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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
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
Marie McKinsey
Aug 19, 20232 min read
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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
Marie McKinsey
Dec 9, 20223 min read
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Give Your Lawn an Environmental Make-over
From an environmental point of view, what it takes to maintain a typical lawn is a nightmare.
Marie McKinsey
Nov 6, 20222 min read
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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
Marie McKinsey
Nov 5, 20222 min read
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Coloring Music
Early in my landscape design career, I learned that adding color to drawings was important if I wanted to sell my work.
Marie McKinsey
May 21, 20222 min read
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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).
Marie McKinsey
May 8, 20223 min read
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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
Marie McKinsey
Sep 11, 20212 min read
101 views
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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.
Marie McKinsey
Jul 18, 20162 min read
41 views
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Tillandsias
Tillandsias are air plants, members of the Bromeliad family. They are native to Central and South America, the southern US and the Caribbean
Marie McKinsey
Jun 26, 20161 min read
34 views
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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...
Marie McKinsey
Apr 13, 20143 min read
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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
Marie McKinsey
Jul 9, 20131 min read
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Comely Camellias
Two types of camellias grow well in the Seattle area: Camellia japonica and its smaller, daintier cousin, Camellia sasanqua.
Marie McKinsey
Apr 16, 20121 min read
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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.
Marie McKinsey
Apr 15, 20121 min read
132 views
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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
Marie McKinsey
Feb 2, 20122 min read
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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
Marie McKinsey
Jul 26, 20111 min read
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Ceanothus
Ceanothus, also known as California wild lilac, is starting to bloom now in Seattle. Its striking, purple-blue flowers are shaped like tiny
Marie McKinsey
May 23, 20112 min read
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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
Marie McKinsey
Apr 22, 20113 min read
23 views
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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,
Marie McKinsey
Nov 10, 20101 min read
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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.
Marie McKinsey
Oct 5, 20102 min read
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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.
Marie McKinsey
Oct 4, 20102 min read
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