Resources

Gardening Articles

Hangin' with Hummingbirds 
By Linda Roe
A blur of wings and sound flies past your ear. Before your brain registers what your eyes have seen, she's gone, heading for a sweet meal or defending her buffet table from any interlopers.

I Beg Your Pardon - You Say You Want to Plant a Rose Garden?
(Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself!)
By Jenny Jorgensen
If you have been thinking about planting some roses in your garden, NOW is the perfect time to take action

The Dahlia Days of Summer
By Linda Roe
My friend Susan had never given growing dahlias a second thought until she saw them displayed in a vase at a flower show.  As a floral designer, she was instantly smitten!  She was impressed by the huge variety of colors, shapes and sizes including little pompoms, pink and white frilly petals and wow, the big dinner plate blooms.  So many choices!!

Container Gardens - Simple and Perfect
By Maria Fox
Planting spectacular container gardens is simply a matter of combining two elements: great plant material and quality soil and amenities- our beautiful Northwest summer will take care of the rest.  When choosing plant material, look for a combination of different growing characteristics.  Select plants that grow upright in a compact area, like geraniums or heliotrope and those that cascade down the side of the pot.  Add in some trailing foliage, like sweet potato vine or vinca to create contrast with your flowering varieties. 

Want to Grow Veggies? Join the Craze
By Maria Fox
There’s a real satisfaction to sitting down for a meal of home grown fare.  Home garden veggies taste better than those commercially marketed, the nutritional value is multiplied significantly; not to mention the savings.  A $2 pack of lettuce seeds will pay for itself 10 times over in savings at the grocery store checkout.  Even better, beyond the culinary, nutritional and economic benefits of growing at home, another wonderful discovery is being made: vegetable gardening is fun!

Autumn Gardening
By Jenny Jorgensen
Summer may be coming to an end, but fall brings with it a new season of opportunity.

Winter Outdoor Check-list
It’s not just about the plants
There is always plenty of work to be done preparing your plants, trees and shrubs for the winter weather.  After all, proper care in the colder months not only protects the landscape we’ve worked hard to create, but promotes increased health in the next growing season. 

Make Your Garden Vision a Reality
By Linda Roe
Every gardener has a personal vision of the perfect garden, the garden of the mind’s eye. Is yours a garden bursting with color, alive with hummingbirds, butterflies and bees? Then to make this vision happen, it is time to get your hand dirty and plant some hardy perennials.

Successful Planting Tips
By Maria Fox
Healthy, beautiful plantings don’t just happen. In any endeavor, information and initiative are key to achieving successful results. Planting is no exception.

Groceries from the Garden
By Jenny Jorgensen
Imagine you are planning an event, a dinner party or barbecue and all you need to do for fresh produce is step outside into your garden and fill up your shopping basket with all your favorite ingredients. This can really happen and your menu choices can be endless. Your recipes can be ingenious. Your guests will be amazed.

Garden Casualties from a Cold Winter
By Maria Fox
Rather than fretting over your losses, think of proper care as the best insurance to keep your garden alive and going strong.

The Blooming Annual: A Gardener’s Favorite
By Maria Fox
Topping the list of plant cravings from a long winter and a blustery spring is the ever enduring and ever endearing: blooming annual. No gardener can resist them.

The Maple: an expert's top five picks
By Maria Fox
Would spring be as beautiful without the appearance of the tender new leaves of the maple?

Decorating Articles

Successfully Growing Indoor Green Plants
It’s not natural for a green plant to live indoors. Most, if not all of the popular varieties of houseplants are actually tropical plants, best suited to humid and warm climates.

Creating a welcoming entrance to your home
By Maria Fox
Street appeal isn’t just about selling real estate. It is an important element in creating a home that you love living in, as well as one that your guests will like to visit.

Refresh and renew your home with decorative accessories
By Maria Fox
The positive effects of the right accessories for the home are as favorable as those for the wardrobe. And just as fashion accessories can make or break an outfit, the right decorative accents complete your home’s look and style.

Simple Steps to Creating a Home Oasis: Part 1
Your home is your refuge, a cozy escape where you are inspired, renewed and revitalized. In a world of commutes and schedules- your home should be a little slice of heaven in an otherwise hectic life. Home is that special get away, a place that you’ll need no extra gas to get to.

Simple Steps to Creating a Home Oasis: Part 2
It doesn’t take a big remodel to make your house a welcoming retreat. Simple changes can translate into stellar results, satisfying the soul, while going easy on the pocketbook. In the last issue we explored creating a home oasis primarily from the outdoor perspective.

Using Silk Florals as Interior Accents
By Maria Fox
Every good interior designer knows that a room is not complete until it has at least one botanical accent.

Celebrating the Seasons in your Home
By Maria Fox
Whether you love summer to fall or winter to spring, the changing seasons renew and refresh our outlook on life.

Creating that "magazine" look in your home
By Maria Fox
With a little practice and a few designer secrets you can learn to use home accents to add interest, style and individuality to your home's decor.

Holiday Articles

Tips for Great Seasonal Decorating
In the world of seasonal decorating, September to December is prime time.  During this three month period, Halloween, Harvest, Thanksgiving and of course, the mother of all holidays: Christmas, occur.  

Simple gifts can be special
By Maria Fox
They say it is better to give than to receive. And in a perfect world it is. But in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, finding gifts can become a daunting task.

Decorating your Christmas tree
By Maria Fox
Oh the Christmas tree. Of all the holiday traditions, no other unites the family and embodies the season in such a special way, whether elegantly adorned or decorated with the kids’ handmade ornaments.

Create a Manger Scene at Home
By Maria Fox
“Away in a manger…” plays in the background of many holiday festivities....“People are very particular about their choice of Nativity scene.  Some prefer formal, others like simple styles and some even like child-size sets for small spaces like kids’ rooms.