Pat Munts

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News >  Spokane

Gardening: Dragonflies have abundance of skills

Thu., June 21, 2018

Dragonflies seem to be everywhere this spring.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Defending against aphid invasion

Thu., June 14, 2018

If we can get just a few more days of warm weather, the roses will begin coming into bloom. And with them will come a bevy of insects to steal away their beauty.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Garden of the Month contest marks 20 years

Thu., June 7, 2018

For over 20 years, the Inland Empire Gardeners has been celebrating gardeners and their gardens. Each month except December, it brings exciting speakers from all over the country to talk about all things gardening.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Slugs get busy in high humidity in spring, fall

Thu., May 24, 2018

It’s slug season. I’ve already had them eating on some of my plants including one fresh from the garden center.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Potted plants need mix of science and art

Thu., May 17, 2018

My husband’s Mother’s Day gift to me was to just turn me loose in the garden to play. I had a great time planting my deck pots. Yes, I know I’m taking a chance on a frost but that is what tarps are for.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Radishes – the gardening answer while we wait for warmth

UPDATED: Thu., May 10, 2018

While gardeners wait to plant tomatoes, they can plant radishes that will be ready to harvest mid-June.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Serviceberry is staple of springtime

Thu., May 3, 2018

It’s hard to miss nature’s celebration of spring on the hills and along the rivers of the Inland Northwest.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Swaying ornamental grasses add movement, sound to garden

Thu., April 26, 2018

It took a trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden and its world-renowned prairie gardens before I began to appreciate ornamental grasses in the landscape. I couldn’t figure out why gardeners liked them so much.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: To control chickweeds, timing is everything

Wed., April 18, 2018

Right now, chickweed is having a heyday in the garden spreading its mats of bright green leaves over any available piece of bare ground. Where did it come from you say? That’s this week’s adventure in gardening.

News >  Home and garden

Gardening: Early spring is best time to plant strawberries

Thu., April 12, 2018

We are only two months out from strawberry season. By the middle of June, plants will be heavy with fruit begging for a bowl and some fresh cream.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Soil quality is key for optimal growing

Thu., April 5, 2018

To grow pretty and tasty plants, we must first tend to the soil properly.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Bulbs take center stage in spring

UPDATED: Wed., March 28, 2018

The snow drops are up and blooming. Tulip and daffodil leaves are poking out of the ground testing the weather before they really start growing.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Figuring out what to plant first this spring

UPDATED: Wed., March 21, 2018

Now that the cold weather is fading, what can we plant first in the vegetable garden? Even better, what can we plant that will have us eating out of the garden in six weeks or less?

News >  Spokane

Gardening: If itching to get in the dirt, check out Cabin Fever event

Wed., March 14, 2018

Could it be that the cold and snow are behind us? My garlic is poking its heads out of the winter’s protective mulch. Several people have said that tulips and daffodils are up testing the weather. Within a week even those of us with north-facing gardens should be free of snow. There is, however, still the wait for the mud to disappear so we can dig.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Phyllis Stephens retiring after decades as Spokane’s foremost gardening authority

UPDATED: Wed., March 7, 2018

Pat Munts pays tribute to longtime gardening guru and TV personality Phyllis Stephens, who is retiring after over 30 years of sharing her knowledge with residents of the Inland Northwest and beyond.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: March is time to prune fruit trees

Wed., Feb. 28, 2018

It’s time to think about getting fruit trees ready for spring.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Covered garden beds will add grow time and protection from cold weather

Wed., Feb. 21, 2018

Remember I said a couple of weeks ago that winter isn’t over until winter is over? I rest my case.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Artichoke, husk tomato in March planting plan

UPDATED: Wed., Feb. 14, 2018

My desk is covered with seed packets at the moment. Our recent spate of warm weather got me fired up to order my seeds for the spring.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Time for early garden chores, Pat Munts writes

Wed., Feb. 7, 2018

With a break in the weather that has thawed the ground, we can get done some early garden chores, Pat Munts writes.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Inland Northwest Food Network workshop will offer lessons about saving seeds, Pat Munts writes

UPDATED: Wed., Jan. 31, 2018

Seed School in a Day workshop March 3 will teach how to save your own seed.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Consider length of local growing season when choosing seeds

UPDATED: Mon., Jan. 29, 2018

When planning the garden you want to grow, consider the length of our growing season before making your seed choices, Pat Munts writes. Local garden centers offer many types of seeds. For a specific variety or wider range of short-season varieties, you may have to seek them online or in seed catalogs.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Biochar, seed swap, Seattle show offer fun learning

UPDATED: Wed., Jan. 17, 2018

It must be time to take advantage of some fun learning opportunities around the Inland Northwest and beyond.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Keep dormant houseplants healthy in winter

Wed., Jan. 10, 2018

Yesterday was National Houseplant Day. Given the sloppy, icy, rainy and overall gray conditions outdoors, we could use a celebration of green in our lives right now.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Animal tracks have a lot to teach, Pat Munts writes

Wed., Dec. 27, 2017

After a snowstorm, watch closely and you will find the snow covered with animal tracks that tell the story of how the wild critters are surviving in the cold.

News >  Spokane

Gardening: Good time to start thinking of acquiring holly plants, Munts writes

Wed., Dec. 20, 2017

As I was shoveling last week’s snow, the Christmas carol “The Holly and the Ivy” got stuck in my head.