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The best design and horticultural resource in the Puget Sound, Classic's 10 acre nursery and garden center is where you can find plants, garden gifts and answers to all of your landscape questions, 7 days a week. Have a look at our list of seminars and sales, clip a web coupon or just come by and stroll the Sammamish River Trail.
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".
Nursery Hours:
Monday - Saturday 9-6
Sunday 10-5
Nursery Location
16215 140th Place NE, Woodinville, WA 98072
Yes, we've moved - to a larger and sunnier location. Stop in and say hello, or print out a nursery map and browse the acres of plants at your leisure.
Upcoming Events
Native Plants are 25% off this month in honor of Native Plant Week. Print out our coupon and stop by today to check out great selection of native trees and shrubs, ferns and vines, perennials and bulbs!
Mother's Day is Sunday, May 13th. We have a special Mother's Day Coupon this month. Mom's can take 33% off 1 item (excludes bulk soils)! Take your Mom shopping for her favorite flowering shrub or order her a Gift Certificate, in person or over the phone.
Grow a Victory Garden or plant a row to help feed your community! Come in and shop our selection of fruit trees, berries and veggies in 15-gallon and smaller containers at 25% off all month.
Memorial Day is Monday, May 28th and we are open all weekend including the holiday. Honor a loved one by planting a long-lived tree. We offer delivery and/or install for larger trees on Fridays -- be sure to schedule in advance however as spring is our busiest time of year. Is your yard ready for the back yard barbeque season? If not, stop by and talk to our expert nursery staff. We can help reinvigorate your yard for the summer entertaining.
What to Plant Now
Vegetable Garden: Tomatoes, beans, squash, peppers and basil can go directly into the garden now (watch the overnight temp's though). Want to try something different this year? How about an artichoke? If you do not have much space in your yard, consider planting a container garden on the deck or outside your kitchen door; tomatoes, basil and peppers make an excellent combination. Salad bowls are also an easy alternative; plant an assortment of greens and herbs in a pot on your deck which you can harvest on a weekly basis. Add a colorful green, such as Bright Lights Chard or Flashy Trout's Back Lettuce, and you have a salad bowl that is beautiful as well as functional. Remember to water containers during dry spells.
What's Blooming
Come a see our lilac and Wisteria collection! There is no better time to choose a flowering tree or shrub then the month of May. If space is an issue, consider planting a wonderful smaller variety such as: Syringa "Miss Kim". This shrub has fragrant small flowers on a compact bush and makes a wonderful plant for an entryway or along a pathway. Many Dogwoods, Hawthorns, Magnolias, Crabapple Trees and Rhododendrons are in full bloom now as well, we have many varieties to choose from for all space requirements. There are Daphnes, plants like Choisya (Mexican Orange) and deciduous Azaleas to add a lovely fragrance to your garden.
Prepare your yard for summer: Despite our cold, wet spring, summers in the Northwest have been warmer and drier as of late; save money on watering by applying a one inch layer of mulch now. Mulch will hold the moisture in the soil and as you water, the mulch will slowly break down and feed the plants. Adding mulch now will also help cut down on the weeding through the summer. We sell mulch in bulk by the yard and bagged quantities. We now also carry bulk Fertil-Mulch, a blended composted manure and sawdust mulch with a pleasant dark brown color. Call 425-885-5678 extension 2 to set up a delivery.
Garden Maintenance
Vegetable Garden: If you planted lettuce, herbs and peas last month, they should be in full swing and ready to harvest by mid May. The more you harvest these crops the more they produce. Make sure you plant your tomatoes this month. Thin out strawberry beds, clean up under blueberries and remove fallen leaves.
Prune and Feed Flowering Shrubs: Prune spring-flowering shrubs, such as lilacs, viburnum, weigela, spiraea and rhododendrons as soon as they finish blooming. Since many of these plants blooms are 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. Give these plants a good feeding of fertilizer and water well. Cut one third of the old canes of spiraea bushes back to the ground and the remaining canes one third of their height. Remove sucker growths from the base of lilacs and remove seed pods from rhododendrons. Feed lilacs in May with a good all purpose 10-10-10 fertilizer after they have finished blooming. If your soil has an acidic pH, work a little lime into the soil as well. Work lime in the soil around hydrangeas to produce pink flowers or aluminum sulphate for blue.
Lawns: May is a good month to repair your lawn. Fill in the bare spots by slightly loosening surface of the soil and sow a good quality lawn seed evenly over the area. Tamp the seed in gently and water. Keep the patch moist by covering with light mulch of lawn clippings. This is the time to eliminate lawn weeds by hand pulling, before they go to seed! Setting your mower for a higher cut during the spring months will help the grass to grow in fuller and help choke out the weeds.
Pines and conifers: Pines and other conifers can be kept to a compact size by pinching off the new growth 'candles'.
Water Features: Clean and repair your fountains, bubblers and water features.
Upcoming Events
Go to the coupons page to print coupons for our entire selection of Bedding Plants (annuals), buy 1 get 1 free for the month of June. Hydrangeas are 25% off this month too!
Father's Day is Sunday June 17th and we have a great selection of gardening tools, pruners and all things that any Dad would love. Not sure what to get him? How about a 15-foot Monkey Puzzle Tree? Or give him a Classic Nursery Gift Certificate and let him pick his own gift. Be sure to print out the special Father's Day Coupon for 33% off 1 item this month.
This is still a great time for planting — vegetables, annuals, even trees and shrubs — but it is more importantly the time to WATCH WATERING!
Water deeply, less-frequently, rather than a daily spot-watering that won't get water down to the deeper roots (A soaker hose or drip system makes this much easier and affordable).
Water early in the morning, rather than in the heat of the day or in the evening. Watering in the morning will give the plants time to soak up the water before the heat of the day, it will eliminate evaporation that happens when watering during the hot summer afternoons and finally your plants will be less susceptible to ugly plant problems like black spot and powdery mildew. Both of these plant diseases can arise due to water sitting on the leaves for long periods of time; such as overnight!
Watering from overhead may cause leaf-burn from the midday sun and can make your plants susceptible to disease. Water at the base of your plants to avoid these dangers.
Mulch plants to help the soil hold in moisture and keep it more evenly available to the plants.
Perennials, Annuals and Vegetables
Clean out containers of spent bulbs and early spring annuals and repot with a fresh supply of all-summer annuals. The selection at the nursery is at its peak, everything from annual vines to unusual tropical plants to the traditional favorites. Mix and match for a season of color!
Sunflowers will start to shoot up, now that we've had some warm weather. If you didn't get around to planting by seed this year, we have an assortment of varieties now on hand in starts, so it's not too late to be sure to have these favorites in your garden.
Fertilize and mulch tomatoes; also prune them for good air circulation, to help prevent those unwanted funguses and blights. Water them regularly and evenly; uneven watering is one of the causes of blossom drop (remember not to water overhead at the heat of the day, to avoid leaf burn).
This month is the time to start thinking about planting beans. Look for our heirloom varieties for something a little different.
It is also time to think about starting another succession planting of greens — lettuce, spinach, chard, arugula — this will help maintain a supply of these delectable's through the fresh-eating season.
Trees, Shrubs and Fruit
This month will be time for the second feeding for roses. Still time to spray for black spot and powdery mildew too (be sure to spray in the cool shade of early morning). Roses are in bloom this month at the nursery. Come in and pick your favorite colors and fragrances while they are flowering!
Treat for pests and disease — spray neem or other horticultural oil for scale, aphids, and spider mites. Use neem oil or lime sulfur for scab and mildew. Set out sticky traps for apple maggots. For other insect pests, you can also try introducing beneficial, predatory insects like lacewings, ladybugs and praying mantis. There are several types of lacewings available through special request at the nursery, and we always have the ladybugs and mantis eggs in stock during the warm months.
Prune those early-bloomers like Camellias, Quince and Forsythia. If they have already set buds for next year's bloom, bear in mind that any pruning you do will reduce next spring's show.
And it's too early yet for the best-time summer pruning for other trees and ornamentals. If in doubt about pruning time for any particular plant, please give us a call at the nursery. Better to be safe than sorry!
Blueberries especially, seem to produce their sweetest berries when watering is kept even and not fluctuating from too wet to too dry. Deep watering over longer periods will insure more consistent coverage.
General Tips
Projects for the month include:
- Start or refresh a compost pile.
- Set up a rain barrel. Build a Rain Garden or ask Classic Nursery for help to build one for you!
- Build a trellis or arbor.
- Clean/paint garden furniture.
- Fix leaky hoses, change washers.
- Set up the hammock!
Houseplants
It's now a good time to set many of them outdoors. They will benefit from some fresh air in a shady spot. Just make sure the nighttime temperatures don't drop unexpectedly below 40°. When the night temperatures are above 50 degrees, you can leave them out in a protected area of your patio, deck or porch. Remember they will burn in full sun until they have adapted to the outdoor weather.
Hummingbirds
Attracting Hummingbirds to the garden can be one of the highlights of the summer season! We have lots of plants that you can add to your garden that these birds find especially appealing: mimulus, trumpet creeper, penstemon, allium, aquilegia, fuschias and honeysuckle are just a few of the possibilities. Come see us for more ideas!
Upcoming Events
Looking to add some privacy to your yard fast? Look no further than the Bamboo section at Classic Nursery! Running bamboo are practical and popular in large containers. Clumping bamboo can easily be planted in the ground and make a wonderful evergreen understory next to or under tall native trees. All Bamboo Plants are on sale this month for 25% off.
Bedding plants (Annuals) are also on sale this month. Touch up your hanging baskets and garden beds with fresh color this month with our buy 1 and get 1 free (of equal or lesser value) coupon!
Perennials, Annuals and Vegetables
What to do with rust on hollyhocks? Pick off affected leaves and discard (do NOT put in the compost pile — the fungus will persist and be spread with that compost), spray the rest of the plant with a neem oil product (i.e. 'Rose Defense') to help prevent the spread of the disease. And to discourage the fungus' return, practice good garden hygiene and morning watering practices. Most of all, don't despair: Hollyhocks are notorious for getting rust, so don't start thinking you have a "black thumb!"
Garlic will be showing signs of being ready to harvest (yellowing leaves, leaning or all but falling over). If weather permits, it is easiest to pull the bulbs and lay them out along the bed to dry in the sun for a few days before storing.
Peas will be finishing up their production, as well as some of the earlier planted greens. Replant greens for short, quick crops; try to give them some shade from mid afternoon sun and heat.
It is already time to start planning the fall and winter vegetable garden! Begin direct-seeding some vegetables as early as mid-month, and start other seeds to put out into the garden as transplants in a month or two. And, don't forget your Fall hanging baskets!
Use long-blooming and bright annuals to help fill in any gaps in flower beds and containers. Fuchsias and other plants that might be looking a little less than their best by now would benefit from deadheading, trimming back and fertilizing.
Lawn Care
Aerate lawns for better utilization of water and fertilizer.
Try raising the setting on the mowing height — it will not only decrease the frequency of mowing (more time in the hammock) but it will also help to shade out and therefore discourage weed growth. The higher setting also creates longer grass blades giving more surface area for photosynthesis to occur which in turn gives you a thicker, greener lawn.
Trees, Shrubs and Fruit
Arborvitae and other conifers may begin to show spider mite damage (webbing on discolored/browning foliage; a branch tapped over a piece of white paper reveals very tiny red mites scurrying about). These mites thrive in dry, dusty conditions, so spraying plants regularly with water works as a good preventative. If already facing spider mite takeover, try spraying with a neem oil product like those by Green Light.
Note: If you are unsure whether or not you have spider mites (or anything else, for that matter), bring a sample of the affected plant to us at the Nursery to get help identifying the problem.
Summer is a good time to prune some trees — allows for quicker healing and less suckering/water sprouts (especially on fruit trees). Avoid pruning trees and shrubs that have already set buds for next year's bloom, like Magnolias, Camellias and Rhododendrons. If you are unsure how to properly prune stop by our nursery and our staff will gladly assist you in techniques. No time to stop by? Then check out www.plantamnesty.org. This is a local organization whose mission is to stop the mutilation of trees and shrubs by educating the public (and sometimes landscapers) on the proper way of pruning.
Many roses will be ready to be deadheaded and fertilized to encourage more bloom later on. To keep those blooms coming back through the summer make sure to prune them properly. For hybrid-tea roses, the most common in gardens, make cuts at a 45 degree angle right above a 5-leaflet node. This node is where a new bud will form. For more information on pruning hybrid-tea roses, check out http://www.plantamnesty.org/pruning_topics/pt_tea_roses.htm
General Tips
As these days get hotter watch (and increase) watering, especially for containers and hanging plants. Remember with all watering, that deep, thorough watering is still more important than frequency.
Nursery Specials & Events!
The Nursery will be closed Monday July 4th in Celebration of Independence Day, have a happy and safe holiday!
Now is the time to relax and enjoy your garden, perhaps add that special touch to make your garden feel extra special. Check out our terrific garden accessories and garden art. With a selection you won't find anywhere else, you will be sure to find that one-of-a-kind piece to add that special something to your garden this summer.