Plant Tips and Tricks
Here are handouts that tips and tricks for growing at your best.
MG Extension Libraries and other sources for PNW gardening with great handouts
- Gardening Fact Sheets – These WSU fact sheets contain the wisdom and knowledge of past and current Extension Educators and Master Gardeners with updated information from WSU research on these topics. There are these useful fact sheet lists:
- Topical Tip Sheets for Puget Sound Gardening – Get the most current version of these Puget Sound Gardening Tip Sheets that contain the wisdom and knowledge of past and current Extension Educators and Master Gardeners. Updated annually.
- Tip Sheet #1 – Gardening Websites, general gardening information for Puget Sound gardens [PDF]
- Tip Sheet #2 – Gardening Publications, downloadable PDF publications for Puget Sound gardens
- WSU Hortsense – A compilation of fact sheets for managing common landscape and garden plant problems. Search by cultural problems, diseases, and insects; or by vegetables, fruit trees, ornamentals, lawn, and weeds. These fact sheets are for managing plant problems with Integrated Pest Management practices. They include cultural controls and Washington-registered pesticide information.
- WSU Pestsense – A compilation of fact sheets for managing common indoor pest problems. Search by type of pest. These fact sheets outline Integrated Pest Management practices including cultural, mechanical biological, and chemical methods. The pesticides listed are examples of products that are legal for use in Washington.
- PlantFacts – OSU’s international knowledge bank and education center for plants
- Plant of the Week – Plant profile and pictures (USDA). Check the hardiness of any plant for your particular area.
- Plants Database. Search for plant located by state. This USDA database includes names, distribuation maps, plant characteristics, images, and references.
- Native Plant Guide – King County site with native plant list and photos.
- PNW Landscaping – WSU plant lists and choices for landscaping in the PNW. [PDF]
- Gardening, Lawn & Landscape (OSU) – Ask an Expert! Links to a variety of gardening topic sites at OSU with articles and events of interest
- Idaho Master Gardener Handbook
- Great Plant Picks – Recommendations for a comprehensive palette of outstanding plants for the maritime Pacific Northwest
- Gardening in Washington State. WSU Factsheets, articles, videos, and more. Content on the Gardening in Washington State web site is being updated monthly. Please check back frequently to see new materials. Some of the areas of interest are listed below.
- Flower Beds – Fact sheets about pests and plant problems, including a pictorial diagnostic manual, use of fungicides, organic soil amendments and safe handling of pesticides.
- Pest Watch: Lily Leaf Beetle [FS084E]
- Propagating Plants from Seeds [PNW0170]
- Propagating Plants from Specialized Structures [PNW164] – Plants from bulbs, corms, tubers, slips, crowns, runners and more.
- Fruits – Fact sheets about growing home fruits, pests and pesticides, and propagation.
- Lawns
- Lawns – List of WSU Fact sheets on lawn care
- Home Lawns [EB0482]
- Landscape Plant Problems: A Pictorial Diagnostic Manual [MISC0194-for sale]
- Phosphorus and Home Lawns – [FS058E]
- Organic Gardening – Fact sheets to help plan and care for your garden organically. Include information about beneficial insects, biochar, cover crops, organic soil amendments, pollination, and raised beds.
- Raingardens – WSU Fact sheets for building rain gardens and information about the 12,000 Rain Gardens program
- Soils, Compost and Mulch – Fact sheets about composting, biochar, drip irrigation, soils and soil testing, fertilizers and amendments, mulch and biosolids.
- Soil Testing – The King Conservation District provides basic soil tests for all residents and municipalities in their service area. The District’s soil testing program covers commercial farms, pastures, parks, home yards, and community gardens. Find out how to collect and submit samples for testing. Location: 800 SW 39th St, Suite 150 Renton, WA 98057. Hours: Monday — Friday, 8:30 AM — 5:00 PM. Contact: Email: district@kingcd.org, Phone: 425-282-1900
- Vegetable Gardens
- Home Vegetable Gardening in Washington [EM0573]
- Vegetable Planting Guide and Year ‘Round Vegetable Gardening by Dr. Robert Norris, UC Davis [PDF]
- Straw Bale Gardening [FS109E]
- Growing Tomatoes in Home Gardens [FS145E]
- Raised Beds [FS075E]
- Pests Management [Also see WSU Hortsense for garden pests, WSU Pestsense for indoor plant pests.]
- Aphids
- Protecting Apple Trees from Apple Maggot [EB1928]
- Managing Cutworms [UCal IPM]
- Brown Marmorated Stink Bug [FS079E]
- Codling Moth and Your Backyard Fruit Tree [FS120E]
- Lecanium Scale [FS009E]
- Sapsucker Damage on Your Trees [FS057E]
- What’s Tunneling in My Yard [FS143E]
- Western Cherry Fruit Fly [FS125E]
- Trees and Shrubs – Fact sheets about the urban tree canopy, assessing tree health, fire-resistant plants, roses, ornamental trees, propagation, and using trees in small landscapes.
- Flower Beds – Fact sheets about pests and plant problems, including a pictorial diagnostic manual, use of fungicides, organic soil amendments and safe handling of pesticides.
- Plants and Planting
- Plants for Dry Shade [Miller Garden PDF]
- More class handouts about plants from the Miller Garden
- Backyard Habitats: Attracting Birds [U Cal PDF]
- Backyard Habitats: Attracting Butterflies [U Cal PDF]
- Fall Flowers Planting Guide [U Cal PDF]
- Raspberry Cultivars for PNW [PNW655]
- Strawberry Cultivars [EC1618]
- Growing Winegrapes in Western Washington [EM068E]
- Renovating and Maintaining Home Lawns [KC Tip Sheet 11]
- Maintaining Trees and Shrubs blog topics by Linda Chalker-Scott
- Native tree and shrub choices for the landscape [FS300E]
- Hardy Plants for Waterwise Landscapes
- Choosing Rain Garden Plants
- Ornamental Grasses
- UC Guide to Healthy Lawns – All you need to know to grow a lawn using little or no pesticide
- Planting Bare-root Trees and Shrubs[PDF]
- Organic Soil Amendments: How Much is Enough [FS123E]
Updated January 2018
