Your local independent garden center is an essential community source providing you access to healthy, affordable food to grow at home. As an essential part of your community, garden centers are taking the required steps to serve you safely and protect their staff. With warmer weather in the forecast, here’s what you should know about […]
outdoors
Posted inGarden
Historic Homestead Becomes Home to Gardens
Imagine being a young woman in Germany in the 1890s and coming alone over the Atlantic Ocean, and across the entire continental United States, to a remote peninsula in the Pacific Northwest. That is what young Dora Gummert did when she came to Gig Harbor to marry Henry Sehmel (pronounced Zay-mul), who planned to farm […]
Posted inGarden
Day Trip — The Region’s Finest Self-Guided Garden Tours
There is no such thing as a new idea, Mark Twain said. “We simply take a lot of old ideas, give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations.” Kitsap County is the home of several botanical wonders — among them Albers Vista in Bremerton, Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island and Heronswood in […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
Kids’ Garden-Themed Activities You Can Do Right Now
As we all face these unpredictable times, experts at KidsGardening created and shared these “tried and true,” plant-based activities that are joyful for any age and don’t involve any screen time. The national nonprofit reaches close to half of a million educators, parents and volunteers with free online gardening educational resources and activities. According to […]
Posted inGarden
Glass ‘Flowers’ For Your Garden
Hansville artist Judy Bryant has done a variety of things in her lifetime. For several years, she worked as a draftsperson at Boeing, where she drew the designs of the captains’ panel of the 737 aircraft onto mylar sheets, using special pens. She also worked for Marriott Hotels for 17 years in the accounts payable […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
Maintaining Wellness through Gardening in the Era of Social Distancing
Recreational, meetings and concerts are canceled. The kids are out of school and we’re being encouraged to stay home. In this time of Covid-19, here are a few suggestions from the National Garden Bureau, along with links to resources, to cultivate something good. 1. Start some seeds. Nothing is more life-affirming than checking each morning […]
Posted inPeople & Places
The Waterfront Village of Manchester
Located just a 10-minute drive from downtown Port Orchard on Puget Sound is Manchester, an unincorporated community in southeast Kitsap County. Established in the 1860s, the town was named after Manchester city in England. More than 7,000 people currently live in Manchester, which has excellent views of Seattle, Mount Rainier and Blake Island. At one […]
Posted inGarden
Leave No Stone Unturned when Searching for this Shorebird
As winter gives way to spring, migratory marine birds are journeying north to Arctic breeding grounds, including numerous species of ducks, alcids, loons, gulls and shorebirds. The latter consists of birds that live on sandy or rocky beaches and mudflats. Some shorebirds are solitary, while others travel together. Multiple shorebird species often congregate on feeding […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
Make 2020 Your ‘Year of the Lavender’
The “lavender lifestyle” is real. Everywhere you look, people are incorporating this multifaceted plant into their daily lives: It’s seen in gardens, as well as in kitchens and décor. It’s even a special part of health and wellness routines. The texture, scent, attractiveness and overall usability of lavender make it one of the most versatile […]