Judging by the number of plants flowering around the city Spring is well underway and so on a recent weekend we opened the hiking season on a trail near North Bend.  The woods were wet and dripping but the native harbingers of Spring were out and growing in the wet mucky swampy areas near the trail were the bright yellow flowers of the native Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton americanus).

Western skunk cabbage is one of the only local member of the lily family and grows from a long rhizome or root.  It has large green leaves up to 20” long and over ten inches wide.  During winter as it comes into bloom it burns so much food that it emits heat and can melt the snow as it grows.  The flower is a yellow erect column surrounded by a bright yellow spathe or modified leaf.  It is called Skunk cabbage due to the rancid smell it emits.  The smell attracts pollinators, flies and beetles which think they have found carrion.  As they move from flower to flower they carry pollen on their abdomens and pollinate the flowers.

Skunk cabbage berries are a food source for ground squirrels and bears.  Fresh from hibernation the bears eat them for their laxative effects.  Indigenous people used the leaves to line berry baskets or to wrap salmon for cooking.  They would eat the plants in times of famine but the plant contains a form of calcium with crystals that can cause irritation and burning sensations in the tongue and mouth.

To us however they are just bright splash of color, an almost tropical blaze that helps us escape the grayness of Winter and prepare for the coming Summer.

baxter

Recent summer and winter visits to Seabrook WA have inspired me to investigate the New Urbanism community planning movement. New Urbanism is an urban design movement, which promotes walkable neighborhoods that contain a range of housing types. It arose in the United States in the early 1980s, and has gradually continued to reform many aspects of real estate development, urban planning, and municipal land-use strategies. New Urbanism is strongly influenced by urban design standards that were prominent until the rise of the automobile in the mid-20th century; it encompasses principles such as traditional neighborhood design and transit-oriented development. It is also closely related to regionalism, environmentalism and the broader concept of smart growth. The movement also includes a more pedestrian-oriented variant known as New Pedestrianism, which has its origins in a 1929 planned community in Radburn, New Jersey.

Defining elements of New Urbanism (all exemplified in Seabrook, WA):

• The neighborhood has a discernible center. This is often a square or a green and sometimes a busy or memorable street corner.
• Most of the dwellings are within a five-minute walk of the center.
• There are a variety of dwelling types – usually houses, rowhouses, and apartments – so that younger and older people, singles and families, the poor and the wealthy may find places to live.
• At the edge of the neighborhood, there are shops and offices of sufficiently varied types to supply the weekly needs of a household.
• A small ancillary building or garage apartment is permitted within the backyard of each house. It may be used as a rental unit or place to work.

• There are small playgrounds accessible to every dwelling – not more than a tenth of a mile away.
• Streets within the neighborhood form a connected network, which disperses traffic by providing a variety of pedestrian and vehicular routes to any destination.
• The streets are relatively narrow and shaded by rows of trees. This slows traffic, creating an environment suitable for pedestrians and bicycles.
• Buildings in the neighborhood center are placed close to the street, creating a well-defined outdoor room.
• 
• Parking spaces and garage doors rarely front the street. Parking is relegated to the rear of buildings, usually accessed by alleys.

More about New Urbanism can be found at http://www.newurbanism.org/

These native plants thrive in the Seabrook landscape:

Dwarf Western red cedar. Thuja plicata ‘Excelsa’ is a narrow cultivar used at Seabrook as hedging or specimens.

Pacific wax myrtle. Myrica californica is the most-used plant at Seabrook, as evergreen shrubs or clipped hedging.

Red-twig dogwood. Cornus stolonifera is used as screening or trimmed hedging; it can take sun or shade, wet or dry conditions.

Baldhip rose. Rosa gymnocarpa is a hardy, small rose with a delicate flower and bright red fruit.

Douglas spirea. S. douglasii is a casual, airy, small shrub.

Coast strawberry. Fragaria chiloensis is a glossy-leafed spreading groundcover with small flowers.

Streambank lupine. L. rivularis is a prolific flowerer that grows quickly from seed.

Western sword fern. Polystichum munitum is an evergreen, textural classic fern used as a filler or accent plant.

New Urbanism offers a sense of community when you want it and privacy when you don’t. Quick and easy access to shared features like parks, playgrounds and commercial areas forgoes reliance on the car. Seabrook is an enjoyable example of this movement where shared public spaces and a sense of community have developed in a sustainable environment.

Michal

  Slug and snail control
Snails and slugs have been the bane of gardeners for generations. And while over time, many methods  have  been developed to control these slimy pests, some methods work better than others.  The goal in creating this “Definitive Guide” was to show all the different ways to kill snails and slugs, or simply control them.  You can choose which method, or combination of methods, will work best for you in your particular garden or situation.  The snail and slug control methods listed below are not in any particular order, but all of these methods are organic, except one, (and you’ll see its drawbacks when you read it). The basic fact is that all these methods work to varying degrees, and will make it easy to implement something quickly. Won’t it be nice to have healthy, uneaten plants once again!

Quick Identification First
Before we get started, let’s take a quick look at the difference between slugs and snails which is probably apparent to you, but let’s take a quick look anyway. It is always easier to get rid of a pest when you understand it, its habits, and its lifecycle.

• Description
  Adults are soft-bodied, land-dwelling mollusks. Snails have coiled shells on their backs and are 1 to 1-1/2 inches (2.5 to 4 cm) long. Slugs are without shells. Garden slugs are 1/8 to 1 inch (3 to 25 mm) long (longer when stretched out); banana slugs may be up to 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) long. Most slugs and snails are dark or light gray, tan, green, or black; some have darker spots or patterns. They leave a characteristic slimy trail of mucus behind them. Eggs are clear, oval, or round, and are laid in jelly-like masses.
• Plants Affected
  Any tender plant or shrub.
• Damage
  Both slugs and snails feed mostly on decaying plant material. They also eat soft, succulent plant tissue and rasp large holes in foliage, stems, fruit, and even bulbs. They can completely demolish seedlings and severely damage young shoots and plants. Snails, and sometimes slugs, can climb into trees and shrubs to feed. Both have higher numbers and cause most damage in wet years, and in regions with moist conditions, or high rainfall.
• Life Cycle
  Adults lay egg masses in moist soil, or under rocks or containers, or garden debris. Eggs hatch in 2 to 4 weeks. Slugs grow for 5 months up to 2 years before reaching maturity; snails take 2 years to reach maturity.

1. Hand Picking
Hand-picking and disposing of slugs and snails (including stomping on, throwing in the street, dropping in a bucket of salt water, etc.) does work, because if you gather up all the adults before they reproduce, things will get dramatically better, because the tiny ones you miss, don’t do the most damage.

You can do this by day, or go out at night with a flashlight and gather slugs by hand and drop in soapy water in a container they can’t climb out of.

2. Beer or Yeast & Honey Mixture
Snails and slugs are attracted to the scent of stale beer or a mixture of yeast and honey.

• Put out a saucer filled with stale beer, or the yeast and honey mixture (listed below)
• Sink it into the ground so the top of the saucer is at ground level
• Slugs and snails will get into the mixture and drown.

Keep in mind this will only reliably kill slugs if the trap is deep enough so that slugs can’t reach over the top to get out. So in the case of slugs, use a deeper trap like a yogurt container, or a deep plastic cup. Something that is too deep for a slug to climb out of, so it drowns in the beer.

Check the container daily to make sure a frog or something else hasn’t accidentally fallen in, and also empty and refill every couple of days.

Yeast & Honey Mixture:
Now, if you normally don’t have beer around, a very effective alternative is boiling some yeast and honey in water. The proportions aren’t very critical, just mix some up.

Once that is made, continue as above. Bury a dish up to the rim in your garden and fill it with this mixture. You’d be amazed at how well this works. The snails and slugs will glide right in and drown themselves. We’ve also heard old grape juice works well, but we have never tried that.

3. Dry Dog or Cat Food
Another good food to lure snails and slugs away from your plants is to use dry dog or cat food.

• Get a tin foil pie pan and cut a few notches along the rim so that when you set it on the ground you have created a few “doors” for the snails to come in
• Pour some dry cat or dog food where you want the snails to come
• Put the tin foil pan upside down and weight it down with a rock
• Next morning, you can scoop up the snails, put them in a bag, and toss it in the trash

4. Copper Deterrents
Snails and slugs cannot tolerate copper; it gives them a slight electrical shock on contact. Knowing this is great, but keep in mind that it creates a barrier only. It won’t kill them; it will only keep them out of an area that doesn’t already have a problem.

This can be very helpful for raised beds, trees, containers, flower pots, and other areas in your yard or garden.

After you have applied the copper to the desired area, finish by bending the exposed vertical strands outward. (see pictures)

Examples Where Copper Works Well:
Tree trunks: Apply a copper band around the base
Flower pots: Apply a copper band around flower pots and they will not cross it
For cold-frames or raised beds: Attach copper flashing to the frames
Greenhouse benches: Attach 3 inch (7.5 cm) wide copper bands around edges   Now obviously, putting a copper barrier around an entire garden is not going to be practical, but it is an excellent method for protecting very sensitive seedling beds or small containers.  Copper screen or copper flashing can surround a raised bed, or for small planters, copper foil (such as Snail-Barr) can be used to wrap the entire container. Shrubs can have a band of copper around the lower trunk.  In order for the copper to continue to work, it needs to be cleaned periodically with vinegar or it will tarnish and no longer work.

5. Scratchy Things
Scratchy things such as crushed eggshells, sandpaper, cinders, wood ashes, and diatomaceous earth (this will need replacing if it gets wet), work well as a barrier. Again, this method will not kill the snails and slugs, but it will slow them down.  Another scratchy material they don’t like to cross is sandpaper. You can make sandpaper collars to put around your plants if you have the inclination.  Cut doughnuts from sheets of sandpaper, or use used sandpaper discs from orbital sanders. Cut a slit to the center of each circle, and slip the collars around the stems, laying the sandpaper discs on the ground.

6. Natural Predators
Possums, chickens, ducks, turtles, tortoises, rats, some birds, and snakes, will prey on snails and slugs. Most people that have chickens and ducks hardly ever see a slug or a snail.

7. Predatory Snails
A predatory snail called a Decollate snail (Rumina decollata) will feed on young snails and may be worth a try, but they also may nibble on young plants.  It takes a little time to get an established group of Decollate snails, but many people have been pleased with the results.  These snails are semi-tropical and don’t thrive in temperate or cold gardens; and in some places where they would thrive, they are banned as potentially invasive species. They are however, physically attractive snails, and when they do the work effectively for some gardeners, they should be encouraged to keep doing so.  If you want to try these, make sure to avoid any kind of snail bait, organic or other, because it will affect these snails too.

8. Organic Baits
Two of the best organic snail and slug bait products on the market are Sluggo and Escar-Go which contain iron phosphate. They are safe to use around pets, humans, fish, birds, beneficial insects, and mammals.  For several other organisms, including earthworms and certain ground beetles, no harmful effects are known. You can also safely use iron phosphate around food crops, ornamentals, lawns, gardens, greenhouses, and berry gardens up to the day of harvest.

Iron phosphate is an organic compound that is found naturally in the soil, and if the bait is not consumed by a slug or snail, the material breaks down into fertilizer for your soil. Iron phosphate is not volatile, and does not readily dissolve in water, which minimizes its dispersal beyond where it is applied.  It is applied to the soil as a pellet that also contains bait to attract snails and slugs. When the pests eat the pellets, the iron phosphate interferes with calcium metabolism in their gut, causing the snails and slugs to stop eating almost immediately. They die 3 to 6 days later.

Iron phosphate is more effective than Metaldehyde-based chemical products (such as used by Ortho) because Metaldehyde ceases to work when it gets rained on, or if you water the garden, whereas iron phosphate remains active even with repeat wettings, for up to 2 weeks.  Some people will argue that Sluggo and Escar-Go are not as cheap as Metaldehyde-based products, but this isn’t necessarily true, because iron phosphate remains active longer, so it requires less to be used to kill more slugs, so in fact it is cost-effective.

What works best is to kill the adult slug and snail population early in the year before they lay their eggs. If you do that, you will be slug and snail free for the rest of the year without further applications.  The best time for long-term control is to treat the whole garden in the dampness of autumn. That way, in the spring, there will be very few adult slugs and snails to lay their eggs. Another application is useful in late winter or early spring, and again 1 month later. Three applications a year can do the trick.

How to Apply:
Iron phosphate products are used the same as other bait materials. Simply scatter the granules over the soil’s surface, (do not place in piles), where snails and slugs feed.  If the ground is dry, wet it before applying bait. The soil should be moist but with little or no standing water.  Once the slugs have eaten the bait, they immediately stop eating and crawl back under the plants to die. Iron phosphate is slower acting than the synthetic metaldehyde, but is active on the soil surface longer that other baits, and when ingested, the slug stops damaging your plants, which is the whole idea.

Some Basic Facts:
Sluggo and Escar-Go have a powerful lure that slugs and snails find irresistible. Repeated studies have shown that slugs and snails will eat these baits before they will eat nearby plants.  Iron phosphate disposes of snails and slugs without mess. You may not see the dead slugs and snails in your garden because they often crawl away to secluded places to die. But you will notice that your plants are no longer being eaten.

Iron phosphate controls in hard-to-reach areas. because it actually lure snails and slugs from their hiding places, which provides control in any area that slugs frequent, even in mulched beds.  The only thing beneficial that would be harmed by iron phosphate would be predatory, snail-eating, decollate snails (mentioned above in number 8). If a garden does have these predatory snails, do not use iron phosphate or any other bait.

9. Chemical Baits
Methaldyhde-based baits – A word of caution if you have been using a pelleted form of snail bait; it can be dangerous around pets as it looks like food to them. The finer granule type is much safer – but please be careful and read the label and use as directed.
Slug and snail baits with Metaldehyde are sufficiently toxic that such baits are not recommended for use around edible vegetables, and can be harmful to dogs, cats, and fish.  Baits with Metaldehyde work differently than the organic ones with iron phosphate, and since we have already given great detail about how iron phosphate works above, let’s look at Metaldehyde.

Metaldehyde poison dehydrates the snail or slug rather rapidly if it eats the poison. That is a good thing, but slugs and snails can recover from Metaldehyde poisoning if there is rainfall, or access to wet locations, where they will not fully dehydrate and die.   A slug can lose half its body weight and shrink to a third its size from Metaldehyde poisoning, or by covering it in salt, but if it can get itself to wet soil fast enough, or if it rains, it will recover.   Because Metaldehyde by itself sometimes isn’t as effective as it could be, some products like Ortho Plus include carbaryl to increase its toxicity. Carbaryl kills beneficial insects and therefore should be used with caution.  Another drawback is that after being dampened, Metaldehyde products no longer work, so that means every time you water, or it rains, you will need to re-apply it.  Many chemical-based baits do work, but be careful how and where you apply them.

10. Coffee Grounds
The alleged method of slug control using old coffee grounds, we think, amounts to gardening folklore because we have found it doesn’t work very well.   If, however, you are a person who uses this method and swears by it, by all means continue! No sense in stopping something that works for you.

11. Spray with Vinegar and Water
Mix equal parts vinegar and water. We have never tried this, but many people have sworn that spraying this mixture on snails and slugs solves the problem for them.

12. Herbal Repellent
Putting mint or sage in your mulch is reported to do a good job of repelling them. We have never tried this, but many people have sworn by using this mixture to repel slugs and snails. It won’t kill them; apparently it just acts as a barrier.

13. Ammonia

Another method found very useful is 1 part ammonia to 4 parts water in a spray bottle. We have read that the ammonia is not harmful to the plants and have found no ill effect in using it on plants. It literally dissolves the slug or snail when sprayed on the critter. There is some satisfaction in this method when you discover a precious plant chewed to pieces and the culprit is dissolving before your eyes. It is very easy to carry a spray bottle with the rest of your garden supplies and I have found it to be effective. Another recipe calls for mixing in a hand-sprayer bottle 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) ammonia, 1 Tbsp. (15 ml) Murphy’s oil soap, and 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) water. The soap helps the tonic from running off of their bodies. It is safe to over-spray any area where activity is seen. Something to keep in mind is that ammonia is not bad for your garden.

14. Cornmeal

A method that works on Banana Slugs: Gather up some glass jars and put a tablespoon (15 ml) or two or three of cornmeal in each one. Lay them on their sides near the plants where the slugs are dining, making sure to provide easy entrances to the jars. They crawl inside, chow down, and die. Empty the residual mess into the trash in the morning.

Michal

Planning

Shop: Buy early flowering shrubs such as Daphne, Azalea, Camellia, and early Rhodys.

Order perennial plants and bulbs now for cut flowers in the summer. Daisy, Dahlia, Cosmos, Aster, Lily

Planting

Set out summer flowering bulbs like Amaryllis, Calla, Canna, Dahlias, Gladiolus, Lily, Tuberous Begonia.

Plant bare-root vegetables such as Artichoke, Asparagus, Horseradish, and Rhubarb

Plant spring flowering perennials. Choose from Bleeding Heart, Coral Bells, Campanula, and perennial Dianthus.

Plant bare-root ornamentals such as roses, shade trees and vines.

Handle seed packets carefully. Rubbing the outsides to determine how many seeds are inside can break the protective seed coats, thereby reducing germination.

Gardeners who want tuberous Begonias for summer-long flowering in pots, beds or baskets outside should start the tubers indoors during late February or early March. Place outside only after the threat of frost has passed.

Begonia, Marigold, and Petunia seeds can be started indoors now. Sprinkle the small seeds sparingly onto moist soil and gently press them in.

Maintenance

Fertilize spring-blooming flowers and fall-planted annuals and perennials. Wait to feed Azaleas, Camellias, and Rhododendrons until after bloom; use an acid based fertilizer

Finish pruning cane berries, deciduous fruit trees, grapes, roses, and wisteria by mid February.

Fertilize deciduous fruit trees two to three weeks before they flower. Feed other mature trees and shrubs as new growth appears.

Wait to prune spring-flowering deciduous ornamental such as forsythia and quince, and spring-flowering shrubs until after they flower.

Prune roses and most other deciduous shrubs.

Watch for signs of growth in early spring bulbs. When foliage is 1 inch high, gradually start removing mulch. Cloudy days are best so to not burn tender foliage

Check stored bulbs, tubers and corms. Discard any that are soft or diseased.

Repair, paint or stain outdoor furniture, and other items in preparation for outdoor gardening and recreational use.

Avoid walking on grass or groundcovers while they are frozen. The frozen leaves are brittle and easily damaged.

Weed and Pest Control

Apply dormant oil or spray neem oil on deciduous plants whose buds are still closed.

Horticultural oil kills over-wintering insects; lime sulfur or fixed copper spray controls many diseases.

Continue slug and snail control by removing their hiding places; clean up leaf litter.

As weeds germinate, hand-pull or apply a pre-emergence or weed killer.

For weed control in bulb or seedling beds apply a two inch layer of mulch.

For Fun

During the cold days of late winter and early spring try forcing branches of native trees such as dogwood, spicebush, serviceberry, and redbud which will flower indoors. Also try Azaleas, Rhododendrons, and Mountain Laurel.

Branches of Forsythia, Pussy Willow, Quince, Spirea, and Dogwood can also be forced for indoor bloom. Make long slanted cuts when collecting branches and place the stems in a vase of water. Change the water every four days. They should bloom in about three weeks.

For something unique to force for winter flower arrangements, consider Red Maple, Buckeye, Birch, Larch, or Oak branches. They will soon unfurl either flowers, foliage, catkins, or red leaves that gradually turn to green.

Michal

As we move into fall we start to think about closing down our gardens for the winter, but now is the time to start planning and preparing for the next growing season. If you wish to add color to your garden, planting perennials in the fall allows the roots of those plants to develop and will result in a stronger plant. The soil is still warm from summer so there is little if any shock to the plant. Fall and winter rains assure that you don’t have to worry about the plant getting adequate water.

Many bulbs should be planted in the fall. They can be planted with the perennials to avoid perennial root disturbance. They will intermingle without a problem. You might also consider planting some annual seeds in the fall. Some varieties, such as larkspur and poppies, benefit from fall planting. You will be happy you did this when spring comes.

Nurseries are interested in getting rid of their stock before winter comes. You will likely be able now to find some good prices on many plants. It is true that the selection is not as plentiful as in the spring, but the likelihood of survival is greater.

Fall is also the perfect time for aerating your lawn, thatching, fertilizing, and over seeding. If all of that is too much to tackle, at least fertilize your lawn areas. Fall lawn fertilizing is important. It feeds the roots, allowing the grass to winter more successfully and start out on a healthy path in the spring.

As always, it is important to weed and mulch. Keep up with this now and there will be less work to do next spring, and your garden will look good all winter!

Aphids are a common garden pest.  They do damage by sucking the plants they infest and by excreting sticky honeydew.   The following are tips to prevent and control aphids.

Avoid over fertilizing: Aphids prefer tender new growth that appears in profusion with over fertilized plants.  Use slow release fertilizer.

Monitor: Check your plants once a week.  If you see ants climbing up a plant they are most likely harvesting the aphids’ honeydew.  Putting sticky tape around the trunk of plants can stop ants.

Spray with water:  Spraying aphids with water can dislodge them from the infested plant and knock them off where they will be less likely to re-infest.

Natural predators:  There are natural predators such as lady beetles, lacewings, syrphid flies, and various parasitic wasps.  Lady beetles are often available commercially, however they tend to disperse in a few days.

Insecticidal soap:  A mixture of two tablespoons of mild dish soap with luke warm water in a spray bottle is effective in cleaning aphids from plants.  The soap dissolves the aphids waxy protective coating and causes them to dehydrate.  Also mixing three tablespoons of vegetable or horticultural oil with luke warn water and a few drops of dish soap can be effective to clog the aphids breathing spiracles.  Spray once a week and alternate between methods.

These methods only take care of mature aphids, not those in eggs.  Repeated applications should eventually rid your plants of the little pests.

Michal

I recently read an article in the September 2009 Landscape Architecture Magazine ‘Haag’s Edible Estate’.  For those of you who don’t know, Rich Haag founded the Landscape Architecture program at the University of Washington and has designed some very notable places including Gasworks Park here in Seattle and the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island.  This article looks at the landscape of his private residence in Capitol Hill, which is an active experiment and example of what he has coined ‘nutrimental horticulture’.  The term is a mouthful but the ideas behind it caught my attention immediately.

Balancing the utility of a food producing garden with a landscape that is also beautiful and welcoming is something that drives many of my designs, including my own gardens.  Gardens are about discovery and activating our many senses.  Showy flowers and an intoxicating smell are great but think of discovering your first ripe strawberry; this evokes a special reaction.  Why can’t all landscapes have this multi-sensorial experience? They can.

One plant that is very easy to utilize in a landscape are blueberries. They are tolerant of a wide range of soil and light conditions (err on the side of shady and moist) and beyond the berries, the leaves have great fall color, changing to a bright red as the plant goes dormant.

If you are looking to create an informal screen, try red raspberries.  They grow into 5-6′ canes which spread through rhizomes over time.  Raspberries can be perfect for obscuring a utility shed or a tall cedar fence.  Many varieties of raspberry will produce fruit multiple times throughout the summer.

Does your garden need a bulletproof ground cover?   Similar to the aforementioned strawberry plant (which is a must) creeping bramble (Rubus pentalobus) sprawls low to the ground and produces bright orange, raspberry-like fruit.

A great way to bring structure to the garden is a trellis.  Trellises allow plants, especially vines, to grow vertically and often with a dramatic result.  They can support garden variety vegetables like climbing beans and peas that can be grown throughout the year.  As an alternative try grape vines or better yet, hops.  This summer I grew hops (Cascade variety) for the first time. They quickly grew to about ten feet tall with pendulous clusters of yellow green hops, a surprisingly good turnout for the first year.  Hop plants grow from rhizomes that mature and increase in size over time producing more and more hops.

Lastly, an edible plant that makes both an architectural statement and is very sought after for its culinary uses, the artichoke.  This plant may not be for everyone but it is dramatic as a focal plant. Mature plants can grow to be 6-7′ feet tall with bold serrated fronds and large thistle flowers (the artichoke).  Tall and conspicuous, I see it as the Palm Tree of the garden.  Unlike the Palm, however, the artichoke is perennial and will die back in the fall to emerge in spring.

I will readily admit that I have had mixed results with some of these plants (especially the artichoke). To me the experiment is a part of the experience.  Try new things alongside successes of the past.  It is a great way to discover what works in your garden landscape.

Zach

At Lifestyle Landscapes we often use ornamental grasses in our designs.  They are dynamic, bringing movement as well as color and texture to a garden, and, even those that die back in the winter add drama all year long.  Grasses generally grow fast, require little maintenance and, once established, do not need a lot of water.  Often we are asked how to maintain grasses.  Since this week fall has definitely arrived, I though it an apt time to discuss ornamental grass maintenance.

What we term ornamental grasses, those plants with long leaves, are actually several categories of plants; sedges, true grasses, and reeds or rushes.

“Sedges have Edges…” The stems of sedges are often triangular and have edges or corners.  The stems are generally solid and their seed heads are not particularly showy.  The Carexs are sedges, and, true to type, do not need trimming.  In the spring and/or fall, simply don gloves and comb through the clumps, extracting the dead leaves.

“and Rushes are round..”: Rushes belong to the family Juncaceae, their stems are typically cylindrical like true grasses, but solid, and they lack nodes.  Not too much to do to rushes except cut out the dead stalks.

“Grasses are hollow and rush all around.” True grasses are from the family Poaceae and have narrow leaves.  They have long veins running parallel to the edge of the leaves.  Their stems are hollow except at the nodes or joints.  They may form clumps or spread by runners.  These can be cut in the fall, or leave the seed heads standing till the end of winter.  Again, don gloves as for the edges may be sharp.  I always wait for a sunny day in February, and then look for the new green shoots, deep in the clumps, as the first harbingers of spring.

Baxter

Irrigation: Water stress inhibits the manufacture of key plant growth regulators that control dormancy.  This may increase the chance of winter injury.  Irrigate dry soil beneath trees to a depth of 12 inches during the fall months.  Without rainfall, plants require the addition of approximately 750 gallons of water per 1000 square feet of soil surface beneath the crown during each week of the growing season.

Mulching: Mulching trees with organic materials, such as wood or bark chips, provides many plant health benefits.  Mulch conserves soil moisture, insulates soil to reduce winter injury and improves the physical condition of soil.  Apply mulch to a depth of 2-4 inches around plantings.  Avoid contact with stem.

Soils and Nutrient Management: Plants should be fertilized in fall or spring following the drought when soils are recharged by rainfall.  Avoid fertilization during droughts because it provides little benefit when water is the limiting growth factor.  Additions of commercially available mycorrhizal fungi to soil will benefit drought stricken plants, especially mature trees.  Mycorrhizae inoculants stimulate root development and improve the absorption efficiency of those roots.

Pruning: Clean to remove dead, damaged and dying branches and to reduce pest problems.  This reduces the demands for water and nutrients.  Thinning must be done judiciously because excessive pruning can weaken the plant.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Moisture stressed plants are more susceptible to insect borers, bark beetles and root, stem and foliage diseases.  Cool season mites are a particular concern on hemlock.  Trained technicians periodically inspect plants and apply treatment for pests and health.

Attracting birds into your landscape can be easy if you know a little about what they like and their habits. Plants are a key part in many birds’ lives because they provide both materials and structure for shelter, and provide food with not only a multitude of fruits, nuts and seeds but also a source for insect eating birds.

Birds are highly visual and are attracted by brightly colored flowers; this is especially true of hummingbirds, so choose plants with red or orange (tubular) flowers to get them interested. The eating habits of birds vary widely. Small non-migratory birds eat almost constantly during daylight hours where as migratory birds need large amounts of food for a day or two.

Different plants have different resources to offer. Deciduous plants bear the most fruit, nuts and seeds. Evergreen plants and trees provide berries and seed-filled cones and can act as year-round shelters and nesting sites.

Here are some locally available plants that provide resources for birds in Seattle gardens:

Trees

Acer circinatum / Vine Maple – Provide seeds eaten by many birds

Crataegus douglasii / Black Hawthorne – Grows in a thicket, provides great shelter, berries eaten
by birds, robins, woodpeckers and ducks

Sorbus varieties / Mountain Ash – Provides shelter and berries in summer and fall

Shrubs

Cornus stolonifera / Red-Twig Dogwood – Provides nesting site, berries eaten by warblers, robins
and flycatchers

Ribes alpinum / Red Flowering Currant – Berries eaten by jays, sparrows, and woodpeckers,
nectar and color attractive to hummingbirds

Symphoricarpos albus / Snowberry – Berries persist into the winter, eaten regularly by quail and
grouse, emergency food for many others

Sambucus varieties / Red and Blue Elderberry – Red variety ripen in early summer, blue variety
ripen in fall, nectar for hummingbirds, bees and butterflies

Lonicera fragrantissima / Honeysuckle – Prolific flowers provide nectar for hummingbirds

Fuchsia varieties – Spring and summer food source for hummingbirds

Perennials

Aquilegia formosa / Red Columbine – Favorite native for hummingbirds, sparrows and finches
like seeds, very adaptable plant and showy flowers

Dicentra formosa / Western Bleeding Heart – Early spring source of nectar for hummingbirds

Crocosmia varieties / Montbretia – Summer food source for hummingbirds