Perched at the rise of a hill, near a dead-end road in Olalla, a small home is surrounded by artfully designed floral and shrub borders. Birds swoop downward into the small canyon on the far side of the property, then return to the hanging feeders and birdbaths scattered throughout the garden. “I see my garden […]
Garden
Many interesting and delightful gardens abound in our area — how fun to glimpse into a gardener’s back yard (or even front yard). Enjoy gardens from Gig Harbor, Port Orchard, Bremerton, Central Kitsap, and the North end of Kitsap including Bainbridge Island. These articles are only a sample of what we have in West Sound Magazine each issue — subscribe to the print version today to see all of what we have to offer!
Posted inGarden
Camellia Sasanqua — Royalty in the Winter Garden
Considered the queen of winter flowers, camellia is beautiful and stately; it reigns in beauty in every season. The shrub’s evergreen presence is quiet and demure when not in flower. But when the weather cools, Camellia sasanqua adorns itself in floral finery from fall to early winter. Even the rose, which bears the title queen […]
Posted inGarden
The Varied Thrush Provides a Respite from the Winter Doldrums
Some people look forward to winter because they enjoy snow sports. Fans of NFL football love the playoffs. Others appreciate a reason to wear flannel and sip hot chocolate by a cozy fire. Birders see winter as the time to bundle up and grab the binoculars. For birds that breed in the Arctic, a West […]
Posted inGarden
A Globe-Trotter’s Garden
On a south-facing bluff in Indianola sits a botanical “salad bowl” known as Windcliff. A garden mixture of plants from around the world, it houses a diverse array of species. Plants from China and Vietnam are well represented but South African species especially love the climate and populate the garden, much like loading a salad […]
Posted inGarden
The Garden Grows a Bouquet
We have all done it. Picked flowers and presented them to a favorite teacher, mother or a special friend. Giving a bouquet of flowers tells the recipients they are special, and even more so when the bouquet comes from your garden. Whether you grow them for the home vase or give them away, flowers are […]
Posted inGarden
The Aquatic Songbird that Makes a Splash
Songbirds are not just frequent visitors to gardens and birdhouses. They are everywhere. Some species, like the dark-eyed junco, are ubiquitous, adapting to various environments. But others have special habitat requirements. For example, marsh wrens need marshes and sagebrush sparrows need sagebrush. A songbird splashing in shallow water is a common sight. But is it […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
Plants for Every Room of Your Home
Gardeners know the benefits of digging in the soil. It elevates a person’s mood, improves mental and physical well-being, and the outcome is always good — added beauty or tasty nutritional food. But many of us are stuck indoors for the winter, have a lack of space to garden outdoors or just can’t get enough […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
The Art of Watering Your Garden
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt adapted from Byron Smith’s book, “Slow Down and Grow Something: The Urban Grower’s Recipe for Good Life,” recently published by Murdoch Books. Plants have naturally adapted to the climate in which they have evolved — that’s why the plants in your local national park aren’t expecting you to appear […]
Posted inGarden
Putting Down Roots in ‘Plant Paradise’
When Don and Lenore Lynch moved to Kitsap County from Pasco, Eastern Washington, about 10 years ago, they each began a gardening love affair. Lenore, with a strong design background, was swept away by the wondrously greater plant palette of foliage and flower, color and texture that thrives here. Don, a scientist, embraced the coastal […]