Like a roaring freight train, we’re swept along with limitations and a different way of life. Sometimes dramatic changes — like our current situation — can create healthful ways of life, such as growing our own food and spending more time working in and appreciating our own landscapes.
April is Native Plant Appreciation Month, a time to celebrate the beauty, diversity and value of our native plants.
With the Washington Native Plant Society poised to designate April 2020 Native Plant Appreciation Month and early spring native wildflowers appearing on the hillsides, my thoughts have turned to gardening with native plants.
The days are getting longer, and most of us are looking at snow-free lawns. Those pesky weeds still haven’t germinated, but you know it won’t be long. Now is the time to use an ounce of prevention.
The array is almost overwhelming — bright colors, assorted numbers, abbreviations, name brands, pictures of lush flowers and huge vegetables —how do you sort out which fertilizer you want to purchase for your garden?
Although most questions brought to our Master Gardener Plant Diagnosis Clinic concern landscape plants, we also get inquiries about indoor houseplants. What are those bugs flying around my plant? What is chewing on the leaves? Why are the leaves yellowing and wilting?
If you have backyard fruit trees you must begin the annual spraying routine. It is required for apples and cherries.
Christmas decorations appear in our stores when Halloween is still weeks away. Personally I find this too early for most Christmas preparations, except one. I am ready to harvest my Christmas tree.
Christmas decorations appear in our stores when Halloween is still weeks away. Personally I find this too early for most Christmas preparations, except one. I am ready to harvest my Christmas tree.
One of landscapes’ major headaches is a hulking-big tree overpowering a small area. You don’t want to cut it down, yet it’s entirely out of character with the area, say nothing of causing problems. The smart way is to study mature tree sizes and then select ones that fit within that space be…
This vegetarian pizza has a flour tortilla for its base. It provides and ultra-thin crust, allowing the toppings to be featured.
The idea of another pumpkin loaf either makes you excited or makes your eyes roll out of your head. If you’re in the latter camp, I implore you to give my iteration a shot.
In North Central Washington, roses are one of our favorite flowers because they are easy to grow during spring and summer. Winter weather patterns have changed how we provide fall and winter care for roses, but the basics are the same.
In North Central Washington, roses are one of our favorite flowers because they are easy to grow during spring and summer. Winter weather patterns have changed how we provide fall and winter care for roses, but the basics are the same.
Tacos, a traditional Mexican dish, have become an American favorite.
The guy broke my heart.
We are approaching the end of August, and it is time to organize our fall garden tasks. We think about planting trees and shrubs in the fall and harvesting our garden’s bounty. Most importantly we make a list called ”I’ll never do that again” because that part of our landscaping was disappoi…
What does Hillbilly have in common with Sun Gold? Probably nothing except both tied as top tomatoes at Saturday’s free Tomato Gala at WSU Chelan/Douglas Master Gardener’s ninth annual celebration at the Community Education Garden.
With due respect to Mrs. Gump, my mama always said life was like a box of jalapeños: You never know how spicy it is going to be until you bite into one.
It is the middle of summer. What are you doing with your lawn clippings? What happens to your left-over vegetable scraps from fixing dinner?
If you set and forget your lawn sprinkler timing, you will have the correct irrigation timing twice a year: one time in the spring and again in the fall.
Marco Martinez
Features editor
The United States has had all types of migrants since the first European settlements. Dandelions and angle worms were introduced, as well as many invasive and noxious weeds and insect pests.
If you grow vegetables in the cucurbit family, such as squash, pumpkin and cucumber, your garden has likely been visited by squash bugs.
Keeping a lawn, trees and garden green and growing in a rain-shadow desert isn’t always easy. If you live in central Washington, and I assume most of you do, maintaining your lawn, ornamental flowers, shrubs and trees is a delicate balance and difficult, and a bit of an art.
Calling kids who are ready to buzz through family-friendly, science-based fun projects and learn about bees. Bee a Junior Pollinator Biologist is the title of WSU Chelan/Douglas Master Gardener’s free Third Saturday in the Garden event at the Community Education Garden.
The grilling season is upon us, like a lion upon a gazelle. That means some 80 million of us will be out there, happily grilling hot dogs, steak and hamburgers.
It’s weed season again. Weeds not only are unsightly in your garden, driveway or pastureland, but when they proliferate, they destroy hundreds of thousands of acres of rangeland and native plant habitat.
Are you a night owl? If so, you have something in common with a few of our garden pests — those who feed mostly at night. Let’s look at three that love to munch on some of our favorite plants: root weevil, earwig, and tobacco budworm.
Most of us are interested in doing our part to reduce our negative impact on the environment. No one likes pollution, litter, wasting resources or wasting money on inefficiency. Which might be why lists that exclaim, “20 EASY ways to go green!” might be popular. While those lists may include…
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump’s escalation of a trade war with China left plans in limbo on Monday for high-level negotiations later this week to end the dispute.
Anyone frustrated by irrigation’s complexities of fittings, drippers and sprinklers might find relief by attending the free Simple Irrigation Repairs workshop presented Saturday, May 18. It takes place from 10 a.m. to noon at the Community Education Garden, 1100 N. Western Ave. in Wenatchee.
SPOKANE — During childhood, Wendi Eva loved organizing her closet and books just so. As a busy Spokane Valley mom, she struggled to keep household order until she found inspiration in Marie Kondo, a renowned tidying expert and author.
Judges gave these wines high marks in the 2018 Wenatchee Wine & Food Festival Wine Competition.
It's heartening to see mushrooms sprouting in our lawn; not because they should be growing there, but to me it's a very positive sign that the defunct aspen tree roots beneath the lawn are decomposing, promoting that mushroom growth. Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi.
Do you remember the fragrance with the odd name “Christmas in July”? My mother wore this perfume in the 1950s; I think of my mother at this time of year because I plant my fall and winter garden in July and enjoy its produce for Christmas meals.
We probably shouldn’t complain about central Washington’s weather, because it tends to be better than many places. In fact, the local weather makes it possible to grow almost any deciduous tree fruit without many disease problems common in other tree fruit production areas. The low occurrenc…
Tired of coping with finicky, difficult plants in your landscape? Perhaps it's time to go native.
Yay for summer! School is out, the days are long and it is time to think about taking a much-needed vacation. Grab a camera and your passport and get ready to head over the border — we are northward bound!
What is a Master Gardener? The title is usually applied to someone with years of gardening experience, and the passion to overcome the complex aspects of home horticulture. Someone who communes with nature sensibly, selecting carefree plant varieties to keep the lawn and garden safe from pro…
It is the end of April, and people in the greater Wenatchee area often plan to plant a garden as a way to celebrate Apple Blossom, which gets underway this week.
It has such an appealing appearance — radiant yellow flowers on a long stalk and a long bloom period. It looks like a three-foot-tall snapdragon on steroids, BUT, do not be sucked in. For under the ground are the most pernicious, aggressive tap and horizontal, perennial creeping roots you ha…
Spring is here again! Daffodils are poking out of the ground, snow in the Upper Valley is nearly gone, and spring winds are starting to blow. The soil is drying down and warming up. It’s a perfect time to get into the garden and make a plan for the upcoming summer.
Your garden is beautiful, and you are ready to harvest the tomatoes. You greet the sunny day humming to yourself ... until you look outside. Your garden has been devastated; the tomato plants are flattened, the fruit is either missing or stomped and half eaten. Who could do this to you? The …
Time away from the usual routine has given me a chance to reflect upon this beautiful world we call home. Again this year, I was able to visit another one of the Hawaiian Islands. There’s nothing like an extended vacation on a remote island in the middle of the Pacific to spawn a myriad of t…
Unique, high-quality garden tools, practical kitchen gift items, interesting books including some great children's books — all are part of WSU Chelan Master Gardener Foundation sales just in time for Christmas giving.
Here in the Wenatchee Valley, we live in such a dynamic environment. We are blessed with the Cascade Mountains, lush forests and multiple riverine systems. As we move into the winter months, precipitation will start to turn from rain into snow.
Most gardeners have put their gardens to bed, composted the debris and mulched with leaves. And believe it or not, many gardeners are already thinking about next year’s garden, wondering how to improve production, how to deal with insect pests and how to have a more carefree garden experience.
It used to take a lot of money to make your home a smart home. A doctorate in software and/or electrical engineering didn't hurt, either.
Another gardening season has come and gone. Snow is starting to fall at our Upper Valley home, covering my flower beds in a beautiful blanket of soft white. For me, that means it’s time to head out and travel for a bit.
Enjoying a couple of fruit trees in your backyard seems sensible — just walk out and pick your own fresh fruit. In addition to watering, thinning branches and picking, many folks don't realize it's a big responsibility to keep pests from invading your tree fruit.
