Nothing says summer like a leisurely glass of lemonade in the backyard and a light, melt-in-your-mouth cookie to accompany it. Lavender shortbread, an unusual, easy-to-make cookie, is sure to get high praise from friends and family. Herbs of all sorts have been used in food stuffs for centuries but really came into their own in […]
flowers
Posted inGardeners Corner
Tips for Growing Gladiolus in Your Garden
Gladiolus are as American as apple pie. Generations of gardeners, from Maine to Western Washington, have tucked these summer-blooming bulbs into their gardens in spring, delighted by the gorgeous flower spikes that appear just a few months later. Buckets of long-stemmed glads are a late-summer tradition, and they can be found at almost any county […]
Posted inGarden
Poulsbo’s Petal and Pitchfork Farm Takes on New Life as a Cooperative Flower Farm
Stacy Marshall of Petal and Pitchfork loves flowers. She likes them so much that, in 2022, she transitioned her 15-acre farm from vegetable production to flowers. Marshall and her husband, Kelsey, are the community-minded owners of local coffee marketer Grounds for Change. The couple, together with Marshall’s sidekick (and mother) Janet Chalupa, have worked hard […]
Posted inGarden
Allium’s Ornamental Stars
Nature did not create all flowers equal when it came to fragrance. When you view a flower, you instinctively want to bury your nose in it to get a whiff of its scent. Alliums will give you that, just not the sweet aroma you hope for when you do a sniff test. Ornamental alliums may […]
Posted inGarden
There Were ‘Signs’
How do you recognize a truly inspired garden, one with humor and style and a joy that reflects the personality of its creators? Sometimes, there are signs. In the garden of Brian and Karen Rasmussen of Poulsbo, an extensive and carefully cultivated collection of vintage Americana overflows into the beds and borders. Among an old-fashioned […]
Posted inHome
Creative Tablescape Competition Winners 2022
WestSound Magazine received an abundance of creative tablescapes. The choices were all wonderful, but our tablescape judges made the difficult decisions — plus, there was a tie for third place. Thank you to all who took the time to submit your tablescapes. And thank you to our judges for their time and expertise. Congratulations to […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
Albers Marcovina Vista Gardens Hosts Fundraising Plant Sale
Albers Marcovina Vista Gardens will host its first annual plant sale and raffle event on April 23 and 24, in honor of Earth Day. The garden will be open Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Preregistration online for the plant sale is highly recommended. Plants for […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
Easy Ways to Create Edibles and Flowers Combinations
Peanut butter and jelly… Mac and cheese… Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds… Perfect combinations make life a little happier. Just like favorite flavors and power couples, your garden can benefit from great combinations, too. Who says veggies need to be relegated to the backyard? Beautifully blending veggies, fruit, herbs and flowers means you can show […]
Posted inGarden
The Wonderful World of Garden Books
The Hidden Life of Trees: The Illustrated Edition Author Peter Wohlleben “As a rule, friendships that extend to looking after stumps can be established only in undisturbed forests.” Trees equipped with warning systems? Forests with a vast communication network underground? Is there a couple-centuries-old stump being kept alive with the help from surrounding trees? If […]