2010 Summer of Love - Garden like it's 1967!

In the garden, every summer is a summer of love. Just take a look at how many plants we have here at the Garden Center that have some "Love Connection."

There are plants said to have aphrodisiac properties or that boost fertility, including:
• Tomatoes, which the French call "pomme d'amour" or love apples
• Basil - boosts fertility and general sense of well being
• Catnip (Nepeta sp.) - well the cats do love it
• Passionflower (Passiflora sp.) - the fruit is sinfully good
• Savory (Saturja sp.)
• Southernwood (Artemesia abrotanum)

And there are plants that have names related to love:
• Loveage (Lavisticum officianale)
• Love in a Mist (Nigella)
• Love Lies Bleeding (Amaranth)
• Bleeding Heart (Dicentra sp.)
• Love in a Puff Vine (Cardiospermum halicacbum)
• Bachelor's Buttons (Centaurea cyanus)

We have a table set up in the lath house with plants that fit the "love" theme. Look for the red hearts on the description signs. Take a few of these home and create your own Summer of Love.

This week, we have special pricing on peppers and tomatoes. Large containers are now $2.69, were $4.69. Small containers are now only 99 cents! At these prices, you can afford to try several varieties.  Please remember to bring boxes or bags to carry your plants home in. 

Also, the West Seattle Tool Library will be open here on Saturday, June 12, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Peppers - We Have a Global Collection for You!

We have the first round of peppers out. This season we have grown many different kinds of peppers. We also have unusual varieties again, ranging from sweet to hot, HOT, HOT! A friend of Puget Ridge has been donating pepper seeds that he has collected all over the world, so we truly have a "global" collection for you. Thank you, Don!

Some of our favorite varieties are: 'Hungarian Black,' 'Bishop's Cap,' ' Sweet Banana,' 'Tequilla Sunrise,' and 'Healthy.'
5 1/2" containers are $4.69 each.
Peppers, like tomatoes, love the heat. Place in full sun with reflected heat off concrete, fences or the side of your house. Peppers enjoy well drained soil and plenty of water. You can plant them deep down, as they make more roots along their stems. Peppers are loved by aphids, so keep an eye out for those little green bugs. They are easily washed off with peppermint soap and water.

Tomato varieties available this week:
Besides all the varieties listed in previous posts, this week we brought out 'Black Krim,' 'Carbon,' 'Mirabelle,' and 'Yellow Pear.'

Another note...
A customer was in on Saturday and asked if we use any chemicals when growing our plants. We have not needed to use anything except the peppermint soap and water solution, as mentioned above, to wash off aphids. We don't use herbicides. Our potting mix does contain some fertilizer, but other than that, we give our plants good soil, as much sunshine as we get, water and lots of love and attention. They are thriving! She reminded me that our customers would want to know this information.

Open this Thursday and Saturday 11 - 3

To celebrate the sunny weekend, we'll have Variegated Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus alba 'Elegantissima') on sale. You'll love the way this shrubby dogwood brightens up dark corners of the garden. It has a vase-shape and grows to about 6 - 8' tall and 8' wide. The variegated foliage likes part shade/part sun and can take moist to somewhat dry soil. The flowers are white umbells throughout summer, not very showy, which become whitish-blue fruit.

This plant is grown for its foliage, its red twigs in winter and its ability to fill larger spaces. Once established, this plant is somewhat drought tolerant and can be cut back hard in spring to encourage growth of new, red twigs and to keep the size down to about 6' x6'. Come in and take a look at this garden gem.
Was $6.69/gallon - Now $4.69 each.

Pepper update... Last week we were able to bring the peppers outdoors for a bit during the day, but it is still a little too early for them to go into your garden. Night time temperatures need to be closer to 50 degrees. We are hoping to have them ready for you by May 19th. We will keep you posted.

More Tomatoes!

We're bringing more varieties of tomatoes out of the greenhouse this week. In addition to the list from last week, here's what you will find.

• Black Cherry
• Black Krim
• Brandywine
• Cream Sausage
• Gold Nugget
• Red Alert
• Red Zebra
• San Marzano
• Sweetie

Remember that we have lots of vegetable starts in addition to tomatoes. We have greens, cucumbers, garlic and several kinds of peppers will soon be ready to come out of the greenhouse. We also have herbs and a good selection of berries.