Thanks to Teri for the photo. As noted in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and today’s highlight list, former longtime West Seattle Nursery employee Linda Hornberg has written a book “for children of all ages,” and she’s at the nursery until 3 pm signing and reading from “Picture a Garden“ – all welcome to stop by! The nursery is at California/Brandon.

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Thanks to Margaret for the tip and photo! That taped-off area in the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) Arboretum will be the site of a new garden. It had held a rock fountain that long had stopped functioning; it was demolished this month to make way for a sensory garden. SSC spokesperson Ty Swenson told WSB that students in SSC’s Landscape Horticulture program (the same program that runs the Garden Center nearby) “did several designs for the sensory garden that are posted in the kiosks in the front of the arboretum. One will be chosen and students will bring that vision to reality.” The Arboretum is in the northwest corner of the campus, west of the Seattle Chinese Garden and the aforementioned Garden Center.

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Equipped with only a list of addresses for the 10 locations participating in today’s West Seattle Garden Tour, we randomly chose two to visit for photos – and they turned out to have one big thing in common: Backyard slopes. At a home in Gatewood, as shown above, the garden continued downslope – ending in a big space where the family’s five chickens roam.

They’re the subject of whimsical signage:

But whimsy resides elsewhere in this garden too. The husband – who is the main gardenkeeper – is a sculptor, and charming little artwork was everywhere in and around the plants and other features:

The backyard was ringed by several tall evergreens, which, we were told, means a lot of the focus is on shade gardening. From there we headed to a home just south of Westwood Village, where we discovered the backyard garden continued upslope:

This garden had many extra outdoor-living touches, including a backyard shed, hot tub, tables and chairs. Creative lighting fixtures, too:

Color abounded in planters, including red, white, and blue flowers:

Out front, a cat who seemed unperturbed by all the extra visitors:

One more Garden Tour note – we got this via text later in the day:

I just wanted to give a shout out to our neighbor who worked hard and petitioned to get our little block in White Center on the map for the West Seattle garden tour. We’re on 110th and 19th Ave SW … and have three houses on our block participating. It’s packed and so cool to see!

The Garden Tour was sold out in advance, as is the case most years, so if you want to go next year, watch for early word of ticket sales! Tour proceeds go toward grants for local nonprofits; if you are with a nonprofit interested in being one of next year’s recipients, applications are open for a few more weeks.

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Tickets for this year’s West Seattle Garden Tour are sold out. There are no more tickets available either online or at retail partners. We are grateful to everyone who has supported the West Seattle Garden Tour and our beneficiaries through the purchase of their ticket book and are looking forward to an incredible day in the gardens on Sunday, June 23rd.

For those who are interested in placing a bid in the auction on this year’s winning artwork, Pam Lustig’s Garden Pose (above) is on display at West Seattle Nursery along with the four finalists from our 2024 Art Competition until Thursday, June 20th. To learn more about the winning artist and Garden Pose, visit our website at westseattlegardentour.org/art-competition.

If you or someone you know works with a nonprofit organization in the greater Seattle area, we encourage you to apply for a grant. The deadline to apply for a grant from the West Seattle Garden Tour in 2025 is just four weeks away on July 15th. Eligibility, guidelines, and our application form can be found on our website at westseattlegardentour.org/apply-for-a-grant.

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Discover the vibrant world of plants and support both budding horticulturalists and a student-run business at the Garden Center at South Seattle College, located in the Puget Ridge neighborhood of West Seattle [map]. Our center serves as a hands-on learning hub for Landscape Horticulture Program students, offering them real-world experience and knowledge in both plant care and retail. By supporting the Garden Center, you are supporting our students’ goals in pursuit of careers in the landscape horticulture field.

Step into our oasis and explore a diverse array of indoor and outdoor plants, including snake plants, bird nest ferns, annual edibles, and a variety of colorful flowers. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, our dedicated volunteers and students are available to provide expert advice and insight, honing their skills while helping you cultivate your green thumb.

Nestled between our living, breathing classroom, the Arboretum, and the Northwest Wine Academy (with a tasting room!), our Garden Center is a year-round haven for plant lovers. As the seasons change, so does our selection, ensuring your garden projects thrive year-round.

This Spring and Summer, join us in nurturing both plants and students by supporting the Landscape Horticulture program and our student-run Garden Center.

Visit us Thursday through Saturday, 10 am to 3 pm, and follow us on Instagram for updates and inspiration. We can’t wait to grow with you!

We thank the South Seattle College Garden Center for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here; email patrick@wsbsales.com for info on joining the team!

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Spring is here! We are partnering again with Flower Power Fundraising to sell flower bulbs, kitchen garden herbs, sprouts, seeds, and more to bring some joy to your home garden or window sill this spring and raise money for our school.

Check out our fundraising website:
http://friendsofroxhill.fpfundraising.com

Share the link with your friends, neighbors, co-workers and relatives across the country. They have a variety of plants for every climate.

Friends of Roxhill Elementary receives 50% of the profits from every order. Orders are shipped directly to the person placing the order (there is a $6.99 shipping fee).

Order deadline is May 15, 2024. Thank you for supporting Roxhill Elementary!

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The Junction is in bloom. This year’s flower baskets, grown by Van Wingerden Greenhouses in Blaine, arrived this morning. Workers are hanging the ~100 baskets throughout the heart of the business district, where they’ll stay until fall.

This is the second year that the West Seattle Junction Association is using its “new” baskets, designed to use less water. A few remain available for “adoption” as a donation to help WSJA, which is a nonprofit, cover the costs – go here to do that.

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ORIGINAL REPORT: We’ve gotten some questions about whether Seattle Public Utilities is planning a West Seattle compost giveaway this year. One has appeared on SPU’s Beyond the Cart page: 10 am-1 pm Saturday, May 4, in the Westcrest Park P-patch parking lot. SPU reminds those interested, “These events give away bulk compost, so remember to bring a shovel and a container to load and haul your compost.” There’s a limit, too, although not listed currently on the SPU page.

ADDED TUESDAY: Important additional info from SPU:

This year, Seattle Public Utilities is adopting a more focused community approach by hosting smaller compost events. The primary objective is to channel resources towards communities that historically face challenges in accessing composting. This more targeted approach is being led by community partners, like Grow Northwest, in West Seattle.

Those who attend will be provided up to 6 cubic feet of compost (unlike previous years where SPU offered a maximum of 14 cubic feet).

To mitigate traffic congestion and enhance accessibility, vehicles will not be permitted to drive up to the compost collection area. Attendees will be directed to park nearby and access compost on foot.

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It’s a 4H robotics club that is part of FIRST Robotics. Our team of 30 high-school kids just competed in the Portland District Competition representing West Seattle and Burien.

The team is selling flower baskets again this year, in shade- and sun-loving options. They’re very comparable to baskets you’d buy at garden stores, but the Skunks get half of the proceeds! The funds go to support to help the team build a competitive robot and help reduce travel costs. They will arrive just in time for Mother’s Day and Teacher Appreciation Week or to beautify your home all spring and summer long. Last day to purchase is April 21, and pickup will be May 3 at the Skunk Works building at the old Beverly Park Elementary building. Our kids are awesome and available to talk robotics at pickup. Teens are welcome to check out what joining a robotics team is like.

Order [by tonight]: fundraiser.bid/skunks-flower-baskets

Go Skunks!

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Help us turn a zigzaggy idea into reality – tomorrow! We’ve got our overgrown patch prepared and ready for cardboard, wood chips, compost and cover crop to transform the space into a child and pollinator wonderland! Our expert friends at Master Composter Sustainability Stewards will help guide our process and answer your questions on creating new garden spaces.

Our future plans for the Children’s Garden include: lots of flowers, celebrating diversity by highlighting culturally relevant plants, yummy things to nibble, fun textures to touch, arches to walk through and even seed saving to give back to the community. All we need are people to make it happen.

When: Saturday, 4/20, 10 am-2 pm (we may finish early)

We will have some tools in short supply, if you are able to attend and can bring a wheelbarrow and/or shovel and/or pitchfork, that is helpful but not required. Bring a water bottle and lunch, dress for the weather – close toe shoes please. Light snacks provided.

We have other jobs as well: endless amounts of horsetail to pluck, walkways to weed and rake smooth, watering. There’s something for everyone :)

Many thanks for supporting our community garden!

The Bee Garden is at the north end of High Point Commons Park, Graham/Lanham. It will be at the heart of the annual West Seattle Bee Festival on May 18!

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SATURDAY – FREE PLANT STARTS FOR GIVING GARDENS: If you can grow vegetables to donate, this one on Saturday is for you:

Calling all home gardeners who would like to grow and share with their community.

Pick up free plants to grow and harvest for local food programs! Get starts this Saturday, April 20th, 11 am to 1 pm at The Heron’s Nest, 4818 Puget Way SW. Thanks to all the wonderful volunteers at Heron’s Nest, these plants are ready for your garden! The plants available will be:

Broccoli
Cabbage
Tatsoi
Pac choi
Collards
Mustard Greens
Kale
Mizuna
Chard
Swiss chard
Lettuce varieties

As an added bonus, Heron’s Nest is offering free compost. Bring buckets and help yourself to the uncovered portion of the pile.

Questions? info@sggn.org

SUNDAY – FREE SEEDS: The Kiwanis Club of West Seattle‘s seed giveaway is set for this Sunday at the Farmers’ Market:

The Kiwanis Club of West Seattle will be giving away vegetable and flower seeds at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market on Sunday, April 21st. Seeds will be distributed from 10 am to 1 pm at the Kiwanis booth, located between Easy Street and Cupcake Royale. There are a limited number of packages, so packages will be given away on a first-come-first-serve basis. The Kiwanis Seed Project hopes to encourage growing vegetables at home and teaching children how food gets to the table. Chairperson Jay Potratz has received seed donations from West Seattle Nursery and Page’s Seeds. Seeds can be used in classroom instruction too. Please contact Denis Sapiro at 206-601-4136 with any questions.

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Lots of planting happening this time of year, but this new planting in West Seattle is of special significance. These are camas plants, installed today in a new cedar planter outside the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse.

The Duwamish Tribe’s cultural preservation officer Nancy Sackman was joined by Sharon Leishman of the Duwamish Alive! Coalition for the planting. Camas has a cultural significance to the Duwamish people – with edible bulbs – and the planter will allow them to grow it in cleaner soil than they have access to on the Longhouse grounds.

The camas bulbs were sourced from Northwest Meadowscapes in Port Townsend; the planter, from Wabash Farms in east King County. Today’s planting was in advance of next Saturday’s Duwamish Alive! habitat-restoration volunteering; your help is needed that day, at multiple sites in the Duwamish River watershed – go here to sign up.

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This year’s West Seattle Garden Tour is still more than two months away – on June 23 – but the WSGT is already looking ahead to next year in one important part of what they do – giving grants to other nonprofits. Here’s the announcement:

Each year, the West Seattle Garden tour, a 501(c)(3) organization, provides grants to other nonprofits for projects that fit our mission — to promote horticulture, education, and artistic endeavors within West Seattle and neighboring communities. We are now seeking grant applicants for 2025 and nonprofits with eligible projects are invited to apply.

Our 2025 grant application form and guidelines are now available at westseattlegardentour.org/apply-for-a-grant. Completed applications are due by July 15, 2024. Grant amounts historically range from $2,000-$6,000, but larger and smaller grants have been awarded. Successful applicants will receive their funds in March 2025.

The list of this year’s grant recipients is here. You can buy a ticket for this year’s tour here.

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Devonshire Landscapes is a full-service landscape company located near White Center, exclusively serving our neighbors in West Seattle, Burien, Normandy Park, and Des Moines. Our local small business has earned a well-established reputation over 25 years. Please see our many 5-star reviews from your neighbors on Google!

We offer landscape design and installation including patios, decks, fences, and much more. We can help with ECA and steep-slope projects including permitting for retaining walls and native-plant restoration. We have a team dedicated specifically to irrigation, drainage, and lighting.

Devonshire Landscapes‘ maintenance services differ from others in that we send the same crew on the same day around the same time. We can even send them a text-message reminder the morning of service visit days. Clients pay the same amount each month and can pay online or set up automatic credit card payments, AND they can cancel anytime if they are not happy. We use Organic fertilizers and little/no pesticides to protect pets, children, and our environment/ wildlife/ Puget Sound. We use electric equipment to minimize disruption of our clients’ lives, and their neighbors, and to reduce emissions. We don’t just “mow, blow, and go.” We weed, rake, prune, fertilize, maintain irrigation and low voltage lighting systems, and can help with lawn renovations, mulching, gutter cleaning, and pressure washing.

We invite you to see why 350+ of your neighbors LOVE our service. Comments include “We see your trucks everywhere!”, “We never knew when the ‘other guys’ were gonna show up.”, “Your employees are so nice and professional.”

We treat people and the environment with respect and integrity. In community involvement, we are active partners with the PREP community garden in Puget Ridge. We have teamed up with West Seattle Nursery and Zenith Holland Nursery to create award-winning display gardens at the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival. We are also active members of the Washington Association of Landscape Professionals, the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, and the Master Builders of King & Snohomish County. Our management team is Eco-Pro certified, which means we hold preserving the environment and soil health top of mind in what we do.

Devonshire Landscapes is online at devonshirelandscapes.com, and contact information is here!

We thank Devonshire Landscapes for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here; email patrick@wsbsales.com for info on joining the team!

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WEST SEATTLE BEE GARDEN: Lisa sent the photo and an invitation for volunteers of all ages to help out tomorrow, all or part of the three-hour period between 10 am and 1 pm:

Our next work party is full of opportunity to:

-plant native plants – a wide variety coming from the King Conservation District Native Plant Sale,
-move loads of compost for our new perennial pollinator pads,
-plant native flower seeds – blanket flower and globe gilia,
-make more temporary signs, and,
=relocate desirable plants.

As usual, dress for the weather and bring a water bottle. We’ll have some light snacks. We also have an assortment of garden tools but if you have a personal favorite, you’re welcome to bring it.

We need lots of folks to make this all happen. Bonus points for those that bring a friend :) Thanks so much for your consideration and effort to help shape the West Seattle Bee Garden into a place of education, inspiration, and beauty.

The West Seattle Bee Garden is located at Commons Park – Graham St and Lanham Pl SW.

FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH: If you’ve been looking into your family history but reaching some dead ends, local experts might be able to help – they’re inviting you to this free event Sunday:

Join us for an afternoon of free Family History Research
Sunday, March 3, 2024
2:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Interested in your family history? We have expertise! We’d love to help you discover the joy of family history! Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are encouraged. Email bevitaly@gmail.com to reserve a time slot.

Timed to coincide with this Thursday to Saturday event: RootsTech 2024 – The world’s largest family history event. (In Salt Lake City and online.) Then join us in person on Sunday afternoon!

The West Seattle Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – 4001 44th Ave SW

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