Anyone else have a sweet tooth? I love to bake. Desserts are what make my kitchen go round. I used to purchase boxed cake mixes by the half dozen when they came on sale. Until (you guessed it) I started reading the ingredients. I went back through our family recipes and came across my great-grandmother’s […]
how-tos
Posted inGarden
Maintaining Ponds and Water Features
Jan Bahr, who is a pond-plants expert at Roadhouse Nursery, says that outdoor pond maintenance is somewhat similar to keeping an aquarium. In maintaining an aquarium that houses fish and plants, the key element is the pump and filtering system. Fish and plants are also key elements in outdoor ponds. It’s a complete ecosystem, and […]
Posted inGarden
Pruning Sustainably
Sustainability is not a word generally used to describe pruning practices. Wikipedia has a more accepted use of the word: “Sustainable development is the organizing principle for sustaining finite resources necessary to provide for the needs of future generations of life on the planet. It is a process that envisions a desirable future state for […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
Fall Care for a Healthier, Better Looking Lawn
Fall is the time to help lawns recover from summer stress and prepare for the winter ahead. Continue to mow your lawn as long as it continues to grow. Grow cool season grasses like bluegrass, fescue and ryegrass 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 inches tall. Warm season grasses like bermudagrass, carpetgrass, centipedegrass and zoysia should be grown […]
Posted inAt Home
Builder/Remodeler or Architect… Which Comes First?
If you are planning to build a new home or do a major remodel, there is a natural question that should come up. Whom do I call first? A builder/remodeler or an architect (or designer)? In 28 years of building and remodeling, I have seen many, many sad faces of clients who had a plan […]
Posted inAt Home
Abundance of ‘Healthy’ Labels Gives Food for Thought
It is a strange age when it seems like one requires a trip to the library, a day of research and an existential crisis just to understand the labels on a carton of eggs at the supermarket. There has been a push in recent times to increase the amount of labeling on our food products […]
Posted inHome
Selecting a Landscape Designer or Landscape Architect
“Gardeners, I think, dream bigger than emperors,” said author and journalist Mary Cantwell. But sometimes gardeners need help in realizing their garden dreams. When you do need help, two challenging questions arise: What type of creative professional do you need — a landscape architect or a landscape designer? And how do you find the right […]
Posted inAt Home
Pears
Of all the delicious fruits grown in the Northwest, pears may be the most versatile, succulent and satisfying of all. Pears transcend summer into fall, ripening late summer to early autumn, depending on variety and weather conditions. This beautiful fruit lends itself to freezing and long-term storage, and is available nearly year-round. But it is […]
Posted inHome
So, You Live with a Messie? Tips to Help Keep the Peace
Opposites attract: Night owls marry early birds, party people partner with homebodies and we, neat freaks, just can’t live without some messies in our life. We love them: They are our partners, our children, our aging parents. They are spontaneous, funny, out-of-the-box thinkers who challenge us to think in new ways and try doing things […]