Last month, my husband and I visited a small public garden in Southwest Washington called the Wildlife Botanical Gardens. The garden is a project of the NatureScaping organization, devoted to showing homeowners ways to attract birds and other wildlife to their yards by providing reliable sources of food, water, shelter and nesting material. The 3 […]
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!
Our State Flower — Pacific Rhododendron
All plants have stories. Perhaps the plant was Grandma’s favorite cut flower. Or it was that green bean variety passed down through generations of family gardeners. Or that pretty veronica whose name you learned on that hike at Mount Rainier. Every kind of plant has meaning to someone and every plant has stories behind it, […]
Tips for Creating a Pet-Friendly Family Yard for Summer Fun
People aren’t the only ones who love to spend time in the family yard during the summer months. For the family pet, the outdoor living room serves many purposes — providing a place to relax, burn off some energy, play safely with friends (human and furry) and do their “business.” To help everyone — including […]
Guide to Creating a Cozy Shed
While sheds are primarily considered a storage space, they’re more and more being thought of as an extension of your livable space — where you can relax and unwind. But how do you take a shed from serving as a place to store things to a cozy place of comfort? There are a number of […]
The Joy of Exploring the Hidden Gardens of Bainbridge Island
When I first visited the home we ended up buying on Bainbridge Island, the owners excitedly told me that their garden had been on the 2016 Bainbridge in Bloom garden tour. This clearly was the attribute they wanted to pitch more than the number of bedrooms or kind of kitchen stove. And it worked. My […]
Manage Water where it Falls for a Healthier Landscape and Environment
Too much, not enough, and never when you need it. This is a common complaint of gardeners. Keeping and using water where it falls is the first step in managing this precious resource. Planting and maintaining a healthy landscape is a good place to start. Trees, shrubs, ground-covers and other plantings improve water quality and […]
The Garden of Peggy and Bill Fox
The power of a well-designed landscape is magical. But the long, narrow piece of grassy land sloping quickly toward the waterfront offered little magic to the imagination of Peggy and Bill Fox when they first laid eyes on the property in 1987. The home was a simple, dark rambler with small windows that seemed to […]
A Few Herbs — A Little Spice — A Little Lore
Imagine life without spice — boring! Truly, those little bottles of dried herbs that you line up in the kitchen and reach for when you cook add flavor to your life. Try cooking without a pinch of this or a dash of that. Herbs are the spice of life. They make the skin glow and […]
The Brothers Greenhouses
The canaries know it’s spring at the Brothers Greenhouses, located on SW Victory Drive in Port Orchard. For more than 15 years, birds have resided in this retail nursery attached to working greenhouses. Oscar was one of the original birds, earning that name because of his Oscar-Award-worthy singing performances. The birds are delightful. You will […]

You must be logged in to post a comment.