Once a year, for the past 29 years, the Northwest Flower and Garden Show has awakened visitors’ senses to the sights and sounds of spring, but the magic does not happen overnight. It’s a choreography that begins during the current show, and work on the next year begins soon after the show closes and is […]
how-tos
Posted inGardeners Corner
Better Garden Bounty with the Help of Mason Bees
I am not a mason bee expert but I recognize and benefit from their hard work during rainy weather. A few years ago, my strawberries were seedy and not uniformly plump and succulent, so I contacted my local Master Gardener for ideas about what was going on in my fruit garden. The diagnosis was “a […]
Posted inAt Home
How to Purge what You Don’t Need
The thought of moving or dealing with years’ worth of accumulations of personal belongings can strike fear into the hearts of many. In fact, I am quite certain the mere thought has prevented a large number of folks from even attempting it. Like eating an elephant one bite at a time, you can do this. […]
Posted inGarden
Go from Garden to Glass with a Beverage Garden
Where does alcohol come from? If you answer from brewers and distillers, you are correct — yet before the intermediary, the ingredients originated from a garden. Growing plants for adult beverages is all about freshness and flavors, since freshness equals flavor. Consumers choose the best homegrown edibles for better flavor. Supermarkets sell mostly tough, tasteless […]
Posted inAt Home
Inspire Your Rooms, Inspire Your Life
Editor’s note: This excerpt was adapted from “Simple Decorating: 50 Ways to Inspire Your Home” by Melissa Michaels. Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon. Used by permission. A home should be more than just something pretty to look at. Our homes should inspire us every day to live the life we dream of and […]
Posted inGarden
Orchids as Houseplants
Once grown exclusively as a hobby of the wealthy, orchids are now available to every interested gardener. Perhaps you received one as a gift and wonder what to do after the bloom fades, or perhaps you’ve seen them for sale and want to buy one. They are not throwaway holiday plants if you understand how […]
Posted inAt Home
Downsize Your Home — Upgrade Your Life!
Why downsize? Just look around your home or any other. Americans love stuff, and we consume more than people in any other country. We live in larger homes than any other country. We like having our things — they bring us comfort and happy memories. For my husband and I, downsizing was part of a […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
Terracing a Vegetable Garden
The first time we saw our property, we were not smitten. Most of the land sloped significantly and faced north. The house did not make us jump with excitement either, at first. As our choices were pretty limited, we took a second look, and the magic started to reveal itself. The sloping property afforded a […]
Posted inGarden
Moss Master Plus — Eco-Friendly Roof Cleaning and More
The sight of moss on a roof is as common in the Puget Sound region as the sight of a Starbucks coffee shop. It’s the inevitability of the wet weather and shady environment — sooner or later, you’ll likely spot those telltale green spots on your roof, especially on the north side. Unfortunately, two common […]