West Seattle, Washington
18 Wednesday
It’s finally time to get out and grow! In time for spring-and-beyond gardening, we welcome West Seattle Nursery (5275 California SW) as a new WSB sponsor, which means they get to tell you their story:
West Seattle Nursery has been proudly serving neighborhood gardeners for 42 years, offering a diverse selection of perennials, annuals, shrubs, and trees—everything from tried-and-true favorites to rare and unusual garden gems. Quality is at the heart of what we do, which is why most of our plants come from Northwest growers, ensuring they’re well-suited to our local climate. Our knowledgeable team of seasoned gardeners and plant enthusiasts is always here to help, whether you’re searching for the perfect plant or need expert advice on garden care.
This season, you’ll notice some exciting changes—we’ve rearranged the nursery layout to make it easier to navigate and more enjoyable to explore. Our 2025 conifer and Japanese maple collections are ready to browse, our fruits and veggies section has moved behind the greenhouse, and our native plants section is now at the front of the nursery. Our highly anticipated roses have arrived, with David Austin varieties expected in May. If you’re looking for something truly special, we also have a limited supply of rare, seed-grown species rhododendrons and azaleas from Chimacum Woods, along with a large variety of hybrid rhododendrons and azaleas.
We’re also dedicated to growing the next generation of gardeners through our Growing Gardeners Club, designed to help young plant lovers learn, explore, and get their hands in the dirt. This month, our gift to our Growing Gardeners is a zucchini plant — by August, we welcome kids to bring their zucchinis to the West Seattle Farmers Market for zucchini races! And for those looking to deepen their gardening skills, we’re offering a fantastic lineup of spring events, including:
Solitary Bee Class for All Ages – Saturday, April 5, 12:00-1:00 PM
Spring Plant Swap at Hoste – Saturday, April 12, 12:00-4:00 PM
Real Organic Gardening: Compost & Soil Health – Sunday, April 13, 1:00-2:00 PM
Beyond plants, our destination gift shop is overflowing with unique gifts, housewares, books, and indoor plants. In our Garden Center, we also offer a curated selection of seeds, bulbs, tools, and soil amendments to help your garden thrive.
We’re so grateful to be part of the West Seattle community and look forward to another season of helping you grow! Stop by to explore, get inspired, and connect with fellow plant lovers. Find more details at westseattlenursery.com.
We thank West Seattle Nursery for choosing to advertise their business by sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB. Interested in doing the same? Email WSBAdvertising@wsbsales.com – thank you!
Spring is the start of outdoor sale season, and the West Seattle Eagles have one for your calendar, especially if you’re interested in being a seller. Here’s the announcement:
Plant and Craft Sale – April 26, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the West Seattle Eagles Club. Join us for a plant, art and craft sale in the south parking lot, accompanied by a BBQ selling hamburgers and hot dogs from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
We welcome friends or associates of members to participate in the sale. You do not need to be a West Seattle Eagles member. Spots are available for $15 each; please provide your own plant rack or table. Proceeds from the spots will benefit Fred Hutch Cancer Center.
This event is the perfect opportunity to sell plants, pots, and/or garden art from your garden. It’s also an ideal venue for artists, crafters, and anyone who enjoys making unique garden creations. If you are interested in participating, please contact Sue Irvin at irvdiamonds@comcast.net.
The Eagles’ HQ is next to the post office, at 44xx California SW in The Junction.
Thinking of flower baskets this year? The Bridge School cooperative elementary is selling baskets as a fundraiser:
Hanging Flower Basket Fundraiser
Now through April 11Pickup date: Friday, May 2 or Saturday, May 3 at The Bridge School (10300 28th Ave SW)
The Bridge School is holding our annual Hanging Basket Fundraiser. We’re excited to offer beautiful 12″ Premium Hanging Baskets from Van Wingerden Greenhouses. Options are available for both sun and shade exposure. Add some color to your own porch, or pick one up as a Mother’s Day Gift!
Price is $45 each. Baskets will be available for pickup at the Bridge School (10300 28th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98146) on Friday, May 2, and Saturday, May 3.
Order at /tinyurl.com/bp9ebk2w
The growers are the same ones who create the West Seattle Junction’s hanging baskets!
(WSB photos)
Yes, the sun really did appear for a while on Saturday, and our photos from West Seattle’s newest community garden are proof. A work party at “Beyers’ Bulldog Garden” at 54th/Edmunds – a block inland from Beach Drive – was on our Saturday event list, and we stopped by to see how things were going. We just missed the biggest wave of volunteers, but there’ll be more events to come. The site has a heartwarming backstory (read it here) – Margi and Bill Beyers used to garden there, and after they died, bequeathed it to GROW. Some of their plants remain – we noted these artichokes:
That’s a hint at what Kristin Parker from GROW explains as the site’s destiny – a community-tended “food forest” including existing fruit trees, some espaliered. Donated raspberry plants are going in, too.
Though this will be operated in connection with the city’s P-Patch program, it won’t be following the model where individual gardeners sign up for individual plots – it’ll be collectively tended. You can sign up to help with this via the P-Patch website; here’s how. Part of it will be used as a “giving garden” – a shed the Beyers installed on the west side of the lot will be used to grow tomato starts!
(WSB photo: Denis and Mike from the Kiwanis Club with a booth visitor)
Classic showery spring weather brings thoughts of gardening to come. The Kiwanis Club of West Seattle is hoping to make it happen for more classrooms and families with its annual seed giveaway; today’s the day, at the Kiwanis booth at the south end of the West Seattle Farmers’ Market. Though the pickup of vegetable and flower seeds is geared for the teachers and parents who responded to the invitation we published last fall, they have some extras too, first-come first-served. Supporting youth is a cornerstone of what the Kiwanis Club does, and this is part of that. The seed pickup is scheduled to continue until about 1 pm.
Last fall, the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle said it would again give away vegetable and flower seeds in spring so that educators and parents could help kids learn about growing plants. Spring is here, and Kiwanis members have announced that they will be at the market tomorrow with the seeds:
Free seeds will be distributed this Sunday, 3/23, at the Farmers’ Market from 10 AM to 1 PM, as part of the Kiwanis Seed Project. Those who requested seeds in November and December can pick them up. There are extra seeds for those who would like to grow vegetables and teach youngsters how food is grown. Seeds for classrooms will be distributed also.
Look for their booth at the south end of the market, California and Alaska.
Seattle Tilth has a training program coming up and asked us to help circulate the announcement so that West Seattleites are aware of it too. Half the sessions are online, and half are in-person in other parts of the city, but it’s for everyone in Seattle:
If you are a, or know a, Seattle resident interested in learning about compost and preventing waste, and then teaching others, here’s how to become a Master Composter/Sustainability Steward. This free training program is looking for individuals who want to learn more about these topics and then share what they learned in their communities.
Starting on March 19, we will teach 12 classes via Zoom and in person in both Seattle’s Wallingford and Rainier Beach neighborhoods, followed by volunteer activities throughout the city. Our teachers are subject-matter experts but there is no expectation of prior knowledge. A more detailed description of this year’s volunteer training and the link to the application form can be found on our webpage at tilthalliance.org/our-work/environmental-stewardship/master-composter-sustainability-stewards/mcss-training.
Application is open until February 21.
We strive to put together a diverse cohort that represents all of Seattle’s communities.
(WSB photo, basket arrival day, April 2024)
It’s always a sign that spring is here and summer’s approaching when the West Seattle Junction Association‘s flower baskets arrive. Again this year, they’re offering you the chance to “adopt” one – helping defray the costs of keeping them up and maintained throughout the warm months. 93 baskets are available, at $199 each, which includes plaques displaying your (or your business/organization’s) name and a message. You can sign up here while they last. (This year’s baskets are again coming from Van Wingerden Nursery, which WSJA executive director Chris Mackay reports “has already put the little flower seeds in starter soil to give them a head start.”)
(Pam Lustig’s ‘Garden Pose,’ winner of 2024 WSGT competition)
Here on the first day of Pacific Standard Time, summer feels like a long way away. But local artists are invited to have summer in their hearts and come up with creations to submit for the West Seattle Garden Tour‘s annual art competition – one week until the deadline, Sunday, November 10:
We welcome your submissions for our 2025 event and look forward to seeing your art!
Each year West Seattle Garden Tour, a 501(c)(3) organization, seeks out other nonprofits whose goals fit our mission—to promote horticulture, education, and artistic endeavors within West Seattle and neighboring communities. Your submissions and the winning art, along with the generous support of our sponsors, allow the West Seattle Garden Tour to fund projects in our community that align with our mission. Our 2024 tour raised and distributed $57,700 for 11 local nonprofits.
Submissions should be reflective of the following narrative with a focus on use of color, composition, texture and contrast to excite interest in the tour.
Gardens are personal statements that reflect the passions and creativity of their gardeners. They may be places of refuge and retreat or active environments that invite engagement. The gardens featured in our tour exhibit those qualities as well as an artful mix of design, rich color palettes, texture, contrast, creative and inspiring use of plants, art, and hardscaping.
You can find the rules/guidelines here, and send in your entry here. Think bright and beautiful during these long dark nightd, looking ahead to next year’s Garden Tour, set for June 22nd.
Fall showers bring thoughts of spring flowers – and vegetable plants. Last year, the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle provided about 200 packs of seeds at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, to both schools and individual gardeners. Another round is planned next year, but first, the club is requesting your feedback:
Kiwanis will again offer free vegetable and flower seeds in 2025. Teachers and parents can help Kiwanis select the type and number of seeds to order by completing the survey here.
Kiwanis offers the Seed Project to boost family fun and joy, and to provide an educational experience with a hands-on activity! As the seeds grow into plants they can be transplanted to your garden.
Please add your contact information (particularly your email address), so that we can let you know when seeds will be available at the Farmers’ Market in the Spring of 2025. If you have any questions, please contact us via email:
Denis Sapiro, President, Kiwanis Club West Seattle
sapirokiwanis@gmail.comPlease complete the Google form before December 10, 2024
(West Seattle Nursery photo)
OK, Halloween may still be a week-plus away, but the holidays are knocking on the door. West Seattle Nursery is already taking reservations for wreath-making and asked us to let you know:
Reservations are now open for wreath making at West Seattle Nursery! For many of our customers, creating a wreath at the nursery has become a cherished holiday tradition. If you’d like to craft your own festive wreath, simply reserve one of our wreath-making tables after reading through our ‘Reservation Details’ and ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ here.
Due to high demand and back-to-back sessions, we kindly ask that all participants arrive on time. If you’re unable to attend your reserved session, please cancel in advance so others can join in the festive fun! New to wreath making? No worries! Our expert team will be on hand to assist you with any questions.
The nursery is at the corner of California/Brandon.
(WSB photo from October 2023 Trick or Trees)
Every year, the weekend before Halloween is so full of seasonal activities, we’ve nicknamed it Hallo-weekend. This year that’ll be Saturday and Sunday, October 26-27. And we just got word of yet another event – the King County Wastewater Treatment Division sent word of this year’s Trick or Trees tree giveaway in Highland Park:
We are teaming up with the Dirt Corps, Duwamish Valley Youth Corps, and Highland Park Improvement Club to host our third annual tree giveaway to support community goals around neighborhood greening. Join us at one of our upcoming events in Highland Park and South Park to pick up a free native tree and learn about King County’s efforts to reduce pollution into the Duwamish River. Trees are available for community members and organizations based in South Park and Highland Park, on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. No registration is required.
Trick or Trees
When: Saturday, October 26, from noon to 4 p.m.
Where: Highland Park Corner Store, 7789 Highland Park Way SWThe event will include free trees, treats, and a Halloween costume contest for pets.
Find out more about Trick or Trees on the HPCS website.
Got late word of this – a compost giveaway at Westcrest Park, SW Henderson entrance, until 1 pm unless they run out sooner:
– 2 wheelbarrows of FREE compost per person
– Bring a shovel and container
– First come, first served
– Pedestrian friendly
-Limited vehicle access
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.
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.
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.
With a week and a half to go until the 2024 West Seattle Garden Tour, organizers say that if you haven’t already bought your ticket(s), it’s too late – that’s one of three community messages they asked us to share tonight:
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.
Buy plants, support education! You can do that every day the South Seattle College Garden Center – one of our newest sponsors – is open. Here’s what they would like you to know:
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!
Still planning your garden and/or containers for the heart of the growing/blooming season? Friends of Roxhill Elementary has a fundraiser going right now:
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.comShare 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!
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.
(File photo via SPU)
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.
Short notice but the sunshine might have you contemplating flower baskets for the growing season ahead, and these are available to benefit local students in the Skunk Works Robotics Team. Arbor Heights resident Jen, who has two teens on the team, explains:
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!
As you can see if you check our West Seattle Event Calendar, you have multiple opportunities around the area to make a difference with a few hours of your time tomorrow during volunteer work parties in honor of Earth Day. One is at the West Seattle Bee Garden, where you can learn a skill – sheet mulching – that might be usable in your own garden if you have one. In case you haven’t seen it in the calendar, here’s a reminder from Lisa at the Bee Garden:
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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