USDA Zone Changes – How Does this Affect NW Gardeners?

On November 15, 2023, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued an update to its Hardiness Zone Map, moving the Shoreline/North Seattle area from Zone 8b to 9a. The map has long been a useful tool for gardeners to determine which perennial plants are likely to survive their region’s coldest temperatures. Zones are assigned…

Read More

Camellias – Types & Great Varieties at Sky for 2024

The camellia is the acknowledged queen of Seattle’s winter gardens. Camellias can grow into regal and commanding twenty-foot shrubs if you give them the room and time, or you can keep many varieties in containers or constrained spaces as a more modest accent plant. Their glossy evergreen foliage is attractive year-round in the landscape, but…

Read More

New Rose Varieties – 2024

Looking to buy a rose from Sky Nursery? Once a year in February, we receive HUGE deliveries of over 300 rose varieties, including David Austin, Hybrid Tea, Floribunda, Grandiflora, Shrub, Climbing roses – and more! This year, we have several exciting varieties we haven’t carried before, some new to the industry and others new to…

Read More

Sky Staff Favorites for Fall: What Can I Plant Now?

As things quiet down and we settle in for the wet season ahead, we’re taking a little time to share a short list of the perfect fall plants to fill in an empty spot in the garden for fall and winter interest. We asked our staff straight up: What plants do we have this season…

Read More

Plants for a Haunted Halloween Garden

Some gardens are spooky year round! Bloodgood Japanese Maple Two very special seasons collide in our October gardens. Of course, we’re talking about fall planting season, and spooky season! Now is the perfect time for our gardens to get into the spirit of things with wonderfully wicked plants of all kinds. Whether you garden in…

Read More

The Fall Garden Fashion Show

bright red and orange blueberry leaves in fall

While spring and summer boast plenty of blooms, one could argue that the real fashion show belongs to autumn. In our Pacific Northwest fall gardens, flowers give way to colorful berries and intriguing seed pods; leaves transition through a vibrant cavalcade of colors, then drop to dramatically reveal textured bark and twisting branches; and all of…

Read More

Pest Damage ID Part 2: Who’s Discoloring My Leaves?

Pest damage isn’t always as obvious as holes in your leaves. In our last pest damage ID post, we covered the most common insect pests that chew or rasp away at plant leaves. This time, we’re taking a look at some more subtle culprits: those that suck the juices right out of your plants like…

Read More

Harvest Season is Every Season: Don’t Miss These Early Bonus Crops

Most of us have been trained to think in terms of linear systems, and new vegetable gardeners often start out trying to garden in a straight line: plant in the spring, water through the summer, harvest in the fall, wait out the winter, then purchase new seeds or seedlings and start over. There’s a lot…

Read More

New Rose Varieties 2021

For years, Sky Nursery has offered our customers hundreds of varieties of pre-potted roses, available by early February. Sky has one of the largest rose fields in the Seattle-area, and our knowledgeable staff is here to help you select the perfect varieties for your garden. Every year, we bring in a few new varieties to…

Read More

Winter Container Favorites to Mix & Match

christmas evergreen bough planter

After the glorious abundance of summer annual blooms, the options for beautiful winter containers are too often underrated or overlooked. As a result, too many containers miss out on their potential to add joy and inspiration to the darkest season of the year, as they end up sitting bare and empty on our porches.  While…

Read More