Today the wind is blowing the rain sideways. West Sound has not seen the temperature rise much above the low 40s for over a month. After the winter solstice, many people turn their thoughts to their garden. Every day there are more minutes … read more

What is the big fuss about buying organic produce and organically grown meats, as opposed to those products that are conventionally grown? Budget-conscious buyers will usually opt for the lesser-priced option, which typically, but not always, is conventionally grown. Next to price, the … read more

In 1908, Zenhichi Harui came to Bainbridge Island from Japan and started growing plants and flowers, selling them at a small farm stand. The business grew to include a general store, gas station and gardens that attracted visitors from far and wide. The … read more

Every once in a while, a garden captures our hearts. Visitors want to linger, spirits are lifted, imaginations awaken. The smallest of gardens can make an enormous impact. What is that extra ingredient that transforms an ordinary landscape into an extraordinary one? Gardens … read more

A walk through Lisa and Glenn Eastep’s garden makes it clear that creative minds are at work here — from the clipped gables and rolled-edge roof of the cottage-style home they designed to the inviting, arched entry gate and the foliage colors that … read more

Editor’s note: This excerpt was adapted from “The Colorful Dry Garden,” used by permission of Sasquatch Books. The word ephemeral defines anything that lives for just a short time. It’s often used to define annual flowering plants, which grow from seed, mature, flower … read more

The fat, fleshy leaves of succulents evoke dry summer heat. Sometimes blushed with rosy hues that hint of a California sunset, their closely held forms murmur memories of desert light. During the sodden, short days of Pacific Northwest winters, a tabletop planter of … read more

Counting birds in the middle of winter may not make sense but this is a tradition that goes back over a hundred years. It is a tradition that replaced another one known as the Christmas “Side Hunt.” Before the turn of the century, … read more

When the city of Bremerton parks department decided it was time to upgrade the old Manette neighborhood park, it went to the Manette Neighborhood Coalition and asked for help. The city wanted to hear from the neighborhood about what to include in the … read more