Welcome to the Washington State Federation of Garden Clubs
"Celebrating 90 years in service to our communities. 1933-2023"
That's a Good Question and more...
How do I care for hanging baskets during the summertime?
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A hanging basket is like a bouquet in the air. It's a flower bouquet that keeps on giving if you follow a few tips:
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Choose the right container. The most attractive hanging containers are made of wire, wood, or clay. Large containers won't dry out as quickly as small ones. But, plasic hangers work well as long as your flowers are well hydrated.
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Hang in a sturdy location. Planted baskets are often heavy. Hang them from strong eaves or patio covers, or wall-mount them with special brackets for hanging pots.
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Use a swivel hook. This allows you to rotate the plants so the get light on all sides, plus it helps when watering.
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Water, groom and feed plants. Watering with drip irrigation is ideal (run 1/4-inch drip tubing down from the eaves to irrigate hanging baskets). Remove dead flowers and pinch back growth to shape plants. Feed plants every two weeks with a water soluble fertilizer.
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Looking for a Good Read?
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Bee Basics: An Introduction to Our Native Bees.
A beautiful publication with wonderful illustrations on our native bee's world. Published in partnership with the USDA Forest Service and Pollinator Partnership Publication. Click on image.
Did you know?
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The world's living tree is the Pacific Coast redwood (Sequioa sempervirons) which grows along the Pacific Coast of the United States, mainly in California. Interestingly enough, it's not the world's oldest growing tree; that award goes to a bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata). And, we have small grove of them in Olympia, WA at the satellite garden nursery of "Jason's Nurseries" of Yelm, WA. You can view during April - June.
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Archaeologists have uncovered evidence that about 8,000 years ago, grapes were grown to make wine in the Caucasus (present-day Georgia). The ancient Egyptians were the first to record the process of making herbal wine about 5,000 years ago.
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A sunflower looks like one large flower, but each head is composed of hundreds of tiny flowers—called florets—which ripen to become the seeds. This is the case for all plants in the sunflower family, including daisies, yarrow, goldenrod, asters, coreopsis, and bachelor's buttons.
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The main difference between nectarines and peaches is that nectarines have smooth, not fuzzy, skins. You can graft peach branches onto a nectarine tree, or vice versa, so you have both types of fruits.
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"Tutti-Frutti Fiesta"
Here's some deer-resistant plants that work well together in an outdoor container.
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Petra Croton (Codiaeum variegatum "Petra")
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Source: Deer-Resistant Design by Karen Chapman (2019)
Diana Bromelaid (Guzmania 'Diana')
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Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia)
