The Whistling Gardener

by Steve Smith

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville, located at 3915 Sunnyside Blvd., and a respected local expert on all things horticultural. You can reach Steve at 425-334-2002 or by e-mail at [email protected].

In like a lion, out like a lamb

I am just back from a week in Seattle at the Flower and Garden Show and all fired up and ready to get out into the garden and go at it. Only trouble is that Mom Nature (or should I say Old Man Winter) isn't cooperating. I don't need to tell you that it is miserable out there and the forecast isn't looking too bright either. My only hope is that this "lion and lamb" thing is true, and by the end of this month we will be in shirt sleeves and actually enjoying some of those predictions I made in my "state of the garden" address a few weeks ago. On the other hand, if it is still nasty then, I am going to apply for a refund to this gardening season.



Speaking of refunds

How are you going to spend your tax refund? Improving your property with new landscaping often returns a 200 percent or more increase in the investment. Do the work this year, give it three years to fill in, and about the time your project looks fabulous, the market will have improved and you will make out like a bandit. And as an added bonus you can feel good about helping my retirement fund grow.



Save with bare root

Okay, all you fair-weather gardeners. I know you don't like to get wet or cold but I also know you like to save money, and that is exactly what will happen if you take advantage of this thing called "bare root plants." Garden centers sell plants this time of year without any dirt on the roots because certain plants don't seem to care if their roots are bare-ass naked as long as we don't let them dry out. You can find fruit trees, flowering trees, certain shrubs and perennials and berries and grapes and other edibles too. Often you can save 30 to 40 percent off of the potted prices of these plants, but you have to take action this month, rain or shine, hot or cold, calm or windy and yes, even if there is snow on the ground. If you snooze, you lose.



Speaking of roots

March is what we call a "cool season" month and that means it is time to plant our cool season veggies, of which many are root crops. Radishes, potatoes, carrots, rutabagas, parsnips, garlic, onions and shallots all come to mind. We can also plant peas. Leaf crops like lettuce, romaine, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli are also planted this month. With so many crops we can plant now, there is no need to wait until the sun shines everyday and the weather is perfect.



Speaking of waiting for the sun

Living in the northwest has many benefits but a long growing season isn't one of them. Gardeners can get very clever when it comes to extending the season on either end of the year. You don't have to spend a boatload of money to get a jump on the season (even though it will help my retirement fund). Products like "Row Cover" and "Wall of Water," homemade cloches made from PVC hoops and plastic, or old discarded windows assembled into cold frames will all help us get an early start and be the first on the block to harvest our crops. We can do the same trick in the fall to protect our plants from an early frost.



Meet Fred, my newfound friend

Every year at the Flower and Garden Show I buy a new plant to add to my collection of weird and wonderful creations. This year it was a Pseudopanax ferox, which I have affectionately named Fred. Now I realize that many of you (including the Missus) probably think that I need another plant like I need another hole in my head, but when you see Fred you will instantly understand my attraction. Fred is a borderline prehistoric plant that is native to New Zealand and may just possibly be the ugliest plant I have ever purchased. The leaves are 6-9 inches long, one quarter inch wide and are toothed on both edges like a saw blade. They are dark brown in color and droop as if they are very, very sad. If you looked like Fred you would be sad, too. Currently Fred is in his juvenile state but over time (perhaps 5 years unless he is a really late bloomer) Fred will go through puberty and become an adult, at which time those ugly single linear shaped, saw-toothed leaves will transform into palm shaped fronds, and just as a caterpillar changes into a beautiful butterfly, Fred will morph into a very attractive shrub or small tree. So come by and say hello to Fred and watch him grow.



Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville and can be reached at the nursery at 425-334-2002 or online at [email protected].