Bloedel Reserve, a botanical garden on Bainbridge Island, has been open to the public since 1988. Over its approximately 140 acres are several varied garden types, including a moss garden and a nationally recognized Japanese garden. One featured area visitors encounter soon after starting out on Bloedel Reserve’s nearly 2 miles of trails is the […]
Darren Strenge
With a B.S. in horticulture, and an M.S. in botany, Darren Strenge is the plant health manager for the beautiful, 150-acre Bloedel Reserve garden on Bainbridge Island. He oversees irrigation, deals with pest and disease issues, and manages their compost program. He lives in north Kitsap County with his family and various animals.
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Moss — To Grow or Not to Grow?
Moss is one of those plants that can be both beautiful and problematic, depending on where it grows. Although that’s potentially true of most plants, few besides moss will grow on a roof, a sidewalk or even a car. The key to why moss grows equally well in gardens and barren rooftops is rooted (pun […]
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‘The Complete Book of Ferns’
In the Victorian era of the 1800s, there began a fad called “pteridomania” or “fern fever,” referring to a huge popularity of all things pteridological. “Pterido” is from the ancient Greek word pteris for fern. Back then, the craze involved more than just collecting ferns, but also the incorporation of the fern motif as decoration […]
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Native Plants Feel at Home in Bainbridge Island Garden
On Bainbridge Island, looking out onto Manzanita Bay, Navy veteran Al Philips has been assembling a collection of native plants around his home. Soon after purchasing his lot, Philips began landscaping. At first, he planted all sorts of plants, but soon a love of native plants took hold and he began exclusively planting natives only. […]
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A Garden Worthy of Attention
Tucked away in the side roads and trees of Bainbridge Island is an eye-catching home garden. Barbara Weissman, with help from her husband, Eric, has coordinated the creation of garden space that is more than just pretty flowers, although there are plenty of those. Several areas in their garden provide a palette of different plantings, […]
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How to Identify Common Rhodie Problems
Rhododendrons are beginning to bloom their hearts out. They thrive in this region but are not without their share of hungry pests and sneaky diseases. A little understanding of common rhododendron problems is useful for maintaining healthy specimens. Trying to identify plant problems can be tricky. Often, different issues cause similar symptoms, or multiple problems […]
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Gardening Books to Read This Spring
Now that spring is officially here and all the bulbs, annuals and shrubs are planted, perhaps there is time to breathe a little between pulling weeds and watering to do some garden reading. With the Pacific Northwest being a gardener’s paradise, expertise abounds, along with regionally specific gardening and nature books. Here are three in […]
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Bloedel Reserve Moss Gardens
Moss thrives in our wet, rainy region. Given enough time and clear space, such as a roof, a green carpet will slowly form. So prolific is moss that entire companies exist to control it and in the drizzly Pacific Northwest, those companies tend to do well. But moss can also be a welcome interloper or […]
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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 […]