Bastyr Tour

November 10, 2011

One of the benefits of being an Envirostars business is the opportunity to visit other businesses in the group. Today we had the opportunity to tour Bastyr University – a university that trains naturopaths. They are constantly looking for ways to reduce their impact on their physical site and improve lives through their education. Some [...]

Read the full article →

The mature gardener

October 27, 2011

Earlier this year I was talking to the head gardener on the campus of one of our clients. I was praising his eye for finding unusual plants and plant combinations while still keeping the budget and appearance in line with the expectations of the business. He pointed out the knowledge you gain from years of [...]

Read the full article →

Scale on Indoor Plants

October 13, 2011

Have you ever walked by a plant or put your hand down on the table under your plant and had your foot or hand stick? You probably have scale on that plant. The stickiness you feel is honeydew- which to put it politely is bug excrement. Scale is common on Ficus Benjamina, Scheffelera arboricola, Rhapis [...]

Read the full article →

What’s New?

October 6, 2011

Today I just wanted to share some photos of a relatively new job. This is a nicely redone building that left some history exposed. The new indoor plants balance nicely with the rough edges.

Read the full article →

Powder puff tree

September 22, 2011

At least that’s what I call it. The common name used by most people is silk tree. Last week I had the opportunity to take a walk around Green Lake . Seattle was having a beautiful fall day and the Mimosa trees were in full bloom. At least that’s what I always thought they were. [...]

Read the full article →

Grow your own (coffee that is)

August 25, 2011

When I was covering for tech vacations and illnesses this summer I noticed that a lot of our coffea arabica plants were covered with beans. That brought up the questions in my mind – how many beans are worth harvesting? When do you harvest? How etc etc. I turned to my friend Joe Scherting who [...]

Read the full article →

My boss hates plants??

July 21, 2011

Everyone is a gardener or at least they like to use gardening analogies in their writing or advertising. I went through my most recent Puget Sound Business Journal and found 9 companies using plants or plant symbols in their ad or logo. One of the featured writers in another of their issues used her garden [...]

Read the full article →

Summer refresh

July 7, 2011

I spent the most glorious day of our summer so far refreshing these planters on a deck on a small lake in Belleuve. When we started, there was a lot of ivy and there were more than a few dead and dying leaves to remove. When the deck was recoated earlier this year, planters were [...]

Read the full article →

Change is good?

June 28, 2011

This morning moved too fast for me. I took a right turn on battery and found myself in a bus lane I had never seen before (and I drive downtown all the time). Some of my favorite contacts are moving on to other jobs. I even discovered that one of our plants out on location [...]

Read the full article →

Good bugs versus the bad bugs

June 9, 2011

If I were to choose another career path it would be entomology. The function of insects in our world is fascinating. There are plenty that I can kill without guilt. Aphids being one. Then there are those beneficial insects that I would nurture so I could have more in my life. Lady beetles and Green [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →