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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
Aug 19, 20232 min read
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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Marie McKinsey
Dec 9, 20223 min read
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, 20222 min read
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, 20222 min read
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, 20222 min read
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, 20223 min read
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, 20212 min read
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, 20162 min read
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 25, 20161 min read
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, 20143 min read
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, 20131 min read
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 15, 20121 min read
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, 20121 min read
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, 20122 min read
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, 20111 min read
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 22, 20112 min read
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, 20113 min read
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, 20101 min read
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 4, 20102 min read
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 3, 20102 min read
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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