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 […]
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
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 […]
Posted inBlog, Gardeners Corner
Fallen Leaves, a Gift from Above
Fall brings a bounty not everyone is excited about: piles of fallen leaves. In my garden, this abundance feels like early Christmas. All that organic material is at my disposal, and the only cost is a bit of exercise! I hope you will share my enthusiasm after I talk about some of the ways you […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
A Garden for Tea
Tea time will stop business in some cultures; it can also conjure up images of romantic and floriferous parties or bring warm relaxation to a cold winter day. Tea… Is it a ritual, an herb or a beverage? Technically, tea is the plant Camellia sinensis. Varieties of true tea plants are not cultivated in many […]
Posted inBlog, Featured, Gardeners Corner
Bulb Planting Tips
There’s still time to plant bulbs, whether it’s directly into the garden or into containers. Bulbs are one of the easiest things to plant and then not much work to do after that. If you choose the correct kinds of bulbs, they’re also the gift that keeps on giving. Generally you’ll have the opportunity to […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
Put on Your Winter Bloomers
Good garden design shows no bias to seasons; there is something for everyone as the changes mingle and blend. To discover the garden in winter, bundle up and take a walk outside. The season shows the real bone structure and also reveals the nakedness of mixed planting borders that don’t have much to offer after […]