Spring

Many gardeners are hit with allergies during the blooming season. But don’t blame showy garden plants for making you sneeze – it’s the wind-blown pollen of trees and grasses causing most of the suffering. Learn how pollen counts are determined, as well as some tips on alleviating allergy woes.

Looking for new and unusual plants in the Portland area? Check out one of these great April plant sales. You’ll find fantastic plants – and no shipping fees!

The road to having a beautiful spring flower bed starts with proper bed preparation. Follow these few easy steps to assure that you – and your garden – have a blooming, colorful spring.

Shady woodland spots need special plants to cope with the unique conditions. Bishop’s cap is a wonderfully behaved, beautiful groundcover that simply lights up these spots with delicate flowers each spring.

Welcome spring with a profusion of cheery blooms! ‘Georgia Blue’ creeping Veronica is a gorgeous, hardy, early spring bloomer that’s great for rock gardens or creating drifts of bright color. (Even better: It repeats its flower show in fall!)

California has two seasons for planting and growing. Knowing the difference makes for a much better gardener.

It’s easy to grow your own cutflowers, and there’s one for every season. Let these three spring-blooming annuals help get your garden – and vases – flowering.

Spring fever makes gardeners itchy to hit the dirt. And this year, you’re determined to go “water wise” and “drought tolerant.” Great! Just don’t buy-and-plant too early. Drought tolerant doesn’t mean “frost resistant.” Don’t let early frost turn spring fever into a cold your plants won’t recover from.

Got dappled shade? Then try Allegheny spurge. This clump-forming groundcover has fantastic foliage to lighten up tough garden spaces, as well as cinnamon-scented springtime flowers that beckon gardeners to spend a little more time taking it easy in the shade.

There’s something very dreamy about a field filled with poppies and wildflowers dancing in the breeze. Why not bring that dream into garden reality? These sun-loving annuals are easy to plant and care for, and thanks to their seed, may possibly return for a repeat performance next year!

Looking to fill a shady spot with easy-to-care-for drifts of color? Try foamflower! This tough but dainty beauty works in just about any level of shade to give you waves of color that’ll awaken your woodland garden each spring!

Get a preview of some of your favorite spring-flowering trees and shrubs by “fooling” the branches into blooming early for beautiful indoor bouquets. Here’s how to do it!

Giant hanging baskets make big impact! Use them on your front porch to welcome visitors, line a walkway or decorate a deck or patio. They’re surprisingly simple to make, easy on the pocketbook and give you a bold blast of color throughout spring and summer!

So far, you’re new seedlings have led a sheltered life – growing happily in the warm, protected indoor world. Now it’s time to prepare them for the “real garden.” Learn how to properly adjust your little plants to harsh outdoor conditions before planting so they don’t suffer culture shock.

We were all fooled: Spring popped up, we ran out to the garden, and then Mother Nature blasted us with unexpected freezing temps. If your garden now looks like it’s not going to make it through the rest of the season, don’t panic. All may not be lost.

While blustery spring winds blow, hardy, beautiful Hepatica perseveres! This lovely little plant can create a sea of early color no matter what weather Mother Nature throws its way – which is why it’s our author’s favorite early spring bloomer!

You know it’s spring when the redbuds flower! Learn more about these lovely blooming trees and consider welcoming one into your garden – along with the new season.

If you live out West – along California’s coast, inland or in the desert – spring’s the time to get planting for a fruitful flower or vegetable garden that you can enjoy this summer!

Ivy geraniums make great container plants! Whether showing off their beauty alone or mixed with other annuals, they’re an absolute perfect selection for any container where you want a lovely cascade of blooms to spill out and welcome visitors.

Tough gardens call for tough plants – and Japanese rose is just that. As beautiful as it is hardy, this great easy-care, drought-tolerant shrub produces scads of springtime flowers – all on striking, thornless stems!

Typically done in early spring, air layering is a great way to propagate – especially if you’ve got difficult-to-root plants. Not only is it easy to do, chances are you’ve already got all the supplies you need just lying around the house.

West Coast gardeners living in Sunset zones 3b-9 and 14-20 are in luck: There’s a beautiful dogwood just for you! This lovely Northwest native is a drought-tolerant tree that really shines in the spring garden. Meet the Pacific dogwood…

As much as we try to fight allergy season, it can’t be completely avoided: Pollen can blow in from hundreds of miles away. But allergy-suffering gardeners can avoid making their sneezing, eye-watering problems worse by keeping away from some heavy pollen producers.

Talk about aromatherapy! Scented geraniums can fill your garden with all kinds of wonderful fragrances by simply brushing against them. If you’ve got a high-traffic hot spot in your garden, try one of these easy-to-grow annuals. Then take the time to stop and smell the…geraniums.

Home gardeners dream of filling their yards with color, but sometimes the budget doesn’t allow us to turn that dream to reality. Thanks to SeedBallz®, affordable flower gardens are within our reach. Learn how these unique products for garden and home can help enhance your outdoor living experience.

The weather’s getting warmer and the urge to garden is great – don’t let your plants get frostbit by a cold night in early spring! Here are a few quick and easy ways to protect your springtime plants when the temperature dips.

Everyone loves a lush, green lawn in spring. Learn how to keep your grass thriving throughout the season.

Are you tired of growing the same plants season after season? Bring the “wow” factor to your springtime garden with some of these unusual and beautiful plants – and grow a little on the wild side!

Looking for a real spring standout? At 4-feet-tall and covered in a long spike of purple flowers, foxglove is one plant you’re sure to fall in love with – after all, it’s got a lot of heart…and even helps them, too.

Woodland wildflowers add special beauty to the garden, especially in early spring. Used along a path or mixed with other early wildflowers, wild sweet William proves to be a garden gem that shines – even in shade.

Every spring, Washington, DC, comes alive with the beauty and fragrance of Yoshino cherry trees. But you don’t need to travel to our nation’s capitol to experience the trees’ splendor – grow your own (and prepare for a breathtaking spring)!

Looking for a great annual that comes in countless leaf styles and flower colors? Chances are you’ve already tried it! Zonal pelargoniums are the most commonly grown geranium – and probably one of the most popular annuals. Give this sun-loving beauty a try this season!