The forsythia blooming is traditionally the start of spring activities in the garden. Rosarians use that as a clue to begin pruning roses. This year, the forsythia in my garden bloomed a full four weeks ahead of previous years due to the record warm weather in February. That was taken as a cautious beginning to […]
Elena J. Williams
An American Rose Society Master Consulting Rosarian, Elena J. Williams grows 160 roses in Kitsap County. Sixty of those roses were moved from Minnesota ten years ago and are thriving better than they could have in the frozen tundra. Elena is retired from being a teacher librarian and she participates in Kitsap Rose Society and Tacoma Rose Society.
Posted inBlog, Gardeners Corner
Winter Bloomers Give Offseason Interest to Your Garden
Are you looking for some color to liven up the gray winter landscape? By choosing winter-blooming plants, you will get the satisfaction of a few flowers when much of the country is under ice and snow. Some of your choices are available in specialty nurseries now and other choices, like the winter-blooming snow drops, are […]
Posted inBlog, Gardeners Corner
Chrysanthemums: An Underused Fall Perennial
If you think chrysanthemums are only the daisy-like, yellow flowers in pots that are regularly seen at big-box stores September through fall, you would be surprised to see what they can really look like. The big-box stores sell mums that are forced to flower in a greenhouse. Sometimes when you buy them and put them […]
Posted inBlog, Gardeners Corner
Crunchy, Sweet and Delicious Apples at Harvest Time
My experience with apples did not extend much beyond Fuji, Honey Crisp and Jonagold before attending the Peninsula Fruit Club’s Fall Fruit Tasting Show this October at the Silverdale Community Center. I was thrilled to see 175 different types of apples grown in Kitsap, plus pears, grapes, kiwi and nuts brought from club members’ gardens […]
Posted inBlog, Gardeners Corner
Annual Event Brings a Celebration of Tomatoes
Mid-September brings a bounty of tomatoes to harvest and there is no better place to experience the many flavors than at Brothers Greenhouses Annual Tomato Tasting event in Port Orchard, not far from the Bremerton National Airport on South 3. Fifty tomato varieties were available for our tasting pleasure this past weekend and those included […]
Posted inBlog, Gardeners Corner
Create a ‘Salad Box’ That’s Slug-Proof
Whether you are new to gardening, live in a townhouse or other small space or are an experienced gardener, you probably have seen a favorite crop in a raised bed or in-ground garden turned into Swiss cheese by the creatures of the night. One solution to this perennial problem has been solved in my garden […]
Posted inAround West Sound, Blog, Gardeners Corner
Roses are Blooming in West Sound
Have you thought about growing a few roses or just been wondering which types of roses might be successful in your garden? This Sunday, June 29, the Kitsap County Rose Society will host a Rose Show in Silverdale at the Community Center, next to Walgreens, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. You will see all […]