Blog Posts by Sunset Magazine

Add heat-tolerant flowers and features to your yard and enjoy their beauty all summer | Sharon Cohoon

Jerusalem sage
Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa)
Tall stems of these Mediterranean natives are set with widely-spaced, hooded yellow flowers.

Moisture-conserving thick, typically furry or hairy leaves are lance-shaped. Pretty planted with lavender and red hot poker (Kniphofia Bressingham Comet).


Moonshine yarrow
Moonshine yarrow
The sunny hues of this Mediterranean perennial complement the violet-blue spikes of catmint (Nepeta). Here are more of our favorite perennials.


Sally Holmes' rose
Sally Holmes' rose
A vigorous white rose, it blooms in huge clusters. If you're thinking of adding some to your garden, click here for our rose-growing guide.


Feather reed grass
Feather reed grass
Calamagrostis x acutiflora has a vertical growth habit and showy seed heads.


Rose Glow
Rose Glow (Berberis thunbergii)
The bronzy red Japanese barberry colors up best in full sun.


Cabernet Sauvignon grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon grapes
A cluster from a vineyard shows the seeded, pearl-size grapes in various

Hit the trail on these iconic and under-the-radar hikes through unforgettable desert, mountain, and coastal terrain.

Williams Lake
Williams Lake, Taos, NM
Get an alpine start to your day on the gradual 2-mile hike to Williams Lake, at 11,300 feet in the high country above Taos Ski Valley. The trail parallels the Rio Hondo upstream to the lake. From there you can look up at New Mexico's highest point, Wheeler Peak; if you're feeling ambitious, follow the faint goat path that scrambles up the scree field on the north side of the tarn to the summit above, with views 60 miles north to Colorado.


Half Dome
Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, CA
It's on a lot of people's life list of adventures--the demanding hike/climb up 8,800-foot Half Dome. Allow at least 10 hours, and know that the last 900 feet of trail is a steep climb up the dome, with you clinging to cables for the final 400-foot ascent.

More on Yosemite hiking


Haleakala
Haleakala National Park, Maui, HI
Ranger-led morning hikes often travel through volcanic

Get design and decorating ideas for children's rooms, from fun color palettes to clever storage solutions.

Kids' clubhouse
Craft a clubhouse

Adhesive cork squares allow for changeable wall displays, while the round table and chairs are easy to move for games or other activities.

Not sure how to start? Here are some decorating strategies to think about.


kid-friendly work space

Adjustable Plexiglas shelves keep everything in this workspace handy but out of the way.


A well-placed heirloom

The eye moves upward

Don't fear color

Hit the water! From beachcombing to rafting, here's where to make a splash on your next vacation.

Rafting: Kremmling, CO
Rafting: Kremmling, CO
Though most people journey to the Grand Canyon to raft class II and III rapids, you can get on the legendary Colorado River in this town 100 miles northwest of Denver. With outfitter Liquid Descent, rafting is paired with dips in riverside hot springs. $50; liquiddescent.com.

Best time to go: For beginners, June.

Stay: Sitting at the base of the cliffs, the 10 Muddy Creek Cabins have mountain views. From $109; muddycreekcabins.com.

Beachcombing: Whidbey Island, WA
Beachcombing: Whidbey Island, WA
Moody beauty can be found year-round here, where practically every road leads to quintessential Northwest coastline. A top-notch trek lies on the west shore at Ebey's Landing. The 3.2-mile Bluff Trail descends to the rugged beach below, with Olympic Mountain vistas. nps.gov/ebla.

Best time to go: Try winter, for storm-watching.

Stay: Captain Whidbey Inn in Coupeville is 100+ years old, with throwback

A family turns its unused backyard into a place to eat, drink, and play all year | Susan Heeger

A Plain, Old Yard

After: Space Savored

Soft Lighting

Low-voltage fixtures set the wall and fence aglow, helped by votives hung from the fence and

Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland OR, June - Early Nov
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, a stunning showcase of pantaloons and farthingales, draws 400,000 visitors. The action centers on the Elizabethan stage, an eye-popping ode to the playwright's Globe Theatre.

Your theater weekend doesn't have to extract a pound of flesh--Read up on Ashland on the cheap.


SFJazz Summerfest
SFJazz Summerfest, Palo Alto and San Francisco, CA, June 14 - Oct 10
Get ready for all the funky, soulful, smooth music you can handle. At SFJazz Summerfest, top local musicians from the Bay area delight crowds every Thursday for ten weeks at a time in three separate locations. In past years, greats like the Scott Amendola quartet have played.


Telluride Bluegrass Festival
Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Telluride, CO, June 20-23
Mornings at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival begin with a blast of bagpipes, as campers flood the gates in a landgrab. Roughing it does have its advantages, though: Fingerpickers like Tim O'Brien are known to sneak into the

Find a high-altitude escape for every season at these scenic adventurelands

Big Sky, MT
Big Sky, MT
Fresh powder and no lift lines? It's just another day at Big Sky. It may not share the glory of the glitzy resort towns in Colorado and Utah, but with more snow and open space, this undersung skiing nirvana can rest on its own laurels. Between the town's two ski resorts―Big Sky and Moonlight Basin―there are three mountains used by an average of only 2,500 skiers per day ... it works out to 2 acres per skier. Combine uncrowdedness and lots of fluffy powder with a laid-back cowboy culture, and you've got the perfect winter weekend.
More: Big Sky winter escape

Crested Butte, CO
Crested Butte, CO
Hiking is plentiful here, but two wheels are the true star: At this birthplace of mountain biking, you'll find more bikes than people. Grab one from the Alpineer for a spin on the Lower Loop, a 10-mile network of single- and double-track trails and dirt roads. Or jump on the Upper Loop, a track east of town that