Perched at the rise of a hill, near a dead-end road in Olalla, a small home is surrounded by artfully designed floral and shrub borders. Birds swoop downward into the small canyon on the far side of the property, then return to the … read more

On a south-facing bluff in Indianola sits a botanical “salad bowl” known as Windcliff. A garden mixture of plants from around the world, it houses a diverse array of species. Plants from China and Vietnam are well represented but South African species especially … read more

We have all done it. Picked flowers and presented them to a favorite teacher, mother or a special friend. Giving a bouquet of flowers tells the recipients they are special, and even more so when the bouquet comes from your garden. Whether you … read more

Gardeners know the benefits of digging in the soil. It elevates a person’s mood, improves mental and physical well-being, and the outcome is always good — added beauty or tasty nutritional food. But many of us are stuck indoors for the winter, have … read more

Lynn and Jim McIntyre’s garden is a bird sanctuary. Cedar waxwings visit each year to feed on red elderberry fruit. Nuthatches hop along the trunks of trees looking for insects. Pileated woodpeckers tear apart rotting wood in search of a meal, and sapsuckers … read more

Hunter Thompson had a dream. In his imagination was the perfect house, one of space and light and comfort. His house would be timber-framed with the homespun understatement and straightforward lines of a domestic barn. It would incorporate the highest quality materials and … read more

Editor’s note: This is an excerpt adapted from Byron Smith’s book, “Slow Down and Grow Something: The Urban Grower’s Recipe for Good Life,” recently published by Murdoch Books. Plants have naturally adapted to the climate in which they have evolved — that’s why … read more

Have you recently renovated your kitchen walls or tiled your shower or your bathroom floor? If you did, then you must have a lot of leftover tiles. Don’t throw them in the trash — you can put them to good use. Here are … read more

When Don and Lenore Lynch moved to Kitsap County from Pasco, Eastern Washington, about 10 years ago, they each began a gardening love affair. Lenore, with a strong design background, was swept away by the wondrously greater plant palette of foliage and flower, … read more