Summer Gardening Tips Summer is the perfect time to wander throughout your gardens. Take photos of the planting areas you enjoy the most. Download photos and make notes to yourself what you like the best about the various plants you’ve recorded. Make notes for future editing if you find some spots where you’d like to […]
gardening
Outsmarting Your Garden Nemesis
Weeds are not altogether undesirable plants. “Heresy!” you might say, but the term “weed” is an arbitrary designation made by a gardener who would prefer to grow another plant instead. To some people, a foxglove is a gift in an otherwise bare bed, and to others, an interloper whose poisonous leaves beckon to a pup […]
Rain Gardens Add Beauty and Function to Your Yard
Controlling storm-water runoff is a necessity for your home and your yard, but it’s sometimes relegated to that dreaded list of outdoor chores. But what if adding an efficient runoff system meant the addition of a beautiful garden at the same time? That’s exactly what rain gardens are. They’re designed to store and filter rain […]
Enjoy the Versatility of Lavender by Growing Your Own
An old-fashioned, fragrant herb, lavender colors the garden with a purple haze in midsummer. This herb is so popular, it has its own festivals. Lavender’s reputation is attributed to its beauty in the garden and diversity of use, from aromatherapy to crafting. The characteristics of lavender are legendary. Culinary, crafting and medicinal recipes have been […]
Tent Caterpillars Are Making a Comeback
The last tent caterpillar outbreak in West Sound happened quite a while ago. Yet the memories — of the sounds they made as they munched away at our tree canopy and the shivers they sent through my spine as they fell on my head or crunched underfoot — have not diminished all that much over […]
Creating Paradise with Lily Hybrids
Many a lucky woman has been given the name Lily. Lilies represent innocence and purity, elegance and beauty. If you grow them in your own garden, you know why. The common Lilium hybrids are easy to grow, naturalize, are long-blooming and match just about any color palette. Another amazing thing about lilies is that they […]
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 […]
Scented Pelargoniums
Commonly known as scented geraniums, these are not your ordinary geraniums and definitely not that vibrant summer annual flower that tumbles out of window boxes and container gardens. Scented geraniums belong to the genus Pelargonium, like the other geraniums, and all are the family Geraniaceae. They really should be called scented pelargoniums. Wild scented pelargoniums […]
The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Showcases Six North Kitsap Gardens
Six private gardens in Indianola, Kingston and on Bainbridge Island will be open to the general public on June 29 as part of Garden Conservancy’s Open Days. The mission of the Garden Conservancy is to preserve “America’s exceptional gardens” as well as educate people about the roles of gardens in our country’s heritage and culture. […]
