~Written by Mike Darcy

Living and gardening in the Pacific Northwest, whenever we have a day with no rain and pleasant temperatures (above 40F), it is a signal for me to go out into the garden.  Regardless of where we live, this is a great time to look at the garden when it is not at its best and make some decisions on what needs to be removed and what just needs to be moved to a new home.  I make my share of mistakes in planting things in the wrong place; plants needing shade get planted where there is too much sun, plants needing sun get planted where there is too much shade, short plants behind tall ones and sometimes color combinations that make my wife cringe.

Since a garden is never ‘finished’ and always evolving, we should have no restraints on continuing to make changes.  In my own garden, changes are constantly happening; sometimes subtle and sometimes not so subtle.  I like to convey to other gardeners, especially beginners, that there is no ‘right’ way to garden.  The garden should reflect you and your personality and if you like a plant where it is, then it is okay.  Do not be intimated about gardening and what others might think, make it a relaxing place to be.  We have enough stressful things in life and gardening should not be one of them.

So on this February day, as I continue to walk through my garden, I marvel at what is beginning to appear.  The peonies with their red new buds are emerging through the soil, and while certainly not a flower, they provide some much needed color.  Many gardeners have ‘connections’ to certain plants and peonies are a ‘connection’ plant to me.  They remind me of my grandmother’s garden in Ohio and how much she cherished them.  Today, I wish I had a start from one of them. 

I see bright spots of color and it is the hellebores.  What a marvelous plant they are; they take little care other than if you live in a slug/snail area, be sure to bait in early spring when the new growth and flowers are appearing.  Hellebores provide a long season of bloom and are often the first flowers to bloom in the spring.  For the past several years, I have carefully worked Black Gold Soil Conditioner around the base of my hellebore plants.  It helps to keep the soil loose and visually makes the area more attractive with its dark rich color.  Black Gold Soil Conditioner has quickly become one of my favorites and I use it regularly as a mulch around a multitude of plants.

In my January column, I discussed starting plants from seed.  This month I want to specifically mention tomatoes as this is the time many gardeners purchase their seeds.  By starting them in February/March, depending on your area of the country, you can start them indoors so you will have nice sized plants to transplant out into the garden at the appropriate time when all danger of frost is over.  Use Black Gold Seedling Mix and a light coating of chicken grit as mentioned last month.  Tomatoes are the most popular home grown vegetable (although technically I think it is a fruit) in the United States and it seems as though each region of the country has some specific varieties that perform best. 

If you are unsure of what tomatoes that will perform well in your area, it is wise to check with your local garden center for help in selection as they will probably have first hand information.  Use neighbors as a resource as well.  If you have a neighbor that grows lots of vegetables, find out which are the favorites.  Most gardeners are very willing to exchange information and you might make a new friend.  I think it is always fun to try some new varieties and I encourage others to do so as well.  I recently came across Seed Savers Exchange catalog and was very impressed with their selection of tomatoes.  While most of the seeds they offer are heirloom types, I counted 72 different tomatoes, many of which you will probably not find elsewhere.  Their catalog is free and you can order it on-line at www.seedsavers.org

Back to my garden!  In areas where I have particularly poor soil or soil that seems to dry out quickly in the summer, I add Black Gold Peat Moss.  Peat moss is a natural soil conditioner and helps to retain water in sandy or loose type soils.  When I have the opposite problem, with soil that needs help with drainage, I add either Black Gold Perlite or Black Gold Pumice.  My preference is pumice as it does not float up to the surface like perlite.  When I am putting new plants in an area with heavy soil, I add pumice and mix it in with the soil around the root ball.  Pumice is a natural quarried stone product and improves aeration and drainage.  Over the years, I have found pumice as a big asset in helping certain areas with drainage.

This is a great month to make some changes in your garden, there are always plants that need to be thinned or removed and that makes a space for new ones.  Plan now for the coming spring season and consider starting something new from seed.

About Mike Darcy

It might be helpful to know a little bit about me so here is a brief summary. I live and garden in a suburb of Portland, Oregon and have lived here since 1969.

I grew in up Tucson, Arizona where I worked at a small retail nursery during my high school and college years. My ‘formal’ education was from the University of Arizona where I received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Horticulture. I use the word ‘formal’ because while the classes were valuable, I greatly value the experience I have gotten ‘in the field’. It is hard to beat the ‘hands on’ experience of actually gardening, visiting gardens, and sharing information with other gardeners. 

I have been involved with some aspect of gardening throughout my adult life.  I have done television gardening shows in Portland and currently do a Portland garden radio talk show on Saturday mornings from 9am-noon (KXL radio) and this spring will be my 29th anniversary. 

To be connected to the gardening industry is a bonus in life.  I have found gardeners to be among the friendliest and most caring and generous people I know, and consequently many of my friends are those I have met through gardening. 

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