Gardening with Laurie: Getting ready for frost
By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist Horrid though it seems, frost will be here soon. The average first frost date in Sandpoint is Sept. 15, so we could be less than two weeks away. Colder...
Tagged: Laurie Brown
Gardening with Laurie: Cut Flowers = Poison?
By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist Most people, especially gardeners, love to have fresh-cut flowers in the house. They bring color, fragrance and a good feeling into the home. But while most flowers aren’t toxic...
Gardening with Laurie: Seed saving
By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist Some gardeners at some point want to save seeds from their favorite varieties, be they vegetables or ornamentals. There are several reasons for doing this: You can save money....
Gardening with Laurie: Beauty of blue
By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist Blue flowers are scarcer than most other colors. You see a lot of them advertised in plant catalogs, but mostly they are actually purple. “Johnson’s Blue” geranium? Blue flag...
Gardening with Laurie: Marvelous Mulch
By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist Mulch is something most gardeners know about but may not know how to use. There are several reasons for using it; in winter, it insulates the ground and prevents...
Gardening with Laurie: Woody perennial herbs
By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist Herbs can be some of the easiest plants to grow for the home food garden. They add interest to meals or tea, and some are quite pretty. Some of...
Gardening with Laurie: Spring at last!
By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist After a several false starts, spring is finally really here. The cottonwoods went from bare to leafed out in about three days. The dandelions are blooming. The air feels...
Gardening with Laurie: Putting the garden to bed
By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist It’s official: October is here, the leaves are turning, the geese are honking in the sky and plants are dying back. Time to put the garden to bed for...
Gardening with Laurie: Plants for winter birds
By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist While most plants should be cut back in autumn, there are some seed heads that can be left standing. They will not only add structure to the winter garden,...
Gardening with Laurie: Contrast in the garden
By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist Contrast is useful in any garden design. Contrast draws the eye. It’s dynamic. It grabs the attention, and brings certain areas into focus. It can be created using many...
