March 9 column: Seed catalogs

Here is a link to my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Explore seed catalogs for veggie varieties. (you can also read my column lower in this post.) As you know, we gardeners receive plenty of seed catalogs in the mail that inspire us to purchase seeds for the coming year’s garden. Today’s column is about some of the […]

Read more

Growing artichokes

For the past 3 years, I have been growing artichokes. Yes, artichokes, here in the Inland Northwest! I didn’t even realize you could grow them. That is, I bought a couple seedlings on a whim at a Leavenworth, Wash., nursery. Lo and behold, they grew beautifully and what’s even better is that they rewarded my efforts with several artichokes. And […]

Read more

Garden birds: Bohemian Waxwings

We had a pleasant surprise yesterday. A huge flock of Bohemian Waxwings paid us a visit — or more specifically, came to dine on the berries of our American Cranberry Bush (Viburnum trilobum). Usually, we tend to see Cedar Waxwings from time to time but the Bohemians come less frequently. And they are so brightly feathered that I have to […]

Read more

Garden birds: Northern Flicker

The Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) is one of my favorite birds that visit our garden. They are a large woodpecker with beautiful markings. These guys are a little over 12 inches tall and have a wingspan of 20 inches. The feathers on their backs alternate between black and buff-colored stripes. They have a white rump directly above their tails. Their […]

Read more

Natural holiday decor, part 1

Yesterday, I got together with several friends to make decorative holiday decor items using natural materials from our gardens. We made wreaths, centerpieces, candle arrangements, gifts and so on. If you’ve been following my blog for a long time, you know that I bring up this topic each year. That’s because it is my hope you will get inspired to […]

Read more
1 73 74 75 76 77