This just in.... a workshop series beginning tomorrow for those wanting to ditch that nasty shelf of garden chemicals out in the garage (my retired chemical shelf now holds a bag of mulch and home-brewed compost tea).

You'll find me milling about at the composting clinic on April 30. I'm even toying with writing a story about home composting. Maybe. It depends on whether I can talk fellow GG blogger Craig Sailor into doing some of my work for me.

Details for the greeners:

Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department and Pt. Defiance Zoo and Aquarium will sponsor Natural Yard Care workshops this spring

With warmer weather here, it's time to start thinking about preparing your yard and garden for the growing season. Would you like to learn about environmentally friendly yard and garden maintenance? This spring, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is sponsoring fun and informative "Natural Yard Care" workshops for Tacoma residents.

The workshops will be presented as a series and will cover different topics each evening, including natural lawn care, garden pest management, soil basics, backyard composting, sustainable landscape design, and lawn and landscape water management.

Workshops will be at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium on the following dates:

Wednesday, April 16- Natural lawn care and sustainable garden design

Wednesday, April 30- Soil basics and backyard composting

Wednesday, May 14- Garden pest management and smart watering

All workshops will be 6:30-8:30 pm

The workshops are free, but space is limited. To register or for more information, please contact Geoff Rinehart at 798-4587 or grinehart@tpchd.org.

I’ve always had a fondness for shrubs. They are the workhorses of the garden. Planted in the right spot they require less care than perennials or trees do. They reliably leaf out, bloom and display fall colors. And they ask for little in return.

And nothing beats native shrubs. They are perfectly suited for our climate, are not invasive and they give you that good “green” feeling when you plant them (wildlife depend on them).

Two shrubs are currently going nuts in my garden and all over western Washington. They are the Mahonias (Oregon grape) and the Ribes (current).

I have three types of Mahonias. With evergreen holly-like leaves and brilliant yellow blossoms they make quite a sight. Aquifolium is the tall variety, nervosa is the waist-high variety (pictured above) and repens is the dwarf. They are all native. There are many other Mahonias on the market from other parts of the world. Some are spectacular. But choose wisely. They can be invasive.

Ribes sanguineum, the redflower current, is tremendously beautiful this time of year. (See the photo above) The deciduous plant can reach 12 feet tall. Our native variety is actually a dark pink but there are stunning white and lighter pink blossomed varieties on the market as well as a pink blossomed/chartreuse leafed version. The latter I have in my garden in a shady spot where light foliage isn’t washed out in the sun. Here’s a picture…

If you’re driving on I-5 in Lacey anytime soon you can see what a mass of native shrubs looks like. The Washington Department of Transportation has surrounded the Marvin Road/I-5 interchange with Mahonias and Ribes. It’s something to see right now.

Just don’t take your eyes off the road too long.