Classic Nursery

Make your thumb even greener. Follow some Classic Tips.

Is it hard to know when to divide the daylilies? Prune the paeony or trim the taxus? Sign up for our email Garden Tips and you'll get a monthly reminder about what's happening in your garden and what you need to do about it. (Don't want to do anything about it? Ouch. Better see our Landscape Care section!)

To receive the "Monthly Gardening Tip" just fill out the form and Submit. Note: We are unable to send the "Monthly Gardening Tip" via an email attachment to some ISP's. If you asked for, but aren't getting it, either find a teenager to reconfigure your computer or simply send a self-addressed stamped envelope to receive "snail mail".

Sign me up!

• Name:
• Email:

Nursery Hours:
Monday - Saturday 9-5
Sunday 10-5

Beginning Monday March 12, 2012 the nursery will remain open until 6pm Monday thru Saturday! Sunday hours remain 10-5.

Nursery Location
16215 140th Place NE, Woodinville, WA 98072

Perennials, Annuals, Vegetables

Primroses have arrived! Can spring be far behind? Treat yourself to some of these knockout colors to bring some life back to the garden.

It's time to plant peas, both ornamental and edible varieties. "Peas by Presidents' Day," goes the old saying. You can also start spinach and other greens later this month, though wait on lettuce unless you have a cold frame or other means of protection.

While you're out in the vegetable garden, you can top the garlic bed with Bumper Crop (a soil amendment), which will be broken down and working into the soil by the time the plants' spring growth begins in earnest.

Now is the best time to put a thin layer of mulch around your plants, before they start leafing and filling out into their spring wardrobe. Also, it’s much easier to dig up and divide those late-season bloomers now.

The hellebores are really starting to show off their colors. To highlight these early flowers, cut most or all the leaves back to the ground (many of the leaves are probably showing damage from the winter weather, anyway). After blooming, a new flush of foliage will appear. If you don't yet have enough of these most elegant plants (is that possible?) stop by the nursery and check our selection. But be quick, these go fast once they start to bloom, they're irresistible!

Plan for starting seeds indoors soon, many seed packets tell you to start them indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost...right about now.

Trees, Shrubs and Fruit

This is the month to give your shrub roses their major pruning. Typically, you will cut the rose canes back around President’s Day to about knee length is a good rule of thumb. You always want to cut roses with clean, sharp pruners and make clean cuts at a 45 degree angle downwards. Cutting at this angle will help keep moisture and disease from penetrating into the fresh cut and infecting your plant. Also remove any dead wood from the bushes and if it looks brittle or black, take it out. For all roses, make sure any leaves that didn't fall on their own are removed and discarded in the trash bin. Putting rose debris in the compost pile can spread disease like powdery mildew and black spot. Follow up the pruning with a good feeding of fertilizer; Dr. Earth Rose and Flower is a good choice to get them started. Still have questions? Call our knowledgeable nursery staff to get great advice on all your gardening needs!

Been thinking about berry pies, making your own jam or canning pears? Our selection of small fruits and fruit trees is almost at its peak, as this year's selection arrives this month. Now is a great time to get these edibles and put them in the ground! Tempting cane berries and strawberries are available now, too.

General Tips

February is a real "Get Ready" month: Clean, plan, prepare. Spring is not too far away, but there is still plenty that can be done to get ready.

Be sure to not do any digging or planting if the ground is still too wet or saturated. Cover any area with plastic to give it a chance to dry out a bit before digging or planting. This is especially easy with raised beds.

Dig in any wintered-over cover crops.

Pull the weeds now, before they start taking over! The more you pull now the less you’ll pull later.

Continue to keep your bird feeders and birdbaths clean and filled. If you have a suet feeder, now is the perfect time to put it out.

If you have an uncovered pond full of leaves it may be time to clean it.

Replant window boxes with small conifers, heather, pansies, primroses and other hardy treasures for early spring enjoyment.

Planting time has begun and spring is here!!

Perennials, Annuals and Vegetables

It feels like spring! Days are warmer, getting longer and the garden is starting to come alive after its winter rest. We are loaded with lots of early spring primroses and pansies, so come in and treat yourself to some of these knockout colors to liven up borders and containers. If by chance you missed last fall's selection of spring-blooming bulbs, we also have a cheery assortment of crocus, daffodils, tulips, hyacinth and more, all potted up and in bloom and ready to enjoy (and add into your garden when their bloom is finished).

March is a great month to get going on the perennials! All the growers are introducing their new varieties and old time favorites! Stop by soon for the best selection and to enjoy them in your own garden all season long!

Beware: slugs are out in full force with these warmer, wetter days, and they love all those new leafy greens that are sprouting up in the garden! To keep those pests away, we recommend using “Sluggo” slug bait, (not harmful to people, pets or wildlife).

Before plants start leafing and filling out into their spring wardrobe, give them their first feeding of the year. Dr. Earth All-Purpose Fertilizer will work well for most plantings. Give us a call if you have any questions about feeding particular plants or timing. And while you're at it, it's still a great time to dig up and divide those late-season perennials.

Start seeds indoors! Nothing gives a gardener's pulse a jump-start like seeing the fresh green of new seedlings emerge.

If you already have some early plants started from seed that you are ready to move to your garden, be sure to harden them off in a cold frame, bright corner of a cool basement or garage, or in a protected corner of the porch for a few days, first. Gradually getting them use to the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors is the key.

Have you planted your peas yet? It's not too late! Some other vegetables can be direct-sown in the garden this month: varieties of broccoli, spinach, kale, radish, potato and onion (sets). Transplants of Swiss chard, lettuces and other salad greens can potentially be set out this month as well, but may need to be kept under some kind of cover, cold frame or cloche, depending on temperature.

Trees, Shrubs and Fruit

Last call to prune roses!

 This is a great time to plant trees and shrubs, too, and the selection at the nursery is rapidly growing (no pun intended).

Prune camellias when they're done blooming. The sasanquas are ready to be pruned now, the japonicas most likely to be ready by the end of the month.

Be ready to prune your Lilacs and Rhododendrons right after they bloom as well. Since next year’s blooms set on this year’s growth, you want to prune them right after they finish blooming to shape them to the size you prefer and to promote healthy growth and flowering for next year.

General Tips

A word about mulch: You can lightly top dress new and existing plantings with mulch at this time of year, to help hold in moisture and as a gradual addition to other soil amending. But, too much mulch will slow down the warming of the soil, delaying growth and reducing the oxygen supply for the roots. So, if you had applied a thick layer of mulch for winter protection, now is the time to remove it. If you applied a mulch layer of compost, you can instead just work it in to further amend and improve the soil.

Dig in any wintered-over cover crops. The bed will then be ready to plant when you are!

Upcoming Events

Celebrate Spring with some exciting, new plants for your garden! 

Easter is April 8th this year. Get ready for all the celebrations with a trip to Classic Nursery!

Earth Day is April 22nd. This year, dedicate a portion of your flower bed to all native plants in honor of Earth Day! Stop by today to check out our selection of Pacific Northwest natives.

April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.
-  William Shakespeare -

Perennials, Annuals and Vegetables

Clean out spent window boxes and revitalize them with annuals and early blooming perennials.

Take wintered-over fuchsias and geraniums out of hiding. Cut them back (down to the rim of the container, if in a hanging basket) Lift them out of the container and repot with fresh soil, no need to change containers as long as the plant isn't root-bound. Feed with an organic, slow-release fertilizer. It will be broken down and ready for the plant when it begins this year's growth.

Resist the urge to cut down or tie up the foliage of tulips and daffodils after they are finished blooming! The bulbs extract and store the nutrients from the leaves for next year's growth and bloom, so by cutting back too soon you risk next year's flowers and by tying them up you decrease their ability to photosynthesize and create the food they need to store. Unsightly for a time, perhaps, but once the leaves are at least halfway died back they can be trimmed.

Slugs... need we say more? We recommend using "Sluggo" to stop the damage from these garden pests (not harmful to pets or birds).

It is time to feed those perennials that have started to show themselves in earnest and begin their spring growth spurt. Dr. Earth All-Purpose (4-4-4) or Rose and Flower (5-7-2) fertilizer will work well for most plantings. Give us a call if you have any questions about feeding specific plants.

While the weather is still somewhat dry, prepare vegetable beds for later planting. Go ahead and plant salad greens this month, though, along with spinach, chard and other leafy vegetables (watch out for slugs). April is the month to start your seeds for warm season vegetables like: tomatoes, peppers and squash! Make sure to start them indoors and typical target date for planting in the garden is late May to early June.

Lawn Care

Bring out the lawn mower. You may have noticed that the lawn has taken a leap in height with these warmer days. Leave the clippings on the ground to break down and provide some free nitrogen for the soil.

Fertilize, de-thatch, and aerate! This month is perfect for fertilizing the lawn, we recommend Dr. Earth Super Natural Lawn Fertilizer. Test the pH of the soil (we carry the test kits at the Nursery!) and add lime if it's too acidic.

Tees, Shrubs and Fruit

Time to feed roses, too! Side-dress the roses with Dr. Earth Rose & Flower Food for a season of healthy growth. Watch out for black spot and powdery mildew — catch it before it sets in and treat your plants to a neem oil product, like Green Light Rose Defense. If you do see black spot or powdering mildew on your rose leaves, remove the diseased leaves and discard them in the trash bin to decrease the possibility of it spreading to other roses and plants in your garden.

Plant a tree (or large shrub) for Arbor Day (April 29th)! Our selection this month is terrific, with a wide range of varieties and sizes to choose from!

Fertilize those early-spring bloomers that are about done for this year, but gathering nutrients to store up for next year's show, like Forsythias and Camellias. When their bloom is finished, most likely by the end of the month, it is the perfect time to prune them as well, before they set buds for next year's flowers.

General Tips

Even though we have had plenty of precipitation coming into this spring, it is still important to get into the water-wise gardening habit! Wise water use is a good idea at any time, and efficient use of water is important not only for the preservation of resources and the health of your plants, but for the health of your summer water bills, as well! Think about switching your sprinkler system to one of soaker hoses or drip irrigation — we are well-stocked and ready to help you get started!

Here's a list for ways to more efficiently use water in your garden:

• Mulch.
• Water deeply and less frequently, instead of often and shallowly.
• Water early in the day.
• Wherever you can, use soaker hoses or drip irrigation system.
• If you use sprinklers, don't set them so high that they give off a mist, which will just uselessly evaporate away.

Happy Gardening from Classic Nursery
and Landscape Company!