Skip to content

Home

Read More ›

New Plant Book Helps Foster Your Inner Green Thumb

A local plant whisperer shares her secrets in a new growing guide

1_114

This article originally appeared in the January 2019 issue of Seattle magazine.

This article appears in print in the January 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe.

“Plants make people happy!” says local greenery evangelist Jen Stearns. There’s some truth to that: According to her new book, The Inspired Houseplant (Sasquatch, January 29, $24.95), studies show that indoor plants filter our air, increase office productivity and give us a dopamine boost. All great news, unless you’re the sort who manages to kill off anything green that crosses your threshold.

But as Stearns points out in The Inspired House Plant, “There is no magic to good plant care, just basic science and simple rules.” Her book is a treasure trove of educational information and also includes some projects—terrariums, hanging gardens—perfect for crafting on long winter evenings.

If you still have questions after reading the book, visit Stearns at her plant-centric boutique, Urban Sprouts (Renton, 724 S Third St.; 206.789.0710). “My goal is that my business becomes that friend who knows all about plants and is always willing to help,” she says. “This book is just another amazing opportunity for me to [make] plant care in our homes approachable and beautiful.”

Can Alaska Kelp Help Washington Crops Beat the Heat?

Can Alaska Kelp Help Washington Crops Beat the Heat?

A Ketchikan company is working with WSU researchers to see whether its kelp-based biostimulant can help grapes and berries withstand environmental stress.

From the floatplane, reddish-brown kelp traces the edges of the small islands between Ketchikan and Prince of Wales Island like brushstrokes on the surface of the water. Up close, on a rare 70-degree July day in Alaska, the kelp is glossy and beautiful, though the wind coming off the water makes it nearly impossible to…

PlantCon Is Coming for Seattle’s Windowsills

PlantCon Is Coming for Seattle’s Windowsills

The nation’s largest gathering for houseplant lovers makes its Pacific Northwest debut this August with 200 booths, hands-on workshops, and a DJ.

My house is full of plants, enough that I’ve lost count. Houseplants have the same suspicious math as tattoos: One is rarely the final number. I propagate cuttings in jars of water, regularly rearrange corners of the house in pursuit of better light, and like to imagine the entire collection is improving the air. That…

Noir Lux Lights Up Fourth Avenue

Noir Lux Lights Up Fourth Avenue

The Seattle candle brand’s new two-level pop-up brings workshops and community gatherings downtown through September.

It’s often said that good things come in threes, and for Colina Bruce, founder of the lifestyle and home fragrance brand Noir Lux, that’s certainly proving true. With a flagship shop in Belltown and an outpost in Ballard, Bruce is rounding out a Noir Lux trio with the opening of the Noir Lux Collective on…

Better Together: This Take on Co-Housing Emphasizes Quality and Community

Better Together: This Take on Co-Housing Emphasizes Quality and Community

The Seattle project presents an out-of-the-box model, where investors are also residents, and the design focuses on longevity and tenant retention—not profit.

Growing up in rural Detroit, Chad Dale spent many after-school and weekend hours playing with neighborhood kids in an open lot near his house. It’s an experience he always hoped his children would have someday, but by the time he became a father in Seattle, land was at a premium: either already developed or prohibitively…