In the garden — Blackberry Land

Blackberry Land Award Winners

A hardy collection of proven, repeat performers that have required minimal maintenance over the years in my PNW garden.

Popular, In the gardenDianneJanuary 30, 2023top plants, best plants for pnw, PNW best plantsComment

Seed Growing Lessons - Spring 2021 Edition

It seems simple enough. Put seeds in dirt. Water. Watch grow. Unfortunately, those steps alone haven’t produced great results for me here in the PNW. This year, I think I’ve cracked the code.

In the gardenDianneApril 16, 2021seeds, seed growing, seedling, growing seeds, planting seeds, grow lights, germinationComment

Creating Space for More "Food and Medicine for the Soul"

Amazing what a getting a little more dirt can do.

In the gardenDianneJanuary 29, 2021dirt, soil, Luther Burbank, Flowers always make people better, sunshine, food, sunshine food and medicine for the soul, digging in dirt, happiness is digging in dirt

Fall Garden Inspiration

Sharing a bit of gardening inspiration that I found recently while walking through the grounds of the Willows Lodge, in Woodinville, WA

In the gardenDianneOctober 26, 2020fall garden inspiration, blue sage, mandevilla, Willows LodgeComment

Of Peas, Tarragon, and Perfect Strawberries

…the peas are bursting with sweetness, so rich and ripe and crunchy. We eat them pods and all almost as quickly as they appear…

In the gardenDianneJuly 14, 2020snap peas, peas, abundance, strawberries, perfect strawberry, raft of gratitude, tarragon, cherry tomato, golden cherry tomato, beans, green beans, yellow wax beansComment

Comparing Vegetable Gardens So Far This Spring

Though we planted at the same time, our potato plants appear remarkably different.

In the gardenDianneJune 2, 2020comparing gardens, potato, potato plants, potato growing lesson, Dr. Earth's, Romanesco, Brussel Sprouts, slugs, Bean tunnel, pea trellisComment

Plants to the Quarantine Rescue!

Spending time in the botanical world – socially distant, of course – is one simple way to improve and maintain well-being.

In the gardenDianneMarch 26, 2020quarantimes, art in garden, horticultural therapy, Horticultural Therapy, Covid-19, pandemic, well-being during pandemicComment

Soil Testing – My Rapid Test vs Lab Analysis Experience

What I had was not only a highly in-depth evaluation of my soil’s health from the county, but also an interesting opportunity to compare the results from the two different testing methods. And interesting they were in how they differed.

In the gardenDianneFebruary 28, 2020soil testing, rapid soil tester, rapid soil testing, soil analysis, laboratory soil analysis, King County soil test, rapid test vs lab analysisComment

Plant tags - Why I Save Them Now, And How

How many times have you purchased some outdoor plant addition and thrown away the identification tag? I’ve done it countless times, but as my hellebore example shows, that can be so shortsighted.

In the gardenDianneFebruary 19, 2020what to do with plant tags, plant tags, hellebore, hellebores, plant labels, filing plant tags, file plant tags, keeping plant labels, keeping plant tagsComment

Reflections on the Garden of 2019

Small pumpkins, big flowers, 2019 offered plenty of garden learnings

In the gardenDianneNovember 14, 2019daisy, daisies, crocosmia, lavendar, rose, mugo pine, boxwood, trellis systems, planting beds, succession planting, penstemon, salvia, sge, sage, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, beans, apples, grapes, raspberries, sluggo, sheeps wool, DahliaComment

Vertical Gardening 2.0

It works! With burlap and wire mesh, you can create food safe hanging baskets for growing edibles along a fence or wall.

In the gardenDianneAugust 6, 2019vertical gardening, vertical gardening for edibles, strawberries, growing strawberries, gutter gardening, gutter gardening hacks, herbs in gutters, annuals in gutters, lettuces in gutters, diy vertical gardening, DIY vertical gardeningComment

Tomato Growing Lessons – PNW Edition

My first year growing tomatoes in this region was pretty sad. The plants produced lots of fruit, but they just didn’t ripen. In the years since, I’ve learned a few things…