Posts Tagged ‘master gardeners’

Spring 2009 Plant Sales in Seattle

Monday, April 6th, 2009

Newest Sale Updates Included Below…just scroll down…

Seattlites are in a spring daze of summer weather this week. It won’t last, but go ahead and dream. Start your shopping lists. Mark your calenders. Pull your weeds. Test your soil. Amend your soil. And get ready. The best spring plant sales around are just, well, around the corner. Following are a few of the many not to miss:

Organic Buttercrunch Lettuce

Organic Buttercrunch Lettuce

Lake Washington Technical College Environmental Horticulture Spring Plant Sale

When: Friday, April 24th-Saturday, April 25th and Friday, May 1st-Saturday, May 2nd . 9am-3pm each day

Where: 11605 132nd Avenue NE Kirkland, WA 98034

My alma mater! Find a huge array of perennials, woody shrubs, annuals, hanging baskets all propagated and cared for by students for the benefit of the program itself. Plus, Northwest Nurseries will be offering wholesale prices on prime trees, shrubs and perennials. This is a not-to-miss event!

Tilth Edible Plant Sale

When: Saturday, May 2-Sunday May 3, 9am-3pm each day

Where: Meridian Park in the Wallingford Neighborhood

Want to check out some city chickens? Need some organically grown edible starts or herbs or perennials or interested in composting? Or, maybe you just want to spend a day outdoors with the family. This is a great spot for all of these choices — and more!

Florabundance! Seattle Arboretum Foundation Plant Sale

When: Saturday, April 25, 9am-5pm & Sunday, April 26, 10am-3pm

Where: 7400 Sandpoint Way NE Seattle, WA

Species cultivators, plant collectors, and fine specialty nurseries will be on hand. Consider joining the Seattle Arboretum, which will get you into the sale early on Friday, April 24th from 5:30-8pm.

Master Gardeners Plant & Book Sale

When: Saturday, May 2, 2009, 8am-5pm and Sunday, May 3, 2009, 10am-3pm

Where: UW Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH) in Seattle, WA

Proceeds support the Master Gardener Foundation of King County which is a not-for-profit organization formed to raise the funds needed to operate all of the educational programs organized and staffed by the more than 650 volunteer Master Gardeners of King County. These programs include 34 plant problem clinics, 11 demonstration / outreach gardens, 17 youth garden sites, free public classes in a variety of locations, a speaker’s list, 11 portable classroom teaching kits for use in schools and community groups and a diagnostics center in Seattle.

Are you involved in a local plant sale (or even one outside Seattle) that you would like to see listed on gardenhelp.org? Please feel free to submit it here, and we’ll post details for others.

New Sales Added!

Early Bloomers Sale
When: Saturday, April 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: Graham Visitors Center at the Arboretum

The charming, volunteer-run sale features plants propagated from specimens in the Arboretum collection, as well as others donated to us by area gardeners. Shoppers will find a great selection of early-blooming perennials such as epimediums and trilliums, as well a wonderful array of young shrubs, conifers, and small trees. For more information, call 206-325-4510.

Broadview Garden Club Plant Sale

When: April 25th 10-2pm

Where: Broadview Thompson School on Greenwood and 130ish in Seattle.

Just in from Sue at Dunn Gardens: This may be a small sale, but it’s local and with some little treasures like Dunn Garden trillium and snowdrops. If you can”t get to the big ones, it’s fun and a good group. (If it can get up there, I tell you I’m grabbing some Trillium!)


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Recycle Gardening Books by Donating to the Master Gardener Book Sale

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

My good friend and colleague, Kay, emailed the other day to ask if I had any old gardening books I no longer use that I could donate to the Master Gardener Fundraiser. I told her I’d do her one better — I’d post to the gardenhelp.org network of readers to draw from all of your libraries as well.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve got gardening books on your shelf that you never crack. Sure, you have your favorites that are missing half a cover and cracked at the binding and held together with rubber bands. But, I bet you’ve got a few that just don’t fit your needs. Maybe you bought them online and were surprised they didn’t really live up to your expectations. Or, maybe someone gave you one as a well-meaning gift, but the topic doesn’t fit you. Or, perhaps you’ve moved from one region to another but kept books that ended up no longer applying.  Or, maybe you’ve got multiple copies or multiple editions of the same thing. There’s got to be at least one on the shelf that you can part with, right?

Heck, I just pulled three big books off my shelves to donate. I bet somebody out there wants them, right? Well, go to the sale!

  • The Practical Gardener’s Encyclopedia from Whitecap Books
  • Sunset Western Landscaping
  • Sunset Water Gardens

So, consider giving to the  ultimate book recycling program this spring by donating your used garden books to the Master Gardener Sale. The funds from these books will be used to educate the public about sustainable gardening practices.  And, a book sitting on your shelf gathering dust, taking up room that your newest “must have” title needs, will move on to the hot hands of another horty in need.

The goal of the Master Gardener’s of King County program is to help the public practice sustainable gardening through integrated pest management, water-wise planting and similar science-based methods of meeting the horticultural challenges of home gardeners in the Pacific Northwest.

Why give to the program (besides doing a little spring cleaning for yourself?):

The Used Garden Book Sale is an important part of the Master Gardener Plant Sale.

Proceeds support the Master Gardener Foundation of King County which is a not-for-profit organization formed to raise the funds needed to operate all of the educational programs organized and staffed by the more than 650 volunteer Master Gardeners of King County. These programs include 34 plant problem clinics, 11 demonstration / outreach gardens, 17 youth garden sites, free public classes in a variety of locations, a speaker’s list, 11 portable classroom teaching kits for use in schools and community groups and a diagnostics center in Seattle.

(And, folks, you’ll be hearing more on this blog soon about how budget cuts will likely be affecting these programs. The picture isn’t pretty.)

Which books are appropriate to donate?

Any garden-related topic; horticulture literature or essays; gardening journals/magazines that are fairly new. They’ll take very old gardening books as well…. One person’s “throw away” may be another’s “treasure”!

Where and When to Drop Your Donations:

  • Where: Books can be dropped off at CUH
  • When: Tuesdays, March 17, March 24, March 31, and April 14 between 9-noon. (If you can’t make these dates, see Kaye’s info below to arrange for another pick up time.)
  • Who: Ask for Kaye Moreton

Want to go shopping at the sale?

  • When: Saturday, May 2, 2009,  8am-5pm  and Sunday, May 3, 2009, 10am-3pm
  • Where: UW Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH) in Seattle, WA

For More information or to arrange a special pickup/drop off:

  • Kaye Moreton: kmoreton(at)gmail.com or 425.308.0710
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Posted in Recycling, plant sales | 1 Comment »

Can and Will the Garden Coach Help Save Satan’s Revenge?

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009

Lynn M. from Pismo Beach, CA writes:

“I planted a row of red tip photinias along my property line, around 50 plants in all . Most of the plants are distressed and woody. Many plants have yellow or brownish red leaves. These plants are 7-8 years old and are 5-7 feet tall. More leaves fall off the plants then stay on. Can I save these plants? It is sad I allowed them to get like this. I am hoping by perhaps cutting them back or another treatment they can be saved. Your advise would be greatly appreciated. I live along the central coast of California, where we have mild climates and a long growing season. Thank You Lynn in Pismo Beach, CA. “

Honestly, the problems you describe could be the result of so many things it’s difficult to know where to start. I will admit that I have a bias against Photinia, which I call Satan’s Revenge. Not only is the plant lava-red, but I’m deathly allergic to its bloom. When I lived in California, where it is grown extensively, I suffered badly when the plants put on flowers. I learned to despise it through swollen weepy eyes:  “I sneeze in your general direction you nasty shrub!” Because of my allergies, this is one plant I prefer to shear in time to remove all its blooms. (And for those of you who know me and/or read regularly, you know I don’t like shearing!)

Okay, my own bias stated and now shelved, let’s see if I can help you try to salvage your beloved plants despite my belief it was put on our planet by a fallen angel to torture humanity. Here are a few things to consider as you try to determine what might help you help them:

  • How is the soil? Have you tested it? Does it meet the plant’s requirements?
  • Is the soil too deep? If the woody part of the plant is sinking or buried under too much mulch, this could be a problem.
  • Have you provided sufficient (or even too much) water?
  • Have the plants been malpruned?
  • Have the plants been over fertilized?
  • Are the plants in the right location for their cultural needs?
  • Has something happened near the plants that could be causing the problems? Construction? New plants nearby? Something else?
  • Are the plants planted too close together?
  • Is there a new pest or pathogen problem in your area?

This is a really good example of the kind of problem that needs looking at up close.  Obviously, I try to help sight-unseen, but more often than not specific problems like this need an on-site evaluation. I suggest trying to find a gardening consultant in your area or contact your local Master Gardeners Extension to get some assistance closer to home.

Lynn, thanks for writing in. Good luck!

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Posted in Garden Maintenance, garden coach | 1 Comment »

Garden Coach Answers Reader Question on Peach Tree Problems

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

Joan C. of Las Vegas, NV asks:

“My peach tree looks like the bark is cracking and peeling – this past season it only gave me a few p(e)aches where every other year for 3 years I got tons of amazing peaches. My boyfriend cut the dead branches off so whats left is a trunk with 3 or 4 tiny branches sprouting out. Did we kill it- will it gr(o)w back in time for peaches this year?> Do I need to fertalize and with what? “

Peach with FruitJoan, this is a tough one. First, I haven’t gardened in the Las Vegas area. I’m guessing you have fantastic heat, which peaches love, and I’m guessing you’re adding supplemental water to keep it happy in the hot, dry weather. Still, I’m not sure why you’re not getting tons of peaches anymore.

It could be that your peach has a disease like I discuss here. Enough disease and a tree may experience tip or blossom dieback and not be able to produce. Or, you may have plenty of blossoms but you’re not getting the pollenators into the garden. Do you or your neighbors spray? If you’re spraying for bees, you may have killed off your pollinators as I discuss here.  It could also be a problem with your pruning techniques. Or, any number of issues including just having an off year. As peach trees age, they do tend to get somewhat cracking and peeling bark, but without seeing yours, it’s hard to tell if this is a normal thing or an abnormal thing.

I suggest you try contacting your local Master Gardeners Extension Program to see if they can provide more answers appropriate to your area. Or, try taking some photos of your tree along with your history with it to your local nursery for assistance. Most high end nurseries will offer helpdesks or visiting Master Gardeners to assist you with these kinds of problems. Or, if you’re able, hire a local garden coach to evaluate your tree in the garden. Once you have a full evaluation you’ll have a better understanding of the tree’s longterm potential and any additional care needs.

Thanks for writing in and good luck in the garden!

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Posted in Edible Gardens, fruit tree, garden coach, peach tree | 2 Comments »