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 […]
flowers
Posted inPeople & Places
On the Lookout for the ‘Wow Factor’ at The Garden Room
Brightly colored Adirondack chairs placed on the sidewalk outside raise the curiosity and beckon passersby to step inside The Garden Room, a seasonal home-décor shop nestled in Gig Harbor’s “Uptown” shopping village. Window displays and inside vignettes offer breathtaking possibilities for dressing one’s home in the latest florals, accessories and trinkets. Displays are constantly in […]
Posted inHome
The Garden and Home of Joanne and Chuck Little
The heart of this story started 33 years ago with a young couple who fell in love with the expansive water and Olympic Mountain views from a 2-acre property on Bainbridge Island. Chuck and Joanne Little turned it from a summer home into a rental while they remained on the other side of the Sound. […]
Posted inGarden
A True Cottage Garden ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’
High school sweethearts Marion and Steve Ekberg were born and raised in the Tacoma area, spending childhoods in the woods of Minter Creek and Fox Island. In 1972, they were house hunting, looking for a place to call home and raise a family, when they discovered an old house on about 2 acres on a […]
Posted inGarden
Love of Flowers Travels from Holland to the Key Peninsula
From not being able to afford flowers when she moved to the United States to having a business designing gardens large and small, Patricia Ruff has traveled far. Her love of flowers and her need to create helped her begin digging in the dirt. In turn, her artistic aspirations using nature as her canvas brought […]
Posted inCommunity News
‘Gardens with a View Tour’ Showcases Eight Gardens — for a Good Cause
The self-guided “Gardens with a View Tour” returns to North Kitsap, giving the public a view of eight amazing gardens. Spend Saturday, July 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., admiring these special gardens with fantastic views. Two are high up on Foulweather Bluff. One is 5 acres of garden rooms with an Asian theme; […]
Posted inGarden
Our Bees are in Trouble
Bees are in trouble — in recent years, the bee population has plummeted. A compilation of problems is to blame: Bees are essential to the production of one out of every three bites of food that we eat. A growing body of science has implicated neonicotinoids (neonies), the world’s most widely used pesticide, as a […]
Posted inHome
Cut and Dried — Lasting Flower Arrangements
Traditional dried-flower arranging is an art that seeks to capture the beauty, form and color of flowers in their peak of bloom and suspend it in time. This practice uses tools such as glycerin, silica gel, flower presses and microwaves to control the drying for realistic preservation. With these tools, flowers and foliage can last […]
Posted inGarden
A Personal Retrospective on the Gig Harbor Garden Tour
This year, the Gig Harbor Garden Tour is celebrating its 20th anniversary. During the years of my involvement with this event, I have met many generous gardeners as well as volunteers who have dedicated many hours to the tour’s success. On one of my first garden tours, I remember introducing myself to Sue Goetz. It […]