KENNEWICK -- Because of environmental concerns, during the past 10 to 15 years, gardeners have lost the use of many familiar "tried and true" garden insecticides, such as diazinon.

KENNEWICK -- It's the time of year when stars of stage and screen get recognized for their excellence in acting, so let's also give our attention to the new award-winning plants for gardens.

KENNEWICK -- The National Garden Bureau has named 2012 as the "Year of the Herbs."

KENNEWICK -- This week's snow storms are a reminder that it really is winter!

KENNEWICK -- The selection of weeding tools for gardeners is endless: from hoes to hand weeders, from modern to antique family heirlooms, from manufactured to homemade.

KENNEWICK -- Happy New Year!

KENNEWICK -- When I was a little girl, I can remember my grandmother growing African violets on her windowsills and on plant stands with fluorescent lights.

KENNEWICK -- Usually at this time of year I share some great gift ideas for the gardeners on your holiday list.

KENNEWICK -- In the past, many gardeners who fancied hydrangeas were stymied because these flowering shrubs were notoriously unreliable bloomers and not exceptionally winter hardy.

KENNEWICK -- In the past, I have harped on tree planting, root problems and care, but I neglected to give adequate attention to shade tree selection and location.

KENNEWICK -- Heirloom veggies and flowers are a "growing" trend in gardening.

KENNEWICK -- Growing heirloom vegetables has been a "growing" gardening trend during the past 10 years.

KENNEWICK -- Some older adults have probably encountered a quince, but today they are a fruit rarely found in grocery stores, farmers' markets, or even backyard orchards.

The Benton Conservation District and the Umatilla County Soil & Water Conservation District are working together to offer naturescaping and heritage garden workshops in Kennewick and Pendleton on Nov. 5-6.

KENNEWICK -- October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and almost anywhere you look you can find pink, from pink ribbons to pink ties, and even pink football uniforms.

KENNEWICK -- A couple of weeks ago, I ran into someone who had been in our local Master Gardener program 30 years ago -- long before the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden in Kennewick was started.

KENNEWICK -- The signs are all here: rain, blustery days, cooler temperatures and colorful tree leaves.

KENNEWICK -- The other day I was at my computer checking the weather forecast and came across several interesting and whimsical garden related stories.

KENNEWICK -- I'm often asked about the best trees to plant in our area, but usually not about the worst trees to plant.

KENNEWICK -- This is the time of year when gardeners start to prepare their gardens for winter.

KENNEWICK -- It's hard to believe that autumn is right around the corner, although cooler temperatures are a sign that we should be starting to make our list of fall gardening chores now.

KENNEWICK -- I've admitted in the past that I'm a sucker for garden gadgets and tools, so when the A.M. Leonard catalog arrived in the mail, I was tickled to flip through the pages to see what I could find.

KENNEWICK -- Whether your lawn is pampered or neglected, weed-free or overcome with weeds, fall is the most important time of the year to give it the attention it deserves.

KENNEWICK -- Everything seemed to be going so well in my flower garden after the cold, wet spring and an unbelievably slow start to the season.

KENNEWICK -- I was talking with a Master Gardener the other day about the root weevil problem in his little blueberry patch. Root weevils are a group of specialized brown or black snout-nosed beetles that attack a variety of ornamental plants.

KENNEWICK -- They stand out like sore thumbs: dry spots in the lawn that seem to appear right after hot, dry weather begins in our area.

KENNEWICK -- When my youngest granddaughter comes to visit, her favorite DVD is The Bee Movie ... over and over again.

KENNEWICK -- I recently heard a group of gardeners talking about the problem of controlling Bermudagrass in landscape beds.

KENNEWICK -- Longtime gardeners have learned their tips and tricks by trial and error and from other gardeners.

KENNEWICK -- Woe is me! The cool weather has slowed down our gardening season so much that I've almost abandoned hope that I'll get ripe tomatoes before the end of summer.

KENNEWICK -- You don't have to be a gardener to utter nasty epithets about puncturevine, also known as tackweed or goathead in our region.

KENNEWICK -- You don't have to be a gardener to utter nasty epithets about puncturevine, also known as tackweed or goathead in our region.

KENNEWICK -- You don't have to be a gardener to utter nasty epithets about puncturevine, also known as tackweed or goathead in our region.

KENNEWICK -- You don't have to be a gardener to utter nasty epithets about puncturevine, also known as tackweed or goathead in our region.

KENNEWICK -- You don't have to be a gardener to utter nasty epithets about puncturevine, also known as tackweed or goathead in our region.

KENNEWICK -- I'm finally beginning to contemplate which colorful flowering annuals I want in my large patio pots this year.

KENNEWICK -- Spring is here! What a difference some warm weather and sunny days make.

KENNEWICK -- Not long ago, one of my sons noted that I was an optimist who tends to look on the bright side of things.

KENNEWICK -- When to plant?

KENNEWICK -- The "ideal" soil for vegetable gardening is one that is slightly acid, well-drained and fertile.

KENNEWICK -- Early each spring, I get calls about a variety of creepy and crawly creatures that show up in yards, gardens and sometimes even in garages or houses.

KENNEWICK -- Arborvitae is unarguably the shrub most commonly used to create an evergreen hedge, here and around the country.

KENEWICK -- "The main purpose of spring lawn care is to get the grass through the summer."

KENNEWICK -- I have been receiving numerous inquiries from local gardeners about how to control the moss that's invading their lawns and gardens.

KENNEWICK -- You know the feeling? The one that you feel deep in the pit of your stomach when you go by a homeless person asking for food.

KENNEWICK -- It's the "Year of the Rabbit" for the Chinese, but it's also the "Year of the Zinnia" for U.S. gardeners.

KENNEWICK -- Gardeners with spring fever are getting out in their yards more -- when the days are warmer and sunnier.

KENNEWICK -- We are all anxious to get "growing."

KENNEWICK -- Imagine picking a sweet juicy strawberry straight from your own garden and popping it in your mouth.

KENNEWICK -- Every time I turn around it seems like a new seed or nursery catalog arrives in the mail.