The end of April is full of spring color but it is also full of spring weeds. Make this the week you hoe, pull and mulch to get control of invasive weeds before they flower and go to seed.
Some weeds are trying to tell you something about your soil and garden. Weeds in the lawn are sprouting to remind you that nature abhors mono culture. A mixture of blooming plants is what nature wants to feed the diverse pollinators and wildlife. If you want a traditional green lawn, consider balancing this with plants that flower at different times of the year. Blooming plants encourage more birds and other wildlife that will naturally control outbreaks of insects and disease.
Over the 40 plus years of writing this garden column, I have learned what plants cause Western Washington gardeners the most problems (daphnes, hebe, basil and dogwood, to name a few) and which plants seem to thrive in our climate and adapt to many different types of growing conditions…