Susan Mulvihill

For season-long color in the landscape, annuals are the way to go. “The annual flowers that grow, bloom, produce seed and die the same year are lovely, colorful, and predictable throughout the summer,” Lewis and Nancy Hill write in “The Flower Gardener’s Bible” (Storey Publishing, 372 pages, $27.50).

If today's photo is making your mouth water, be sure to save room in your garden for some tomato plants. They are easy to grow and absolutely nothing can compare to the taste of a homegrown tomato. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are slow to develop so I plant them indoors around the third week of March. If you haven't started yours yet, don't worry because seedlings are available at garden centers all around town.

This spring has been tough on gardeners. Our chilly, wet weather has made it difficult to get gardens started and has put a damper on most gardeners’ cheerful optimism about the new growing season. The perfect cure for this is next Saturday’s Garden Expo, a free all-day event for gardeners. Put on by The Inland Empire Gardeners, it will be located in and around the Lair building at Spokane Community College.

It’s always exciting to plant warm-season crops because they are the superstars of the garden: tomatoes, summer squash, peppers, beans, corn, melons, winter squash and pumpkins, to name a few. Beans and corn can be planted out in the garden in about two weeks, but the other crops will have to wait until late May or early June.

Dahlias are lush plants with stunningly beautiful flowers. Ranging in height from a few inches to several feet tall, they are grown from bulbs called tubers. Master Gardener Kay Loibl is hooked on dahlias. She grows more than 100 of them every year.

Today’s topic is gardening on the cheap. Budgets are tight these days so I thought it would be helpful to brainstorm how we can enjoy our favorite pastime without breaking the bank. One of the ways I do that is starting my own flowers and veggies from seed so I can grow unusual varieties at a fraction of the cost.

It is finally time to plant cool-season crops. I grow a lot of different types each year and sow the seeds of nearly all of them directly into the garden. Lettuce is one of the easiest yet most rewarding early crops to grow. What could be more delightful than picking your very own salad greens, night after night, for months on end?

It is almost time to get cool-season crops into the ground. This includes veggies like peas, onions, carrots, parsnips, spinach, Swiss chard, radishes, broccoli, lettuce and leeks. What we’re waiting for is the soil in our gardens to be dry enough to work with. I’ve mentioned this technique before: Pick up a handful of soil and give it a squeeze. If it’s muddy and wet, it’s too soon. If the ball of soil easily breaks apart when poked with a finger, the time is right.

Of all the plants on our planet, orchids are among the most stunning. And of all the orchids, some of the coolest-looking ones have to be the Paphiopedilums. Pronounced “paff-ee-oh-PED-ih-lums,” they are better known as lady’s slipper orchids.

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. But when it comes to gardening, this old dog is always ready to learn something new. For years, I have been a proponent of turning over the soil in vegetable gardens because I’ve felt it helps plant roots push through the soil more easily. Now I’m hearing that process can destroy the structure of the soil.

Starting your vegetables and flowers from seed is a great way to grow unusual varieties and save money at the same time. By following the directions on the seed packets, you will be successful. Each year, I clean my old plastic flats and inserts with a mixture of water and bleach to prevent disease. Flats and inserts can be found at local garden centers.

Want to add a “wow” factor to your home and garden? Choose some tropical plants to get the job done. Tropical plants are exotic plants from all over the world that most definitely will not survive our harsh winters.

Now that Thanksgiving is but a sweet memory, the holiday season is truly here. It’s time to deck the halls and be of good cheer. When it comes to decorating, area residents are fortunate to have some wonderful resources close by. If you are looking for ideas or just want to spend a pleasant afternoon wandering through the Christmas rooms of these stores, they are sure to put a smile on your face:

This was not one of our better years for growing a vegetable garden, was it? Between the slow, chilly start to our spring and the up-and-down temperatures during the summer, it was a challenge to say the least. Now that you’re putting your garden to bed for the winter, there are several important tasks to be completed:

It’s hard to believe that fall is here already. But before you hang up your trowel for the season, there’s an item that should be on your to-do list. This is an ideal time to plant bulbs so you will have something bright and colorful to look forward to next spring.

Longtime friends and avid gardeners Phyllis Hathaway and Sherrie Guiles have a couple of knock-out gardens. These ladies are known for their stunning indoor arrangements and holiday décor, made with natural materials from their gardens. Since fall and the holiday season are almost here, I asked them about their favorite plants that look great in their landscapes and in their homes. Here are their recommendations:

I enjoy meeting and profiling local gardeners. It’s fun seeing what folks are doing in their gardens and getting to learn new techniques in the process. Reader Jack Worden recently extended an invitation to come see his garden. He and his wife, Phyllis, have lived in northwest Spokane for more than 30 years.

Early one morning in January, my husband and I were greeted by a bull moose looking in our front window. While it was cool getting to see him up close, my heart just sank. We already had to contend with deer in our yard and now a moose had been added to the equation.

Marilyn and Chris Carothers enjoy spreading the word about how easy it is to make compost. These Spokane Valley residents know what they’re talking about because they became Master Composters last year.

In spring and early summer, gardeners enjoy a profusion of bloom throughout their landscapes. By midsummer, however, the irises, poppies, daisies, lupines and peonies are but a sweet memory. Unless you’ve done some careful planning, chances are the color in your garden is slowly fading away.

One of the most successful and enthusiastic volunteer groups in Spokane is throwing a party and you’re invited. On Saturday, The Friends of Manito (TFM) is celebrating its 20th anniversary with garden tours, lectures, activities for the whole family and much more.

There is a hidden jewel in downtown Spokane. Not very many folks know about it, but a whole lot of birds are probably quite thankful for it. I’m speaking of the courtyard garden at the Blue Chip Lofts condominiums on Railroad Avenue, built as part of a warehouse conversion in 2003.