Here is our second mini-video installment from our summer trip to the UK, featuring Hidcote Manor Garden in the Cotswolds, England. Hidcote Manor Garden is a world-famous Arts & Crafts inspired garden, designed by Major Lawrence Johnson, set against the backdrop of the rolling hills of the North Cotswolds countryside. What a delight it was to stroll through each of the connecting intimate garden ‘rooms’, spaces filled with a cottage-style profusion of plants.

Hello Garden Friends!

I hope you’re all having a fabulous summer. I just returned from a garden / graduation trip to the UK, and I’d like to share with you a bit of the Scottish culture with short video of my nephew’s graduation from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. A very special day for my family and our friends.

If you were wondering if you could grow palm trees in the Pacific Northwest, yes you can! Windmill Palms are a classic palm in the Pacific Northwest. They are cold-hardy to 10 degrees and short drops to zero degrees. Windmill Palms thrive in zones 7 to 11.Their trunk is covered in fur and acts like an insulation to protect the interior from the cold. Moderately fast growing to 18’ tall in 10 years. If they are newly planted in the fall, when the weather starts to drop, it’s a good idea to wrap them with burlap and tie up the fronds, leaves. The crown, or the top of its trunk, is the most susceptible to the danger of frost.

Hello Garden Friends! If any of you are wondering if you can plant in the winter, yes you can! You can plant in the winter, as long as what you’re planting is hardy for your planting zone. When the ground is frozen, what we do at The White Pear is use a pickaxe to break up the soil, dig out the appropriate size planting hole, fill with good blended soil, plant, and mulch with 2-3 inches of compost. Last fall, we had the pleasure of designing a landscape on a hilltop in the Dundee, Dayton wine producing region of Oregon. The 360 degree views were stunning.

Installing a garden in the fall offers numerous advantages. Cooler temperatures, less plant stress, and the soil is still warm enough to encourage root growth. Additionally, fall planting allows plants to establish themselves before the heat of summer, leading to healthier, more resilient gardens. And, it’s also just a lovely time to be outdoors in the mild weather. Fall is my husband’s favorite time of the year, but I’m guessing it’s more for football, and not gardening…

After months of rain, snow, wind, and ice, early spring is the ideal time to walk your landscape and assess tree health. Broken or damaged branches should be removed for safety and plant vitality, and if you haven’t yet pruned for shape, do it now before foliage fills in. Keep an eye on the forecast, as a late frost can still catch new growth off guard, protect tender buds with mulch, frost cloth, or by bringing potted plants indoors.

Happy Holidays Family & Friends! Well here we are again, one year older, one more trip around the sun, and we’re back into the holiday hubbub, can you believe it? In this last year, our little landscape company had its busiest year ever. We are so grateful to all our many wonderful clients, who we enjoy collaborating with, and who have become a part of The White Pear family. For this winter post, we’ve put together some fun facts about a well known holiday tradition, winter tips for the garden, and one of our favorite holiday dessert recipes.

It’s the new Flora Grubb Gardens in L.A.! I was thrilled to spend time with Flora, who I’ve been following online for a number of years. Flora showed me around, while my husband Fred shot a video. Check it out. There are many resources available for purchasing tulip bulbs. I like to purchase for myself and for my clients online at Dutch Grown. Spending evenings with my laptop, a glass of prosecco, and drooling over all the choices is my happy place! Many local nurseries also carry bulbs this time of year. However you buy your bulbs, be picky!

We’ve all heard of “auto detailing.” Well…instead of auto, think garden. We are introducing a new concept in landscape maintenance, “The Garden Detail.” For some of us, “mow & blow” just ain’t gonna cut it. 30 minutes of loud mowers and blowers is pure misery for you, and your neighbors. But, just to be clear, mowers and blowers are a necessity, but here at The White Pear we take time for the finer details. Does a 30 minute visit from your neighborhood mow & blow outfit get into all those tiny little nooks and crannies?