The
INSIDE Letters
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 2
Natural History
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3
Brief history of Xmas
Anne Willis photo
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5
www.islandsweekly.com 360-376-4500
Winter gardens
Islands’ eekly W
VOLUME 37, NUMBER 51 • DECEMBER 23, 2014
Shrubs
By Cali Bagby Weekly editor
The rain falls and the wind blows – it is winter in San Juan County. Don’t let the bluster of colder weather stop you from putting on your gardening gloves and digging in the soil. Due to our temperate weather and low elevation, frost rarely occurs in our garden beds and a light mulch on the surface can easily solve that problem. So as long as you are willing, fall and winter gardens are a must for the island.
Vegetables
According to the Washington State University’s gardening extension programs’ experts, the following vegetables can be planted in summer or early fall for fall, winter and early spring harvest: pole and fava beans, beets, cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, onions, parsley, peas, garlic, kale, shallots and rutabaga. For info on when to plant these crops, google “WSU gardening extension fall and winter vegetable gardening pdf.”
Dogwood creek, also known as red-osier dogwood has beautiful reddish bark and shows off clusters of creamy white flowers, followed by white or bluish berries that persist even through winter. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture website, Native Americans smoke the inner bark of red-osier dogwood in tobacco mixtures used in the sacred pipe ceremony. Indian plum is often known as the first deciduous native shrub to flower in late winter. The shrub, which features pendulous clusters of green and white flowers that emerge in late winter, provides nectar for hummingbirds, moths and butterflies and native bees. Salal is a small evergreen shrub, known for its large, leathery, evergreen leaves. The plant makes an exciting winter addition to your garden because its dull green leaves become reddish in winter. You do have to wait until spring for the white-to-pinkish bell-shaped flowers, which turn to large
Lopez Islander Resort NEW YEAR’S EVE
rty New Year’s Eve Pa ge un Lo i Tik e at th Party Favors! Music by DJ Karaoke 9 to Close
4 Course Dinner Special Glass of Champagne Caesar Salad or Clam Chowder Choice of Seared Salmon or Prime Rib Homemade Dessert ALL FOR $29.95 per person Regular Menu also available
Reservations Recommended, 360-468-2233
Early Holiday Sales Deadlines DECEMBER 30 WEEKLY
SALES DEADLINE: DEC 22 CALL CALI AT 376-4500 TO PLACE YOUR AD
bluish-purple berries in late summer. The white inside-out flower is a deciduous herbaceous groundcover. It has delicate starlike flowers on stiff stalks in spring. You will find a bright yellow color in these flowers up until the late fall, adding a little light to your backyard when you need it the most. Pearly everlasting has gray-green leaves
Contributed photo
Salal is a small evergreen shrub, known for its large, leathery, evergreen leaves. and tiny yellow flowers with white bracts that bloom in early fall. The flowers are commonly dried for flower arrangements. For more information, visit http://gardening.wsu.edu/.
‘Hush house’ for Growlers backed by Larsen, Murray The amount of noise emanating from Whidbey Island’s fleet of navy jets may be muffled to a significant degree if navy officials heed a request of two senior members of the Washington state’s congressional delegation. Sen. Patty Murray and
Congressman Rick Larsen last week asked the Navy to consider a funding recommendation earmarked for construction of a so-called “hush house” hangar at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, ground-zero in a rising controversy over the impact of noise created by
2015
Wellness Guide
Publishes Jan. 28, 2015
Wellness Guide is a Publication of the Weekly, Sounder and Journal
Sales Deadline January 2
Call 376-4500 and book today!
air and ground testing of the naval station’s fleet of EA-18G Growlers. Construction of a noise mitigation hangar at Ault Field would help reduce noise from on-ground engine testing and maintenance, Larsen said. “Community members from Whidbey Island and the San Juan Islands have shared with me their concerns about the noise from the Growlers at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island,”
Larsen said. “Senator Murray and I have listened and are asking the Navy to help out by building a hush house, which would muffle engine noise from testing and maintenance on the ground and direct it away from communities.” Larsen added, “I have always been clear in my support for NASWI’s role as one of the country’s premier Navy installations, the SEE GROWLERS, PAGE 5