Every August, Portland plays host to the Farwest Show, which is one of the biggest nursery and greenhouse industry trade shows in the country. It is one of the events I look forward to because it provides the opportunity to see what is next in the world of plants.These are the plants that we will […]
Author: Mike Darcy
Head "plant nerd" longtime speaker, host of gardening shows on radio and TV, and author of the In the Garden email newsletter. You can reach Mike, or subscribe to his newsletter, at itgmikedarcy@comcast.net
Where gardeners turn for answers
Garden centers typically can offer their customers several advantages that big box stores can’t fully duplicate. One of these is the ability to provide customers with valid, localized information about the challenges they face. When I ask my neighbors, friends and other gardeners where they would go if they had a question about a problem […]
Attracting monarch butterflies with milkweed plants
Strange as it may seem, plants and clothes have some traits that make them parallel to one another. Clothes are fashionable. New styles appear every year, but there are always some holdovers from previous years. A parallel can be drawn here with plants. Some become more fashionable in gardens, while others fade away. A current […]
Gardeners share goals and plans for 2019
With the new year upon us, I thought it would be interesting to hear what other gardeners are planning for 2019. I selected a diverse assortment of gardeners in and around the metro area. These gardeners are not professionals, but people who enjoy their garden and are always trying to make it better. There is, […]
Obsessive gardeners
The first time that I saw a rose garden with umbrellas over the plants to protect them from rain, I was in disbelief! “Umbrellas keeping the rain off of rose flowers,” I thought. “That must be a very obsessive gardener.” Since that time, I have learned that it is not an uncommon obsession for rose […]
Don’t overlook these late bloomers
During the busy spring months, when blooming flowers are everywhere on nursery tables, it’s easy to overlook plants that don’t show off their color until late summer. I have many plants in my garden that are just coming into peak flower in August and September. Whenever we open our garden to guests that late in […]
Specialty nurseries highlight what’s unique
Many gardeners are familiar with garden centers, where they can get annuals, supplies, fertilizers, gloves and other items. These are usually found in well-populated areas and carry a wide variety of annuals, perennials and woody plants. But for something a little bit different, gardeners can also turn to specialty nurseries. These nurseries offer an unparalleled […]
Open gardens, open minds
Gardening is a constantly changing hobby for many of us. When we visit garden centers, we are often not only buying plants that are familiar to us, but we are on the lookout for something new. Many private gardens have signature plants that might be a tree or shrub, or perhaps it is a plant(s) […]
A night for plant nerds
Gardening is a communal activity: it is very common for gardeners to share their plants, tips on growing, new plant introductions and old favorites, and in general, the love of gardening. Eighteen years ago, Hoyt Arboretum in Portland created an event called Plant Nerd Night. The goal was to give local specialty nurseries a venue […]
The downside to insecticides
“I didn’t know that it would kill the honeybees.” That’s what homeowners often tell me after using an insecticide in the garden and seeing dead honeybees all over the ground. Most people who work in the garden industry realize that insecticides are generally not specific in what insect they will kill, but I don’t think […]