I love spring. I love tulips and I love all the colors of spring flowers that can make a beautiful spring landscape. I have been collecting photos of some of the tulip color combinations I have seen around town so I can make a plan for my garden. I hope these photos give you a […]
Tag Archives: SW Idaho gardening
Help! My branches are breaking- OR How Many Ladders Do I Need to Hold Up My Fruit Trees?
Home orchards are a lot of work- trees need pruning, thinning and a watchful eye for pests and diseases. But if there is one job you should NOT neglect on your home orchard, it is thinning and summer pruning.
Pampered Plants or Plants that Thrive?
After many years of gardening in Idaho I have come to a conclusion about how I will grow my garden. I am tired of pampering plants, I am tired of buying some new beautiful variety to find out in a year or two, they don’t like my soil, or the humidity or the winter snow […]
Best Perennials for Attracting Bees and Annuals
Fall Blooming Here is a SHORT list of fall blooming plants that grow well in Idaho heat low humidity alkaline soils do not require a lot of water. These are the best flowers I have found. This is not a complete list by any means, and if you have some suggestions- I will add them! Asters: […]
The Missing Link
I have found an interesting article from Elmore County Extension office in Mountain Home, ID- called “Missing Links in SW Idaho Soil Management”. Here is the site to read it: http://extension.uidaho.edu/elmore/files/2013/12/MissingLinksinSWIdahoSoilManagement.pdf In this short article, it explains that our alkaline soils need a lot of compost, but also some micronutrients in order for plants to thrive. I wanted […]
Best Perennials for Attracting Bees and other pollinators in Idaho – Part Two: Summer bloomers
Summer Blooming Lavender: So many kinds of lavenders, so little time! I agree with the bees on this one- it’s great! They can be very slow in greening up in the spring, but a patch of lavender is beautiful and fragrant and attractive to the bees. Lemon Balm: (Melissa officinalis) A vigorous reseeder -there seems […]
Best NO FUSS Perennials for Attracting Bees and other pollinators in Idaho – Part One – Spring Bloomers
I have read a lot of lists of the best perennials to attract pollinators, but many of them are written by people who live in other states. I wanted to make my own list of best perennials for the bees of Southwest Idaho, Treasure Valley, eastern Oregon . Our hot dry summers, low humidity, alkaline soils […]