Nobody who’s smelled ginkgo fruits for the first time has ever said, “Yeah, I think I’m gonna have to eat some of that.” If you haven’t experienced them first hand, well, they have the aroma of something that maybe was once food but has since passed through one or two digestive organs before finding its way to the nostrils. Dog vomit, in… Read more →
They’re calling for gloom and doom tomorrow—ice and snow and more cold, blustery winds. A shock to humans and plants alike, who’ve just enjoyed the warmest August, September, and October in recorded history in Portland. As of yesterday, there were still roses, dahlias, asters, and marigolds blooming, among others. And fall color is still jamming, as you can see, though… Read more →
Wait! Before you rake those leaves up, let me get some pictures! Have you ever taken the time to truly appreciate the beauty of fallen leaves? I took a walk today looking down instead of up, and this is what I saw: Red maple (Acer rubrum) leaves strewn across the sidewalk. Not always red, their autumn leaves can also be orange… Read more →
Who said only trees and shrubs get to turn color in the fall? Some perennials get into the act, too, with colorful fall foliage. These plants really earn their keep in the garden—they also have blooms earlier in the year! The undisputed queen of perennials that turn color in fall is Arkansas bluestar (Amsonia hubrictii). Its pale, steely blue flowers… Read more →
The rainy season has begun in Portland. It hasn’t been terribly cold, but we’ve had several fires in the fireplace. After a day of sloshing around in the garden, it’s nice to sit by the fire and dream of sunnier times. Like last week… We had one bright, sunny day last week, and I went looking for fall color. Here… Read more →
How do you fertilize your vegetables? Do you pull a bag off the shelf? Feed them a steady diet of homemade compost? Here’s how to give them what they really need… In his latest book, The Intelligent Gardener: Growing Nutrient-Dense Food (New Society Publishers, 2013), Steve Solomon’s message is simple—How can you know what nutrients to add to your soil if you don’t know… Read more →
I love before-and-after shots, don’t you? Here’s a short time lapse of my new perennial bed. Photo #1 was taken on Sept. 18th, just after the plants were set into their new homes. It was Portland’s second hottest summer on record, though for the record the grass is usually that blond here every summer. Photo #2 was taken today, Oct…. Read more →
I have the greatest job, though some days I only make $5 an hour. I have the pleasure of writing about trees for an online tree retailer in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. I write about the stories behind the trees—where they came from, how they were used in their native lands, who “discovered” them for the West. I often… Read more →
I visited a special garden last month. Dragonfly Hollow, the garden of Vanessa Gardner Nagel in Vancouver, Washington, is the garden of a professional garden designer, art lover, and author. She literally wrote the book on garden design, and her newest book is on garden furnishings. I knew her garden (23 years in the making) would be a treat, but… Read more →
I’m back! I decided to retire What Blooms When, retool, rebrand, and relaunch. Still writing about gardens, gardening, new plants, old plants, phenology, photography. A friend told me the new blog title would “indicate [my] incredible humility to [my] billions of readers.” I was thrilled that www.amycampion.com was still available. You wouldn’t think Amy Campion would be an unusual name,… Read more →
