Blog

I've been blogging since 2010, with different blogs for different topics. With this one, I'm bringing everything together, gradually moving posts here from older blogs, which is why you see long past publication dates on some of them.

If you click on the ALL POSTS button at the top of this page, you'll see, in chronological order, all the posts on this site.

If you you click on a tag at the bottom of an individual post, all other posts with the same tag will appear here.

Marie McKinsey

Dec 10, 2022
2 min

Chihuly Garden and Glass Seattle

There really is nothing quite like the Chihuly Garden, one half of the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit at Seattle Center.

11 views0 comments

7 Things for Seattle Gardeners To Do in Winter

Marie McKinsey

Dec 9, 2022
3 min

7 Things for Seattle Gardeners To Do in Winter

Yes, its rainy, windy and sometimes snowy. The ground is too soggy for digging. But that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of satisfying gard

20 views0 comments

Marie McKinsey

Nov 28, 2022
1 min

Grow Fresh Herbs Indoors Year Around

Imagine having fresh basil, mint, and cilantro growing near your kitchen in the middle of winter!

17 views0 comments

Give Your Lawn an Environmental Make-over

Marie McKinsey

Nov 6, 2022
2 min

Give Your Lawn an Environmental Make-over

From an environmental point of view, what it takes to maintain a typical lawn is a nightmare.

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Marie McKinsey

Nov 5, 2022
2 min

Leave Those Leaves!

The biggest lesson we have to learn from climate change is that we can't keep doing things the way we always have been

22 views0 comments

Marie McKinsey

May 21, 2022
2 min

Coloring Music

Early in my landscape design career, I learned that adding color to drawings was important if I wanted to sell my work.

51 views0 comments

A Bit of West Seattle Garden Tour History

Marie McKinsey

May 8, 2022
3 min

A Bit of West Seattle Garden Tour History

In the spring of 1995, a group of West Seattle gardeners brought us the first West Seattle Garden Tour (WSGT).

378 views0 comments

Find Out by Zip Code How Much CO2 Your Neighborhood Emits

Marie McKinsey

Sep 24, 2021
2 min

Find Out by Zip Code How Much CO2 Your Neighborhood Emits

We've heard for decades that increasing population density is good for the environment. The theory is that it discourages suburban sprawl,

106 views0 comments

A Fresh Look for the Arboretum at South Seattle College

Marie McKinsey

Sep 11, 2021
2 min

A Fresh Look for the Arboretum at South Seattle College

I was a landscape design student at South Seattle College in the early 1990s. The Arboretum was our outdoor classroom, where we took classes

76 views0 comments

How to Calculate Storm Water Run-off from Your Property

Marie McKinsey

Mar 6, 2021
2 min

How to Calculate Storm Water Run-off from Your Property

The EPA estimates that over 770 cities in the US combine waste water and stormwater in the same pipe and send it to sewage treatment...

40 views0 comments

Marie McKinsey

Feb 10, 2021
1 min

Pandemic Gardening

"'Tis an ill wind indeed, that blows no good." - William Shakespeare For all the pain and suffering brought by the COVID-19 pandemic,...

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Marie McKinsey

Jul 18, 2016
2 min

Create a Bee Friendly Garden

Without bees, we wouldn't have much to eat and we would have far fewer herbs and flowers to enjoy.

17 views0 comments

Marie McKinsey

Jun 26, 2016
1 min

Tillandsias

Tillandsias are air plants, members of the Bromeliad family. They are native to Central and South America, the southern US and the Caribbean

17 views0 comments

Marie McKinsey

Mar 15, 2016
2 min

Le Jardin Luxembourg - Paris

In 1613, Marie de Medici began building her "dream home," a palace in Paris in the style of Pitti Palace in Florence, the city where she gre

14 views0 comments

Marie McKinsey

Nov 24, 2013
2 min

I'll Bet You've Never Eaten a Yam

the perennial question comes up - is a yam the same thing as a sweet potato? I've wondered about this for as long as I can remember and this

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What Is the Difference Between a Fruit and a Vegetable?

Marie McKinsey

Jul 9, 2013
1 min

What Is the Difference Between a Fruit and a Vegetable?

When people find out that a tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable, they are usually surprised. They think of fruits as being sweet and vegetabl

12 views0 comments

Marie McKinsey

Apr 16, 2012
1 min

Comely Camellias

Two types of camellias grow well in the Seattle area: Camellia japonica and its smaller, daintier cousin, Camellia sasanqua.

12 views0 comments

Get to Know the Lily of the Valley Shrubs

Marie McKinsey

Apr 15, 2012
1 min

Get to Know the Lily of the Valley Shrubs

Lily of the Valley Shrubs (Pieris japonica) are graceful, slow growing shrubs that are popular in the Seattle area, and for good reasons.

24 views0 comments

Marie McKinsey

Feb 2, 2012
2 min

Heavenly Hellebores

Hellebores add an exotic touch to the winter garden. Their elegant flowers begin to emerge in late January, and depending on the variety, wi

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Marie McKinsey

Aug 10, 2011
2 min

Seattle Rain

My favorite book by local author, Tom Robbins, is "Still Life with Woodpecker." I have a well-worn copy that was given to me as a gift in...

15 views0 comments

When you buy a book on my Bookshop page, a portion of the sale goes to a fund that supports local, independent bookstores. Since 2020, Bookshop.org has raised over $23 million to help these businesses thrive.

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