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.

Geraniums dug for over wintering

Fall, 2011

Today, before the Seattle area has a frost, I pulled out all of my geraniums and packed them away for the winter.  It’s easy.  I use a weeding tool with prongs to pull each plant out of the ground, keeping the root systems as intact as possible.  I shake off as much soil as possible.

Then I put 2 to 3 plants, or as many as will fit, roots first into a paper grocery bag.  The tops will be sticking out of the sack.  I label the bags with blossom and leaf color because, in the spring, I may not be able to tell which is which.  The bags are stored in a cool, dry, dark place, which happens to be our basement.

Geraniums bagged and labeled

Here is the critical part.  Each month, all winter, I take the plants out of their bags, one group at a time, and soak the roots in a bucket of water for about 5 minutes, then stuff them back into their bags.  In early April, I cut the tops back to about 4″ tall, clean them up and plant them into 1-gallon containers, using store bought potting soil.  I set them near a window that gets afternoon sun and water as I would a house plant.  By the time I’m ready to plant them outdoors in May or early June, they are all leafed out and close to blooming.  (They probably could be planted outside here in Seattle in early April, but I have pansies in full bloom where the geraniums will go.)  I have been using the same 20 geraniums for 4 years, and feel pretty smug about the dollars I’ve saved not having to buy new plants every year.  I do have to put a sticky note reminder on my calendar to soak the roots monthly, or it just wouldn’t happen.

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.

These plants have become a staple in many types of gardens, but are particularly pleasing in a woodland scene.  They prefer partial or full shade (although in my experience they will tolerate sunny conditions with ample water).  Hellebores are a welcome respite in late winter-early spring as they send up flower stalks topped with flowers in shades of green, cream, white, pink or maroon.  Some of the newer cultivars have flowers that are almost black.

Helleborus x hybridus with dark flowers

Though this plant is often listed as an evergreen it’s usually best to remove last years growth as the flower stalks begin to unfurl.  If left on the plant the old foliage will look a bit tattered until it finally dries out.

The new foliage begins to push up through the ground later in the spring.  It can be a bold, leathery counter point to some of the more delicate woodland performers.

Rosa 'Hot Cocoa' & Berberis 'Helmond Pillar'

I have been an gardener in the greater Seattle area for 25 years.  (Yes, I started young).  When I was 10 my grandmother purchased a Queen Elizabeth rose for me.  We planted it together, but I was on my own for the pruning.  At that point a particular cycle began and it wasn’t until many years later that I realized I’d developed a very bad habit.

I know that people have all sorts of theories and rules concerning when to prune what.  I began my career in the green industry at a small retail nursery.  I worked with a wonderful rosarian who always said that you should prune your roses on March 15.  (You can also plant your Sweet Peas on March 15).  It’s a rule that I’ve TRIED to follow.  I’m not saying it’s right or wrong.  However, I have observed through personal experimentation that there are definite merits to waiting until March to prune back some of your more tender plants.

Every February we get a week of extraordinarily beautiful weather.  A soft breeze blows through and brings the scent of green and life.  As a gardener you can’t help yourself.  You go outside with your pruning shears in hand.  You tell yourself, ‘It’s too soon.  Don’t prune the roses and hydrangeas.’  Every year I do it any way.  Then the inevitable happens.  A late February or early March freeze comes through and shocks the tender new leaves I’ve encouraged to grow with my presumptuous pruning.  I’ve lost Melianthus, Rosemary and Senecio over the years because I run out and cut things back too early.

Rodda and Sons Landscapes on a snowy morning

NOT THIS YEAR!  I went out during our nice week of weather right around Valentines Day.  I did some transplanting, weeding and raking.  I BARELY resisted the urge to prune back the Hydrangeas and Roses.  I made notes on what I’m hoping to accomplish in the garden this year rather than reaching for the Felcos.

When the snow started flying last week I rubbed my hands together in glee.  I’d finally out waited Mother Nature!  I’m excited by the prospect of spring right around the corner.  There have been intermittent flurries for the last week, but I see the buds on the Magnolias and the flowers on the Plum trees.  Soon it will be time to open the seed packets and scatter around the Nigella and Nasturtium.

My daughter is two and a half years old.  I’ve been eagerly looking at packages of tiny gardening tools and gloves.  This year Maddy and I are going to incorporate different vegetables into the mixed border in the back yard.  She has requested more blue berries and tomatoes.  I want to grow salad greens, chard and beets.  We’re both anxious to get out and put our hands in delicious, warm soil.  For me, this time of year is filled with promise and plans for the garden!

I love to use Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Album’ as a foamy, fluffy filler under larger perennials or roses.  It is a lovely combination of pale, clear pink flowers and grayish green foliage.  (Plus it smells good!)  As the Geranium thrives in the sun, the Epimedium thrives in the shade.  Epimedium x rubrum (Epimedium) is a tried and true performer in a dry, shady situation.  I love the early spring flowers and look forward to the fall color every year.

Epimedium & Cotinus

Calocedrus decurrens (Incense Cedar), Mahonia nervosa (Oregon Grape), Cyclamen coum (Hardy Cyclamen), Colchicum ‘Waterlily’ (Autumn Crocus), and Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen Huckleberry) are all favorite woodland performers.  I’ve been on a campaign to convince people that they need more Oregon Grape.  Though not listed as a Great Plant Pick this year, Mahonia ‘Charity’ is simply stunning.  Another common and slightly old fashioned name for Colchicum is Naked Ladies.  (I have to admit I snicker every time I say it).  Whatever you call it, Autumn Crocus is a welcome shot of soft mauve that pairs beautifully with Chrysanthemum or at the base of waning ornamental grasses.

Arbutus unedo

Arbutus unedo (Strawberry Bush) and Acer circinatum (Vine Maple) are northwest favorites that thrive in our climate.  For me they often function as garden ‘neutrals’.  They blend in with many different types of gardens and offer great seasonal interest.

In closing, I have just a small word on Cistus x hybridus (White Rock Rose).  I’ve used this plant many times in the last few years with mixed results.  It’s hard not to love the soft, grayish green foliage and simple, happy white flowers.  However, the winter season is not kind to this Cistus.  Last year we replaced a great number of the plants and in many cases offered alternative plant choices.  The late winter/early spring freeze we get every year seems to hit them hard.

Sweet Box & Primroses

It’s often difficult to find steady performers when it comes to winter interest in pots and containers.  Sarcococca ruscifolia (Sweet Box) can be a strong foundation for winter annuals such as Primroses and Pansies.  It provides that hard to find vertical accent that really makes a container noticeable.  Later in the spring or summer you can take the spent Primroses out and add Impatients or Begonias.  If you prefer creating containers that last a few seasons the Sweet Box can become part of a perennial recipe with Hakonechloa and Hellebores.  Sarcococca ruscifolia is particularly nice as a container companion because of it’s light, lace-like texture when young and it’s predictable, sweet fragrance in late winter.  This plant is a versatile actor that shows well in both containers and garden beds the year round.

Pruned Japanese laceleaf maple

We have two Japanese laceleaf maples that were planted by a previous owner. One is about 4 1/2′ tall and has become a lovely, large specimen at the entrance to our driveway, at least it would be if we prune it  soon.  The other is about 2 1/2′ high and, much to my consternation, is trying to become a groundcover.  Last spring I worked on the smaller one, removing branches that were starting to crawl along the ground and opening up the branching pattern.  I left the small branches that were pointing skyward, in hopes that they would eventually become the next tier of foliage.

Unfortunately, I never got around to pruning the larger laceleaf last spring, so now I’m faced with a twiggy mass that will take some patience to sort out.  Where to start?  I always start by removing any twigs that died over the winter.  They are light grey in color and usually snap off at the base.  It’s not unusual to have whole branches of a laceleaf maple die back, and those should also be pruned off where they meet live wood.  I take off the twigs that have grown on the existing branching pattern I’ve developed over previous years.

Japanese laceleaf maple before pruning

Then comes the fun, artistic part.  I like to see a curving pattern that moves upward and outward, avoiding having branches cross or grow back towards the center.  I am very tentative at first, taking off small branches to see if I like the effect, then getting bolder with my pruners and standing back frequently to see the overall effect.  I’ve heard of people lying down under their laceleafs and looking up through the branches to make decisions, but that would not be me.  I always cut the branch off back to a joint where it meets another branch.  It seems brutal, but otherwise you end up with these odd stubs that will host multiple twigs.  I don’t like the look of a “haircut” around the bottom of a laceleaf.  It reminds me of when our children were small, we were poor, and I gave my husband and kids their haircuts.  My mother always said they looked like I used the same bowl on all of them.  She wasn’t far off.

The sun is shining.  The birds are singing.  It’s a perfect day to go out and commune with my Japanese laceleaf maple.

Jan Rodda

February 13, 2011