Perhaps it should come as no surprise that, upon moving to Bainbridge Island after growing up in southern California, followed by a dozen years in parched Houston, Carol Folse would become enchanted by woodland spring flowers. Folse and her husband, Parker, fell in love with Bainbridge during a vacation to Seattle in 1994. While in […]
Maia Eisen
A freelance writer and professional garden designer who lives in Poulsbo, Maia is a member of the Garden Writers Association. She writes about gardening, travel, people and living well and wisely on the planet. As a garden designer, she specializes in container gardens.
Posted inGarden
His, Hers, and Theirs — Divide and Garden
“It’s very purple,” one visitor commented about Glee Palmer-Davis and Dennis Johnson’s Hansville A-frame cottage and garden. The color of the body of the house is an intense purple that leans toward violent red-violet. Called “Fabulous Grape,” the color suggests a grape candy so aggressively saturated with color that only a child would eat it. […]
Posted inHome
Selecting a Landscape Designer or Landscape Architect
“Gardeners, I think, dream bigger than emperors,” said author and journalist Mary Cantwell. But sometimes gardeners need help in realizing their garden dreams. When you do need help, two challenging questions arise: What type of creative professional do you need — a landscape architect or a landscape designer? And how do you find the right […]
Posted inGarden
Easy-Peasy Square-Foot Gardening
On Jan. 20, 1993, a memorably violent storm ripped through the Puget Sound region. As Mike Lasnier, then a young Tukwila police officer, headed for work along Southcenter Boulevard, the storm hurled a massive tree from a high cliff down onto the road just ahead of him. As it fell, the tree pulled down power […]
Posted inGarden
A Gardener’s Take on Dr. Seuss
Welcome to the Dr. Seuss-inspired garden of Ron Gillespie. “When I think of Dr. Seuss, I think of fluffy things, and I think of tall things that stick out, and weird-shaped branches,” Gillespie says. Gillespie, a retired history teacher and school administrator, is a native of Bremerton. His father was a music director in the […]
Posted inGarden
Llama Rose Farm and Gardens Reblooms as Empress Hill
The five-star wedding venue Llama Rose Farm and Gardens woke to the New Year with a new name. Like a monarch butterfly emerging transformed to spread its wings, the rustic-elegant venue unfolds a new identity — Empress Hill. The new name resonates with promise. And aren’t promises what weddings are all about? History On the […]
Posted inFeatured, People & Places
A New Floor Plan and a Wealth of Custom Features and Cabinetry
It wasn’t just the bright-green Formica countertops that Tami Watts disliked about her kitchen. Watts and her husband, Brad, owner of Valley Nursery in Poulsbo, typically host holiday and birthday gatherings for their extended local family, now three generations. The long peninsula in the 25-year-old kitchen restricted traffic flow between the kitchen and adjacent living/dining […]