Last month, my husband and I visited a small public garden in Southwest Washington called the Wildlife Botanical Gardens. The garden is a project of the NatureScaping organization, devoted to showing homeowners ways to attract birds and other wildlife to their yards by … read more

People aren’t the only ones who love to spend time in the family yard during the summer months. For the family pet, the outdoor living room serves many purposes — providing a place to relax, burn off some energy, play safely with friends … read more

While sheds are primarily considered a storage space, they’re more and more being thought of as an extension of your livable space — where you can relax and unwind. But how do you take a shed from serving as a place to store … read more

Too much, not enough, and never when you need it. This is a common complaint of gardeners. Keeping and using water where it falls is the first step in managing this precious resource. Planting and maintaining a healthy landscape is a good place … read more

Tulips are equated with spring, and every year between late March and mid May, millions of people flock to see acres of these iconic flowers in bloom during tulip festivals throughout Western Washington. This year, the National Garden Bureau named the tulip “perennial … read more

Spring is undoubtedly my favorite time of year. Each spring, I especially look forward to cutting fresh flowers from my yard to arrange in a vase on my kitchen windowsill or dining room table. In some ways, the finished display is like a … read more

While it is the responsibility of the U.S. of Agriculture (USDA) to ensure food safety, the agency’s broad guidelines can fall short of the minute details many consumers desire. Also, due to the size and workload of the USDA, reports on the safety … read more

From its humble beginnings around the Mediterranean, the table beet (beta vulgaris) has spread to all continents of the world. Beets have been consumed in many ways: medicinally in ancient Rome, fresh (both the greens and the roots) in salads, in soups and … read more

Summer means time spent gardening and relaxing with friends. And just like the kitchen in winter, the patio or deck tends to be the gathering spot when the weather turns warm. Get the most from this space with a bit of preseason planning … read more