Shopping-List Plants for the Pacific Northwest

Twenty-five years ago when my wife Kathy and I started searching for a new home for our growing family, she focused on all the qualities one looks for in a new house. I, of course, looked at what every gardener considers imperative—the lot. Thanks to Kathy, we ended up with a wonderful new place. And much to my delight, the property had one particularly important feature—good soil. The other nice bonus was that the backyard bordered a small city park, with lots of open space for the kids to play, so my garden design did not have to include an area for kicking a soccer ball. Plant-wise, however, there wasn’t much other than invasive shrubs and trees. So after removing all the nasty invasives, I had a clean slate to work with.

Starting a new garden from scratch can be daunting, but it’s also a fantastic opportunity to create exactly what you want. The vision I had for my new garden (two decades ago) was based on the many small English gardens that I was lucky enough to visit—not the gardens with impeccably maintained lawns and neatly clipped hedges, but those that had plants spilling out of every nook and cranny. Since its inception, the landscape has been slowly undergoing a transformation over the past decade, from a traditional shade garden to a more naturalistic one that embraces an ecology-first mindset. This evolution, however, hasn’t sacrificed the original intention of my dream garden—that it be a visually appealing space with plenty of activity.

Like many northern gardeners, I had red-hot poker envy for many years but ruled out growing them because of their iffy -chances of surviving winter in my region. However, I am very excited about some of the newer Kniphofia introductions we are growing at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Being able to overwinter a South African plant in the Midwest is pretty cool, right? 

Name: Cornus kousa var. chinensis

I have grown alliums for their stunning architectural form for years, but one is by far my favorite: ‘Ambassador’. Although its bulb is related to garlic, onions, and shallots, this ornamental garden variety is a show-stopper. There are many other allium cultivars out there, ranging in size, color, and form, but ‘Ambassador’ rises to the top of my list for a lot of reasons.

Electric Mower Upgrade For the Win! Jamie shares that feeling when you finally get to upgrade your old decrepit mower for a shiny new electric model. The saga of our mower

Colorful Summer Plantings for Sun and Shade Attract pollinators and wildlife to your garden with these colorful combinations for sun and shade gardens. Dreaming of summer

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Are you looking for inspiration on the best perennial plants for pots?

Republic of Tea

Winter is for enjoying time in your home, and summer is for enjoying time in your yard. But shoulder seasons—fall and spring—are for preparation. In spring, we venture outdoors to nurseries and begin looking to fill our gardens with the best flowers and greenery the year has to offer.