The Antidote for the Seattle "Freeze" - Volunteering
The Seattle Times recently ran an article entitled: "Have you melted the Seattle Freeze? We'd like to hear how you did it." I wish I'd known
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Welcome!
Whether you are a gardener, an Outlander fan, a West Seattle resident, or someone tuning in for the latest episode of Sound Transit and West Seattle Bridge drama, I hope you find something useful here.
Blog Posts
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
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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
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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.
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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).
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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
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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.
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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
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Marie McKinsey
- Apr 13, 2014
- 3 min
Rhododendron Hell
"Roger didn't need to read it; he knew well enough the thoughts that were going through the other's mind. The same thoughts he'd wrestled...
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
- Jul 26, 2011
- 1 min
Can You Grow Kiwi Fruit in Seattle?
What you see above are newly set kiwi fruits I found growing near my house when I was out for my walk this morning.
Here are some things
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Marie McKinsey
- May 23, 2011
- 2 min
Ceanothus
Ceanothus, also known as California wild lilac, is starting to bloom now in Seattle. Its striking, purple-blue flowers are shaped like tiny
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Marie McKinsey
- Apr 22, 2011
- 3 min
Is This a Weed?
Horsetail and henbit and shot weed, oh my! Nettles that sting, geraniums gone wild, and "dandy" lions - these are a few of the plants referr
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Marie McKinsey
- Nov 10, 2010
- 1 min
A Rose Is a Rose, Is an Apple, Is a Berry
Botanically speaking, roses belong to the Rosaceae (ro-ZAY-cee-ee) family. This is a huge family, encompassing over 2800 species of plants,
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Marie McKinsey
- Oct 5, 2010
- 2 min
Strawberry Trees Forever
Is it a tree? Is it a shrub?
With the right cultivar selection and a little artful pruning, it can be either.
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Marie McKinsey
- Oct 4, 2010
- 2 min
Keeping Daphne Happy
In Greek mythology, the maiden, Daphne, had herself transformed into a laurel tree to escape the amorous attentions of the god, Apollo.
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