WSU Pierce County Master Gardener

09/04/2026

Friday fun!🤣

09/03/2026

🌸 September Garden Tip: Divide Your Peonies!

Have a well-established peony that’s getting crowded—or one you’d like to share? September is an ideal time to divide and transplant peonies. By now, plants have stored food reserves in their roots, while there’s still time for divisions to begin establishing before winter.

Here’s how:

🌿 Cut back stems near ground level, then carefully dig up the plant, preserving as much of the root system as possible.

💧 Remove the soil by gently shaking it off or washing the roots so you can clearly see the buds, or “eyes.”

🔪 Divide the clump with a clean, sharp knife. Each division should have 3–5 eyes and a healthy root system. Smaller divisions may take several years to bloom.

☀️ Replant in a sunny, well-drained location. Position the roots so the eyes are only 1–2 inches below the soil surface. This is important—peonies planted too deeply may not bloom well.

📏 Space plants about 3–4 feet apart, backfill with soil, firm gently, and water thoroughly.

🍂 For newly planted peonies: After the ground gets cold in late fall, several inches of straw or pine needles can help protect young plants from repeated freezing and thawing. Remove the mulch when growth resumes in spring.

A little work this fall can mean beautiful peony blooms for many springs to come! 🌸

Learn more from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach:
https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/faq/what-proper-way-divide-peonies

09/03/2026

Enjoy listening and learning to the newest episode of the Evergreen Thumb Podcast!🌿

Fall is planting season for more than garlic and cover crops. 🌱

Many of the flowers we enjoy in spring need to be planted in fall, while the soil is cooling and before winter arrives.

In our latest episode of The Evergreen Thumb, we’re talking about spring-flowering bulbs and other geophytes, including familiar favorites like daffodils, tulips, crocuses, and alliums. We’ll also look at some of Washington’s native geophytes, including camas, fawn lilies, and chocolate lily.

If you’re thinking about adding spring color to your garden, now is the time to start planning.

09/02/2026

🌿 W**D WEDNESDAY: Western Brackenfern

That fern growing along the edge of your yard may be western brackenfern (Pteridium aquilinum).

This perennial can grow up to 6 feet tall in good conditions. Look for:
🌿 Large, triangular, feathery fronds
🌿 Young fronds that emerge tightly coiled
🌿 Creeping underground rhizomes
🌿 Spores produced beneath the fronds

Western brackenfern grows in sun to partial shade and tolerates many soil conditions. It is often one of the first plants to appear in logged or cleared areas.

Managing it? For individual plants or small patches, WSU recommends digging and carefully removing all of the rhizomes. Persistence is important—the underground rhizomes allow it to spread and return.

⚠️ Good to know: Brackenfern is considered toxic, particularly to livestock.

🔎 Learn more and see identification photos from WSU Hortsense:
https://hortsense.cahnrs.wsu.edu/fact-sheet/weeds-brackenfern-western-pteridium-aquilinum/

CAHNRS > Hortsense > Fact Sheets > Weeds > A-B > Weeds: Brackenfern, western Share on Twitter Share on FaceBook Share on Linkedin share with email share with link Weeds: Brackenfern, western Categories: A-B Other Weeds Last review date: 2026-07-07 11:03 Scientific name: Family: Dennstaedtiaceae (Pol...

09/01/2026

WSU Extension Pierce County Master Gardeners in action!

🌱 LOCAL IMPACT: Strengthening Soil, Reducing Waste, Empowering Learners

WSU Extension turns research-based knowledge into practical solutions that strengthen communities across Washington.

In Pierce County, WSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers partnered with the Office of Resilience and Climate Action (ORCA) to install three-bin composting systems at community sites, including L’Arche Tahoma Hope and Franklin Pierce Farm.

Master Gardener volunteers helped select accessible locations, provided educational signage, and taught community members the science behind successful composting—including the roles of greens, browns, air, water, turning, and temperature.

🌿 These composting systems will do more than turn organic materials into a valuable soil amendment. They will serve as hands-on teaching tools, helping participants learn how composting can reduce waste while building healthier soils.

And the learning continues! Master Gardener volunteers plan to return next year to provide additional support and help these community composting programs grow.

🔗 Learn more about the statewide work and impact of the WSU Extension Master Gardener Program:
https://mastergardener.wsu.edu/priorities/2025-impact-report/

09/01/2026

September is a month of transition. As we move from mid to late month, summer vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini start to slow down. In their place, cool-season crops step-into the spotlight — root vegetables, hardy brassicas, and leafy greens become the focus of the garden.

🌿 September To-Do’s for Pacific Northwest Gardeners 🍂

As summer fades, it’s time to pivot in the garden:

✅ Harvest late-summer veggies
🌱 Plant fall + winter crops
🌷 Sow spring-blooming bulbs
🌳 Plant trees & shrubs
🌾 Aerate + overseed lawns
🪴 Add compost + mulch to beds
🌿Prune top half of fall-bearing raspberry canes after final harvest
💚Prune second-year raspberry & blackberry canes. Trellis first year canes

This month is all about preparation—lay the groundwork now for a healthy, thriving garden next season! 🌧️🌱

08/31/2026

Free Youth Gardening Workshop in Gig Harbor - "Leave the Leaves". Registration open!

🍁 Saturday, September 19th
🍂 10:15am - 12:00pm
🐦 Ages 5-11
🦋 WSU Extension Gig Harbor Demo Garden within Sehmel Homestead Park: 10123 78th Ave NW, Gig Harbor, WA 98332

Each workshop is limited to 21 youth and must be pre-registered. Parent or Guardian must attend with their child.

Workshop Description: Children will learn the value of leaving their fallen leaves in flower beds as an over-winter habitat for salamanders, butterflies, moths, and other creatures. These bugs also provide food for our native birds. Kids will make leaf lanterns with their adult helpers.

🧚‍♀️Register Now! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C44ADA92FA5F4C70-54035947-91926 #/

For more information contact: [email protected]

08/31/2026

Yes!💚

GREEN SCHOOL: A MASTER GARDENER’S PERSPECTIVE

Learning doesn’t stop when you become a WSU Extension certified Master Gardener. Horticultural research continues to evolve, making continuing education an important part of providing our communities with current, reliable, research-based information.

One of our WSU Extension Pierce County Master Gardeners, Patrick Leyden, recently shared this experience after taking Green School:

“I thought I was taking Green School as a refresher. Instead, I was reminded just how much horticultural knowledge continues to evolve, and how much more there is to learn.

Even as a certified Master Gardener, I found the course incredibly valuable. It refreshed what I already knew, brought me up to date on current research, and helped me make connections between topics in ways I hadn’t before.

Green School gave me new information, renewed my curiosity, and made me feel even better prepared to share reliable, research-based information with the public.”

🌱 That’s what lifelong learning as a Master Gardener is all about.

For certified WSU Extension Master Gardener volunteers, Green School is an opportunity to refresh your foundation, discover what’s changed, deepen your understanding, and strengthen the knowledge you bring to every clinic, class, demonstration garden, and conversation with the public.

And there’s an added bonus: certified Master Gardeners who successfully complete Green School can earn the Washington Gardener Certificate.

Keep learning. Keep growing. Keep sharing science-based gardening information with Washington communities. 🌿

Master Gardeners, contact your County Coordinator to receive the link for your registration.

Learn more at:
https://greenschool.extension.wsu.edu

08/30/2026

🚫PRESENTATION CANCELLATION September 3rd!

The WSU Extension Pierce County Master Gardener's Speaker Bureau presentation "Winter is Coming: Keep the Color Coming Back," at the Pierce County Library - Miiton/Edgewood Branch, has been canceled.

We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.

🌿Please watch for upcoming WSU Extension Pierce County Master Gardner Speaker Bureau programs. We look forward to seeing you at a future presentation!

08/29/2026

❄️ Winter is Coming… Keep the Color Coming Back! 🌸

Don’t say goodbye to your favorite annuals when fall arrives! Learn simple, effective ways to overwinter begonias and geraniums so you can enjoy them again next year.

📅 September 3
⏰ 5:30–7:00 p.m.
📍 Pierce County Library – Milton/Edgewood Branch
900 Meridian Ave E, Milton, WA 98354

This presentation will cover several overwintering techniques, including:

🌱 Storing dormant tubers
🪴 Keeping container plants alive indoors
✂️ Easy propagation methods to multiply your plants
🌸 Tips for bringing your favorites back year after year

Join the WSU Extension Pierce County Master Gardeners Speakers Bureau for this practical, seasonal gardening class.

Discover other learning opportunities at:
https://extension.wsu.edu/pierce/mg-home/