Pat Munts

All Stories

News >  Home and garden

Gardening: Get plants ready for the hot summer days ahead

Thu., July 4, 2019

It’s the Fourth of July, and the corn should be knee-high in the garden.

News >  Home and garden

Gardening: Early attack can thwart noxious weed invasion

Thu., June 27, 2019

Not all those pretty wildflowers we are seeing right now are harmless. Many of them are noxious weeds that are aggressively taking over the landscape.

News >  Home and garden

Gardening: Protect against voles, found in large numbers this year

Wed., June 19, 2019

To control mouse, vole and shrew population, remove their protective cover in the yard and gardens and put up barriers to protect trees and certain plants.

News >  Home and garden

Gardening: Apple sleuths compare notes at Sandpoint gathering

Thu., June 13, 2019

Through history, there are over 5,000 named varieties of apples in the world. Of those today, we commonly eat maybe 10. So, what happened to the other 4,990?

News >  Spokane

4H food garden techniques taking hold in Burundi

Thu., May 30, 2019

Pat Munts describes

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Well-planned pot has thrillers, spillers and fillers

Thu., May 30, 2019

With the warmer weather, it’s time to plant the deck pots.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Proper research can prevent common tree-planting mistakes, experts say

Thu., May 23, 2019

The gardening season is in full swing and the nurseries are full of enticing plants.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Never underestimate Spokane’s fickle spring weather

Thu., May 16, 2019

Knowing when and what to plant in the Inland Northwest, Pat Munts relies on her 40 years of experience in Spokane’s fickle spring weather.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: SpokaneScape program offers rebates for lawn-free, water-efficient front yards

Thu., May 9, 2019

The city’s SpokaneScape program will pay you to remove lawn in a front yard and help you design a new, water-wise landscape.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Consider growing plants with colorful leaves in shade

UPDATED: Wed., May 1, 2019

Last week I talked about getting rid of moss in shady areas. That resulted in questions about how to get some color in shady areas of the garden. Dark green doesn’t cut it with some gardeners.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Change soil conditions and bid adieu to moss-colonized lawn

Thu., April 25, 2019

Now that the grass is growing, the question of the week seems to be how to get rid of moss in the lawn.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Careful moving of mother-in-law’s treasured rose, step by step

Thu., April 18, 2019

I have to move a very special rose this spring.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Time to aerate, fertilize and spot treat weeds to revive lawn

Thu., April 11, 2019

It’s time to get a jump on lawn care before it gets away from us.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Start next season’s pollinator meadow now

Thu., April 4, 2019

Planting a pollinator meadow begins in the spring and will take a year to ensure a growing field that will sustain important insects and animals.

News >  Home and garden

Gardening: Hot peppers tricky, but worth a try, Pat Munts says

Thu., March 28, 2019

Growing really hot peppers seems to be a trend, gardening columnist Pat Munts writes.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Daffodils signal spring is coming

Thu., March 14, 2019

Spring is out there somewhere. I caught a glimpse of it during a layover in Wales on my way back from Africa. It was wonderful.

News >  Home and garden

Gardening: Blueberriy, elderberry, serviceberry plants do well in Inland Northwest

Thu., March 7, 2019

If you’ve joined the berry and fruit tree growing trend, Pat Munts offers some tips on getting good yields.

News >  Home and garden

Gardening: Climate control: Start veggie seeds indoors

Thu., Feb. 28, 2019

Starting your own vegetable seeds indoors is a great way to save some money and grow varieties you can’t find in the garden centers.

News >  Home and garden

Gardening: ‘Good quality potting mix’ is soilless, sterile and drains well

Thu., Feb. 21, 2019

What is “good quality potting mix”?

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Spokane Edible Tree Project’s workshop series gets tree owners ready for annual gleaning

Thu., Feb. 14, 2019

The Spokane Edible Tree Project has gleaned over 100,000 pounds of apples, pears, plums, peaches, raspberries and blueberries from Spokane backyard trees since its inception in 2013. The Tree Project is offering a workshop series on fruit tree management, grafting, native pollinators and pest management.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Start spring cleaning now to eradicate houseplant insects

Thu., Feb. 7, 2019

It’s time to check your houseplants for unwanted visitors. The plants have been somewhat dormant for the last couple of months but with the increasing light, they will soon be waking up to spring; hitchhiking insects and all.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Mild winter brings unlikely visitors – Anna’s hummingbirds

Mon., Feb. 4, 2019

Just to show you how mild a winter we have had so far, I had my first garden tour of the year last Sunday with a little twist. Michael Loundagin, an old friend who is well known in the local nursery industry, emailed last Thursday that he had two Anna’s hummingbirds, a male and a female, visiting a feeder left over from last summer. I grabbed my camera and headed for his South Hill garden.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Beekeeping conference at EWU will offer latest on bee science and conservation

Thu., Jan. 24, 2019

Beekeeping has become a very popular hobby in our region and beyond in the last few years. Beekeeping classes fill quickly, and several new beekeeping clubs have popped up in the area to keep hobbyists connected. What there hasn’t been until now is an educational event focused entirely on the biology, care and support for the bees.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Classes might be welcome break from winter blues

Thu., Jan. 17, 2019

The holidays are over and the reality of winter – what there is of it – is settling in. Cabin fever for gardeners will be setting in soon so here are a few ways to beat the winter gardening blues.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Tackle early garden chores amid mild winter

Thu., Jan. 10, 2019

I can’t remember the last time I spent a whole weekend in January digging in the garden. But that’s what I did last weekend and it was wonderful!