 30% OFF Bare Root Stock: Lowest Price of the Year! It's always fun when the bare root plants arrive in the nursery. It means that Winter will soon be drawing to a close and Spring is just around the corner! This is also the time when we have the widest selection of fruit trees available at the best price, pruned and ready to plant! Never planted a bare root tree before? Instructions can be found by clicking the button below, along with the full list of our available bare root fruit trees.    Fresh In: NEW Indoor & Outdoor Pottery Make a bold statement with new pottery! The nursery and garden shop are stocked with tons of beautiful NEW pots for your plants – bright colors and unique textures – perfect for Spring planting!  Bzz...The Bees are Coming!
Introducing native Orchard Mason Bees to your garden will dramatically increase the quantity and quality of the fruit the tree bears. We have everything you need to maintain mason bees and the knowledge to help you do so. Bees arrive next week!  Bare Root: Lowest Price of the Year! Never planted a bare root tree before? Instructions can be found below, along with a complete list of our fruit trees available. Bare root trees are easier to plant and transport now, which means we offer them at a lower price than when they are potted later in the spring. How to Plant Your Bare-Root Tree 1. Dig a shallow, wide planting hole.
2. Mix the native soil with Planting Compost at a ratio of up to 50/50. Add a good starter fertilizer to the soil mix. We recommend Gardener and Bloome Planting Compost which is full of beneficial microbes and mycorrhizae at the ratio recommended on the box. 3. Spread the roots evenly in the hole, then back fill with your soil mix. The first roots should be just slightly below the surface of the soil. Be sure not to bury the graft! 4. Water well. 5. Trees should be lightly staked for about one year and may need protection from rodents and deer. 6. Water new trees and shrubs as needed the first year.  Find Your Green Refresh your indoor space and create your own plant paradise with lush foliage from our ever-growing selection of house plants in the Greenhouse. We're stocking a wide variety of tropicals, cacti, succulents, air plants and more. Plus plenty of unique, beautiful pots to plant them in!
Chasing the Grey Away Early Spring plants have arrived! Brighten up these rainy PNW days by planting colorful containers on your porch or entryway. Gorgeous Violas, Pansies, Primroses, Hellebores and much more.  Garden Seeds Have Arrived!
It might not feel like it, but spring is around the corner! Now is the time to start dreaming up your spring plantings and imagining all of the possibilities in your garden! The Garden Shop is stocked full of organic, locally grown and non-gmo seeds.  Cold Weather Warning!
The forecast is calling for cold and dry conditions. This weather can be damaging for broadleaf evergreens, tender perennials and fall annuals. Not to worry however, damage can be avoided with a little effort and planning. Tips for protecting plants:
Plants you may want to protect:
Examples of plants you may want to think about protecting:
Please feel free to call us anytime if you have any questions! 360 – 321 – 6789  Living Christmas trees are here!The nursery is bursting with beautiful, lush green color and wonderful pine scent. Wander through rows of conifers, varieties like Coastal Redwood, Himalayan White Pine, Bosnian Pine, Douglas Fir and many more. This year, consider bringing a living tree into your home. It's always a rewarding experience, allowing the memories you make this holiday season to continue to grow with your tree. Our team will make sure you have the tools to best transplant your tree into your landscape to ensure the health of your conifer for many years to come.
  Someone once said, "The love of flowers is really the best teacher of how to grow and understand them." It is easy to love the Rose. The rich fragrance, the sumptuous clusters of silky petals, the extravagant color, the rewarding bouquet in the vase on the kitchen table... It is also easy to be frustrated by the Rose...the powdery mildew, the black spot, the aphids, the "green worms", the pale dull foliage, the sparse blooms... In the maritime Northwest with our cool summers and our wet winters, the rose may feel like somewhat of an unwelcome guest, unless we consider its needs and comforts as good hosts always should. To begin with, choose your variety carefully. Often what's available in the Northwest market are roses that come from Texas and California that aren't necessarily appropriate for the cool summers of Whidbey Island. You may end up being disappointed by a poorly performing, diseased rose bush. At Bayview Farm & Garden, we select our roses based on disease resistance for the types of diseases we get here in the Northwest and you can trust that our roses will perform well on Whidbey and Western Washington. Consider carefully the purpose for your rosebush. Will it be a climber to be trained upon an arbor or trellis, a rambling shrub rose to swag over a fence, a compact pop of beauty for the front of a mixed border along a walkway? There is so much versatility with roses that can be used to our advantage. In a group of plants which, at its smallest, will reach just eighteen inches high, and at its grandest, takes the form of forty foot climbers, there is scope for a great deal of imagination. There are three choices in sun exposure when choosing a site for a rose...sunny, sunnier, or sunniest. In other words, roses need sun to bloom and to be healthy. Make sure you have at least six solid hours of sun a day during the growing season. The other requirement is well- drained soil. A rose will not do well in heavy, dense clay soil that holds the water all winter long. To plant:
It's a good idea to top-dress the soil around the rose with alfalfa meal. Roses love alfalfa meal. It's a good source of inexpensive nitrogen and it seems to help the roses resist disease. Deep water your roses once a week during the growing season. Fertilize in April, June and August with your good organic rose food. Any insect pests that appear, usually aphids, can be controlled by a strong spray from your garden hose, a gentle, non-toxic insecticidal soap, or with predatory insects like Ladybugs or Silver Lacewings. We carry several types of natural, non-toxic control sprays in the Garden Shop. Please avoid the systemic insecticides. They do kill the aphids but they also kill the beneficial insects that keep the insect community in balance in our gardens. They also kill any honey bees that may come to visit your rose. Birds have been known to die after drinking water from a puddle that developed near a bush that is full of systemic insecticide. Bear in mind that rose diseases can be controlled by close monitoring and good sanitation. Lightly prune the tall roses in late Fall just to keep the canes from whipping around in the wind. Then wait till March 1st to do the hard pruning. Be careful when pruning the climbers, the antique roses and the English roses, removing only the least productive old wood, and any damaged or diseased wood. Tuck your roses in for winter by applying bark mulch about a foot up the canes to protect against winter injury. Remove the mulch from the canes and spread it out in the spring when you prune again. With a little love, care and understanding, our thumbs grow greener and our roses grow stronger and more beautiful!   All weekend long: 20% OFF any one tree We're celebrating this important national holiday with 20% OFF* any one tree, all weekend long! Stop by and browse our selection of trees: flowering, fruiting, shade and more – help save the environment, one tree at a time! *one discount per customer
 Annual Color in the Greenhouse Step into the Greenhouse and you'll feel like we passed spring and went straight to summer! The benches and hanging baskets are overflowing with beautiful annuals to add that pop of color to your container, patio and garden.
 Hellebores: 25% OFF through May 1
Add these beautiful bell-shaped flowers to your landscape to keep your garden or containers bright and cheery throughout winter and early spring!  Cold Weather Warning!
The forecast is calling for cold and dry conditions. This weather can be damaging for broadleaf evergreens, tender perennials and fall annuals. Not to worry however, damage can be avoided with a little effort and planning. Tips for protecting plants:
Plants you may want to protect:
Examples of plants you may want to think about protecting:
Please feel free to call us anytime if you have any questions! 360 – 321 – 6789  It doesn't feel quite like Autumn until porches and front yards are bursting with warm colors, lots of textures and of course, pumpkins! This year we have a wide variety of plants, decor and gourds to adorn your home.  Spice it Up! We are stocked with mums, pansies, ornamental cabbage, kale and peppers – plus mixed fall containers, mini straw bales and more! All will create an inviting welcome, warming up your porch or front yard for the season!
Trick or Treat! Halloween is almost here! So make it easy and get your pumpkins, costumes and holiday decor all in one place! The Garden Shop is full of fall favorites and spooky accents.   Fall Gardening Tip: Improving Soil with Cover Crop
Now is the time to sow cover crop over your beds to prepare for Spring. This helps replenish nutrients, suppress weeds, loosen the soil and add nitrogen back in. You don't need much – a little seed goes a long way! Be sure to stop by the garden shop with any questions and we'll guide you through this process.  Fall Surprise: 40% Sale EXTENDED! To celebrate the first day of Autumn we're extending our 40% OFF sale through Sun, October 1. Help us say farewell to Summer and give a warm welcome to all things Fall with 40% off select Trees, Shrubs, Vines, Outdoor Pottery, Statuary, Arbors and Trellises. 40% OFF: EXTENDED through Sunday, October 1 Plus, help along your plants with this great deal: Buy 3 Get 1 FREE Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Conditioner *Sale limited to stock on hand. Green tag items remain at regular price. 
   Progressive Sale: Trees, Shrubs, Vines, Pottery & Statuary! Changing colors, cool mornings and some RAIN mean it's finally starting to feel like Autumn around here! Starting tomorrow,Saturday September 9, our progressive sale discounts jump to 30% OFF! Get savings on select* trees, shrubs, vines, outdoor pottery, statuary, arbors and trellises. 30% OFF: Sat, September 9 – Fri, September 15 40% OFF: Sat, September 16 – Sun, September 24 Plus, help along your plants with this great deal! Buy 3 Get 1 FREE Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Conditioner *Sale limited to stock on hand. Green tag items remain at regular price.
 Join Bayview Farm & Garden and G&B Organics this Sunday 6/4 from noon to 2pm for a special appearance by 97.3 KIRO Radio's Ciscoe Morris! Ciscoe Morris is the host of “Gardening with Ciscoe” a weekly gardening show, which airs on Saturdays from 10:00a.m. to noon on 97.3 KIRO FM. He's a long-time King County Master Gardener, a certified arborist and serves on several advisory boards including Plant Amnesty, The Seattle School District, and South Seattle Community College. In addition to his radio show, Ciscoe gives gardening tips on KING 5 TV Tuesdays and Thursdays during the noon news, as well as, on Saturdays and Sundays during the morning news. He brought his weekly gardening show to 97.3 KIRO FM in February of 1995. Ciscoe’s own website is www.ciscoe.com. Buy 3 Get 1 Free of G&B Organics' Potting Soil – Saturday, June 3 & Sunday, June 4 only. PLUS Gardner & Bloome Organics will be giving away Potting Soil to the first 60 customers! RSVP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/events/1909583562658395  National Arbor Day NATIONAL ARBOR DAY Friday, April 28th | All Day We're celebrating this national holiday with 20% OFF any one tree! Stop by and see our selection of trees: flowering, fruiting, shade – you name it! One discount per customer. From the Nursery Japanese Maples in Every Shade Stroll through the nursery and you'll be overwhelmed at the beauty of our selection in a wide range of stunning colors, sizes and leaf shapes. Follow the brick road!  The Shishigashira Japanese Maple 'Lions Head' is a very compact, slow growing cultivar that lends itself to growing in pots as a focal piece in your landscape or can be trained into a bonsai early on. This bright yellow-green leaves turn pumpkin orange in the fall.
Unusual Hybrids: Itoh Peonies These special peonies are an exciting hybrid between Garden and Tree Peonies. They are all highly sought after by collectors – yet easy to grow and very hardy. Itoh Peonies are herbaceous and lush with sturdy stems, so when the flowers grow to be quite large, they don't need to be staked like garden peonies. Check out all the varieties we have – now available in the nursery!
In the Greenhouse
Annual Color Step into the Greenhouse and you'll feel like we passed spring and went straight to summer! The benches and hanging baskets are overflowing with beautiful annuals to add that pop of color to your container, patio and garden. From the Garden Shop
Time to Plant: Seeds It's the perfect time to sow your seeds. We have a wonderful selection of locally grown, organic and non-gmo seeds in the Garden Shop – think big green salads, crisp radishes and Willowood's heirloom Rockwell Beans! At the Flower House Cafe Cold Brew is back!
We make our delicious cold brew from fresh coarsely ground Useless Bay Coffee beans. We then let the grounds and filtered water steep overnight – creating a strong, concentrated brew with a smooth chocolatey finish. Yum!  Container Planting WorkshopWhat: Container Planting Workshop When: Tuesday, April 25th | 11am-12pm Cost: Free Bayview Farm & Garden owner, Maureen Murphy, will walk you through the thrill, fill and spill to make your own colorful containers! Think color, texture and beauty all summer. PLUS 10% off container planting materials and plants for attendees the day of the workshop. RSVP & more info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/251712485235007/  Bonsai WorkshopWhat: Container Planting Workshop
When: Sunday, May 7th | 10am – 1pm Cost: Free Taught by Roger Hickman, who has 20 years of bonsai experience. Students will learn the ins and outs of creating, caring for and maintaining bonsai plants. PLUS Bayview Farm & Garden is stocking tools, pots, plants and everything else you need for bonsai plants and care! RSVP & more info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1449270525131163 MARCH RHODODENDRON SALE
1 Gal Rhodies: Buy 2 Get 1 FREE (Original: $12.99) These beautiful shrubs produce some of our favorite blossoms, from pink to purple and everything in-between – they are all uniquely gorgeous! We look forward to their arrival each Spring and this year we are boasting dozens of varieties in color and leaf structure. Stop by and pick up the perfect Rhodie to add to your garden this year. Sale continues through March, while supplies last.  SPECIAL 2-DAY BARE ROOT SALE Bare Root Stock: 40% OFF (March 11 & 12 only) Plant bare-root trees now for delicious fruit and luscious flowers later! It's that time of year to get inspired planning your garden and we have the widest selection and best price. This sale includes bare root Rhubarb and Asparagus, for delicious early Spring veggies! Never planted a bare root tree before? Instructions can be found on our website, here. Bare root trees are easier to plant and transport now, which means we offer them at a lower price than when they are potted later in the spring.
 GARDEN SHOP SALE Gift Table: 50% OFF (March 11 & 12 only)
We're making way for new merchandise with this special weekend sale! Stop by the Garden Shop and browse our table of selected gifts from the home, pantry and kids sections.  Spring is around the corner! With less than 3 weeks left, we are making big plans for beautiful fruit trees, fragrant rose bushes and delicious Spring veggies. Read below for tips on what plants you need to be getting in the ground now.
Roses are Red Stop by the nursery to browse the varieties of rose bushes we have in stock. Selected for disease resistance, repeat bloom, fragrance and performance in our Western Washington growing conditions. We have an impressive variety of David Austin English roses, climbers, floribundas, hybrid teas and hardy shrub roses – all gorgeous, fragrant and ready to be planted!  Bare Root Stock: 25% Off Plant bare-root trees now for delicious fruit and luscious flowers later! It's that time of year to get inspired planning your garden and we have the widest selection and best price – all bare root trees are 25% off! Never planted a bare root tree before? Instructions can be found on our website, here. Bare root trees are easier to plant and transport now, which means we offer them at a lower price than when they are potted later in the spring.
Berry Goodness! New arrivals at BFG – we're talking blueberry, boysenberry, raspberry, strawberry, loganberry and more berry! Ready to be planted for bountiful Spring & Summer harvests!
Rhubarb and Asparagus are in! It's time to plant those perennial veggies – if you aren't lucky enough to have them buried in your garden from years past. Robust bare-root starts that are ready to plant, easy to care for and are 25% off – just some of the reasons these are a spring-must in our book!  Sweet Peas It's Sweet Pea planting season! The garden shop is full of tons of beautiful varieties so you can get those seeds in the ground now. And if you haven't yet, don't forget to browse our seed wall in the Garden Shop.  The Bees are in! Now is the time to start your own colony of native pollinators, the Orchard Mason Bee. These friendly little guys work hard to improve pollination of fruits, veggies and other plants in your garden. We have bees and all bee supplies in stock.  The chicks are *almost* back in town! Baby Chicks arrive March 15th! We'll have many different dual-purpose varieties and everything you need to raise strong, healthy chicks. Stay tuned for more details and workshops!
Garden Shop Goodies
Welcome Spring into your home with this new line of candles, body lotions and soaps from The Herb Garden. We can't get enough of these delicious smells – stop by the Garden Shop and try for yourself!  It’s the winter season, which means it’s time to get out the dormant spray! Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s Day are good markers to remind us to do something nice for our fruit & flowering trees, grape vines, berries, roses, and lilacs. The Pacific Northwest with its mild, damp conditions is a wonderful place to garden. It is also the fungus capitol of the universe. These fungal spores over-winter in the crooks and fissures of bark and twigs, and may manifest during the growing season as troublesome diseases. Dormant sprays are compounds that assist us in controlling fungal diseases and many insect infestations, and are used during the winter season while the plant is in its dormant phase. (The plant is dormant, not the spray!) Common dormant spray materials are acceptable by organic certification standards. Although approved by the EPA for organic use, exposure to the eyes and skin is dangerous and should be applied with caution. Wear long sleeves, gloves and goggles when spraying, and avoid the windy days. As boring and tedious as it may be, always read the label and follow the directions. A special note…more is not better. Under certain conditions, plants may be damaged by using a concentration that is too strong. Copper Sulphate – Copper Sulphate is a dormant spray and a very good fungicide. While you can use it on any tree, it is the only kind of dormant spray that should be used on Peach and Nectarine trees. Dormant spraying is the most cost effective method of disease and insect control. It is essentially a sanitizing process performed when the plants are resting. Prevention is the key to success. The spray is applied to the bare limbs and twigs of the plant, thoroughly wetting down the bark, covering all sides until it drips. The first spray, when done in late autumn or early winter is like putting a raincoat on the plant. Fungal spores blow around in the wind all winter in the maritime northwest. This spray applies a protective coating, which prevents these spores from getting a toe-hold in the bark of the tree or shrub. The second spray, done around Christmas time is an added bonus, but if you are going to skip a spray, this is the one to skip. In the event only one spray can be applied, this should be the Valentine’s Day or late winter/early spring spray. This is the spray that will control apple scab, which can be a serious pest on apples, crabapples and pears. This is known as a delayed dormant spray. Delayed dormant sprays are applied from the "green tip" stage to the "half-inch green" bud growth phase. When the leaf buds are just beginning to emerge and the plant is just starting to come out of dormancy is the time to do this spray. This is by far the most effective time to wipe out the apple scab spores and many newly emerging insects that have just pounced on the fresh green buds. Timing is critical as sprays applied after this can injure the young leaves. It’s important for the spray to dry on the plant. If it rains within 24 hours of spraying…yup, that’s right, you need to get out there and do it again. So watch the weather report and wait for just the right timing. Look for an above freezing, dry, calm day and apply! No method of insect and disease control can substitute for good cultural practices in gardening. Healthy plants have their own mechanisms for fending off pests. Don’t forget about healthy soil, appropriate fertilization, adequate water, proper location, correct pruning, debris clean-up, and an appreciation for the alluring wonder and beauty of growing things. And enjoy your Holidays!   Go Green!Pantone's color of the year symbolizes a fresh start. Follow suit and refresh your indoor space with lush foliage from our ever-growing selection of house plants! We're stocking a wide variety of tropicals, cacti, succulents, airplants and more. Plus plenty of beautiful pots to plant them in!
A Taste of Spring Chasing the Grey AwayEarly Spring plants have arrived! Brighten up these rainy PNW days by planting colorful containers on your porch or entryway. Gorgeous Violas, Pansies, Primroses, Hellebores and much more.
Just in: New Outdoor Pottery
Browse the nursery for new outdoor pottery and statuary, arriving daily. Bright colors and beautiful textures in a variety of shapes and sizes to compliment any landscape.
 Join us in the greenhouse for a fun and informative afternoon, learning about our edible Native Plants. Kelsi Franzen from Whidbey Island Conservation District will be presenting in the greenhouse for this totally free workshop. Please RSVP here.
  Plant this Fall for Spring Blooms! Planting bulbs in containers offers a solution to gardeners who lack the space to create a full garden. Spring blooming bulbs can be grown in decorative pots to add accents to patios, decks and entryways. Bulbs planted in beds outside require little maintenance, however, with a few guidelines and commitment, container bulbs can prove equally as easy. Read more from the Netherland Bulb Company about container bulb planting here. Stop by the garden shop to browse our bulb wall and see the wide range of bulbs and potential blooms.   Pumpkins have arrivedIt doesn't feel quite like Fall until porches and front yards are decorated with warm colors, lots of textures and of course, pumpkins! This year we have a wide variety of carving, ornamental and mini pumpkins including Fairytale, Cinderella, Ghost and more. Stop by all month and pick out your favorites! 
 Fall Garden Tips: Cover Crop & Improving SoilNow is the time to sow cover crop over your beds to prepare for spring. This helps replenish nutrients, suppress weeds, loosen the soil and add nitrogen back in. You don't need much – a little seed goes a long way!
Be sure to take advantage of our sale on Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Conditioner (Buy 3 get 1 free) while supplies last.  Final Week of our Fall Progressive SaleThe moist climate that comes with Autumn makes it the best time of the year to plant – the soil is still warm, allowing roots to continue to grow until the ground freezes. We're celebrating this transition with discounts throughout our nursery on Trees, Shrubs, Vines, Outdoor Pottery and Statuary as well as running a Buy 3 get 1 Free special on soil conditioner. Stop by this week for big savings! Sept 17-25: 40% OFF: Trees*, Shrubs*, Vines*, Outdoor Pottery & Statuary Buy 3 get 1 FREE Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Conditioner (while supplies last) *Select green tagged plants will remain at the 20% through out the sale.
Fall Planting Tips: Soil ConditioningAs we all have discovered for ourselves, Whidbey is mostly made up of clay and gravel–which makes for a tough environment for most plants. So, any time you add organic matter to your beds you are helping enrich the soil and drastically improve conditions! Top mulch a few inches of compost or soil conditioner (like Gardner & Bloome) during the Fall–it will compost down over the Winter and you'll be primed for planting come Spring! This Soil Conditioner helps slow drainage and retain moisture in sandy soil while breaking up clay beds as well.
 Time to Plant: Trees, Shrubs, & VinesAs September rolls in so does the warm colors, cooler weather, and misty grey clouds. This Fall moisture makes it the best time of the year to plant – the soil is still warm, allowing roots to continue to grow until the ground freezes. We're celebrating this transition with discounts throughout our nursery on Trees, Shrubs, Vines, Outdoor Pottery and Statuary. Stop by during the month for tiered savings listed below. Sept 3-9: 20% OFF Sept 10-16: 30% OFF* Sept 17-25: 40% OFF* *Select green tagged plants will remain at the 20% through out the sale.
  Pacific Dogwood By Eric Studebaker When I was young, my grandmother had a giant Pacific Dogwood tree in the front yard. In flower, the tree was magical, with thousands of saucer like flowers held delicately on its wispy branches. Her yard was small, so this huge old tree dominated her front yard. Unfortunately, the tree was also suffering from a dreaded fungal disease called Anthracnose. This made the tree drop leaves throughout spring and summer, and I specifically remember kicking leaves around her yard as a young boy. This made the tree messy, and very unsightly at times when the tree had no flowers. Over the years, I always remember that tree, think of her, and have a particular passion for what I consider the most beautiful flowering trees on earth. I have now been selling Dogwood trees for more than 30 years, hoping to inspire the passion to customers that I hold to heart. Fortunately, there are breeders with the passion, crossing and selecting the trees for heavy flowering, disease resistance, and better overall performance in our landscapes. I could not be happier, and have come to recognize other attributes of these fine trees. They not only bloom with wild abandon, most have have great fall color, and some even produce beautiful, and edible, bird friendly fruit. Here are a few great dogwood trees, most rather recent, for you to consider. There are many other great forms available, as Dogwood is a large group of trees and shrubs. I hope they bring you some passion as well.
 Two Satomi Dogwoods in all their June glory. Satomi Kousa Dogwood |
 Hyperion Dogwood flowers. | Hyperion Dogwood A recent Rutgers introduction with large white flowers, large red fruits, and beautiful fall colors of reds and oranges. The flowers are said to cover the tree, the fruit is large – like a strawberry, and abundant. I have been amazed at the flower production of the young trees I have seen so far. Matures up to to 20ft x 18ft. |
Summer Gold Dogwood tree in early June.
 Summer Gold coloring in Fall.  Milky Way flowers in early June. | Summer Gold Dogwood I have fallen head over heels for this new Korean Dogwood and had to have one for my garden. It combines foliage, flowers, fruit, and fall color in a way few trees can. The foliage is bright, like sunglasses bright, and refuses to burn, even in the hot sun and heat of last summer. The white flowers take on pink hues as they age and contrast the foliage nicely. The late summer fruit is also beautiful, reddish-orange, and highly ornamental against the foliage. The fall foliage is a riot of different colors and tones–including pink! The tree is said to be small, reaching 8ft high and 5ft wide in 10 years. I love the variegated plants and think this form is going to be a winner. Milky Way Dogwood This is a selected form of Korean Dogwood with flowers as abundant as the stars in the sky. The flowers begin a chartreuse color in late May, then age to white, and finally take on pink hues. Generous red raspberry like fruits cover the tree in late summer. In Fall, the foliage color is orange tones. The tree has a beautiful rounded and tiered form, with cascading outer branches. Mature height is about 15-20ft high and wife. Sun or partial sun is best. |
Some cultural notes about Dogwoods
Dogwood trees are slow growing, and slow to re-establish in your landscape. It takes time to re-grow their roots, especially since most are sold as field grown, ball and burlap trees. This means the trees have been root pruned, and will need some help recovering. Dogwoods prefer lots of compost mixed in to the native soil when planting. They prefer a short, wide planting hole as opposed to a deep one. Their roots are somewhat similar to a Rhododendron, that is, fibrous, surface oriented, and wide spreading. Dogwoods are considered non-aggressive and are appropriate around foundations and other structures. After planting, it is best to nurture your new tree by regularly and generously watering the first summer. Often new Dogwoods look dreadful in their first summer of recovery. This is because the tree has more top than bottom. In other words, the tree has more leaves than roots. Do not despair! Keep watering and caring for the tree and it will vastly improve as the roots catch up with the leaves. It takes about 3 seasons to fully establish a Dogwood tree. After that, they can become very tolerant of drought and require little care. As with People, Dogwoods become more beautiful with each passing year.
Other beautiful forms
Here are some other worthy forms of Dogwood tree—all worth planting. China Girl, Samaritan, Wolf Eyes, Aurora, Celestial Shadow, Heart Throb, Eddie’s White Wonder.
The future looks good for flowering Dogwood trees, and I hear there will be many new awesome forms coming out in the near future.
A recent, brief rain shower was a welcome relief to this hydrangea during an unusually hot and dry Whidbey Island summer.
Bayview Farm & Garden opened nearly 25 years ago, and in that time we have never seen conditions on Whidbey Island this dry. The heat and drought are concerning. Will Whidbey—and the rest of the planet — need to contend with a “new normal” in weather patterns?
Whether we will or not, this dry spell is a good time for a few reminders on caring for plants in extreme heat and on the basics of water conservation in yard and garden.
Plant Selection & Care
Effective Watering and Conservation
The specialists at Bayview Farm & Garden have the knowledge, plants and equipment to help you implement many of the above strategies. For example, we can provide drought resistant plants for your garden and talk with you about xeriscaping, which is landscaping and gardening techniques that require less water than traditional methods.
With concerted effort, we can both derive maximum enjoyment from our gardens and help conserve our precious water supply.
Maureen Murphy
Bayview Farm & Garden
Whether we will or not, this dry spell is a good time for a few reminders on caring for plants in extreme heat and on the basics of water conservation in yard and garden.
Plant Selection & Care
- Choose drought-resistant plants with extensive root systems. Such plants will come back year after year and require less water.
- Just purchased a new plant? Do not leave it in a hot car for more than one hour.
- If you are unable to plant a new plant immediately, do not allow its roots to go dry. Place the new plant in the shade and water frequently every day, and/or place in a basin with a few inches of water.
- After planting, water daily during times of high heat. Do not let your new plant go dry before it is established.
- Fertilize before and after planting. A fertilized plant will be stronger, healthier and better able to withstand hot, dry conditions.
- Use mulch, which is a layer of material such as compost or wood chips, applied to the surface of an area of soil. This helps to conserve moisture and soil fertility.
- Hot, dry weather is a fine time to plant, but not a good time to dig up an established plant and attempt to move it. The shock of transplanting under extremely dry conditions could kill your plant.
Effective Watering and Conservation
- Water the base of the plant and the soil rather than the foliage. This allows the water to make it to the roots.
- Avoid watering during the hottest time of the day. Instead, water in early morning or in the evening. Early morning is best. This will help minimize evaporation.
- Leaky hoses and faucets are huge water wasters! Inspect them regularly and replace if you can.
- Put sprinklers on timers if possible.
- Do not leave spigots on, even if the hose is off. Not only will this help prevent leaks, but it will also guard against a build-up of potentially scalding water in the hose.
- Create shade! A light crop cover fabric (sometimes called a “float”) sits gently on top of your plants and provides shade, retains moisture, vents out excess heat and minimizes the need to water.
- Catch the rain: eventually it’s going to rain on Whidbey again. When it does, be ready with a catchment to collect some of that precious rainwater. During the next dry period, you’ll have “extra” water to use.
The specialists at Bayview Farm & Garden have the knowledge, plants and equipment to help you implement many of the above strategies. For example, we can provide drought resistant plants for your garden and talk with you about xeriscaping, which is landscaping and gardening techniques that require less water than traditional methods.
With concerted effort, we can both derive maximum enjoyment from our gardens and help conserve our precious water supply.
Maureen Murphy
Bayview Farm & Garden
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