It’s hard to believe that a couple of weeks ago we were buried under a foot of snow.  The weather has been relatively warm and blissfully sunny.  The scent of Sarcococca fills the air and daffodils are starting to peep up.  It’s time to garden, right?  There are definitely quite a few things that can be done for your landscape in February.

Viburnum tinus 'Spring Bouquet'

1.  Think about the things that you were happy with in the garden last year and the things that disappointed you.  February is a great time to plan, whether you’re doing the thinking and drawing yourself or employing a professional.  Many of us have the opportunity to host parties in the garden during the summer time.  February is a great time to plan and March is a fabulous time to plant.  That gives your garden a chance to grow in and become lush by the time you want to have everybody over for the family BBQ in July.

2.  It’s never too late (or early) in the year to add hardscape!  We’re luck in Seattle because landscaping can be installed all year round.  Unless we experience a very hard freeze, you can sand set flagstone and pavers all through the winter.  If it’s below freezing a concrete pour becomes more complicated.  However, it’s pretty rare in Seattle that the day time temperatures aren’t above 32 during the day.

3.  February is a great time for tree installation.  There are great deals to be found in the winter.  Many nurseries have trees and shrubs marked down.  They’re looking to move old stock before they order in new stock for the spring.  Just be careful to check both trees and shrubs for evidence of root binding and weak crowns.

4.  Nobody’s favorite task, but always necessary-  garden clean-up.  Our gardens are often battered and tattered by the time February blows in.  This year has been particularly hard on our gardens so far.  It’s always OK to prune off dead, dying or broken branches on trees.  The ice storm we experienced in January can leave some evergreen trees and shrubs splayed open.  If possible, try to bind them back together.  If the plant is too broken to be tied up you can prune off the leaning branches and foliage.

Front patio in the winter sun

5.  Order seeds and bare root plants for installation in March.  I love looking at the Territorial Seed Company catalog every winter.  It’s fun to plan which vegetable crops I’m going to plant and which flowers my daughter will broadcast everywhere.  If you have a bit of patience, the variety of roses available bare root far exceeds what you’ll find in the local nursery.  The patience comes into play when it takes a couple of years for the roses to really fill out.

Above all, get outside!  Enjoy this beautiful sun (develop some vitamin D)!  In  Seattle we’re blessed with an extraordinary climate for gardening.  Even in winter you can plan, execute and enjoy your outdoor space.

There are certain plants that I love on a personal, passionate level.  They are not particularly exciting.  They are not particularly new.  But they delight me over and over again.  You can use one or more of these plants as the bones in your garden.  They can be the anchor for all the other flashy, trendy plants that you want to play with.

Berberis thunbergii-  Japanese Barberry

Spectacular summer plant combination

I love all the different types.  The 3′-4′ roundness of ‘Crimson Pygmy’ and the large arching sprays of pink speckled new growth on ‘Rosy Glow’ are particularly lovely.  These plants are tough!  They are some of the first deciduous shrubs to leaf out in the spring.  In the fall they put on a spectacular show when they turn cherry red.

Mahonia x media 'Charity'

Mahonia x media ‘Charity’-  Tall Oregon Grape

I can’t say enough about how striking this plant is.  It tolerates both dry shade and partial sun.  The brilliant yellow flowers are followed by berries that transition from red to dark blue.  This plant is incredibly architectural.  It’s unapologetically bold and brazen in the garden and will be sure to start a conversation.

Hakonechloa macra-  Japanese Forest Grass

There are several varieties of Hakonechloa on the market.  I love the straight, old green option.  There’s something so satisfying in the way it gently lays down.  Every year I look forward to the seed heads appearing, followed by the yellow fall color.  I leave the dried brown foliage in the garden all winter long.  The stems are so small and delicate that you can just pull the old foliage off, no pruning necessary.  (This is a particularly attractive quality if you’ve ever had the dubious pleasure of cutting back Miscanthus).

Summer color on a 'Preziosa' Hydrangea

Hydrangea speciea-  Hydrangea

OK.  I know.  Grandma plant.  But, I ADORE Hydrangea macrophyllum.  There’s nothing quite like a Hydrangea for large color from summer through the fall.  You can build different color schemes for each season around this plant.  For example-  I’ve paired Hydrangea ‘Preziosa’ with bright pink Rosa rugosa and Teucrium chamaedrys for bright pink summer color.  This same combination turns into brilliant red in the fall as the flowers on the Hydrangea age to dark crimson and the Rose carries vibrant cherry red hips.

Nigella damascena- 'Love-In-A-Mist'

Nigella damescena-  Love-In-A-Mist

Delicate, ethereal and tough, tough, TOUGH.  This little annual reseeds itself all over my garden every year.  I adore everything about it.  The light, ferny foliage is a wonderful contrast to stronger perennial leaves.  The color of the blossoms ranges from white to pink to cerulean blue.  The seed heads are a wonder of texture as they dry out.  I would urge anybody with a patch of sunny garden to cast a packet of seeds.  Give this plant a try.  It’s an asset to any color combination that involves pink, white, blue or yellow.

Thuja ‘Green Giant’-  Giant Arborvitae

I know that there are thousands of rare and splendid conifers.  I just like this one.  I like the texture of it.  I like the size of it.  I LOVE the orange tips of the new growth.  For me, this is a tree that feels like a Western Red Cedar and fits into a small urban garden.  Plus, it grows fast!  They’re beautiful as stand alone specimen plants or in a combination.  Usually the nursery sells these trees as a hedge material and they work wonderfully as a hedge.  However, I feel that a lot of the character of the tree goes unappreciated when it’s one of twenty.  As a singleton you can really see the orange-red bark and lovely waves of foliage.

Viburnum davidii-  David’s Viburnum

Viburnum davidii

Unsung hero of the bank parking lot, Viburnum davidii is a plant that has transcended the waves of popularity that rule nurseries.  The large, leathery leaves have a matte texture that contrasts delightfully with other, shiny foliage.  I love pairing this plant with Ilex crenata and Hydrangea.  The petiole (leaf stem) is a bright, cheerful red.  Many of the plants that are carried in nurseries are sterile.  It’s totally worth it to find a plant that carries metallic blue berries.  Once again, this plant is tough.  It can survive just about anything, anywhere as long as it has sun for at least half of the day.

Rain Garden to collect drainage water from uphill neighbors

Choosing any sort of contractor can be a difficult experience, wrought with worry and frustration.  Choosing a landscape contractor can be especially frustrating because the industry is filled with so many different types of companies.  Here are a few tips for selecting the company that is right for you.

1.  Look for a company that is locally licensed and bonded. States have different laws pertaining to the amount of insurance bond a landscape contractor must carry.  No matter what, the company you use should be licensed to operate in your municipality.

2.  Pay attention to the amount of time a company has been in business and what sort of reputation they have. A good contractor has been in business for a number of years and guarantees their work.  Don’t be surprised if a contractor is booked out several weeks or even months in the Spring or Fall.  Those are the busy seasons for garden installation and a reputable company will often have several jobs in queue.

3.  Ask for references and check with the local Better Business Bureau. It’s good to ask for references from customers who have projects similar to yours, but also ask for other references.  Perhaps the company has installed a different type of project that you never considered for yourself.  It could open your eyes to other options and opportunities for your landscape.

4.  Are communication and follow-up good? Often the landscape installation will occur while you are at work.  You need to have an installation company that you feel comfortable talking with and leaving directions for.  It is always preferable to have a contractor that will assign a foreman and project manager.  If you have trouble getting a bid back in a timely manner, it can be an indication of the general level of customer service that a company offers.

5.  Ask for a contract or bid and read it! Depending on the project, a contract specifying that you will be paying for time and materials is adequate.  Many companies will offer you a bid.  Whether it’s time and materials or a bid, the type of work, type of materials & expectations for the finished project should be laid out in writing.  The more detail on the contract, the better.  Any reputable company will not hesitate to lay everything down in a contract.

Landscaping can increase your home value by as much as 15%.  Having a yard, garden or outdoor living space that you love is priceless.  If you enter into the process with the right company it will be satisfying and possibly even fun.

Summer Color

Different Sitting Areas

Penstemon 'Margarita Bop'

One of my all time favorite ridiculous names is Penstemon ‘Margarita BOP’.  I don’t know what a ‘Margarita BOP’ is, but I want one!  Even as I poke gentle fun at the growers for their use of catchy nomenclature I’m still a sucker for silly, sweet or succulent names.

I’m also prone to shopping by color.  We have a large, knotted old Thundercloud plum in the back garden that we inherited when we bought the house.  From day one I’ve loved the soft, hazy maroon of it’s leaves and have tried to incorporate that color in other areas of the back garden.  I’ve been very successful with Berberis thunbergii ‘Atropurpurea’ (Red Leaf Japanese Barberry).  However, I can’t say how many 2 gallon pots of Chocolate Cosmos I’ve purchased & planted.  (Double trouble-  both the name and the color!)  All of the Hebes with dark foliage have turned to be annuals in my garden.  Heucheras (Coral Bells) are also a yearly investment.  If the combination of heavy soil and winter rain doesn’t kill them the root weavils will.  Unfortunately Heuchera ‘Stormy Skies’ and ‘Plum Pudding’ still came home with me last year.  If you knowingly bring home plants that won’t thrive does that make you a plant murderer?

Nasturtium 'Night and Day'

This year I’ve fallen for Nasturtium ‘Night and Day’.  I think this will be the second time that I’ve tried this seed mix.  The first time the flowers opened up cherry pink and yellow.  They clashed somewhat with the maroon, coral and chartreuse color scheme in the back border.  I always look for dark dahlias to add to the late summer mix for their late summer/early fall color.  I’ve had a love-hate relationship with dahlias for years.  At this point I’ve come back round to appreciating them for their lush foliage and flowers.  Unfortunately dahlias don’t like my back garden.  The winter damp rots the tubers over and over again.  I know this issue is easily cured, but I’m a lazy gardener.  I don’t WANT to dig the tubers and house them all winter.  I lost a Nuit d’Ete (Summer Night) dahlia a few years ago.  (I fell for the sultry French name and burgundy flower).  I still miss the delicious, red-black flowers that paired wonderfully with the lilac blue flowers of Rosa ‘Blue Girl’.

I think that I’ll always be susceptible to clever, cute plant names and that’s OK.  It means that I get to keep growing and exploring as a gardener and a designer.

Sarcococca hookeriana humulis

Sarcococca-  Commonly called Himalayan Sweet Box or just Sweet Box

These plants are fabulous year round for their tolerance of shady conditions in the garden.  They come into prominence in February as they fill the air with a heady, sweet, floral fragrance.  Use them in the shade where their shiny leaves add life under dark eaves.  Place them near the front door, garage or path where you can appreciate their scent in the depths of winter.  After the flowers have passed there are often black or red berries that rest discretely among the foliage.

Sarcococca hookeriana humulis is a lovely little spreader that will stay less than 18″ tall.  Sarcococca ruscifolia is a taller variety that will slowly grow to 48″ tall.  Whether used as a ground cover or a foundation plant Sarcococca is a reliable and charming addition to difficult shady spot.

Stop at your local nursery and check this wonderful plant out.