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. […]
Garden
Many interesting and delightful gardens abound in our area — how fun to glimpse into a gardener’s back yard (or even front yard). Enjoy gardens from Gig Harbor, Port Orchard, Bremerton, Central Kitsap, and the North end of Kitsap including Bainbridge Island. These articles are only a sample of what we have in West Sound Magazine each issue — subscribe to the print version today to see all of what we have to offer!
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 inBlog, Gardeners Corner
Winter Bloomers Give Offseason Interest to Your Garden
Are you looking for some color to liven up the gray winter landscape? By choosing winter-blooming plants, you will get the satisfaction of a few flowers when much of the country is under ice and snow. Some of your choices are available in specialty nurseries now and other choices, like the winter-blooming snow drops, are […]
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 […]
Posted inBlog, Featured, Gardeners Corner
Tips About Easy-Care Houseplants
During these sometimes gray winter months, we can still find plant pleasures indoors. Houseplants are the plants that keep on giving enjoyment all year long, whether it be with foliage or with cheerful and entrancing flowers. Here are a few easy-care, no-fail plants from which to choose: Hoya, Sansevieria, Maranta, Holiday Cacti and Oxalis. Check […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
A Steep Slope Is Turned Into a Garden Paradise
When Rudell and Jay Hegnes moved into their Gig Harbor home in 2004, they faced a steep bank across their backyard and soggy clay soil that wouldn’t drain. Most homeowners would have considered the hill an obstacle in their landscaping plans. “We knew the steep bank could be an asset by adding top soil and […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
Community Education Opportunities
Organic Vegetable Gardening Class: Gardens You Can Eat A hands-on class taught by Master Gardeners to help you create your own organic backyard vegetable garden. This course is open to any community member who wishes to learn about growing food crops organically and will focus on soils, composting, locally appropriate techniques and integrated pest management […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
A Boost of Winter Color and Fragrance
After taking down the Christmas lights and all the bling is gone, January looks cold, dark and gray. Depressing. Does it have to be this way? Not if you plant a garden that looks good even during the coldest days of the year. Winter is a time to celebrate a quiet place, when the garden […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
Get The Dirt — On Home Gardening
Time to Plan and Learn When gardens are dormant, it’s the perfect time to take a class — or two or more. Check with your favorite local nursery and the WSU Kitsap County Extension Office for upcoming opportunities. Here are just a few ideas. Organic vegetable gardening: If you want to find really good information […]