Designing a Container Garden for Sensory Delight

  CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE Container gardens offer a fantastic opportunity to craft a lasting experience that engages, sight, smell, touch, even taste, right outside your door whether it’s at your front entry, balcony or patio.  Plus, sensory stimulation enhances our well-being. At this point in my career, incorporating the five senses into my container garden designs and…

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March Makeover: Tips for Refreshing Your Spring Containers

  CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE March can be such a tease, luring us with its transition from winter to spring and often bringing about unpredictable weather changes. It can be a mix of warm spells and sudden cold snaps. During this period, our container plantings might start looking a bit dreary. So how do you transition your container…

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Growing Citrus in the Pacific Northwest

  CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE Citrus, the fragrant, fruit-bearing beauty Citrus has a special place in my heart. When most people think of citrus, they think of its fruit but some citrus is grown for its fragrant leaves and flowers. It’s all of this and more for me. My parents have been taking care of kumquat trees since…

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Bring a Sunny Disposition to Your Container Plantings

  CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE There’s just something about yellow Last month, I shared that tete a tetes signify the arrival of spring for me. I recently found myself thinking about what is it about tete a tetes that makes me feel so cheerful and happy.  Is it something as simple as their color? Yellow symbolizes happiness. One…

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Narcissus ‘Tête `a Tête’ – The First Sign of Spring

  CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE Narcissus ‘Tête `a Tête’ nodding to a new season’s arrival Because of the Narcissus ‘Tête `a Tête’, there is literally no need for a calendar to signify spring.  One of the first signs of the new season, it offers up sweet fragrance, bright color and cheer. ‘Tête `a Tête’ is a French term,…

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Sowing Sweet Peas for Spring Container Charm and Beauty

  CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE It’s time to sow those plans for spring! Seed racks begin rolling into the garden centers this time of year, and sweet pea seeds will be one of the many offerings. The sweet pea, Lathyrus odoratus, is a flowering plant that’s native to parts of the Mediterranean, but grown all over the world…

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Repotting Your Indoor Plants

  CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE Does your baby need new shoes?  Are your plant’s roots cramped into tight quarters?  It might be time to move your plant into a bigger pot.  Before you get started, you’ll want to make sure it needs more space. The best time to assess your plant’s repotting needs is in spring, as this…

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