Garden tours are an entertaining way to glean tons of ideas for our own gardens.  One of the things I like about these local tours is just that – they are LOCAL, and so all the ideas I take away will actually work here.  Good ideas are available from magazines, of course, but they might be East Coast gardens – what do they know about gardening in the Pacific Northwest?

 If you  have no plans this weekend, might I make a suggestion for a local excursion?  The Washington County Master Gardener Association are hosting their annual Open Gardens day, on Saturday, July 10th, 10 am – 4 pm.  This free self-guided tour opens the garden gate on ten local gardens.  You will see how these master gardeners are:

• incorporating edibles into their decorative landscapes
• practicing sustainable gardening techniques
• creating productive raised beds to feed their families
• designing intimate outdoor living spaces in which to entertain family and friends
• and much more!

Check out the full garden descriptions, and get directions for this fun, FREE tour at the Washington County Master Gardener website:  http://www.zsquared.net/gardentour2010

Succulents possess the admirable trait of maintaining their cool even on the hot days of summer – no wilting or whining or high maintenance for them – which is why we love them so!  Being the home bodies that they are, they are more than happy to be planted in a container garden and left behind while you vacation.   Besides that, they are just cool looking plants.

If you love succulents like we do, then this is the workshop for you.  We will be helping you with your selections, and then you can pot them up (bring a container or buy one here) to take home a finished project!  We will provide the know-how and the soil.

This is a free workshop – except for the materials you select.  Space is limited and registration strongly suggested – call us at 503-649-4568, or email events@farmingtongardens.com.

Beginning this week, we will be selecting one plant to offer at special Grower’s Choice pricing.  These will all be exceptional plants that we grow ourselves.  New plants will be introduced each Friday morning – so be sure to check here on a regular basis, as quantities will be limited, and special pricing will only be valid for one week!

This week’s Grower’s Choice is Physocarpus Diablo, one gallon size – regularly $7.99, on sale through June 10th for $2.49.  Commonly called Diablo Ninebark, this cold climate shrub has purple-red foliage that darkens nearly to black in the summer.  It reaches 5-6 feet in height and width, is slow growing, and does well in both sun and shade.  And for those who love fragrance, it has beautiful, fragrant pinkish-white blossoms in the spring.  We have lots in stock and they are in bloom now, so it is a good opportunity to see and sniff!

(Naturally, it goes without saying that these deep discounts cannot be combined with other discounts.)

Nope, it’s a hanging basket!!  Just look up to see the selection – we’ve got ‘em for sun and we’ve got ‘em for shade.  They’re hanging from every rafter here, and more are coming in for the weekend.  Nothing says summer like these beautiful baskets of color.

AND THIS JUST IN:  Tomatoes in hanging baskets!  Now even those of you in condos with a sunny deck can grow your own.  How fun is that?!  No excuses for your own fresh salsa this summer!

As you know, we grow dozens and dozens of varieties of gorgeous Japanese maples – they are some of our favorites!  You will find them here in several sizes, all the way up to beautiful specimen sizes.  We have never offered them as one-gallons until this year – you asked for it, and we are happy to bring them to you!  Look for the tiered wooden plant stands in the vicinity of the larger Japanese maples.

As you might imagine, we give lots of tender loving care to our plants, and our Japanese maples especially benefit from attention, especially at these smaller sizes.  Our advice for these one-gallon sizes is to be very vigilant with your watering.  They are used to daily watering here, and they will not be happy if allowed to dry out.  They will thrive best if planted out into the garden, or potted up into a larger pot, where they will more protected from drying out.

For those of you interested in creating your own bonsai, or just interested in the affordability of these smaller sizes, this is a great opportunity to start your own Japanese maple collection!

Okay, clarification:  don’t eat the PLANT!  But the basketsful of berries you will harvest, and the beauty of the bush definitely earns it a place in your garden.  It gets along well with its neighbors and enhances the decor of your landscape – it has tons of blossoms in the spring, flaming foliage in the fall, with a harvest in the middle!  What’s not to love about that?!

Fortunately, blueberries are about the easiest thing to grow.  Give them a sunny spot with good drainage - amendments of organic matter will be beneficial.  They like the soil a little on the acidic side – it wouldn’t hurt to test your soil and amend as needed.  We also recommend the EB Stone Fruit, Berry and Vine Food for balancing their nutritional needs.

One tip to remember about blueberries is that each variety has a specific harvest season: some ripen early, some later.  While all blue berries are moderately self-fertile, to increase berry production plant more than one variety.  And if you choose varieties which ripen at different points in the season, you extend your harvest time.   Here are the varieties we have in good supply:

• Blue Ray – very hardy, midseason; highly tart, large, aromatic berries; 5-8 ft
• Brigitta – high yields, late season; large, firm, sweet berries with a touch of tartness
• Chippewa – midseason; compact 3-4 ft height; medium sized, sweet flavored fruit
• Duke – early; medium to large berry, mildly sweet; heavy and consistent produce; 5-8 ft
• Hardy Blue – midseason;medium sized berry with superior flavor; 4 ft
• Ivanhoe – midseason; large sweet-tart berry with high quality; 5-8 ft
• Jersey – late season; small size, very sweet; perfect for baking; 7 ft
• Half-High Northcountry – midseason; medium size, sweet mild berry; 2 ft
• Polaris – early season; medium size, great flavor; 4 ft
• Rubel – late midseason; small, full flavor; very high antioxidant levels; 6 ft
• Sunshine – midseason; dime size fruit; delicious; evergreen; self-pollinating; 3 ft
• Toro – midseason; large berries; full, heavy clusters of fruit; 4-6 ft

Navigating the multitude of plants and products that we carry can be a daunting task, which is why we bring you our weekly featured selections.  These are the best of the best for the next two weeks, and are front and center when you come to the nursery so you don’t have to hunt around for them!

Featured items for October 9th through October 15th:

‘Shaina’ Japanese Maple – A smaller statured upright with wonderful deep red summer foliage and blazing red fall color!

Golden Barberry (Berberis thunbergii ‘Aurea’) – Brilliant Yellow foliage lights up your garden!

Smoke Bushes (Cotinus) – They all look amazing this time of year, especially ‘Grace’ and ‘Golden Spirit’.

Onion Sets – Plant now for a bigger spring harvest.

Northwest Best Fall and Winter Lawn Food – The time has come to feed the lawn.  Don’t delay!

Navigating the multitude of plants and products that we carry can be a daunting task, which is why we bring you our weekly featured selections.  These are the best of the best for the week, and are front and center when you come to the nursery so you don’t have to hunt around for them!

Featured items for October 9th through October 15th:

‘Limelight’ Hydrangea – A new color on an old favorite.

‘Golden Spirit’ Cotinus (Smoke Tree) – A fantastic new variety with brilliant golden foliage!

‘Goldcrest’ Monterey Cypress – Soft foliage, fantastic smell, classic form.

‘Efanthia’ Euphorbia (Spurge) – Unbelievable fall and winter color, and very durable.

‘Wild Watermelon’ Salvia – Did we mention that the color is pretty wild?  A bit of brightness for upcoming cloudy days.

Northwest Best Fall and Winter Lawn Food – It’s got what lawns crave.  Enough said.

Navigating the multitude of plants and products that we carry can be a daunting task, which is why we bring you our weekly featured selections.  These are the best of the best for the week, and are front and center when you come to the nursery so you don’t have to hunt around for them!

Featured items for October 2nd through October 8th:

Magenta Mums – Deeply colored and in full bloom!

‘Profusion’ Beautyberry  – Gorgeous Purple Berries!

‘Berry Smoothie’ Heuchera – A new introduction with amazing foliage color!

‘Chocolate’ Joe Pye Weed – Just in time for fall, blooming now!

Bonide Annual Tree and Shrub – An effective solution to many pest problems!

Navigating the multitude of plants and products that we carry can be a daunting task, which is why we bring you our weekly featured selections.  These are the best of the best for the week, and are front and center when you come to the nursery so you don’t have to hunt around for them!

Featured items for September 25th through October 2nd:

Orange Mums – A striking color that has fall written all over it!

Purple Asters – A beautiful companion to the Mums

Purple Pansies – Who can resist?

Hydrangea ‘Endless Summer’  – Going where no Hydrangea has gone before – Fall

Hameln Dwarf Fountain Grass (Pennisetum ‘Hameln’) – In their prime!

EB Stone Bulb Food and Bone Meal – Time to plant and feed bulbs!

Black Gold Organic Potting Soil – Only the best!