The temperate weather of Western Washington and the long growing season create a gardener’s paradise. This year, due to unusually warm temperatures, I have found myself out in the garden early, visiting with my plant friends that have lain dormant all winter. I spy a young asparagus pushing up, masses of rhododendrons in bloom and […]
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Posted inGarden
Llama Rose Farm and Gardens Reblooms as Empress Hill
The five-star wedding venue Llama Rose Farm and Gardens woke to the New Year with a new name. Like a monarch butterfly emerging transformed to spread its wings, the rustic-elegant venue unfolds a new identity — Empress Hill. The new name resonates with promise. And aren’t promises what weddings are all about? History On the […]
Posted inFood & Entertainment
El Sombrero — A Taste of Mexico on the Key Peninsula
The Key Peninsula has seen its share of restaurant comings and goings over the past decade. But the Mexican restaurant El Sombrero, which opened in Key Center eight years ago, feels right at home amidst the rustic charm of the Peninsula — never mind its off-the-beaten-path location. “The Hat,” as some locals have nicknamed it, […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
The More Plants in the Yard — the More Birds
The importance of a heavily planted yard can’t be emphasized too much when it comes to attracting birds. All of the plants do not have to provide food for them. Food is just one of four needs for sustaining bird populations. Like all wild creatures, birds need food, water, nesting habitat and protective cover. We […]
Posted inGarden
Spring Fever Strikes Again with Newer Plant Introductions
It’s exciting when new plant introductions bump up against spring. If you love gardening, you know how easy it is to surrender to spring fever. When the urge to plant strikes, you scurry about in a feverish excitement that can make a shark-feeding frenzy seem like an afternoon picnic on a Seabeck beach. Spring fever […]
Posted inGarden
Getting Started with a Pond or Water Feature
Jan Bahr at Roadhouse Nursery on Central Valley Road in Poulsbo is the go-to person for advice on how to construct and maintain water features in home gardens and landscapes. She believes that the most important thing is to do your homework. Start by deciding what features are most appealing, and consider cost along with […]
Posted inGarden
Name that Warbler — Heralding the Arrival of Spring
Warbler watching in West Sound country can’t compete with what the eastern portion of North America enjoys, but we do have several special warbler species. Not only do warblers move into the Northwest with spring’s arrival, some have been brightening the winter landscape. Winter visits from the Townsend’s warbler appear more frequent than they did […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
Low Maintenance Vegetable Gardening for a Bountiful Harvest
Increase your harvest without increasing the size of your garden or workload. All you need is a bit of intensive planting, along with some low-maintenance techniques. Invest some time upfront to prepare the garden soil. This will save you time throughout the growing season. Add several inches of organic matter and a slow-release fertilizer into […]
Posted inAround West Sound
Bainbridge Symphony Brings Popular Modern Scores to the Stage
One of the great aspects of an orchestra is the chameleon role it plays in music. One night an orchestra might be performing the glorious symphonies of Mozart, Brahms or Stravinsky. And on another, it might be providing the music for an opera, ballet, moving picture or musical revue. Music fuses with other artistic genres […]