Crows Fall is the time when days are shorter and fall-colored foliage and decorations abound. It’s also a time of dormancy and death when annual plants die and decompose into great soil, while other plants enter a long sleep, storing energy for next spring. Let’s discuss black-as-night crows, their lives and their flocking as signal […]
Featured
Featured Articles from the West Sound. These are the highlighted articles from WestSound Magazine.
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Create Your Own Glass Garden Terrarium
Terrariums are back! Introduced in 1831 for Victorian parlors and popular again in the 1970s, covered glass containers are an attractive way to display plants while providing the humidity that is difficult otherwise to maintain indoors. While a terrarium normally refers to a clear glass container with a lid, a cover is not mandatory. Containers […]
Posted inFeatured, People & Places
Jim Valley — A Life Lived in Color
Much by his own design, Jim Valley inhabits a color-filled world. During summers on his property in the Cromwell area of Gig Harbor, for instance, he has only to look out the windows of his house to behold the rich, evolving tapestry of his gardens, including the multihued zinnias that were his first foray into […]
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Step By Step Instructions to Make a Mosaic Planter
This project is the ideal introduction to the craft of mosaics. Making a mosaic flowerpot utilizes the skills required for a larger composition, without the risk of spending much on tools that might not be used again. And a mosaic planter doesn’t need to be perfect to be useful. Since the supplies are inexpensive and […]
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Purple
Like trying to capture wind to put in a mason jar or finding that the cake baked and rose higher than expected — that’s purple. “Go, Huskies!” the man shouted while wearing a bright-purple sweatshirt and an equally vibrant UW monogrammed baseball cap. Sports easily accepts this go-getter, out-there hue. The Minnesota Vikings won’t be […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
Flower Power
Fresh floral arrangements make a statement. Whether composed of a single, stunning blossom or multihued, full and brimming with petals, a bouquet says that you care about the details and flourishes that make a house a home. And to guests, flowers are a welcoming signal that you consider their company special. For those who like […]
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The Chair
Chair or stool: a seat with legs, for one person. A chair can be like a friend, there when needed. Or a chair may be like a familiar song that evokes a memory. But too often those oddball chairs and stools are discarded or basement-bound. I have done a lot of color studies, usually starting […]
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Secondary Color
Not the second stage of the color wheel, but that backseat color you pay less mind to; the color that happened to be there, a whim decision, the jovial hue of gathered gadgets or the color one did not chose. Not to say that you do not like that color, it just happened. Most find […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
Cultivate Your Child’s Love for Gardening
Allowing a bit of creative autonomy is the key to encouraging children to spend time in the garden. Children can be reluctant to try something new, afraid of doing something wrong or making a mess. With their own space to experiment, putter and even goof up or get dirty, a child can learn creatively. This […]