Seasonal

As the days are getting longer and longer, the time has come to start thinking

about planting seeds indoors.  Getting a head start on the garden this time of year

 is a wonderful way to spend time while awaiting the arrival of spring.  Right now

we have a great selection of Botanical Interests seeds, including herbs, flowers and

 vegetables as well as Humidome seed trays and Black Gold Seedling Mix to get your

 garden started right. If you happen to already have the seed trays it's a good practice to

 wash them with a mild bleach solution to prevent diseases or fungus that could harm

 your seedlings.  In addition to the highest quality seeds, Botanical Interests seed packets

are designed to help gardeners succeed. Featuring gorgeous botanical artists' renderings

 of each variety, each packet is like a mini-encyclopedia, full of information

 inside and out, to inspire and assist every type of gardener.

Seed Potatoes

Our annual selection of seed potatoes has arrived, and it is traditional in

 the Pacific Northwest to plant them around St. Patrick's Day (March 17th).

This year, we are featuring varieties like the Dark Red Norland, this highly

 productive potato is very versatile and is excellent in salads and can be used

 for fries and more. Or, try the most widely grown potato grown in North

 America, the Russet Burbank. This famous potato is utilized often in the

restaurant industry for baking, mashing, and french fries due to its versatile

 white flesh and dark brown skin. Also, this year, we have the Bayou Belle

 sweet potato, which has a sweet but firm flesh that is excellent for making

 sweet potato fries and has a much higher yield than most other sweet types.

 Purple and yellow varieties, too. Limited Quantities

Rhododendrons And Azaleas

We have just received a beautiful selection of these Western Washington garden

staples in a dazzling array of colors and sizes.  These acid-loving plants thrive in

 moderately moist, well-drained soil and in the morning sun to partial afternoon

shade.  These stunning spring bloomers thrive in our naturally acidic soils but

are shallow-rooted, so a good practice is to provide a layer of mulch around the

base, paying close attention to not allowing it to touch the trunk during our often

warm stretches in the summer.  Rhododendrons and azaleas come in many different

 forms big to small dwarf varieties that are either evergreen or even deciduous. Come

on in and see the show as they begin to bloom mid-March into mid-May.

Bare Root Fruit Trees

Bare root plants are significantly less expensive than their potted counterparts

and this is an affordable approach to establishing a new garden or adding to your

existing one.  The young trees are harvested while dormant and are eager to grow

when our growing season begins.  They are ready to plant immediately upon purchase,

but if you are to do so, the roots should be kept moist and placed in mulch at home

you are ready to plant them in your garden.  Varieties include the Italian prune, great

for fresh eating, drying, or canning. The always popular dwarf Rainier cherry with

its sweet blush red and yellow fruit and the semi-dwarf Cosmic Crisp an apple 

that can only be grown in our state and features a juicy sweet but tart fruit. We also 

will have pears, peaches, combo trees, and more.  In stock now.

Healthy Soils, Healthy Gardens With Garden & Bloome

Healthy soil yields a healthy garden; they are grown from the ground up.

Understanding the garden soil that you grow in is essential to creating the

best conditions for your plant life.  Soil is evaluated by its texture, structure

and fertility.  Knowing what is in the native soil is important so you can determine

what type of soil amendments to employ, you can make enhancements or

 change the plants we grow in our garden spaces.  Typically, in Western Washington,

we generally have three to four soil types: heavy clay, silty loam, sandy loam,

 or glacial till. The good news is that they can all benefit by adding organic

 matter. For heavier clay and silty soils, adding Garden & Bloome Soil Conditioner

will help break up the denseness and lighten the soil and aid drainage.  For,

rocky soils like glacial till, adding a professional topsoil, and removing bigger rocks in

 addition to adding Garden & Bloome Purely Compost, will give the glacial till more

body and help it to retain moisture during times of drought, thus aiding the plant

life by having more moisture and nutrients available to their root systems. Compost

and a topsoil mixture also is also a very good way to build up and add body to sandy

 soils as well.  Our line of Garden & Bloome soil amendments contain all organic

ingredients and beneficial microbes that will make your garden and landscape thrive.

Come on down to the farm and speak to our friendly associates about the benefits

of using these truly unique soil amendments.

March Garden Tasks 

Refresh your containers with colorful early

 blooming flowers to invite back spring cheer.

Apply Compost & Mulch to reinvigorate your soil.

Cut budding branches of forsythia, quince,

 or flowering cherry to force blooms indoors.

Cut back deciduous ornamental grasses to prepare

 for the emergence of fresh blades.

Plant Bare Root Fruit & Roses to get your garden started.

Plant Potato & Onion Starts

This is a great time of year to fertilize your Rhododendrons & Azaleas.

 These shrubs thrive with Dr. Earth Organic Acid Lover's

 Fertilizer to keep the foliage lush and the blooms vibrant.

Prune summer & fall blooming clematis. These vines bloom on new wood

 rather than old wood and they can be pruned back to a set of buds, 12" from

 the ground. Clematis that bloom on old and new wood can be cleaned up by

 removing thin stems in favor of the thicker ones. (Clematis that bloom on old

 wood, such as the evergreen, Clematis armandii should be

 pruned minimally and after they have bloomed.)