The herbaceous peony ‘Madame de Verneville’ is a fine old French cultivar. (image by Carol Adelman)
As I mentioned in my April article, the spring season in the Pacific Northwest has been phenomenal but warm. The winter was mild and many marginally winter-hardy plants survived. Earlier this month we had weather in the 80’s, which is almost unheard of in this part of the world. Not only in my own garden but in others I’ve visited, many plants are blooming earlier than normal. This has been most noticeable in common seasonal bloomers like iris and peonies. Weather is certainly one of the things happening in our garden that we cannot control; all we can do is make the best of it.
Are you a failed wildflower grower? Growing California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), lupines, Coreopsis, and five-spot (Nemophila maculata) in the arid West is downright tricky. We sow them, and they refuse to sprout. It’s rare they return for a second season. So, what’s the problem?
First off, these western species are ephemeral annuals, meaning they live for just one season then go to seed before summer. Most of them need the full extent of our brief winter rains to get a head start on completing their life cycle prior to the long drought to come. Therefore they should be sown by Christmas to receive the rain that is essential for early spring bloom. Yet all too often they are sown during the planting frenzy of spring, which is far too late in much of the West. This leaves too short a season for them to become established and finish their life cycle.
Planting fruit trees, grape vines or blueberry shrubs? To make sure yours are really productive, give them an incentive. Sprinkle a measuring cup of organic fertilizer into the bottom of your planting hole, then cover it with a few inches of soil before you set the root ball on top. Then deep water often to send moisture down there to activate this fertilizer so its ready for roots when they arrive. Such incentives drive roots downward into the soil where they are far better able to find moisture under hot dry conditions later this summer.
Living in the Pacific Northwest, we have an abundance of rhododendrons to provide spring color. While there are many hybrids to chose from, one of my favorites is a species called Rhododendron yakushimanum ‘Yaku Angel’. This has wonderful white, felt-like new growth and soft brown indumentum (under surface of leaves) with a velvet-like touch. The flowers are a light pink in bud and open to white. This is a beautiful shrub in the garden at any season, whether in bloom or not.
Rhododendrons like a moist soil and using Black Gold Garden Compost Blend is ideal. Fertilize now with fertilizer formulated for acid-loving plants. The photo is from a plant in my garden taken in late April. Rhododendron Yaku Angel
Spring has finally arrived and we are having sunny days and warm weather. It has been a long time coming. It is exciting to walk around the garden and see what new plants are showing growth. This picture of a Gunnera in my garden is showing new growth. It is obvious that I need to amend the soil and that will be done soon. Gunnera likes a moist soil, wet but not standing water. I will soon work Black Gold Garden Compost Blend into the upper several inches of soil as well as some OMRI Listed general purpose fertilizer.
Lavender is a great herb that also looks beautiful in flower borders. (Image by Jessie Keith)
Herb gardening is undeniably a great way for a beginning gardener to enjoy success while reaping delicious culinary benefits.
All of the five senses are fully engaged when growing edible herbs. There is a serene beauty of a garden composed mostly of evergreen and silver-grey herbs. Herb gardeners are treated to a daily miniature cantata as visiting bees contentedly work their pollination magic among the flowers. The tantalizing fragrance exudes from sun-warmed culinary herbs and is absolutely intoxicating. This is also the perfect lure to prompt a passerby to brush their fingertips across the soft foliage, tear a nearby leaf to greedily sniff, then gratifyingly sample.
Growing Herbs
Chives are beautiful in spring and taste great in a variety of dishes.
Surprisingly, edible herbs are really easy to grow. Provide them with a few simple essentials, and they will reward you with both vigorous growth and flavor.
First, be sure to site your potential herb garden where it will receive six hours or more of full, direct sunlight. When you remember that the majority of our culinary herbs were native to sunny Mediterranean regions, you appreciate how well they thrive in heat and light.
The second most important element to successful herb gardening is excellent soil drainage. Herbs hate wet feet, so there are a couple of ways to approach this challenge.
One is to prepare an herb bed by incorporating a porous soil amendment to increase good tilth. Black Gold Garden Soil has the perfect balance of peat moss, bark, and perlite to lighten and lift heavy garden soils. If your future herb bed is in pretty good shape, try adding Black Gold Garden Compost Blend to improve your soil’s structure and tilth. It can also be added to the soil surface a beneficial mulch.
Since good drainage can make or break an herb garden, many gardeners choose to create raised herb beds with stones, natural wood, or other non-toxic borders. Containers are also great for herb growing. Fill containers and raised beds for herbs with Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil. This specially-blended organic mix is safe for all edibles, uses worm castings as fertilizer, and won’t pack down with time, so excellent drainage is assured.
After preparing your herb bed or container, the choice of what herbs to grow is completely up to you and your cooking preferences. Here are a few of the easiest.
Choosing Herbs
Thyme is a lovely cascading herb for containers and gardens.
The most familiar herbs, and the ones that were also popularized by Simon and Garfunkel, are parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. These work well together in a garden due to their complimentary leaf shapes, colors, and textures. Of the four, only parsley would have to be replanted each year as the others are perennial herbs which you should enjoy for years.
Cilantro is another annual herb that grows best in cool weather. It’s aromatic leaves are favored for salsa making and its crushed seeds are the spice, coriander.
Peppermint, spearmint, and pineapple mint spread rapidly and can be extremely cantankerous to remove, so consider growing them in large, isolated containers. But, be cautious! Even container-grown mints may sneak out of the bottom of pots or leap over the sides in an attempt to take over your garden.
Basil is one of the easiest summertime herbs to grow.
Oregano is another aromatic member of the mint family that will spread and take over if given a chance. Once again, consider growing this favorite Italian and Greek herb in a contained situation.
Lavender is one of the prettiest herbs for the garden–offering fragrant culinary leaves and colorful summer flowers that are also useful in cookery, potpourris, and sachets. The shrubby perennials can tolerate drought and attract many pollinators when in bloom.
The flavor and fragrance of herbs connect us deeply to memories of traditional family gatherings from holidays past and inspire future recipes. Since the variety of herbs you can grow is endless, your greatest challenge will be to decide where to place even more herb beds and containers.
This container of lavender, thyme, and parsley looks and smells great!
Peas taste of spring. Whether snow, snap or shelling peas, all grow the same. Here are some helpful tips for planting peas in your Spring garden…
Plant in earliest spring; light frost won’t harm them. Provide full sun and friable soil fortified with Black Gold® Compost Blend. Pre-soak seeds overnight and plant two-inches deep, eight-inches apart. Trellis vining types. Harvest wafer thin snow and juicy snap peas when young and tender and shelling when plump and bursting.
We rarely blend bulbs with food plants, but they make a great pick-me-up for off season gardens. I found this lovely garden in Germany, where they’d laid out a traditional four square design, but when not planted, this geometry doesn’t show. These smart gardeners elected to plant small bulbs in line to emphasize the design with foliage and flowers before it warms enough to plant the early spring crops. Don’t forget to plant them with Black Gold Bone Meal for a phosphorus-enriched root zone. (Please note that Black Gold Bone Meal has been discontinued.)
Once your soil is fed with natural & organic fertilizers and amendments and tilled, will you grow your veggies from seed or seedlings? The answer depends on the kinds of plants you choose to grow.
Fast growing plants that have large seeds planted deeper down are usually sown directly into garden soil. These include corn, squash, cucumbers, melons, sunflowers, beans or peas. When you buy your seed, know that every packet is marked with its year just like a food expiration date. Make sure yours is labeled for the current year so the seed is sure to sprout quickly.
Slower to germinate plants with smaller seeds such as peppers, tomatoes, broccoli and greens are more easily started indoors ahead of time. These can also be purchased as seedlings at the garden center. Bonnie Plants offers a wide range of organically grown varieties in sizes from seedling four-pack to gallon pot plants already on the way toward flower and fruit. The price dictates which you choose. They are grown in peat pots that can be planted directly into the soil for minimal root disturbance. If you can’t find organically grown seedlings, buy a standard nursery-grown seedling and raise it organically for the same result.
Here in the Pacific Northwest temperatures seem to be getting warmer and warmer in the spring. We have finally had some sunny days, and the temperature actually reached the 80’s. How nice it was to see the sun, and what a wonderful feeling to get outside in the garden without a jacket.
I always like to visit other gardens and made a recent visit to the garden of a friend to check on the status of his garden peas. Since peas like cool weather, they have done just fine. It is so nice to see his raised vegetable beds. He worked Black Gold Garden Compost Blend into the soil at time of planting, and the plants look great. The fine compost gives his beds a ‘finished’ look.
If you have held off on planting your summer vegetable garden, it should be all right to do so now. Beans are very easy to grow from seed. Once the soil has warmed, they germinate quickly and are a good crop for children to grow. Cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, and corn can also be planted from seed. If you just need a few plants, save time by buying individual starts at your local garden center.
With the arrival of warm weather, basil can finally be planted. Basil definitely needs heat and is one of the last plants I set out in spring. I wait until the nights and days are both warm. Try growing basil in containers on a deck or patio. As long as it has full sun, it should thrive. At our house, we always have basil in several pots on our deck. Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil is a great mix for basil planting. (Basil deserves to be planted in an organic potting soil!)
There are many different types of basil to grow. In addition to the familiar large-leaf Italian sweet basil, consider growing ‘Dark Opa” for its flavorful dark-red leaves or ‘African Blue’ for its purple-tinted leaves. A new one for me this year is ‘Pesto Perpetuo’, which has variegated leaves that are light green with a cream margin. The contrasting color of the leaves make this basil stand out nicely against the reddish stems.
This shaded bed shows the large leaves of my Gunnera towards the back behind the hostas.
Gunnera tinctoria is a plant that always amazes me with its giant leaves and fast growth. Mine are already over 6 feet tall and growing. My Gunnera is also sending up a flower stalk which looks somewhat like a corn cob. Sometimes garden centers will label Gunnera as “The Dinosaur Food Plant” because it is an ancient plant and is found in fossils. Here in the metro Portland (Oregon) region, I have had good success with Gunnera even though it is not considered winter hardy here. Once we have had a frost, I cut the huge leaves and cover the crown of the plant with them for winter protection. I then cut the stems and insert them through the leaves and into the soil to help anchor them. This has provided enough protection for my plant that it has survived for the past five years even though we have had some very cold temperatures.
My experience is that Gunnera does best with some shade, especially protection from the hot afternoon summer sun. It also requires plenty of moisture and a soil rich in humus. I planted mine with about a 50% mixture of Black Gold Garden Compost Blend and good garden loam. I also use two applications of an all-purpose fertilizer later in the season.
Roses should be coming into bloom, and this is the time to fertilize them with a quality rose food. Roses expend so much energy with their continuous flowering, it is wise to fertilize on a regular basis (perhaps every four weeks) during the growing season. I always like to make one application of blood meal because of the high- and fast-acting nitrogen content. For an easy-care shrub rose, consider a Knock Out®rose. While not the traditional cutting rose, ‘Knock-Out’ bears flower clusters that bloom all summer, and it has never had a trace of disease.
Knock Out® Rose
The hardy banana, Musa basjoo is another good summer plant for Pacific Northwest gardens. When the word ‘hardy’ is used, it refers to the roots as being hardy, not the leaves. Like a perennial, this plant will die to the ground in the winter and return from the roots in spring. I have had it planted in my garden for over 10 years. When the first frost comes, I take the old leaves and cover the entire ground area with them.
I am amazed at how tall my hardy banana has already grown this year, considering our cool weather. Typically, I apply a quality all-purpose fertilizer as it begins to grow. By the end of August, it will reach 12 feet and tower above most other plants in my garden.
Romneya coulteri
A final plant to mention is Romneya coulteri (Matilija Poppy). Each bloom has magnificent white crinkled petals with a cluster of yellow stamens in the center. The foliage is bluish, so the plant attracts attention in the garden, even when it is not in bloom. If you are looking for a plant that will grow well in sunny, hot, dry space, this is it. The only other requirement is that it needs good drainage. Once established, no summer watering is required.
So many plants to choose from! Check out your local garden center, and try something new. I always try to find some plants to add to the garden that are not familiar but look exciting.
Since good drainage can make or break an herb garden, many gardeners choose to create raised herb beds with stones, natural wood, or other non-toxic borders. Containers are also great for herb growing. Fill containers and raised beds for herbs with 
from seed. Once the soil has warmed, they germinate quickly and are a good crop for children to grow. Cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, and corn can also be planted from seed. If you just need a few plants, save time by buying individual starts at your local garden center.
