Many can be found in Farmers markets, or Asian Markets such as Uwajimaya or the  markets in the ID or try HT (Oaktree) Market on Aurora in North Seattle.  Of course we can also grow our own and given the price of baby bok choy that may be a good idea!

Thanks  to the UW Extension for the research on this list.

Bottle Gourd

This is a vegetable favorite of many Lao gardeners. The fruit should be harvested while still young and tender. It is peeled, cut into pieces, and then steamed or stir-fried. The shoots (vine ends) are also used as a green vegetable.  Area Lao gardeners wash them, steam them (to blanch) and then freeze them for winter eating. Like many squashes, they take time to get going, so transplants are recommended.

Cucumbers

Oriental-type cucumbers are long, slender, and have small seeds. If they are kept mulched and well watered, they seldom get bitter. Trellising will help you produce nice, straight fruit.

Snow or Chinese Peas

These are the flat pods, not the newer snap peas. They are easy to grow and amazingly productive. ‘Oregon Sugar Pod II’ is an excellent, virus-resistant variety for our area.

Chinese Parsley (Cilantro)

This herb can be sown from spring through fall. Late-seeded crops will over-winter and produce an exceptionally early crop next year.  Quick to bolt so keep an eye on it.

Chinese Chives

This perennial is another that can be sown just about any time. The flat leaves and the flowers are both used for a mild, slightly garlicky flavor in many dishes. They are easy to grow and very ornamental.

Amaranth

This leafy vegetable was cultivated by ancient American peoples as well as people on other continents. With such a long history, it’s no wonder there are many kinds. The names tampala and Chinese spinach are also used for leaf amaranth. There are also grain amaranths (produce edible seed), ornamental amaranths (such as ‘Joseph’s Coat’) and weed amaranths (such as pigweed). All of these are edible, though not as tasty. Very young leaves and stems can be used in salads. Older plants are slightly stronger flavored and not as tender and are used like spinach or in soups.

Malabar or Climbing Spinach or Basella

This green leafy vegetable is very popular in many Asian countries but requires more summer heat than we get in Seattle. We do well with so many other greens that it would seem a waste to devote your hottest spot to this crop. It is a versatile vegetable with a sticky quality similar to okra.

Garland Chrysanthemum or Chop Suey Greens

This yellow daisy is tasty, nutritious, easy-to-grow, and very pretty if allowed to flower. Tender young leaves are used in a wide variety of ways but are usually steamed or stir-fried or used raw in salads. As the plants get older, the flavor gets stronger and more bitter. At this  point, the flower petals can be eaten.

Pak Choy (also spelled “Bok” and “Choi”)

This non-heading, mild mustard can have smooth or crinkled leaves on broad, white or green stems. The most common kind looks a little like Swiss chard. It can be planted by seeds or transplants. In Seattle, we can get two crops of pak choy per year. Plant the early crop in March and the late one in August.

Yiu Choy

Again, this is a perfect crop for our Northwest climate, since it is difficult to grow in hot weather. Plants are ready for harvest when the flower stalk is present but still green (no yellow flowers open). Use stems, leaves, and flowers. All are sweet and delicious.

Chinese or Napa Cabbage

These are head-forming, succulent, mild cabbage-like vegetables. ‘Spring A-l’ is the variety we recommended for spring planting, and ‘China King’ is good for fall (sow mid-July to mid-August). ‘Michilli’ and ‘Wong Bok’ don’t seem to work as well here. Generally, fall crops are the most successful.

Chinese Mustard Greens or Gai Choy

This is a must-have crop for most Asian gardeners. They love the fact that it can be grown all year ‘round in Seattle. Our summers seldom get too hot or our winters too cold for mustard greens. It is a fast crop and one of the most nutritious you can grow. It has a stronger taste than the greens named above.

Chinese Broccoli or Kalian

This is another plant-it-early-or plant-it-late crop. Here, however, we recommend you do it as a spring crop. Early plantings develop a big, healthy root system that allows you to harvest the plant repeatedly through the summer. At each cutting, you take the broccoli-like stalks and adjoining leaves. Let it regrow and keep picking until the plant’s energy runs out.

Radishes

We’ve all tried the little, round, red ones, but the Asian cultivars come in a variety of shapes and colors. Many, including daikon, are meant to be planted in August for fall and winter eating. All parts of the radishes are edible (including the pointy seedpods) and may be eaten raw, cooked or pickled.

Try these but they really need lots of heat…

Yard-long Beans or Asparagus Beans

These can be grown in our area, but we really don’t get enough heat to do a very good job. They resent our cool night temperatures. Try your sunniest spot, make a raised bed, and plant the seed when the soil has warmed (transplantsgo into shock). Cover the bed for the first several weeks with a clear plastic row cover and pray for a warm summer. With luck, you will get a nice crop of tasty beans, pencil-thin but about 14-18″ long. These “beans” are closely related to black-eyed peas and only distantly related to regular green beans.

Thai Hot Pepper

These are among the hottest peppers we can grow here. They need to be started indoors in about February and then transplanted out in early June. Clear plastic covers to build up heat are important to get them really growing.

Asian Eggplant

These are long, skinny or small, egg-shaped versions of the familiar vegetable. They are heatlovers, too, and good companions for peppers under a plastic row cover. They can be added to stir-fries without peeling or seeding and cook up very fast.

To help you with recipes try this book, Hot Sour Salty Sweet: my current favorite for recipes.  It has it all,  great pics and stories of South East Asian eating and cooking…and it’s a real book!

baxter

When buying bedding annuals this spring choose properly grown plants with good color. Buy plants that are not too large for their pots with many unopened buds. Plants that bloom in the packs are often root bound. Plants not yet in bloom will actually bloom sooner, become better established and grow faster.

Plan to attract hummingbirds to your garden by planting red or orange flowers. Monarda (beebalm) and Zauschneria (California fuchsia) are good perennials to provide nectar to these small birds.

Planting

Begin to plant seedlings of warm-season vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. You can also start your pumpkin and winter squash seeds now.

Sow beets, beans, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, sweet corn and radishes.

Plant herbs such as thyme, sage, parsley, chives, and basil.

Sod or sow new lawns, and overseed damaged older lawns.

Start planting warm season annuals such as impatiens, marigolds, petunias, sunflowers, zinnia, lobelia, allysum.

Finish planting summer-flowering bulbs such as tuberose, gladiolus, dahlia, and callas.

Plant chervil, coriander, dill, rosemary, and summer savory outside after the last spring frost date for your area. 50% probability of frost free after March 10 2012.

Plant dahlia tubers as soon as the danger of frost is passed. Stake at the time of planting to avoid injury of the tubers.

Plant clematis in locations that receive at lease six hours of sunshine a day. Use organic mulch or ground-covers to shade roots and keep them cool. Plant in rich, well-drained loam.

Hhydrangeas will transplant well into the garden after their flowers fade. When the weather warms, plant in well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Don’t be surprised if the next year’s flowers are a different color than the first year. Blue or pink hydrangea color is dependent on the pH of the soil. Alkaline soil produces pink flowers; acidic soil produces blue flowers. White hydrangeas are not affected by soil pH.

Many gardeners plant annual and perennial flowers to attract hummingbirds. Woody plants can also be added to the garden to provide nectar for these tiny birds. Some common trees visited by hummingbirds are buckeye, horse chestnut, catalpa, apple, crabapple, hawthorn, silk tree, redbud and tulip poplar. Shrubs include azalea, beauty bush, coralberry, honeysuckle, lilac, and red weigela.

Maintenance

Frost tender plants such as citrus, fuchsia, geranium, hibiscus, mandevilla, and bougainvillea can go outdoors when all chance of frost is gone

Start feeding potted plants every two to three weeks with half-strength fertilizer

If plants like citrus, camellias, gardenias, and grapes are chlorotic (yellowing leaves), spray leaves with a foliar fertilizer containing chelated iron.

Mulch soil to save water, smother weeds, keep soil cooler. Spread 1-3 inches of compost, wood shavings or other organic material under shrubs, trees, annuals and vegetables.

Thin vegetables that were sown too thickly, like basil, carrots, green onions or lettuce.

Prune spring-flowering shrubs and trees after bloom is over.

Fertilize everything right now, but do not fees spring-flowering shrubs like azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons until after then have finished flowering; then use an acid based fertilizer. They should also be pruned after blooming.

Now is the time to divide mint, chive, tarragon and creeping thyme

Control lawn weeds now through late May before they get large.

The lawn mower blade should always be sharp so as not to tear the grass. If you sharpen the blade at home, be sure to balance it too.

To determine if soil is ready to work, squeeze a handful into a tight ball, then break the ball apart with your fingers. If the ball of soil readily crumbles in your fingers, the soil is ready to be worked. However, if the soil stays balled it is still too wet to work. Try again in another week.

April is a good time to clean up plants and flower beds. Pick out dead leaves and twogs and prune dean limbs.

Cut flower stalks back to the ground on daffodils, hyacinths, tulips and other spring flowering bulbs as the flowers fade. Do not cut the foliage until it dies naturally. The leaves are necessary  to produce strong bulbs capable of reflowering.

Once new leaf growth begins on trees and shrubs, cut back to green wood any twigs affected by winter kill.
 

Weed and Pest Control

Keep an eye out for aphids and get them before they take over your plants. Use a strong stream of water or safe soap products.

Keep after slugs and snails!

Michal

The structures of the garden are the architectural elements such as trees, hedges, evergreen shrubs, walks, fountains, arbors, benches, and art.  During the winter if you look at your yard and it just looks dead…you should probably add some structure.  Or perhaps there are just a few bare spots in the garden and you may only need to make a couple of tweaks.  Often people think a garden needs to be formal; full of evergreen hedges and intersecting walks to accomplish this.  Indeed that is one way to do it but it is certainly possible to create structure without it being formal.  Curved walkway, informal masses of plants or texture, even color can be used to structure space.

The addition of art into your landscape might be a good start especially for those bare spots.  Here are some ideas to inspire you then let your imagination take over.

   Arlene

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

If you are buying bare-root trees, look for ones with large root systems in relation to top growth. It is not necessary to purchase a very large tree to get a quality plant.

Planting

Dig, divide, and replant crowded summer and fall flowering perennials like Agapanthus, Garden Phlox, Astilbe, Aster, Bleeding Heart, Coral Bells, Daylilies, and Shasta Daisies. Perennials perform best in well-drained soil with plenty of humus. Astilbe, Hosta, and Bleeding Heart bloom in the shade.

Plant spring-flowering annuals such as Forget-me-nots, Dianthus, Englich Daisy, Sweet William, and Viola.

Set out nursery plants of warm-season edibles.

Wait until the end of the month to set out frost tender plants.

Repot house plants that have grown too large for their containers. Cut back leggy plants to encourage compact growth. Root cuttings in moist media to increase your supply of plants.

Bluebells are good for naturalizing in the same manner as Daffodils but prefer a shadier location and will bloom even where they get no direct sun.

Accurate information on the longevity of flower seeds is hard to find. Based on limited observations, the following should be considered as short-life (one year) seeds: Aster, Candytuft, Columbine, Ornamental Onion, Phlox, Salvia, Strawflower, and Vinca. Some common flower seeds viable for more than one year if stored properly are Alyssum, Calendula, Centaurea, Coreopsis, Cosmos, Marigold, Nasturtium, Petunia, Salpiglosis, Scabiosa, Schizanthus, Sweet Pea, Verbena, Viola and Zinnia.

Maintenance

Fertilize plants that are starting to grow actively like annual flowers, berries, citrus, roses and established trees and shrubs with a balanced fertilizer like 15-15-15 or a 5-5-5.

Early spring is the right time for two special turf treatments, if needed: vertical cutting or thinning to remove thatch and aeration or coring to reduce soil compaction.

Wait until later in the month to fertilize lawns.

  Michal

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

From the beginning, the Conservatory’s mission was to educate, collect and conserve threatened plants.  A visit transports visitors beyond the familiar green spaces of Volunteer Park to world that examines inter connected ecosystems and plant species from around the globe.  When you visit the conservatory, especially in winter you will love the warmth and the beauty of these exhibits.

The hours of operation are 10-4pm Tuesday-Sunday.

While you are at Volunteer Park you might also choose to visit the Water Tower Built by Water Department 1906. It is 106 steps to observation deck. 75 1/2’ above the road.  The top at elevation 520 feet above sea level is the high point of Capitol Hill and gives 360 degree vistas.

The final leg of this field trip takes you to the adjacent, (directly to the north of Volunteer Park) Lake View Cemetery.  This historic Seattle Cemetery was incorporated in 1872.  It is here we are reminded of Seattle’s first families overcoming many adversities and the crucial pioneering efforts in urban development and renewal.  Here are buried the Borens, Dennys, Terrys, and Bells, the nurturing and generous Dr. and Mrs. Maynard, the banker Dexter Horton and Asa’s “Mercer Girls”.  One of the more recent residents is Bruce Lee the renowned martial arts expert who lived in Seattle.

Along with the history this cemetery has some beautiful statuary.    It is a wonderful and interesting open space fromwhich to enjoy the views and history of Seattle.

Arlene

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

The grounds are full of colorful flowering shrubs, palms and trees that represent the coastal character of Spain, and over one thousand tons of Florida limestone boulders, (some as big as cars) are placed throughout the site to suggest the landscape of Dali’s Catalonian home. The rocks in his landscape paintings are referencing this same landscape.

At the entry a 20-ft. tall man-made boulder supports one corner of the massive cube and a living wall has plants in pockets and flowing water that weeps out of crags and crannies. A misting system gives the whole area a mysterious and cooling effect before visitors enter the museum.

Large boulders were split in half to define the steps, a spiral labyrinth invites exploration, a bench morphs into a pocket watch, entry gates disappear into boulders, this is a site as much fun to explore as one of Dali’s paintings. On the roof solar water heaters heat water for the bathrooms, LED lighting lowers energy use and passive solar addresses cooling. As it is built in Florida the walls are 18” thick and the glass specially designed to resist hurricane force wind speeds, and all the art is on the third floor, keeping it above any incursion by storm surge. Now doesn’t that take your mind off Winter?