It is time to serve out some eviction notices. I’ve been cleaning out the garden, weeding, pruning and mulching as I go along, and making some tough decisions along the way: Who gets to stay, and who’s overstayed their welcome. There was a time when any plant given to me or found as a bargain […]
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Posted inFeatured, Garden
How to Build a Green Roof Birdhouse
Buildings with a “living roof” are all the rage with the current focus on ecologically minded construction techniques. Originally European and historically planted with turf grasses, green roofs are popular worldwide for reducing pollution and runoff and improving insulation, among other environmental benefits. They are commonly seen in commercial construction but now you, too, can […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
Backyard Bird Feeding Makes A Difference
Bird feeding provides many benefits for winter birds in the Puget Sound area yards. The key to the conservation of bird populations is in providing the habitats needed for their natural reproduction and sustained survival. Interaction and education are the ultimate keys, because we must know something before we can love it — and we […]
Posted inBlog, Gardeners Corner
Learn Gardening with Valley Nursery Classes
If you’ve thought about taking on new gardening projects this year but are not sure where to start, gardening classes can offer you just the right boost — you can learn from the experts and walk away with ideas for your own garden. Here’s a lineup of classes offered this year (2015) by Valley Nursery. […]
Posted inFeatured, Food & Entertainment
Two Favorite Local Restaurants Reimagined
Editor’s Note: In this issue, we revisit restaurant owners we’ve featured in the past to check in following either a major expansion or a complete transformation. In both cases, the resulting restaurants were different enough to invite a second look or — better yet — a second helping. Port Gamble General Store and Café When […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
The Beauty and Effect of Gravel in the Garden
Gravel patios or “terraces” are an outdoor element used in home landscapes in Europe for many centuries. Elegant and natural, they are typically made of crushed indigenous stone, widely used for many years because it was a readily available and inexpensive material. The look is an easy surface tamped to flatten and harden the terrace […]
Posted inFeatured, People & Places
Historical Plants of West Sound
West Sound, known as the Kitsap Peninsula and the Great Peninsula, has a rich agricultural and horticultural history. The glaciers left rich earthen deposits behind; the forest duff provided rich tilth and the two combined to make wonderful soils. Just the right amount of rainfall and mild summers added even more positives to what could […]
Posted inFeatured, Food & Entertainment
The Wine Cabinet — Bainbridge Vineyards
Bainbridge Vineyards is the new name of what was once Gerard and JoAnne Bentryn’s Bainbridge Island Winery and Vineyards, located at the same address. The winery closed in 2009 following the Bentryns’ retirement. Ms. Betsey Wittick and a group of volunteers maintained the vineyards to keep the grapes alive while the winery was closed from […]
Posted inBlog, Featured, Gardeners Corner
Scientific Names of Plants Demystified
My father, Dean Kelley, was a pharmaceutical representative for a drug company. When he retired, he volunteered his time as a Master Gardener in Pierce County. One time he was complaining to me that the scientific names of plants were hard to learn. I tried to put it in perspective for him by countering that […]