Valley Nursery Plantcast

Nothing brightens up a home more for the summer than a vibrant hanging basket and ours are blooming NOW. For more than 30 years, Valley's grown beautiful mixed baskets and we discuss the evolution of the basket and how to care for them in this episode of the Valley Nursery Plantcast.

Our super rainy spring is prime slug season ... the nasty garden destroyers are slowly creeping through the overgrowth on a mission to destroy your hard work. Take action. Unite in removing these slimly vermin from the gardens that we all love! Here are some humane, organic or violent and sinister ways to get slugs out of your life.

They're worthy of a prominent place in your yard so why not talk about them? Now is the time to plant these year-round pleasers and our stock is at its peak. Find out what all the fuss is about as we discuss the virtues of the iconic Japanese Maple.

Lack of space doesn't mean you can't be a gardener! Container gardening is a great way to get growing. We chat with Valley's custom container specialist about how to have success planting in any sized container. It's spring - get your hands dirty and grow baby grow!

Conifers are the perfect way to create privacy and block out undesirable views - like that shirtless neighbor with all the junked cars in the yard. Resident arborist Deane chats with us about four fantastic conifer options for various screening preferences.

Our annual fuchsia planting begins March 26 and we discuss planting, growing, fertilizing and pinching these delicate and delightful flowers for blooming success throughout the spring and summer. We had to call in Brad - we couldn't event pretend we knew it all.

It's time for our annual Spring Sale! In this episode we discuss what items we have on sale during this awesome spring event. Check your mailbox for our mailer and come on in - there's something for everyone - no matter what color your thumb is.

We welcome back Valley's owner Brad Watts to discuss what vegetables to start indoors and outside right now (don't worry - you're not too late!)

The docile mason bee is one of the earliest pollinators in spring and the benefits of hosting them in your garden extend beyond the confines of your yard. We chat with one of our favorite horticulturalists today about how to create a happy habitat for these gentle bees and how by doing so you can help save the world. Kind of.

Valley Nursery owner Brad Watts is our special guest this week and chats with us about strawberries and boosts confidence about plant survival through a late season sudden drop in temperature.

A fruit tree in your yard is as classic as white picket fences and golden retrievers but these symbols of Americana are shrouded in misinformation about care and growth. Today we set the record straight on three fruit tree myths and share one Washington specific truth.

Take advantage of this lovely false spring and get outside. It's time to dig those trenches and plant your asparagus and potatoes. Prep your beds for summer color with our bold beautiful bulbs. As ever, mind your soil folks, turn it, supplement it, get it covered! It's actually pleasant even to get outside and we are full of suggestions for how you can make the most of your time in the garden.

With more than six inches of rain in less than three weeks, we've got water everywhere and today we discuss how to proactively direct runoff into a "green" stormwater solution - a raingarden. With proper planning, a hearty team of helpers and a cacophony of plants, you can create a low-maintenance yard feature that benefits your landscape and your community. Let us tell you how!

You've mastered the basics of cultivating common houseplants and are ready to get more tropical ... so how do you do it? We chat with a local plantsman who took the leap from quit his day job to pursue growing large tropical houseplants as his business. His enthusiasm is bound to boost your confidence and inspire the growth of your own collection.

The turn of the calendar year means the arrival of seed catalogs in mailboxes and seed packets in the nursery. The time to plan is upon us and today we discuss how to decide which seeds are best for your garden.

Want to wow your friends and family with fun facts about traditional holiday plants? Listen no further than this podcast! We've got the skinny on holly, ivy, the poop stick, Christmas cactus and the Virgin Mary's favorite plant. There's a tidbit in this Plantcast for everyone!

Lighten up on the shortest day of the year with the Plantcast with conversations about how to celebrate with bits of trees and a little creativity. There's also a worldwide bloom happening and we tell you how to identify it (pssst ... it's bamboo).

The poinsettia is synonymous with Christmas. Erin and Justin chat with Todd Nakamura from StarLake Greenhouse, a Western Washington grower of this beautiful holiday favorite. They also discuss how to take care of this delicate flower.

It's time to decorate for the holidays! Locally sourced cut greens have filled our greenhouses and we talk about where they come from and what we do to spruce them up so they're ready to spruce up your home (and no, it's not all spruce). Worried about keeping your cut greens alive? We have some suggestions in prolonging their prettiness. There's also living gifts that aren't all green we tell you...

We dip into the world of Justin's favorite topic and the reason our beautiful state is called the Evergreen State, conifers. It's not all Christmas Trees and cedars around here. Justin tells the story of bringing in our new big crop of Mountain Hemlocks and we get advice from our certified arborist on how to keep these beautiful trees alive. We'll also tell you a little about Christmas Trees, cut...

Directly from our greenhouse to your living room, today we discuss houseplants. This episode highlights four popular houseplants. Erin & Justin will tell you how to care for them, how to help them thrive indoors throughout the cold winter months and maybe, just maybe, how to say their Latin names. Trust us, these plants are easier to care for than they are to pronounce.

In our first episode, we chat about what to do in the garden this weekend to set yourself up for success in the spring, planting garlic and what to plant now to ensure stunning fall color NEXT year.