John and Toni Christianson have been planning this year’s Northwest Flower and Garden Festival ‘Hilltop Farm’ display garden since 2011 when they won Best in Show and the People’s Choice award. Their current design inspiration is drawn from their Lakeland travels to Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top, 17th-century house and countryside in Near Sawrey in the…
Do your houseplants have the winter blues? Plants that don’t get enough light and continuous watering can disease and degrade quickly. Place your plant next to a bright window for the next couple of months and water as needed by doing the finger test. With your index finger, poke it into the potted plant’s soil. …
Beautify your home for the holidays with fresh evergreen wreaths and centerpieces now available at the Christianson’s. Whether you have saved a favorite ribbon or one of a kind ornament, let Christianson’s designers make it a focal point in a centerpiece or wreath. Centerpiece designer, Elissa Kamins, stepped outside for inspiration to create one of…
Being an observer in the garden during October brings on a sense of calm and knowing that the main growing season is ending and our garden is going to rest. And, although the weather may be pleasant during the day, we can feel the cold nights creeping into our bones. There are still many…
Thank you Skagit County for voting Christianson’s Nursery Best Greenhouse/Nursery for 2019! We are grateful you love what we do.
Fall is an advantageous time to plant beautiful hardy bulbs, trees (such as Sumac for gorgeous fall foliage), shrubs, roses, and perennials. Plant now to establish root systems and let the upcoming rains assist with the watering. One of our favorite and best-selling shrubs during Fall is Callicarpa bodinieri, commonly known as Beautyberry. A rounded, deciduous shrub, Beautyberry…
As the warm weather begins, we are noticing leaves on the water lilies, well-known for their distinctive lily pads as well as their showy flowers, are growing bigger. This growth not only adds elegance to your water feature but aids the protection of goldfish. Like other perennials, water plants need lots of light, appropriate soil…
As the long days of summer quickly approach and we begin to spend more time outside enjoying suppers on the patio and relaxing fireside conversations, we are also noticing the arrival of uninvited guests; mosquitoes, flies, and moths, to name just a few. Of course, the presence of insects is a natural and essential aspect…
On June 10, after a long and very full life, our beloved Nursery cat, Bamboo, passed away. He made a gallant effort to overcome a progressive neurological disorder of unknown origin but sadly, after about six weeks of kitty hospice care from our devoted staff, he died peacefully and was surrounded by love right up…
Initially thought to be a Sonoran saguaro (found in northern Mexico and southern United States regions), the cactus you see in front of you is a completely different plant. Trichocereus terscheckii, is a southernmost growing columnar cactus originally from South America. Cold-hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, it prefers an arid and cooler climate. It will…
The line above from the poem, “The Old Vicarage, Grantchester” by Rupert Brooke, often comes back to me when driving around Skagit Valley during the month of April. Tulips don’t wander into pathways or ditches or roadway medians. They stay in perfect rows of luminous color with perfect cup-shaped flowers. Even the newly developed doubles…
A wealth of dahlia resources at your fingertips! Download the 2019 Northwest Dahlia Show Schedule below provided by John and Kathy Willson at the “Starting, Planting, and Staking Dahlias Made Easy” class today, former owners of Swede Hill Dahlia Farm. Dahlia Show Schedule 2019