! Fall Wreath Making Event (cost tbd) ! Fall Planter Bar
! AND OF COURSE lots of drinks and goodies to make the night extra festive!
Fall Festival
October 11th 9am-5pm
Food, Flowers & Fun for the whole family!
! Fabulous Fall Flowers galore! ! HUGE POTTERY SALE
! Fun for the kiddos: Pumpkin Bowling, Candy Hunt, Kids Craft
! And last but not least, goodies from Mom VW’s Kitchen NOT to be missed!
See our website vwhomeandgarden.com for more details!
8210 Portal Way, Blaine
Ideal community, personalized homes
Denise Lones, left, and Tamara McClellan, in McClellan's home in Semiahmoo's Muirfield community. (All photos on this page and both photographs at bottom of opposite page by Elisa Claassen for the Tribune)
Designed with intention in every detail
to
Denise Lones is a New Home Strategist and has spent years judging new home construction and auditing new home sites. She has seen some of the best and worst in new home building. Lones wanted to bring a new, fresh concept to Whatcom County, allowing buyers to be involved with customization of their homes.
To make a long story short, this is essentially how Muirfield was born.
Muirfield – Custom, which is truly custom
Located at Semiahmoo, Muirfield is an exclusive gated community of 10 exquisite custom one-and-two story luxury homes. Surrounded by forest and within minutes of the Semiahmoo Golf Course and amenities, more than 40% of the development is open natural space to allow for expansive privacy buffers.
Lones has been involved in the world of real estate for several decades through The Lones Group, and also in various leadership capacities regionally and nationally. She has toured and judged thousands of new homes, looked at floor plans, floor space, interior design approaches, and she has arrived at contemporary, quality finishes while
See Personalized on 6
Elisa Claassen For the Tribune
Tamara McClellan’s home is situated in the back corner of Muirfield, abutting the woods — close enough
her neighbors to develop friendships, but with privacy to establish her backyard oasis. (Photo above courtesy Dani Winters photography)
Personalized: Homes designed with intention in every detail
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demanding the work being done is the highest standard. This is why Lones collaborated with Everkept on the build side.
Everkept Construction, owned by Tim Wiersma and Bud Ammons of Lynden, was formed in 2010 after the two had worked together at Homestead NW for 13 years.
“We perform many different types of residential construction: multi-family projects, single-family homes, specs and remodels,” Wiersma said. “We really appreciate the opportunity to [work] with Denise on the Muirfield project.”
Denise brought her contemporary original design ideas to JWR Design in Lynden and worked with them to get every detail right.
“We were excited to jump on board with her, as we loved the contemporary design and attention to detail that she had put together,” Wiersma said. “It’s something different and at a higher level than many home communities people usually see. We enjoy new design, ideas and challenges, as it keeps us from being stagnant.”
McClellan’s home
Tamara McClellan’s home is situated in the back corner of Muirfield, abutting the woods — close enough to her neighbors to develop friendships, but with privacy to establish her backyard oasis. After living along the beach on Semiahmoo Spit, and enjoying the water views, she traded to have a home by the trees with a personalized water view.
Her friend and interior designer Markie Nelson had told her about the Muirfield project, which was able to have personalized interior design. McClellan said interior design is something she enjoys, so she talked a bit more with Markie Nelson and Lones and eventually came on board.
The home is a bit of an art gallery as well as a sanctuary — the floor-to-ceiling glass walls bring into view the outdoors and the incredible landscaping encompassing several water features and sitting areas.
McClellan worked with Andrew Ziegenfus of Premier Landscape Co. of Whatcom County, which specializes in outdoor living spaces as well as paver patios and hardscapes, irrigation systems, landscape lighting, retaining walls, pools and spas. The central multi-spouted bubbling fountain, designed by Premier Backyard Living of Oregon, is shut down at night. This com-
Tamara McClellan worked with Andrew Ziegenfus of Premier Landscape Co. of Whatcom County, which specializes in outdoor living spaces as well as paver patios and hardscapes, irrigation systems, landscape lighting, retaining walls, pools and spas.
(Photos on this page courtesy Dani Winters photography)
ing winter will be her first with it.
The quality of the finishing in the home is exquisite. As you enter the home you see a custom floating staircase with hand crafted treads and a wall of stone with up lighting from the floor. The fireplace has grand book matched slabs and the windows are expansive.
Lones said McClellan very carefully selected exactly what she wants and needs for her home. Among the art are pieces of whimsy on the walls or functional objects such as the almost elegant pig paper towel holder, the custom wood bench in the kitchen with glass art above by Nathie Katzoff. The dining room light is Henge custom made in Italy through Trammel-Gagne, the kitchen island multi-light pendant light by Vega Motion, bedroom chandelier by Moooi Heracleum, powder room pendants by Tech Lighting.
The details
This house came together with some time and much thought.
“Actually, I’m still working on it.
It’s a work in progress. I don’t want to go out and just pick something to fill the space. No, it has to be just right,” McClellan said.
Materials came from both local sources and as far as Paris. McClellan has visited galleries in cities near and far. Kitchen cabinets are Team 7 from Austria through the German Kitchen Center. The countertops are Neolith sintered with PITT cooking burners. The majority of the furniture came through Roche Bobois, but McClellan also found pieces through RH, Dania and Cantoni.
Within view of the water feature by the front entry into the home is the office of McClellan’s husband of seven years, Mike deBouchel. She has customized his space with things he loves and enjoys, such as bourbon and cattle imagery, since he has worked in the food industry. Likewise, the wall of the dining room uses the wine bottle collection as both storage and art.
“I have been told by artists that I
See Personalized on 9
Denise Lones said not every homebuyer has the eye for interior design that Tamara McClellan has. “Tamara got the vision,” Lones said. (All photos on this page and both photographs at bottom of opposite page by Elisa Claassen for the Tribune)
Personalized: Homes designed with intention
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have an eye,” McClellan said. “I love modern and I can go into a room and start seeing how I want the room to look. I sometimes start with one piece and go from there. To me, it’s fun.”
Turning down the art-lined hallway, even the powder room makes a statement. The materials are so fine. It is simply elegant. Across from the powder room, the art is prominent. Another group of art from family and friends resides in the downstairs guest room – which she refers to as her people room.
The master bedroom suite on the first floor has the feel of a high-end hotel room, but with views of the patio. Attached is a large master bath, divided into separate spaces, encased in marble with a large free-standing tub, an open shower, double sinks, and his-and-hers closet spaces designed by California Closets. A portrait of Marilyn Monroe guards the entrance.
Up the stairs: A guest suite on the second floor with a small balcony, own bath
space and kitchenette. The house contains spaces to join people together and other spaces to have privacy.
The design partnership
Lones said not every homebuyer has the eye for interior design that McClellan has.
“Tamara got the vision,” Lones said. “Tamara went painstakingly through detail by detail of what she wanted. Other buyers want more direction while still wanting their personalization.”
Lones said her goal is to let buyers be themselves.
“They have their own taste. Let them make their home personalized,” Lones said. “Every home here is different which can’t be done in big productions. I didn’t care about the extension of time (for making more personalized decisions). I wanted Muirfield to be something I’m going to be proud of. I wanted it to be the nicest development we have – where it looks good all the time.”
Some buyers, Lones said, might not be
on the same design approach in the process. However, she looks for clues to see what each person is visually drawn to and then see where they can meet in the design process.
McClellan not only looked at photos and samples of what she liked, she also was on site during framing and construction. Lones said she bought extra insurance for that to happen. She wants buyers to be satisfied with the results.
“Buyers want choices,” Lones said. “Buying a home they are really going to live in, and living is not just watching TV. It’s having people over. When people come over, you want them to walk in … like when I walk into this house. Everything is ‘wow’ from the open floor plan to the expansive windows and in the design details. It’s having the guts to make a strong statement and yet, not to overdo it. It’s what Tamara has done in this house. There are a lot of architectural elements and they are not fighting with each other. You don’t get this in a tract house. You aren’t going to get this in a spec home. This requires a lot of
thought and attention to detail. I love this. I think it turned out immaculate.”
McClellan had things she enjoyed, such as a fantastic rug, but had to see if they fit in this home. Not everything made the cut.
“Sometimes you put two things together, one is fighting for more attention. So you have to be very careful about what you do,” Lones said. “The key to great design is a marriage between balance, scale and cohesion. Without it, the design falls flat. This house has both of those things. There’s a lot of contrast and yet it doesn’t blare at you – even with a black kitchen and beautiful walnut. Not a lot of people can handle black cabinets. It’s phenomenal. It’s done extremely well.”
Lones said she is very passionate about the quality of Whatcom County’s building community and said the secret to a successful build is about attention to detail and collaboration with the entire build team.
Lones serves on the Board of Directors for the BIAWC and “is proud to be part of our local building community.”
Faith, family, football
Talk with Josh and Michelle Wright about their recently-built Lynden home and you learn as much about the people who built their home as you do about this family rooted in faith, family and football. (Photos above and on opposite page courtesy Radley Muller)
Wright family moves into dream home on west side of Lynden
By Bill Helm Editor
No matter the idea, no matter the plan, a home doesn’t build itself. As some folks say, it takes a village to raise a child. From conception to the turn-key moment, the same goes for building a home.
In May, Josh and Michelle Wright and their four children moved into their dream home situated on the west end of Lynden. Talk with this engaging couple about their home and you learn as much about the people who built their home as you do about this family rooted in faith, family and football —in that order.
Lucas Roetcisoender took lead on this project for the Wright family. Designer and owner of JWR Design in Lynden, Roetcisoender explained that when clients such as the Wright family share their hopes for a home that are “both comfortable for their family and welcoming to friends, it’s an honor to translate that vision into a design that truly reflects who they are.”
“For us, home design isn’t just about walls and roofs — it’s about creating spaces that foster connection, reflect personal style and make the most of each property’s potential,” Roetcisoender said. “We find deep satisfaction in walking alongside clients through this process, knowing that what we create together will serve as the backdrop for years of memories.
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Wright: Family moves into dream home on west side of Lynden
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That phrase “welcoming to friends” really is important for the Wrights. Josh said the size of their home is a blessing.
“We designed it to be intentional for being hospitable,” he said. “We love to host friends, family and small groups. The main floor great room was designed to be open and flow to our patio with large sliders. We also enjoy watching a lot of sports and designed the basement to be a media/ theater room. When the weather is nice we like have the game on in the great room and the patio well into the evening.”
The build
For more than a decade the Wright family lived in a home not terribly far from their new home. Both Josh and Michelle said they had a dream to build a new modern contemporary home with an open concept, space to entertain, and enough room that their kids one day could bring their families back home.
“We had always had the itch to build something of our own and really enjoyed living on the west side of Lynden,” Josh said. “We were always looking for land that is close to the amenities (and) services we access on a weekly basis, groceries, gym, medical care, church, school. When the lots down the street from our home went for sale, we jumped on the opportunity. We kept the lot for about three years before breaking ground.”
Josh further explained that the State of Washington’s zero gas energy law created additional incentive to build when they did.
Known as CETA, then-Governor Jay Inslee signed the Clean Energy Transformation Act into law on May 7, 2019, which commits Washington to an electricity supply free of greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.
And the Wright family likes gas as a heating and cooking source, although they have both gas and electric heating.
Timeless, easy to maintain, minimal
It’s been a few months now sine the Wrights moved into their home. Michelle and Josh are “still looking at furniture and ordering pieces that fit our new space,” she said.
“I would like a more sleek design with mixtures of leather, material and metal accents,” Michelle said. “Front & Main also
The Wright family uses the term 'great room' to describe its living room connected to the kitchen and dining room. The family's covered patio is one place they entertain friends and family. (Photos courtesy Radley Muller)
helped us with visualizing possible furniture arrangements. I follow some Instagram influencers that I appreciate their style and choose pieces from their collections or recommendations.”
Michelle explained that the family’s previous home felt “more like a cabin with wood slat ceiling, darker wood doors/ trim/flooring and it was compartmentalized, lots of barriers that prevented large spaces.”
“Our previous home was minimal due to our four kids,” she said. “At one point, we had two Little Tikes basketball hoops in our living room to shoot on so I didn’t have much furniture or wall décor.”
With the help of Front & Main and some social media inspiration, Josh and Michelle chose a style he said would be timeless, easy to maintain and minimal.
“We started with a more modern farmhouse look as our initial plan,” Josh said. “But over time, our tastes started to turn more modern. So we changed up a few of the hardware features and lighting. Our exterior inspiration came from a Dallas builder we found online. Jerry at JWR was
See Wright on 14
Kitchen countertops in the Wright home are a little taller than average. This is ideal for a family where the father and two children are at least six foot tall.
(Photo courtesy Radley Muller)
Wright: Family moves into dream home on west side of Lynden
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able to modify the plans to fit our lot. The Dallas builder was also very helpful in sharing with us the exterior they used.”
Family time
With five bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, two stories, a fully functional basement and home office, the Wright family home is more than 5,200 square feet. Include the covered patio, four-car garage and what the family calls its toy garage (for boat, mopeds, bikes, lawn mower, etc.) and you can add another 2,200plus square feet.
As the Wright kids are active in sports and FFA, Michelle designed the home’s mudroom to accommodate the frequent foot traffic.
“The wall is full of hooks for backpacks and room/storage for shoes,” she said. “The closet is deep and houses sporting equipment, cleaning supplies, winter wear.”
When the kids are not busy with sports and FFA, the family loves to spend time together and also with friends. According to Michelle, the Wright family also enjoys watching movies and football together.
“We built the living spaces with that in mind — surround sound, seating arrangements,” she said.
During the summer, the family also likes to spend “as much time on the water as possible,” Josh said.
“With our lake boat, we built the additional garage space with higher doors and space,” he said.
With Josh at 6-foot 5-inches, Michelle at 5-foot 10-inches, and two of the family’s four children at least 6-foot, it’s nice that the great
Wright: Family moves into dream home on west side of Lynden
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room’s vaulted ceiling is the largest in the house at 19 feet 2 inches. Ceilings on the main floor are 10 feet high, second-floor ceilings are 8 feet, and in the basement the ceilings are 9 feet.
At 8 feet, doors are also taller than average. Countertops are also taller than average.
“You almost have to build a home to know how to build a home,” Josh said.
Other interesting features to the home are hidden outlets in the kitchen, zero clearance showers and walk-in closets in each bedroom.
As you walk across the home, in and out of rooms, up and down the various levels, one can see how hard work and having a dream have paid off for this family. It’s a discipline Josh and Michelle grew up with.
For Michelle, a PE teacher at Bernice Vossbeck Elementary School, that discipline came from having grown up on a still-working dairy farm east of Lynden.
“I was raised feeding the calves,” Michelle said. “Hosing down the parlor. I did a lot around the house.”
Josh grew up playing football, played in high school, college and had a brief tryout he calls a “cup of coffee” with the Buffalo Bills. From football and family he said he learned work ethic, discipline and team environment that is prevalent in the professional world.
For a living, Josh is a partner/commercial insurance client advisor. But hard work has afforded this family an opportunity to build its own home, so as Josh said they can “work hard, then have a place to come home to rest.”
“I never envisioned we be so blessed,” he said. “I grew up in Mukilteo in the shadow of Seattle and had no idea that God would allow me to meet an amazing bride like Michelle and raise our family in a community like Lynden.”
-- Contact Bill Helm at bill@lyndentribune.com
Left, one of the family's bathrooms. Far right, the master bathroom. At center, Michelle Wright found a creative way to use the mudroom as a place for the family to keep their sports, 4-H and exercise clothes. As you walk across the home, in and out of rooms, up and down the various levels, one can see how hard work and having a dream have paid off for this family. It’s a discipline Josh and Michelle grew up with. (Photos
courtesy Radley Muller)
Making their home a garden paradise
Jerry and Joyce Libolt enjoy working with plants in the soil to create their backyard beauty. Jerry Libolt’s try-something approach and energetic personality still show up in how he and Joyce manage their little estate off B.C. Lane. (Cal Bratt for the Tribune)
Jerry and Joyce Libolt enjoy working with plants in the soil
By Cal Bratt For the Tribune
All of the homes and yards along Rosemary Way are a visual treat, but the secluded oasis of Jerry and Joyce Libolt toward the end of the lane will make the visitor pause and marvel.
Multiple shades of green — of lawn and shrubs and trees – mix with the profusion of floral color and the rich burnt-red background of the house to make one think of coming to an enchanted Hansel and Gretel cottage.
This horticultural creativity is the retirement hobby of Jerry Libolt, 75, capping off a diverse career by being the home gardener he was probably always meant to be. As a kid he brought home 39-cent plants from Lynden stores to see how they would grow.
“I do this because I love it — a man of the soil,” Jerry said. “I enjoy coming out in the evening and working in the garden. To me, it’s very relaxing.”
“We love working in the dirt, watching stuff grow and see what happens,” Joyce added.
Jerry has been in variations of farming his whole life, he says, with fields and plants always a central part of it. While still in high school, he was helping a friend run the family’s dairy farm.
Jerry then had two dairy farms of his own, first 67 acres on the north side of Lynden (now part of Homestead golf course) and then with a business partner along East Pole Road where the operation got to 200 cows in a new milking parlor set-up.
Selling that, his next venture was working with Whatcom County’s soil conservation service in the new area of farm manure lagoons and biosolids land application. This led to connections with a local oil refinery and by 1989 creation of a new business named Western Refinery Services.
Today WRS is a vast company of some 260 employees engaged in multiple tasks ranging from construction to industrial maintenance and emergency response.
Jerry Libolt’s try-something approach and energetic personality still show up in how he and Joyce manage their little estate off B.C. Lane.
He doesn’t mind saying he is the impul-
Libolt: Making their home a garden paradise
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sive one — he walks five miles a day to stay fit — and he might suggest a certain change in the yard to Joyce and by 9 a.m. he is doing it unless she vetoed it. “I’m always changing something.”
The Libolts’ specialty is perennials that will over-winter in the soil but require plenty of pruning, deadheading, fertilizing and other management to keep them at their best during the growing season. Come first frost this fall, the cutting back will be aggressive.
“The thing about perennials is you can’t hurt them. They will come back,” he said.
They have about 100 varieties of phlox, white David being dominant, and over 50 varieties of roses. Roses have been greatly improved and are easier to grow than you may remember from your grandmother’s garden, Jerry says.
Other plants around the yard are goldenrod, black-eyed Susans, azaleas, hosta, ivy, hydrangeas, ferns and grasses, and a few annuals. A grape arbor connects to brother Bob Libolt’s property next door.
The goal is to “always have something in bloom in the summer,” Joyce said.
Ladybugs can act as a natural predator of aphids in roses. Keeping plants well-pruned enables air movement and minimizes fungus. The soil of the sloping backyard is naturally sandy and well-drained, to which Jerry at times adds enrichment.
Watering, both of pots and beds, is on an automated sprinkler and drip system that runs between 3 and 5 in the morning so that moisture lingering in the plants can dry off during the day.
This entire 12-home neighborhood that was developed as Rosemary Way some 20 years ago has its own well for irrigation purposes, even though the properties are just within the Lynden city limits. Jerry is the caretaker of three acres of shared common area southward toward the Nooksack River floodway.
With a floral treasure such as this, of course, comes the opportunity to host social gatherings, photo shoots, graduation and wedding parties – and the Libolts have done so aplenty. Just recently was a Roosma (Joyce’s family) reunion of about 40.
The time of shutting down the gardens for winter will begin soon, and Jerry’s little greenhouse and tool shed will be busy places. Then the process will start over again for a new season.
More views of the Libolt property at different times of the year. (Cal Bratt for the Tribune)
Covenant Loan Program: A unique opportunity for first-time buyers
Homeownership in Washington State has felt increasingly out of reach for many.
Between rising prices, tight inventory and increased competition, even well-qualified buyers have struggled to get in.
The new Covenant Loan Program changes that.
Designed specifically for first-time buyers in Washington, this program offers something no other state does: targeted down payment assistance built to address past housing discrimination and expand access to homeownership today.
This is not a typical assistance program. Qualifying buyers can receive up to 20 percent of the purchase price, capped at $150,000, in down payment support.
There is no interest and no monthly payment. The assistance is repaid when you sell, refinance, or move out.
And for households earning under 80 percent of the area median income, the loan may be fully forgiven after five years in the home.
As of July 28, eligibility expanded to include households earning up to 120 percent of the area median income.
That change significantly broadens access, especially for working families who have the
income and credit to qualify for a mortgage but have been priced out of saving a full down payment.
For many, this program could be the difference between staying in the rental cycle or stepping into ownership.
To qualify, buyers must meet both income and ancestry requirements. You or a direct family member must have lived in Washington before April 1968 and identified as African American, Hispanic, Indigenous, Pacific Islander, Korean or Asian Indian. These communities were disproportionately affected by discriminatory housing practices and policies.
The Covenant Program is a direct response to that history, offering tangible support to those connected to it.
There are a few steps involved in the process. You will need to provide documentation linking your ancestry and Washington residency before 1968, complete a homebuyer education course, and apply through a WSHFC approved lender. Without that connection, the program is not accessible.
It is also important to understand that the Covenant assistance is not a first mortgage. You still need to qualify for a
primary loan such as FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional.
The Covenant funds function as a second mortgage, designed to bridge the down payment gap and reduce cash to close.
Standard underwriting guidelines still apply, including credit score, income verification, employment history, and debt-to-income ratio.
Joshua: We are seeing clients who were convinced homeownership was out of reach suddenly have a path forward. This is doing more than filling a financial gap, it’s helping to change the conversation and providing hope for homeownership.
Home ownership is still one of the most proficient and convenient ways to build wealth, and this down payment assistance program is offering people a real opportunity to become homeowners that felt like they missed boat during the COVID-19 pandemic with historic low interest rates.
For those that qualify, this feels like a real short cut to help get financially caught up with the equity that home ownership provides.
RJ: As a lender, I see buyers
fighting a losing battle in today’s market,” said RJ Bennett, a mortgage loan officer and branch manager with Canopy Mortgage in Washington State. “A program like this gives them a way to compete and succeed. Even if the Covenant Program isn’t the right fit, the Washington State Housing Finance Commission offers dozens of other programs to meet a wide range of household needs. It has been a bright spot for buyers as the state continues to expand and improve its offerings.” If you think you might be eligible, or want to explore your options, reach out. We can review your scenario, confirm the details, and walk you through the next steps. This program is unique to Washington and may not last forever. It is worth a closer look.
-- Joshua Amberson is a licensed real estate broker with Windermere Real Estate, serving buyers and sellers across Washington State. Joshua can be reached at joshuaamberson@windermere. com.
RJ Bennett is a mortgage loan officer and branch manager with Canopy Mortgage in Washington State. Bennett can be reached at rbennett@canopymortgage.com.
Joshua Amberson
RJ Bennett
Plenty of ways to grow food in small spaces
By Elisa Claassen For the Tribune
Whether you have a patio, a porch, a veranda or a small bit of earth, you can grow items for your dinner table.
Beth Chisholm oversees the Master Gardener Program through the local Washington State University (WSU) Extension office. She started with a degree in geology and found her way to her current job in 2011. Chisholm first served as the community first garden coordinator to help establish neighborhood gardens. Additionally, she’s worked with the Whatcom Conservation District as an outreach education specialist and a small farm planner.
Chisholm has seen some trends changing from as many homeowners with spacious lots to those in various and smaller housing situations.
“Yes, many new and returning gardeners are in small spaces or living in apartments, have less time and space, but they still have a love to grow things,” Chisholm said.
For anyone with lots of desire but little money to grow plants and develop a green thumb, Chisholm recommends using whatever container may be on hand before purchasing fancy ones.
“Shop for second-hand containers or use old crates,” Chisholm said. “There is no need to fill these with designer soils. You fill the base of containers with garden debris and leaves, then top it with soil or a
Master: Plenty of ways to grow food in small spaces
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compost blend.”
According to WSU guidelines, the bigger the container the better, but small plants such as herbs can still do well in onegallon pots.
Herbs are often fragrant and then can be dried and added as seasonings.
Make sure to only consider pots or containers that have not previously contained toxic substances.
Lightweight plastic is also easier to move around. Deeper pots can do better at containing moisture and give more room for the roots of larger plants.
Do make sure the pot has good drainage — and several holes can be added at the base to do so.
Potatoes, generally grown in the ground, also can do well in a container such as a garbage can. Chisholm said to line the bottom with straw and then 10-12 inches of soil.
Local garden groups have advocated putting lettuce in bowllike pots for fresh easy-to-make salads, strawberries in special containers that have lots of holes in the sides, even smaller cherry tomatoes in hanging baskets.
High schools and garden clubs also offer plants at a sub-
See Master Gardener on 28
Kelsey de Medeiros stands at her container garden at the Bourbon restaurant in Everson. The restaurant uses containers at the front, side and behind the restaurant to grow both flowers and herbs. (Elisa Claassen for the Tribune)
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Master Gardener: Ways to grow food in small spaces
toes are other options.”
stantial savings compared to commercial operations. Garden friends can also share cuttings, or pieces, of plants that can be propagated essentially for free.
Another thought for anyone with less space is to consider growing vertically in a pot and combining flowers and veggies or fruits but still allow for air circulation to keep down pests and disease problems.
When planting, consider how large the plant will become as it matures. Some plants may work well with vertical support that gardeners may not have considered.
“Growing in containers is fun and here are some tips that are helpful — grow vertical veggies,” Chisholm said. “Consider peas, beans, cucumbers which all can be trellised up. Green onions, chives, dwarfs and cherry toma-
A rose or other flowers can be added to the assortment. Even tomatoes and types of squash can be considered with sufficient support to bear the weight. Supports, Chisholm said, include bamboo poles or stakes with twine or purchasing pre-made ones.
A byproduct of having flowers is bringing bees in for pollination, Chisholm said. The role of bees is crucial.
For anyone who doesn’t want to use the very small space at home, Chisholm also reminded community members to investigate possible community garden spaces they can plant in and help maintain.
One example is the Urban Youth Garden in Downtown Bellingham near the Food Bank in which grade schoolers through college students participate.
It serves as an outdoor class-
room during the growing season.
Another trend is people purchasing greenhouses, which Chisholm said they may not need. During shoulder season, the transitional time as spring is still coming, putting a type of cover over a raised bed or adding a hooped plastic cover may work just as well.
Another option is using old windows for a cold frame over plants.
For additional resources for gardeners in the making, the Master Gardener Program has both training programs and handouts. The local WSU Extension office is at 600 Dupont St., Suite A, Bellingham.
The Master Gardener Program operates out of this office with training. Contact Chisholm at 360-778-5811 to be considered for future classes or with plant and growing questions.
More information about the sale is at whatcommgf.org.
The Master Gardener Program operates out of this office with training. Contact Beth Chisholm at 360-7785811 to be considered for future classes or with plant and growing questions. (Elisa Claassen for the Tribune)
Home is more than a piece of property
For many families, the home is more than just a piece of property. It’s the place where children are raised, memories are made and milestones are celebrated.
After decades of hard work paying off a mortgage, most folks want their home to pass smoothly to loved ones.
Unfortunately, without proper planning, this transition can often become complicated, expensive and divisive.
Most people assume that a will is all they need to make sure assets get distributed according to their wishes. What they don’t often realize is that a will is a document that is designed to go through probate. Even a married couple with wills that state that all assets go directly to the surviving spouse oftentimes don’t get to avoid probate. This is because a deceased spouse’s name doesn’t just automatically drop off the title of real estate or other financial assets. There has to be a legal mechanism that removes that deceased spouse’s name from the title of those assets.
And, if you are using wills to distribute assets when you pass, probate is the legal mechanism that will remove
that deceased spouse’s name from those assets.
Probate is basically the state’s way of making sure a person is paying their final tab on the way out. They want to make sure all your debts and taxes are paid before your assets get distributed. In Whatcom County, the average cost of probate is anywhere from $6,500 to $8,000 and the average length of time for that probate is anywhere from 12-18 months.
The problem with probate continues to grow. If I pass and my wife takes my will through probate to get my name off the family home, then when she passes, our children will have to take her will through probate to get her name off the family home.
And if you have real estate in more than one state, your family will have to take your will through probate in each one of those states to remove your name from those titles.
How do we get around probate? The most secure tool to bypass probate is a document called a Revocable Living Trust. You might also hear this document referred to as a Family Trust or simply as a Living Trust. These terms are synonymous and mean the same thing.
With a Revocable Living Trust, you are basically building a big legal bucket. Once the bucket is complete, you fund all your assets into the bucket. Your home goes into the bucket. Your bank and other financial accounts are funded into the bucket. This way, when you pass, your name isn’t technically on any of these assets. You are still in total control of the Trust and the assets inside it but now there is nothing to remove
your name from and probate becomes unnecessary.
To put it in practical terms, I’ve seen families who used a Trust breathe a sigh of relief after the loss of a loved one. They were able to focus on grieving and supporting one another, rather than navigating a drawn-out probate process.
On the other hand, I’ve also seen the opposite: families who relied on a simple Will, only to find themselves in court for months, racking up fees, and in some cases, arguing with one another about who should live in or maintain the home during probate.
The difference between those experiences often comes down to whether a Trust was in place.
The bottom line is this: if you want to make sure your home passes smoothly and safely to your loved ones, a Trust is one of the best tools available.
Taking the time to plan now can save your family time, money and heartache later.
-- Phillip George is an Elder Law Attorney and Counselor-at-Law for Safe Harbor Legal Solutions, PLLC. More information or to reach Phillips, visit safeharborlegal.com.
Phillip George
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