Avant-Gardener Guru

08/01/2022

They don’t call it butterfly bush for nothing.

This is the south slope of my garden. The one that’s in blazing sun for most of the day. The one that basks in the hellish triple digits of Eastern Washington. It don’t look half bad.

Let’s take a closer look at the plants in this section of the border.

That’s Buddleia ‘Miss Molly’ that that Swallowtail has alighted on. This is not your grandmother’s butterfly bush. You know, the ones with flowers of an indeterminate, washed out lavender. The ones that grow to a gigantic size and always seem to be dust laden. Not ‘Miss Molly’. She has very fragrant deep rose pink flowers that deepen to the color of sangria. Beautiful.

Buddleias are unflagging in the sun and hot weather, and only need the fading flowers snipped off to keep them blooming all summer. I planted this Buddleia at the edge of the retaining wall by accident. But I decided not to move it when I saw that the height at the front gives the border much more interest than the regimented rows in ascending size. And ’Miss Molly’ is light enough in habit not to block the plants behind it.

There’s a deep lavender Alstroemeria, or Peruvian lily at ‘Miss Molly’s’ feet. This is Alstroemeria ‘Yum Yum Plum’. (Who is responsible for these ridiculous names?) The flowering time of YYP overlaps nicely with the Buddleia, and they share the space amicably. Just remember not to prune but gently tug the base of a spent Alstroemeria flower stalk until it separates from the crown. This ensures that the plant will continue to produce new flowering stems.

To the left of ’Miss Molly’ is Echinacea ‘Delicious Candy’ (the same person must have named this one as well). At one time I had about a dozen Echinaceas growing in my south slope. But I tired of their short flowering season, becoming green blobs from late July into October. But DC has a much longer flowering season than the others that I gave away. And the pink is just vibrant.

I’ll be posting again later this week as a bonus, then regularly on Sundays. Watch this space…

05/04/2022

It’s that time of year!

Ready to start designing the garden of your dreams? See here for information about scheduling a consultation with me.

05/03/2022

In this video I will take you on an early spring tour of my garden, where some of my favorite unique cultivars are already blooming.

In this video I’ll take you on an early spring tour of my garden, where some of my favorite unique cultivars are already blooming.

04/14/2022

Are you worried about keeping your plants looking beautiful during the hot Walla Walla summer? Check out my video on how to install a "spaghetti line" on an existing irrigation system, and get in touch with me if you are interested in my landscape design services:

I recently planted a new tree peony on a slope in my garden here in Walla Walla. In anticipation of the hot weather we will see in months to come, I knew I would need to add a new “spaghetti line” to my existing irrigation system to ensure sufficient water for the new tree peony. In this video, ...

09/24/2021

The south slope of my garden is where I experiment with texture and color.
I’m fooling around with posting video in slo-mo because it’s so much more engaging than a still photo. I have no clue what I’m doing! I’m such a Luddite.

09/08/2021

The mornings are brisk, Halloween candy has returned, and I saw the first V formation of Canada geese two days ago. The season is turning, and fall bulbs are in the stores.
It’s still early to plant bulbs in Walla Walla; the temperatures will be better in October—cooler, the way bulbs prefer.
Storage is a problem for bulbs bought now. I think of them as onions, looking for the heaviest, hardest ones. Like onions, which are also bulbs, they need cool, dry, dark conditions. But unlike onions, which will end up in a salad or stew, fall bulbs are bought for the promise of their glorious spring flowers. To have them give their best, they need to be planted, not stored.
The solution to this dilemma? Buy your bulbs from specialist bulb nurseries online. Bulbs are harvested at the optimal time, cleaned, sorted, and, most important, stored in conditions home gardeners cannot replicate. Then they’re shipped to you, at the best time for planting in your area.
I’ve bought bulbs from local nurseries, hardware stores, Costco, Walmart, just about everywhere. The biggest issue is that store bought bulbs sit in warm stores, where they gradually grow dryer and dryer. Even a short time in these conditions can affect flower production. Still, you never know, and the pictures on the bags are bewitching, even to the hardest of hearts. But gardeners are goners.
Of course the bulbs from specialists are more expensive. As T***s, my shrewd 96-year-old father says, ‘You get what you pay for, kid’.
They are also bigger, which means more flowers, and better quality all the way around. And the selection will take your breath away. I call it gardener’s hyperventilation. The same thing happens whenever I pull into a plant nursery parking lot.
My favorite online bulb specialist is Brent and Becky’s Bulbs (brentandbeckysbulbs.com). They’re in Virginia, and their family has been in the business since 1900. Just looking at the photos of the flower bulbs they carry is an education.
The photo on the left is of Tulipa ‘Little Beauty’. The name says it all. You can buy this little beauty from B&B’s for the exorbitant sum of 10 for $5.25. And if you’re feeling particularly flush, 50 bulbs will set you back by $22.50. And they will come back every year. And since they have more wilding blood in them than the persnickety Dutch hybrids, they will make offsets, growing in splendor every year. And if they’re very happy, they will set seed. In their diminutive size is a grace and elegance that escapes the larger hybrids. Lipstick pink petals framing a sapphire heart; what more is there?
Another of my favorites from B&B’s is on the right: it is Tulipa acuminata, and it could not be more different from ‘Little Beauty’. From 1813, it is fabulously bizarre. Growing to 18 inches, acuminata emerges the typical bell shape in flame and yellow, but then the long and narrow petal tips twist so tightly that it forms a star.
Both of these are found under the ‘Miscellaneous’ category of tulips, such an afterthought for such gorgeousness. Order a few of the ones you like best. See for yourself. The beauty just multiplies.
PS: More tomorrow on the flowers in the photos I haven’t mentioned. I had to stop somewhere!

09/07/2021

Aphids eating your roses? Powdery mildew on your asters? Wondering why a plant isn’t thriving when it looked great in the nursery?

Pose your question in the comments section to Ask The Garden Guru!

09/05/2021

Sometimes things happen by accident.
I had planted a bright orange alstroemeria on this sunny slope because I loved the color. Not only that, Peruvian lilies have such a long season of bloom and the colors are so vivid. I had been looking for something to replace the echinaceas in my garden, which close up shop by the end of July or beginning of August. They are just green blobs at this time of year.
Compare that to what you see in the photo.
I had also planted the caryopteris at the top of this slope because it’s a sun lover with aromatic foilage that thrives in the heat. And it has the most gorgeous purple blue flowers. I enjoy watching the buds fatten in the run up before it bursts into bloom.
The caryopteris is now a blaze of blue, and the association with the orange alstroemeria makes both colors glow. I didn’t set out to make this combination, but I get to take the credit.
The Ligustrum ‘Sunshine’ behind the caryopteris sets off the blue, and echoes the gold of the Japanese forest grass Hakonechloa ‘Aureola’ in front of the alstroemeria. The alstroemeria flowers have golden hearts, which your eye sees because of the grass and privet.
The Thuja ‘Whipcord’ in the bottom right adds a little texture to the ensemble.
The principle that makes these accidents possible is that I always buy what I think is beautiful. I never go to a nursery looking for a particular plant. I never know what I want. Until I see it. Until I see something that stops me in my tracks because of its beauty in leaf, or form, or texture, and sometimes flower. And then I buy it.
I don’t know exactly where I’ll put it. But because what I have in my garden are plants I couldn’t walk past, the combinations will always be beautiful. And sometimes fortuitous.

09/01/2021

Just when your garden needed it, salvias take center stage.
This is Salvia ‘Amistad’, loaded with violet flowers held by black calyces (the bit at the bottom of the blossom). They are beloved by bees and hummers. And gardeners.
I have my ‘Amistad’ growing in the boulevard on the corner, where it has room to spread out, and the sun it loves. I bought my two original plants at Home Depot, and have divided and replanted the progeny to fill the bed and plant in other parts of my garden. You can even root cuttings in water!
This beautiful salvia is supposedly an annual here in Walla Walla. But I guess it never bothered reading the plant tag, because it’s been blooming on this corner for three years. I like it when a plant doesn’t follow directions.
The one requirement that it has, if you want flowers for months, is that you must deadhead, regularly. This means you prune off the spent flower spike. You will see new spikes emerging on either side of the old one in the center. A good tidy will encourage the new flower spikes, and make your salvias look cared for.
Salvias respond to good soil, a good organic fertilizer, and regular water. In return there are clouds of violet, thrumming with bees.

08/28/2021

I’m addressing this post to fellow slaves of the goddess Flora.
Mangave ‘Moonglow’ is a cross between an agave and a manfreda. I suppose it flowers, but that’s not the reason I have it. Just look at that otherworldly blue that is practically phosphorescent.
I would be less than honest if I didn’t admit that every fall I dig it up and put it in a pot that spends the winter under grow lights. Then, when the weather is settled, I can either leave it in the pot for an outdoor display, or replant it in my garden, bigger and better than ever.
Some gardeners couldn’t be bothered. Flora slaves could.
No one could miss the six-week heat wave that finally abated. My mangaves shrugged it off when so many of my shade lovers looked as if they had been incinerated. Despite my irrigation running every day. And hand watering, sometimes twice a day.
I hate to say it out loud, but I think the roasting we just went through is only a taste of things to come: hotter and drier things.
An attitude adjustment is in order. I know it’s sinking in for me in my own garden. Just because a bed is facing east, or gets some shade, doesn’t automatically mean that I can plant things that do well in Seattle (even they suffered, though not as much). Any plant that bites the dust because the heat will be replaced with much more drought tolerant selections.
I love the sculptural quality of cactus, succulents, and other plants like the tender mangaves. They thrive in heat and light, things Walla Walla has in abundance. Many sedums are hardy through our Zone 7. Right now the pickings are very slim at local nurseries for these and the drought tolerant perennials and shrubs I’ll be looking for in September and October.
But sculptural leaves, beautifully spotted or striped means that no flowers are required. They stay gorgeous all year long, like ‘Moonglow’. This ethereal beauty is worth any amount of trouble.

08/25/2021

The top photo was taken when I bought my house on Catherine in 2010. The bottom is of the same view, taken yesterday.
Before I start breaking down the design elements in the after photo, I want to talk about the before view. This was a much easier fix because it was essentially a clean slate. There was no overgrown tree or shrubbery or flowerbeds full of plants I didn’t want. There were no distractions to prevent me from visualizing what this space needed.
If you are a new homeowner or are just unhappy with your garden, I urge you to be courageous and rip out the elements that displease you. Even if you do nothing but that, I guarantee your garden will look better. Then start thinking about how you would like to use the space, and what you’ve seen that you like. The smaller the space, the cleaner the lines should be. Let the flowers be exuberant. But the lines should be clean.
When I compare the photos, what I notice first is that not a lot has changed in this space. There’s a new fence, and the moth-eaten grass is gone. But certain changes have made a huge difference.
My back garden has been made much more inviting because of two things: the oval brick patio (thank you, Mark Houk, stone and brick mason extraordinaire), and the plantings that have blurred the property lines.
The brick patio creates a space for the table and chairs, and immediately makes the garden inviting and useful. Dining outside, or just having a cup of coffee there is festive or restorative, or both at once. Even better if it’s enclosed by a garden.
The hedge on the right (Thuja arborvitae ‘Yellow Ribbon’) hides my nearest neighbor’s house while it serves as a canvas for flowering vines (see yesterday’s post).
Three years ago the neighbor on the other side of the fence cut down the street tree that gave my southwestern facing garden its shade and privacy. You can see its canopy spread out over the top of the fence in the photo from 2010.
My garden went from dappled shade to burning fishbowl overnight. The first thing I did was plant a yellow magnolia safely on my side of the fence for shade and privacy. It’s still small, but is already 10 feet high. You can see it in the center of the bed against the fence.
To mitigate the prison feel of the high fence erected by this neighbor, I put up wooden trellis all along my side of the fence. It’s amazing how something that breaks up the outline of a barrier can make it disappear. The six-foot-high trellis was less than $20 a panel at Bi-Mart, and 10 of them fit perfectly in the space. There were six clematis already there, and as they climbed up the trellis, they further obscured the fence.
There are simple gravel paths lined with steel edging that lead to the gates on either side of the garden. You can see one of them on the left side of the bottom photo.
Potted lemon, brugmansia, rosemary, mint, and bougainvillea line the edge of the oval patio. Most of these will spend the winter under grow lights in the house.

08/24/2021

Did you know that a beautiful flowering vine like clematis can be trained into a hedge? This is Clematis ‘Prince Charles’, hosted by the arborvitae Thuja ‘Yellow Ribbon’.
Planting clematis at the base of an evergreen hedge adds excitement to a broad, green background while simultaneously giving your garden verticality, and a sense of being enclosed by flowers.
I buy clematis whenever I see appealing varieties that are well grown: Bi-Mart, Walmart, Costco, local nurseries, online nurseries, I don’t discriminate.
I like planting clematis at the base of a hedge or tree for two reasons:
Reason #1: I don’t have the pain-in-the-neck work of tying it in, a necessity if it’s trained against a wall.
A clematis will twine its tendrils around anything it encounters, even itself, if it’s not trained into a fan shape with each tendril fastened down. It’s really a sprawler, and only a climber with a lot of work. But against a hedge? It’s the work of a moment to weave an errant tendril through the branches in the right direction.
Reason #2: A clematis prefers to have its roots in shade, with its head in the sun. Planting one at the base of a hedge not only provides the ideal growing conditions, it looks natural growing through the branches!
I know clematis are supposed to be finicky and sometimes difficult to grow. I suspect a lot of clematis are killed by kindness, i.e., too much water. I think planting at the base of a hedge ensures that that doesn’t happen. The hedge in the photo is watered by a drip line with holes every five inches or so. I also added an emitter at the base of each clematis for a little extra water. And that’s it. But please don’t water your clematis with a spray irrigation system that also waters your lawn. You are looking for trouble. They need deeper, more infrequent watering than your lawn does.
I love the way that this prince surprises me with flowers just when my garden needs them most.