The biggest project we've done to date was started and finished within weeks in September.  We went LAWN-LESS!   (Gasp!)  It was a great moment for me to be able to persuade the clients to do so - going lawnless is a huge step.  Once they realized they'd no longer have to mow, edge, feed, rake, thatch, and water the lawn year round, they were convinced. 

Losing your lawn and replacing it with easy care materials and plants is a no brain-er for many people.  The time and money saved on lawn care is a huge incentive.  Zero chemical use is also a bonus.  So why is it hard for us to give up our lawn? Most of us grew up with big lawns, some people feel they MUST have lawn because it's "normal".  Some people NEED to see green space, others have children or pets that require it.  But don't be fooled... while your back garden can still have lawn for these purposes, the front is a perfect place to ditch your thirsty turf.

What do you replace your lawn with?  Tough question for some.  For our project, we used 3/8" composted mulch which has a nice shredded look to it (not like bark nuggets).  We also included a new flagstone seating area, a basalt water feature, a dry creekbed, and designated planting areas to break up the expanse.  Depending on the size of your area and what you require out of it - anything is possible - mulch, decorative gravel, pavers, no-mow grass (ornamental grasses) or just large garden beds broken up by pathways and visuals.  We filled in the designated beds with the clients own grasses (he's a plant lover!) and waterwise perennials.  It was a proud moment when that design was completed!

But that's not to say we don't love lawns!  We excavated one back yard and restored the lawn and flower beds to its former glory, creating a long and curvy view for those clients from their back deck.  And we took out an old, old, double wide unused driveway and replaced it with new beds and lawn, creating a long and lean cottage garden look with a beautiful path meandering through it, for another client. 

I'm proud of the work we accomplished this summer, and I'm looking forward to a great Autumn season in all of my clients gardens!

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Tulips are fabulous - they give some much needed colour (and hope) in the garden in early spring.  They always make you smile when they pop up in an area you forgot you planted them in, or didn't.  I love tulips.  I hate planting them, but I love the results!  But many tulips are not meant to last forever.  You can tell by the ones that have come through the ground with one big floppy leaf and nothing else.  Or stunted, deformed plants with nary a head on them.  Pull them out now and save yourself (and others) the anguish of having to look at them for the rest of the season, or worse, next year.  You will see, when you pull or dig them out, that the bulb has significantly reduced in size.  They don't have enough strength left in them to produce a flower again.  Most of these are the common landscape tulips, which are meant for one season's showing and can be bought in bulk at the local nursery in the Fall.  Other reasons for lack of show range from plain old age to soil conditons - too wet -  they rot, too cold -  they will freeze and stunt.  Or, famously, squirrels will have a dig at them, gnaw on them a little, and leave them alone once they realize they don't taste good.  The bulb can still grow, but you will end up with a deformed little thing that doesn't resemble a tulip at all. 

Many tulip bulbs are hardy, very hardy.  I can remember, as a child, one lone exotic dark purple tulip coming up year after year in the rock garden of my childhood home.  It was that tulip that  meant spring had arrived we could look forward to playing outside after dinner.   That one tulip holds great memories!

Tulipa tarda is a favorite for rock gardens, a very strong and hardy little tulip with a bright yellow colour. Other favourites are the naturalizing tulips - tulipa fosteriana, greigii and kaufmanniana, which are small in size but pack a lot of punch when they spread, and are able to withstand our cold and wet Spring weather.

My advice - stick to the old saying, "you get what you pay for" and buy quality bulbs that will last more than a year.  Plant them deep in a nice rich soil, and plant them at the right time.  They will reward you the following Spring.

Made it to the Northwest Flower & Garden show last week.  Managed to choose the day right after the Seattle area got dumped on with snow, of course!  So while the drive down was a bit nerving at times, the thought of being in the Convention Centre surrounded in gardens once again, kept my spirits up.

I was not disappointed.  The theme this year was "Once Upon a Time: Spectacular Gardens with Stories to Tell" So while I found most of the gardens a little far fetched for our Vancouver area climate and tastes, they were incredibly creative, and I give a big thumbs up to all the designers who put together each showcase, and the amount of time they spent working on creating those gardens within the Convention Centre.  The sheer volume of forced blooms - daffs, tulips, irises, hyacinths, cherry blossoms, and roses, was incredible, and the scent was heavenly!

My favourites were two completely different displays.  The first was a large scale display by Christianson's Nursery (www.christiansonsnursery.com) representing a "typical rural Skagit Valley garden from the 1950's" - a small family nursery that overflowed with colourful bulbs and roses, an old greenhouse and a potting shed filled with, yes, pots! My kind of heaven!

The second display was much different and on a smaller scale than the first.  Created by The Lusher Life Project (www.thelusherlifeproject.com) this seaside display was all about succulents.  The amazing part was in the details.  The designer created planters from an old fishing tackle box, wooden crates, coffee tins, watering cans and even seashells.  Nestled into these plants were diverse things such as crab claws, sea glass, and rusty old trinkets from the sea, including a grenade.  There was just so much to look at, it was truly inspiring.

Now... if only this snow would disappear....

Seaside Succulents from the Northwest Flower & Garden show

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