Designing Your Shade Garden

Designing Your Shade Garden

Gardening in the PNW with lots of shade: we mostly love living among the trees. We recognize the importance of preserving and restoring our diminishing urban canopy. But trying to grow colorful flowers, fruits or vegetables under trees can be a challenge. And increasing urbanization brings taller buildings and more shade at ground level. This blog post will help illuminate the types of shade you may be dealing with, discuss other design considerations, and offer sample shade garden designs and plant lists.

DIY Spring Container Gardens

DIY Spring Container Gardens

Colorful spring containers celebrate the start of the gardening season and creating them is fun and easy if you know which plants to choose. Look for these great gems to create a new spring container or refresh an existing pot.

Celebrating 100 Years of Swansons

Celebrating 100 Years of Swansons

We’re a few weeks into 2025 and catching our breath from a wonderful, busy 100th anniversary year! We’re excited to dive into year 101, but we also want to take a moment to remember everything that made last year so special and to reflect on how grateful we are to be a part of this amazing community. We hope you enjoy these highlights of our 100th year as much as we do!

The Story of An Extra Special Holiday Train

The Story of An Extra Special Holiday Train

This year, though, the train is even more magical and special. It’s partly because of the great theme - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - but mostly because of the people who made this year’s train happen. Especially one new addition to the train team, a boy named Sam. Sam is an autistic person who has specific and deep passions, one of which is Willy Wonka. He knows everything about the story, the characters, the setting. He can discuss the finer points all day long. And that’s how this year’s train took shape. So how did Sam get involved with the Swansons’ train?