By Rachel Anderson, Certified Professional Horticulturalist June to me really means one thing: roses! I love roses, and this past month I have been watching carefully as their flower buds have gotten fatter and more numerous. As June gets closer I go out daily (yes, every day) to see if any have popped open, and…
By Rachel Anderson, Certified Professional Horticulturalist May in the garden is a wonderful thing! I long for this time when the new leaves of deciduous trees and shrubs are the perfect shade of spring, and even the shadows that they cast seem fuller and greener. There is a fresh lushness all around that I…
The Komo Kulshan Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society hosted a fabulous show of rhododendron trusses in our Propagation House on Saturday, April 27th. The winners of the People’s Choice awards were as follows: First Place: R. Yunnanense from Lori Bayes (middle in photo below) Second Place: President Roosevelt from Lynn Torset (left in photo…
By Rachel Anderson, Certified Professional Horticulturalist Spring has sprung and boy is it glorious! I always have this internal sense of euphoria, as though this is the first spring I’ve ever experienced, and then it all bubbles out and I find myself saying things like “Oh my gosh! Look at how green the grass is!” or…
And the envelope please….here are just four of the many wonderful images we received in our Fifth Annual Winter Garden Photography Contest. All entries were professionally judged by Scott Terrell, Photo Editor for the Skagit Valley Herald, and all were displayed in our 1888 Schoolhouse during our Seventh Annual Winter Festival on March 2 &…
By Rachel Anderson, Certified Professional Horticulturalist Yup. It’s still cold and it’s still gray. As I write this, a stiff wind is blowing icy cold and the clouds are marching in as though to permanently occupy the sky. But, as I observe my garden from the cozy comfort of my living room chair, I see…
In conjunction with our Annual Winter Festival, we are excited to once again be hosting a Winter Gardens Photography Contest. Amateurs and professionals alike are invited to participate by submitting up to two photographs of previously unpublished images. Entries should be 5” x 7” photos of a winter garden scene or a single plant and…
By Rachel Anderson, Certified Professional Horticulturalist February can delight and dismay at the drop of a hat. Its fickle weather toys with our emotions – at one moment sunny and warmish, and then comes the dark, ice and rain bearing clouds to make us scurry for cover and a cup of hopefully uplifting tea (or…
By Rachel Anderson, Certified Professional Horticulturalist Here it is, a new year again! January is a great time to begin your planning for the coming growing season. Plant and seed catalogs are beginning to appear in mailboxes, tantalizing you with the latest and greatest in new varieties of just about everything. I always get sucked…
By Rachel Anderson, Certified Professional Horticulturalist December is a pretty quiet time in the garden, which is a contrast to the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Along those lines, I’ve been thinking a lot about gifts – gifts given and gifts received. And then I thought about all the gifts my garden has given me,…
PUMPKIN BARS These delicious (and very popular) Pumpkin Bars were served at our Sixteenth Annual Holiday Tea on November 26, 2011. Bars: 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter 1 cup light brown sugar, packed 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup pumpkin puree 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/8…
By Rachel Anderson, Certified Professional Horticulturalist It’s blustery, it’s rainy, and it’s chilly. But boy is it beautiful! There’s snow in the foothills, and the last of the fall colors appear bright and glowing against the steely sky, and best of all, the snow geese are back! Every time I hear them honking overhead I…