“Why would you want to buy that piece of swampland?” asked the strawberry farmer when Jim and Lynn McIntyre showed interest in a plot of land he had tried to cultivate. The land was full of rocks and wet clay, and a big section consisted of a 3-inch-deep peat-like layer. Full of scotch broom, with […]
Luba Fetterman
The owner of Harmonia Landscapes on Bainbridge Island, Luba Fetterman is an ecoPRO certified horticulturist. Whether designing a garden, teaching clients how to care for their own landscapes, or providing fine pruning or maintenance services, Luba's focus is on gardens that nurture people while remaining in harmony with the natural world. She has a bachelor of science degree in marine biology from Texas A&M University as well as an associate of technical arts degree in ornamental horticulture and landscape design from Edmonds Community College. Luba has been a Kitsap County Master Gardener since 2008. When not busy in her own or her clients' gardens, she can be found sailing on her 30-foot Lyle Hess cutter that she built with her husband, or backpacking in our beautiful mountains.
Posted inHome
A Catwalk Project Fit for a Builder and His Cat
Lynn and Jim McIntyre’s garden is a bird sanctuary. Cedar waxwings visit each year to feed on red elderberry fruit. Nuthatches hop along the trunks of trees looking for insects. Pileated woodpeckers tear apart rotting wood in search of a meal, and sapsuckers riddle the ghostly birch trees with rows of sap-filled holes. Chattery flocks […]
Posted inGarden
Perfect Plants for Your Waterside Gardening
West Sound residents seldom forget how fortunate they are to be surrounded by water. Thousands of miles of shoreline influence everyday activities, especially for those lucky enough to be the stewards of waterfront property. The thought of a seaside garden conjures up romance, fun, beauty, sunshine, children laughing, friends sharing stories around a fire — […]
Posted inGarden
The Magic of Fletcher Bay Gardens
The garden of Nick and Marj Masla represents the best of the lives of the Masla family. This beautiful garden is the culmination of three decades of growing a passion for flowers, creating a retreat, building businesses tied to the bounty of the garden and nurturing a family with strong ties to the land. The […]
Posted inGarden
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 […]
Posted inGarden
Ferns
Many gardeners dream of sunshine, of borders overflowing with flowering perennials and sun-loving shrubs. This especially holds true for people who are moving to the Puget Sound area from the sunny states of California, Arizona and others. Faced with the gorgeous and tall native cedars, hemlocks and Douglas firs, not everyone can embrace the mossy […]
Posted inGarden
Garden Standouts for Extraordinary Landscapes
Every once in a while, a garden captures our hearts. Visitors want to linger, spirits are lifted, imaginations awaken. The smallest of gardens can make an enormous impact. What is that extra ingredient that transforms an ordinary landscape into an extraordinary one? Gardens are very personal spaces, and when created to reflect and concentrate the […]
Posted inGarden
Toxic Garden Plants
Dip a toe into the world of herbalism, and a whole new world will open up. Just like Alice falling through the rabbit hole and discovering an unexpected Wonderland, the quest to learn about the powerful properties of plants can open such a portal. Although a magazine article can only scratch the surface, perhaps a […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
A Garden’s Memory
My time in the garden is often solitary, but as I focus on a task, my head is filled with whispers. The conversation comes, unbidden — triggered by a sound, a scent or a flower. The garden is where I reconnect with people dear to me and sometimes long gone. Whenever I see the grapes […]