Get Your Garden On

Have you walked by a neighbor’s yard lately and noticed their garden thriving already? Their tomatoes are staked, herb scents are wafting (is that fresh mint you smell?), roses are budding—and you think, “When did they do all that?” 

The answer: Years of work, winter prepping and pruning, and a little help from a few key Downtown Edmonds clubs and businesses. 

Rhododendrons are bright and blooming. Cherry blossoms are soft, pink, and dropping petals on the sidewalk. Brave tree buds are pushing through the branches. Spring has officially arrived in Edmonds, and with it comes the season we’ve all been waiting for: garden time. Whether you’re growing vegetables in raised beds, coaxing herbs from pots on your patio, or tending to the flowers that make your front yard sing, this is your moment. It’s time to get your garden on. 

As They Say, Ace Is The Place

Our Downtown Edmonds Ace Hardware is your command center for all things garden. Tools, seeds, soil, tomato cages in every size, fertilizer, watering cans, gloves—they have it, and the staff knows what they’re talking about. Make it your first stop before you do anything else. They’ll point you toward what works in our climate and what you can skip. Plus, they have all sorts of cute giftables that are very fun and distracting (in a good way)!

Learn From the Experts

The Edmonds Floretum Garden Club was founded in 1922 with the mission to beautify Edmonds, and it’s grown into a powerhouse of horticultural knowledge and environmental stewardship. Club members understand what thrives in our specific conditions, what doesn’t, and why.

Attend a monthly meeting, check out their blog for seasonal planting guides, or catch them around town as they prepare the stunning hanging baskets that line our Downtown blocks. These baskets go beyond pretty (although they are very much that). They’re carefully selected plants chosen to tolerate our extreme weather while staying vibrant from May/June straight through mid-September. Initiated in the mid-1970’s as an element of the Street Beautification Program, the baskets are maintained by City employees and are adoptable by people like you! Learn more about that here.

And, want to know something really impressive? The Floretum Club maintains twenty boxes in our community P-Patch, and the vegetables they grow contribute directly to the weekly harvest for the Edmonds Food Bank. We love to see local food security in action!

Fun fact: Did you know the dahlia is Edmonds’ official city flower? In 1925, after a resident poll ended in a tie, the Floretum Garden Club recommended the dahlia, and the city council officially designated it. It’s been our flower ever since.

Meet Your Gardening Needs Downtown Edmonds

Edmonds Bookshop

The Edmonds Summer Market runs every Saturday from May through October, and vendors bring plant starters, seeds, and seedlings each week. It’s a perfect place to find exactly what you want and chat with growers about what works best.

FIELD stocks everything from botanical journals to quality shears and tools. Crow carries local goods and garden finds you won’t find anywhere else. Edmonds Bookshop has beautiful coffee table books about gardening, flowers, and plant care that double as home decor while you’re learning. For containers and vessels to showcase your bounty, browse HouseWares, Camp Vintage, Driftwood Modern, KSD Home, and Common Formme. Each has beautiful options that celebrate what you’ve grown.

Your Garden Starts Now

The window for spring planting is open. The soil is warming. The days are getting longer. This is the moment to dig in—literally.

Snap photos of your spring blooms, your garden setup, or your favorite downtown plant shop. Tag @edmondsdowntown on Instagram and Facebook, and we’ll share your gardening adventures with our community. Let’s celebrate what we’re all growing this season.

By Whitney Popa, photos by Matt Hulbert

Main image is at Camp Vintage