Beat the Deer: The deer and I are in a face-off, and my garden stands in the balance. I have been preparing for this for some time. I left my beautiful 15+-year garden in Renton behind for the sandy perch on Lake Menard, which is now my home. Today, I am at the same place […]
Meet the Deer: Ocean Shores deer are legendary. They are a frustration not only to gardeners, but to anyone who drives around here. But there is, no denying that they are beautiful, and a unique addition to our town. Who isn’t charmed by those little spotted Bimbi’s, who just happen to be the worst offenders? […]
Come Visit Ocean Shores’ Community Garden: As anyone who has tried to coax a flower to bloom or a tomato to ripen in Ocean Shores knows, we have a difficult climate for gardeners. We average 75 inches of precipitation a year (that’s twice what Seattle gets!) with just three inches falling in July and August […]
Garden, Sea, and Art: Ocean Shores is a small but ecologically varied place. Just six miles long, the city, encompasses at least eight different ecosystems, each with its own mini-climate, soil conditions, and plant life. To complete this thought, these ecosystems are open saltwater, ocean beaches, tidal salt marshes, freshwater ponds and canals with their […]
Ocean Shores Flower Experiments: Ocean Shores is so GRAY. My sister keeps reminding me: We live in GRAYS Harbor after all. What did you expect? But Central Park isn’t as gray, at least not in May. Remember all those rhodys that line US12 on the way into Aberdeen. We can grow rhodys here too. And […]
The Cool, Wet, Marine Climate of Ocean Shores: A tiny city, Ocean Shores is only 6 miles long and 2 miles wide. Our general maritime climate is cool, wet, and windy, but along our little peninsula there are enough micro-climate and soil differences that one plant might grow well in one area and not at […]