Susan Calhoun
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Pacific Northwest Regional Reports
3 Great Lawn-Alternative Design Ideas for the Pacific Northwest
There is nothing quite like a lawn to really set off a planting bed. A frame is created with the grass below and the sky above. I have a dog,…
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Design
The Best Ornamental Grasses for Every Season
There are countless ornamental grasses to choose from, so narrowing down a list of my favorites is tough. However, the following assortment—categorized by their best season of interest—is a good…
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How-To
How to Divide Large Overgrown Ornamental Grasses
Happy ornamental grasses need to be divided every three to four years. Smaller species (those less than 2 feet wide or so) are easy to cut in half with a…
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Design
Get Four-Season Interest Using Ornamental Grasses in the Landscape
"Ornamental grasses only look good in fall.” If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard this from my clients—or even fellow garden designers—I’d be able to retire. Even…
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Pacific Northwest Regional Reports
Great Perennial Plants for Shady Garden Containers in the Pacific Northwest
Shade gardens are some of the most beautiful and rewarding gardens you can create. No one can resist the cool welcome that dappled areas of the landscape offer in the…
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Pacific Northwest Regional Reports
Spectacular Summer Flowering Bulbs for the Pacific Northwest
Spring is fading fast, and memories of the daffodil and tulip bulbs that we filled our beds and containers with are starting to fade also. Now is the time to…
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Design
‘Heavenly Cloud’ Texas Sage Blooms for Weeks in Parched Soil
As climate change becomes more evident, many gardeners are looking for easy-care, drought-tolerant plants to add to their beds and borders. You may hear “sage” and think of the vast…
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Pacific Northwest Regional Reports
Planting Around a Patio in the Pacific Northwest
February in our region was a month of waiting for the weather to get better. Warm winds and longer days have finally arrived, and most of us are desperate to…
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Pacific Northwest Regional Reports
Late-Winter Blooming Plants for Pollinators in Pacific Northwest
After the torrential rains of December, it is a wonder that anything is blooming in Pacific Northwest gardens. Thankfully there are great plants that survive the downpours and even flourish…
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Design
Plants with Architectural Appeal
Who isn’t transfixed by an avenue of lime trees leading to the green shade of a sitting area, or by a path meandering through low ground covers and into a…