Something strange is going on here in Western Washington. As I drive down the road I see wilting trees, browning shrubs and crispy leaves everywhere. The plantings in the road medians are so close to death that I want to jump out of my car and empty all my water bottles on them. You know, the irresistible urge to water dry plants for us is just the same as the instinct to feed our own children. We haven’t had significant rain here in the Pacific Northwest since July. And interesting statistic, we haven’t had a dry streak this long since 1922, which is 90 years ago! They are calling it a once in a lifetime event.
So the sun is still shining and we are still planting (and watering)! When other gardeners are putting away their pots and washing up their gloves, we are still going to the local garden center and creating new planting containers for the fall and winter! Pansies that bloom until spring, heucheras that give big-leaf color and shapely conifers all take center stage in our pots. Here is a sampling of a few that we made at the nursery where I work. I really love the dwarf pine ‘hakuho’ which has slow, irregular growth, perfect for a container!
