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10 Fun Plants I’m Growing
The front garden has come a long way in just two years! I’ve had a blast trying out new plants and seeing what works in my sunny, summer-dry, winter-wet conditions (Portland, Oregon). Here are ten of...
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Mason, Kid Gardener, Ch. 3: Breaking Ground
“Why did the banana go to the doctor?” Mason asks. “I don’t know. Why?” “Because he wasn’t peeling well.” “Oof. Good one.” I think back to my favorite joke as a kid. I’m positive it will crack him up....
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The Myth of the Killer Walnut Tree
While many gardeners have been sprinkling coffee grounds, brewing compost tea, and painting pruning cuts, Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott has been busy destroying gardening myths like these. One by one, the...
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10 Fun Annuals to Grow from Seed This Year
Are you looking for something new to try in the garden this year? Here are 10 fun annuals that I’ve enjoyed having in my garden. All are easy to grow from seed. *** Ipomoea lobata, formerly Mina...
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My 589-Dollar Tree
When Friends of Trees, Portland’s non-profit tree-planting group, came to my neighborhood in 2017, I scored a beautiful street tree for 35 bucks. I’d wanted two trees, two different varieties, but I...
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The Apple Tree Next Door
It’s mid-May, and I’m working in my garden when I hear voices coming from the direction of my neighbor’s apple tree. Peeking over the fence, I see two men with saws and pole pruners. I feel a flutter...
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Welcome Stem-Dwelling Bees to Your Garden
A leafcutter bee visits my garden. On a warm, sunny day in late spring last year, I discovered I’d unwittingly constructed a condo for one of our precious native pollinators. Some years before, I’d...
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Welcoming Mud Dauber Wasps into the Garden
Are mud dauber wasps dangerous? Absolutely not! When I began making my garden more wildlife-friendly a couple years ago, I never dreamt that wasps would be among my favorite visitors. I have since...
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I Made a Dragonfly Pond!
In late August of 2021, I put in a different kind of garden—a water garden. I dug a hole in my backyard. It was six feet long, four-and-a-half feet wide, and two feet deep at the deepest point. I put...
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Can Humans & Paper Wasps Live Together in Peace?
Can humans and paper wasps live together in peace? Two years ago, a couple of paper wasp nests appeared under the roof of my covered patio, and I decided to leave them there and see we could coexist....
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