By the last hour of today’s 25th annual West Seattle Garden Tour, the most historic stop on the map had logged more than 1,000 visitors, we learned. That was the historic Colman family estate in Fauntleroy.

The century-old estate has had “new” owners for a decade now, and they have enhanced the original landscaping. It has breathtaking sight like this – just off the street entrance, an amazing tree looked snow-dusted:

At every stop, tour-takers had the opportunity to learn about one of the Garden Tour’s nonprofit beneficiaries. At this one, fittingly enough, the Fauntleroy Watershed Council was spotlighted. Judy Pickens said she had talked with more than 100 people by the time we stopped by:

The tour offered the chance to visit nine gardens, from The Arroyos to North Admiral – we made it to two, including this Gatewood retreat (that has history too), where the lush gardens screen away a busy street that otherwise might be in view.

A special feature here – interpretive before/after displays like this one:

Extra touches were tucked between the plants in many places:

This year’s tour – the third one since it moved to June – sold out in advance. Watch early in the year for next year’s availability announcement!

(Bee and lupin blooms photographed at West Seattle Bee Garden during 2018 Bee Festival)

The West Seattle Bee Garden – where you’re invited to enjoy the annual Bee Festival on May 18th – has just been announced as one of this year’s West Seattle Garden Tour beneficiaries. Here’s the WSGT announcement:

The group of grant applicants this year was impressive and the deliberation was tough, but we are very pleased to announce proceeds from the 25th annual tour will support improvements to three public gardens, a playground renovation, habitat restoration and a live community theater program.

With the sale of garden tour tickets and sponsorship revenue, the committee intends to raise and distribute over $25,000 to these six amazing local non-profits: ArtsWest, City Fruit, Community Orchard of West Seattle, Gatewood Elementary School, The Fauntleroy Watershed Council, and West Seattle Bee Garden. Read more about their community-centric projects.

The Garden Tour is on Sunday, June 23rd. Read more about this year’s nine showcase gardens here, and order your ticket book (which shows you the locations and gets you in to see them) here.

If you’d like to garden but don’t have the right spot to do it … good news! The city says spaces are available in multiple P-Patches, including two in West Seattle. Here’s the announcement:

Would you like to have a plot in one of Seattle’s fabulous P-Patch community gardens? Do you want to grow fresh organic produce for yourself and your family? Would you like to learn great gardening techniques from your gardening neighbors? If so, we have P-Patch plots available for a small fee in these select neighborhoods and gardens:

West and South Seattle

(West Seattle): Longfellow Creek P-Patch (25th Ave SW and SW Thistle)
NewHolly: NewHolly 29 P-Patch, 29th Ave S & S Brighton St
NewHolly: NewHolly Youth & Family P-Patch (32nd Ave S & S Brighton St)
High Point: MacArthur Park, 2726 MacArthur Lane

North Seattle

Jackson Park: Jackson Park P-Patch (13048 10th Ave NE)
Haller Lake: Haller Lake P-Patch, 13045 1st Ave NE
Pinehurst: Pinehurst P-Patch, 11525 12th Ave NE
Maple Leaf: Maple Leaf P-Patch, 5th Ave NE & NE 103rd

To get on the Interest List for one of these gardens (or any garden), sign up here or call 206.684.0264 and press 1.

(We’ve included the ones outside West Seattle just in case you work or otherwise spend a lot of time in any of those areas – or have a friend/relative/co-worker who might be interested.)

(WSB file photo)

The snow is mostly melted and even if a few more flakes fall, spring is just a month away and it’s time to think about gardening – from planters to P-Patch plots. One good way to get going with plans for your growing: The annual West Seattle Seed Swap is set for Sunday (February 24th), 2 pm-3:30 pm at West Seattle (Admiral) Library, 2306 42nd SW. This year, the free seed swap is hosted by Terraganics Living, which manages the King County Seed Library‘s location there. Terraganics says, “This is a FREE event. Everyone is welcome, including new gardeners looking for inspiration and some seed varieties to get started. … If you’re bringing seeds to share, please bring as much information as you have about your seeds, such as variety, growth habit, and days to maturity.” The event will include a table of gardening resources, gardening books available for checkout from the Seattle Public Library, and a coloring activity for kids. Any leftover seeds will go toward replenishing the Seed Library.

Some stops along today’s West Seattle Garden Tour are more than just nice to look at … they are functional, too, for people and wildlife. Especially Suzanne Krom‘s garden southwest of The Junction, dubbed “An Oasis for Birds, Pollinators, and People.” This stop is educational, too:

Food is also part of the landscape at Nancy Ritzenthaler‘s “Sidewalk Orchard” in North Admiral – edible (including apple and pear trees) and decorative plants, mostly in the planting strip:

In Fauntleroy, one of the most eye-catching features of Alexis Zolner‘s “Collector’s Garden” is this sea of hydrangea blooms:

In a border, you’ll spot a sculpted peacock:

Twelve gardens are featured this year, listed in the ticket books that have been on sale since spring. Proceeds benefit seven nonprofits:

*West Seattle Junction Association, for mural restoration
*ArtsWest (for its Theater Education Program)
*The Arboretum at South Seattle College (for a new message hub and kiosk)
*Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden (for the design and construction of a Victory Garden)
*Little Red Hen Project (for an artistic and functional trellis in its “Winter Feast Garden”)
*PlantAmnesty (to help fund its 10th annual Urban Forest Symposium)
*Seattle Chinese Garden on Puget Ridge (to enhance it with three varieties of camellias)

Along with ticket proceeds, those nonprofits are supported by WSGT sponsorships – this year’s sponsors are listed here (including WSB sponsors WEdesign, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices NW Real Estate, West Seattle Thriftway, Budget Blinds, Dream Dinners, West Seattle Autoworks, Swedish Automotive, Ventana Construction, Stor-More, Menashe and Sons Jewelers, and Metropolitan Market).

P.S. Want to suggest a garden for a future WSGT? You can do that here.

Planning your Sunday? We’re reminding you about one big event – this year’s West Seattle Garden Tour. A dozen gardens – including “Pocket Paradise” (WSGT photo at right) – will be waiting for you, open 9 am-5 pm to ticketholders on Sunday so you can tour at your own pace. Preview them here!

You can buy ticket books (which include location info about where to find the tour gardens) at Junction True Value (4747 44th SW) until 7 tonight, West Seattle Nursery (California/Brandon) until 8 tonight, or order yours online before 6 pm tonight and pick it up Sunday morning 8-11 am at Metropolitan Market (42nd/Admiral; WSB sponsor).

Proceeds benefit local nonprofits – here’s our April story listing this year’s beneficiaries.

9:04 AM: Thanks to Ricki Brown for the photo – the West Seattle Junction Association flower baskets have arrived, and are going up all along the heart of The Junction this morning! This is the second year that The Junction offered the chance to “adopt” flower baskets as a fundraiser, and we learned recently from WSJA executive director Lora Swift that they have all been adopted – so you will again see plaques next to the baskets identifying the “adopters” (which include WSB). We’ll check back later for a look at the baskets once they’re in place.

ADDED 8:21 PM: Almost forgot to add the follow-up photo!

On this beautiful spring day, we welcome Jason Kibbey Design and Landscape as a new WSB sponsor. Here’s what they would like you to know:

Are you looking for an exterior space to match the detail of your home’s interior? Do you want to extend your living space out into the garden? Jason Kibbey Design and Landscape has distinguished itself in designing, installing and maintaining gardens that invite the visitor into their spaces and encourages them to linger, relax and unwind. Established in 2006 and based in West Seattle since 2014, Jason Kibbey Design and Landscape welcomes new homeowners and established West Seattleites as we continue to grow our roots deeper in the neighborhood. We work in gardens from Arbor Heights to Alki Beach.

With over 20 years of horticultural and design experience, we provide our clients with unique garden design that closely aligns with their desired aesthetic, style of home, and natural surroundings. Our work ranges from containers to mixed borders, estate gardens to urban oases. In addition to fine pruning, seasonal color updates, seasonal cleanups, garden restoration, garden coaching, design & installation, we also specialize in garden maintenance.

Once your new or restored garden is in place, you’ll want to keep it looking beautiful with regular maintenance. Our dedicated crew of gardeners will work closely with you up to and including garden coaching or will work completely independently. Trust in our knowledge and expertise to assess your garden at any time of the year, create a game plan, and implement it over time. Fine pruning techniques are used to whip neglected maples, rhododendrons, and other ornamentals into shape and keep them looking beautiful from season to season.

For those whose love of gardening exceeds the space that they have, let us tempt you with some lush and lovely custom containers. Check out the container portfolio on our website for just a few examples of containers that our clients love.

We at JKDL know that there are many landscaping companies out there and perhaps you’ve worked with one only to have been underwhelmed. Give us a call and let us show you what it means to work with a professional gardening company. Check us out on Instagram @jasonkibbeydesignandlandscape; look us up on Yelp, where we are a 5-star company; then head over to our website jasonkibbeydesign.com where you can see our portfolio and contact information. We look forward to meeting more of our West Seattle neighbors as we continue planting the seeds of great design.

We thank Jason Kibbey Landscape and Design for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.