Jeanie, Author at Wallyhood

Late Summer and Fall Blooms

Jeanie September 12, 2012 Comments are off

Landscapes are looking very “late summer” right now – parched, actually.

Our summer-dry climate is known as “Mediterranean”, for the lack of rain (more or less) June – September.* For this reason, after the spring flush of bloom, it may be hard to keep the garden looking interesting. Native plants are programmed to take advantage of early moisture and set fruit early, so they can endure the dry season. Therefore, we often turn to non-natives to keep things interesting, and fortunately there are lots to choose from.

A few ideas are listed in this article by Valerie Easton. They include …

A Wallingford Gem

Jeanie June 18, 2012 Comments are off

Picture a small bungalow in Wallingford, shaded by 80+-year old cedars, sheltering a collector’s garden that has evolved over the last 28 years. Add to this a selection of potted nursery stock: native plants from the Fraser River to California. That’s the outside. Inside is a fantastic selection of “hard to find new or out-of-print books dealing with any (!) of the life sciences”.

Meet David Hutchinson and Martha Ferguson. David and Martha are partners in life, horticulture, and books. Martha’s garden reflects over 25 years of plant collecting and gardening. She transformed a scraggly grass-covered lot into a wonderful …

Spring – Season for Pests

Jeanie May 27, 2012 4 Comments

And I don’t mean the annoying neighbors partying into the wee hours.

Nancy writes that there are some recent Wallyhood Forum questions about aphids. Upon reading the various comments, it appears that aphids, whiteflies, midges, flies, or other winged creatures may be causing consternation among gardeners and homeowners alike.

The key to putting one’s mind at ease regarding creatures is

Make sure you get a good i.d. This is THE most important thing to do. Without a proper identification, you can’t treat the problem effectively. One way to do this is to collect the creature in question – lure it…

Moles – do we love them or hate them?

Jeanie April 14, 2012 5 Comments

The signs are familiar: mounds of fresh crumbly soil, raised shallow ridges of earth, or a lumpy area in the garden that collapses when you flatten it down; moles are busy.

Some people have especially sharp reactions to moles – or mole-signs more precisely. Those of a tidy nature tend to think that mole hills and tunnels ruin the perfect greensward of a lawn. There is often a suspicion of plant damage.

I am happy to accept the little guys as a wildlife species that will still live with us in an urban environment and provide ecosystem services like pest …

Wallingford Weed

Jeanie March 2, 2012 13 Comments

Noxious weeds are non-native plants that, once established, are highly destructive, competitive and difficult to control. They have economic and ecological impacts and are very difficult to manage once they get established. Some are toxic or a public health threat to humans and animals, others destroy native and beneficial plant communities.

–King County Noxious Weed Control Program

I frequently try to persuade people not to kill things just because they are inconvenient (animals, insects, you may remember my moss post). I was going to write about moles, but it’s actually a perfect moment to bring spurge laurel (Daphne laureola…

The Garden in Winter

Jeanie November 26, 2011 2 Comments

Getting the garden ready for winter is often enlightening. As you are out cleaning up old stalks, raking leaves, or picking up wormy apples, you might also find some interesting ground beetles or other insects searching for food on a semi-dry or warm day. It’s often the first clue that there is more going on out there than it seems.

This is a good time to think about how your garden serves the creatures who stay here for the winter – birds are an example of how the more charismatic species rely on the cryptic processes at work in your …

Fall Planting

Jeanie October 13, 2011 3 Comments

It’s not too late to plant! The ground is still warm from what little summer we’ve had, and now that the rains are moving in, it’s a nice time for seeds to germinate and roots to develop.

Even though it may not look like much is going on above ground, fall-planted perennials will put on a lot of root growth, from fall till late winter, while the demand from leaves and flowers is low. A big root system gives plants a better start in the spring when new shoots develop, and helps carry them through the dry summer months as …

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