visit. It sounds wonderful! - and if it's as cool as it sounds, I'll refer people there. That's what we do. Take a look at our links page...we don't exactly have a track record of bad-mouthing the competition. ;)

I know I shouldn't be this thin-skinned but there are days, especially in the dark of winter, when my good name is all I have - so, Mr. Aaron McCloud, please contact me if you see this or hear about it and let's clear this up!

Time is running out on bad ol' 2008! Sometimes it's hard to appreciate the great things that have happened this year when contemplating horrific economic news and the unspeakably foul (and sales-killing) weather we've had in December, but at least we're still in business, in a year where that's a pretty spectacular achievement by itself. Many, many thanks to all of you for your part in our semi-success!



That said, we're of course focused on '09 now. During this week of down-time (we're currently closed and won't re-open until Friday, January 2nd) we're eagerly planning for spring and taking a good, hard look at what worked for us this year and what didn't - and where the trends are going. Some consultant dude for Home Depot is claiming 2009 will see the greatest resurgence in home vegetable gardening in 50 years and, well, THAT sounds nice! Early indications are, this is probably true: a couple of our growers are moving into edibles next year as they also believe that's where the $$ will be. We feel really lucky we buy from the talented, dedicated people we do and were honored to give them enthusiastic feedback on their proposed plant lists. There is some very cool, yummy stuff on the way!



We'll continue to bring you a wonderful selection of house plants, too - that was probably one of our better moves this year. A lot of our customers live in condos or apartments and, unless they have a little balcony or patio area, their need for green can only manifest indoors. It works for us, too! These long, dark winter days pass more pleasantly under our full-spectrum fluorescents, surrounded by jungle greenery and a purring jungle cat, softly burbling fountains accompanying tropical bossa nova tunes on the cd player as the wind howls outside, and the snow falls...



What mistakes have we made this year, that we can now call "learning experiences"?? Well, I re-ordered 'Siam Ruby' bananas not once but twice without benefit of selling out the FIRST batch (oops - kept glancing at them and thinking they were cannas) and, interestingly, we learned to take vacations when we're still busy and thus already have employees on the schedule. We also totally forgot to order some really basic items - pea innoculant, Osmocote, fava beans...? There was some financial planning that could have gone better, but nothing life-threatening - we think we were pretty smart for newbies, though every bit as lucky as we were smart.



Smart or lucky, though, we couldn't have done it alone - and we didn't. Our staff was incredible, and we're hoping to hire back as many of them as we can this spring. Sally, Amy, Barb and Mary - take a bow; we wish we could pay you what you're worth but thank you for your service! Laura and Mercedes, thank you for helping us launch this thing and best of luck with your own gigs. Suzy - bookkeeper dearest - thank you for keeping us out of jail. And yeah, Tanker, ear scritches for you, too...thanks for mellowing a bit in your old age. :)

you can haz garlic!

We've been sold out of garlic bulbs for a month or so, but we just got more and it's by no means too late to plant. Two certified organic hardneck varieties, locally grown in Kitsap County, originally from the former Soviet republic of Georgia: Chesnok Red and Zemo (a classic silverskin type). Both strongly flavored, good for roasting and well-suited to our climate, but hardy enough for colder places, too. $3.98 buys you six bulbs (approximately 6 oz.) and they come with planting instructions. Plant 'em now, harvest next summer!

* * *

In other news, new winter interest plants have arrived, a new shipment of paperwhite narcissus bulbs and whimsical, freaky garden statuary by Kerry McGuire. Have you been in lately? There's some great stuff here!

New house plants? Check! No shelf space for all of them - it's our best selection ever - so they're lining the walls as well, and it's honestly a little dangerous to navigate our indoor space right now!

New veggie starts? Not just yet, but we'll have Brussels sprouts and a few salad greens in just a few weeks, and a neon-yellow Swiss chard by Thanksgiving or earlier.

Winter pansies? Other 4" goodies for fall/winter pots? Embrace the rainbow - come see our courtyard!

We have a new ad in The Stranger this week. It seemed like the most worthwhile local print publication for us to advertise in, and with the 12x frequency we bought we get a free online ad as well...

Fall, time to plant, time to divide

For years the nursery industry has been trying to get the message out that fall is about the best time for planting. It's not just to boost sales! Over the winter the roots continue to grow whenever the temperature is above 32 degrees so in spring you have an established plant. Also in the winter you don't have to water as much as you would planting in the spring.
This is also the best time to divide many of your perennials. We started working on our next years selection from our own personal collection. I've spent much of September dividing daylilies and some are ready to go now. So far we have: Towhee, Summer Wine (pictured), Cherry (pictured in previous blogg), Condilla (a semi-double), Velvet Red, Siloam 'Tiny Tim', Ice Carnival. If you're a daylily geek like myself then keep in mind we only have a limited number of these since they're not availabe from our grower. I've got lots more to do before I start tackling our huge hosta collection.

FALL BULBS HAVE ARRIVED!

- and that's the good news. Beyond that, however, the news is less encouraging.

Because I'm an idiot and presumed I was ordering bulbs in retail-ready packaging - you know, the boxes with pretty pictures on 'em to entice you, that fold out on the bottom allowing easy access - well, we didn't get that. The tulips and a few other things are in plain boxes, the daffodils are in netted bags and the crocus et al are in ventilated plastic bags. The only picture was ONE random tag for DeCaen anemones. I didn't order any anemones.

Their office in Connecticut was, however, most helpful yesterday and while I'm not looking forward to downloading, printing, cutting and pasting a bazillion photos and trying to make a sensible display out of their not-so-customer-friendly packaging, at least they made some attempt to make it right and if I work through the weekend, we should have some coherent displays. I DO have to hand it to them, quality-wise...they said they were late to ship because they dig later to insure a top-quality bulb and yeah, I've scarcely seen better in my nearly 27 years pandering posies. We'll eventually make these things retail friendly and all will be well.

So let's concentrate on the good news: FALL BULBS HAVE ARRIVED! Sometime this weekend, I'll post our complete list of bulbaliciousness. :)

in better news...

The Certified Organic^TM garlic and shallots have arrived as promised! Same price as Fremont Gardens ran 'em for the last couple of years, $3.98 per netted bag. Inchelium Red, Late Italian, Silver Rose and Nootka Rose for the softneck varieties and Musik, Chesnok Red, Korean Red and German Porcelain for the hardnecks. Shallots? Holland Red and Dutch Yellow.

A cooler day today, great for planting! *nudge, nudge*

Well, wow. I hesitate to put this out there but we seem to have fallen off a cliff this week, business-wise...fall planting seems more unpopular every year, our efforts to counter that more and more in vain.

Or maybe it's the stock market. In any event, we're not allowed to take it personally...so we won't.

Just got a new shipment from Washington Pottery. 15% off all plant containers right now and rumor has it the discount is even greater if you're on our email list. ;) Organic garlic and shallot sets are s'posed to arrive today, too, and we have a semi-definite arrival date for the flower bulbs - Wednesday the 24th.

Hey, all we can do is try.

Always learning more

Well I finaly have a little time to write and my English is coming back. Getting back from Norway there was a lot of catch-up to do. While in Norway we went to a tropical botanical garden island. There are pictures on my site: www.wuji.com/Norway
This island is only a 20 minute boat ride from Stavanger yet they grow figs, lemons, tree ferns, grapes, and many other plants you would not associate with Norway. The water around the island is 5 degrees C warmer than Stavanger due to the gulf stream. While on the tour I learned several useful things.
FRUIT TREES: My basic education said that you always cut off the water sprouts of the fruit trees ASAP. Well, this of course produces more suckers and puts the energy of the plant there. What they do on Flor og Fjaere is once the water sprouts are less than an inch you crimp or squeeze them instead of cutting them off. This leads the tree into putting its energy into the fruit. This also produces less water sprouts the next year.
LAWNS: For those who must have lawns without weeds their secret was to cut low, water often (lawns are water pigs), and fertilize once a month. The low cutting forces the grass to spread and crowd out the weeds. If the lawn doesn't get enough water then it won't grow lush and the weeds have lots of room to seed and spread.
PRUNING: One of my favorite subjects! I'll be offering a pruning workshop at Emerald City Gardens on the basics of pruning: Sunday, October 5th, 11:00-12:30, $25 (This will count as 3 marks on your frequent buyer card). This is a workshop I've done often and has been very successful. I call it the Tao of Pruning (the way of pruning). I cover basic principles of pruning the three types of growth patterns of shrubs and trees, as well as correct pruning methods. Enrollment is limited so call the nursery to sign-up. 206-789-1314

New house plants have arrived! We couldn't fit 'em all in the PT so the rest are being delivered tomorrow.

That is all.

Fall is just over a week away...for so many people, their favorite time of year. Yeah, heartless people who don't pander posies for a living! :b Oh well, you're forgiven - especially if you're smart enough to know what a great season this is for planting stuff. Here's what's going on at the store right now -

• We've still got a nice selection of perennials, shrubs and even a few trees for sun or shade, wet or dry.
• House plants have been very, very good to us. We're going on a major buying expedition tomorrow; you keep buying 'em and we're trying to keep up!
• We just got in a shipment of shiny new pots for indoors and out, with more expected later this week.
• Remaining annuals are 70% off, including the coleus collection...they won't take nights below 50 F but they're awesome houseplants given a sunny window and if you keep the ratty little flowers pinched off.
• COVER CROPS have arrived! Crimson clover should be planted between now and late October while there's still some warmth in the soil but our 3-way (clover+rye and vetch) and 5-way (clover+rye, vetch, buckwheat* and Austrian peas) blends can be planted even later if your veggie patch is still producing useful things into November or even December. These "green manures" add humus content when you till them under in the spring and help fix nitrogen, reducing the need for fertilizer next year.
• GARLIC AND SHALLOT SETS are on their way, sez the grower. We'll have red and white Dutch shallots and six varieties of garlic - three hardneck, three softneck - all organic, of course!
• FLOWER BULBS!...yeah...wish they'd arrived two weeks ago. *grumble, grumble* They should ship this week but I'll be surprised if they get here before Monday the 22nd. The good news is, if you can wait that long, we'll have a small but dazzling collection of our favorite tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus, alliums and more. Some very cool species tulips in this shipment, the smaller "rock garden" types that are truly perennial and don't peter out after a few years like their hybrid offspring. In mid to late October, we'll get in our first paperwhite narcissus bulbs, and amaryllis, so there's more to look forward to!

Don't put away your garden gloves just yet. You've still got some work to do.

* - hmm, I'd always been told buckwheat prefers warmer soil temps, too, but what do I know?

We've heard from a lot of you (not all of you!) that, to put it mildly, it's been kind of a sucky tomato year. Hot and cold running weather and an unusually late start are to blame, but don't let it get you down. We may yet get an "Indian summer" and as long as your plants are healthy, there's still time for them to produce. And hey, fried green tomatoes ain't bad!

This fall, consider growing vegetables that actually thrive in our mealymouthed climate. The brassicas (cole crops - the cabbage family) are very much at home here, easy and reliable. Don't forget the late George Carlin's wise words regarding broccoli! *g* (google "george carlin broccoli" if you don't know what I'm going on about; I will not repeat it here). Lots of greens prefer our shorter, cooler, wetter autumn days - lettuce and arugula are much slower to bolt this time of year, and stay sweeter longer. Some garlic can be planted in the spring but most do better with fall planting - we'll have eight varieties soon, shallots too, all certified organic.

The farmer's markets are at their peak right now but your own farm - be it acreage or a windowbox - lets you pick fresh daily, for a lot less money. Throw some pansies in a container with Swiss chard and a few herbs and you'll have a winter wonder, edible beauty!

Come see us. We can help you with this. :)

My visit home!

Here are some pictures I've taken so far.
I spent quite a bit of my youth here and haven't been back in 28 years!
www.wuji.com/Norway