The Ornamental Border at Bradner Gardens Park: Sensory Garden Improvement Project

After 5 cubic yards of compost was spread at the October work party, these plants were installed in the Sensory Garden on 10/9/16. At the same time, new plants were added to the Winter Garden in the area where these 2 gardens meet. A rose & 2 Osmanthus x burkwoodii were removed from the Sensory Garden. Very little else was growing in this area at that time. The 5 lowest branches of the Katsura Tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) were removed.

Shrubs

Mahonia repens (Creeping Mahonia)
Hebe ‘Western Hills’ (Veronica)
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Snowflake’ (Oakleaf Hydrangea)
Hypericum ‘Hidcote’ (St John’s Wort)
Olearia x haastii (Daisy Bush)
Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Ogon’ (Golden False Holly)

Perennials
Alchemilla mollis (Lady’s Mantle)
Carex dolichostachya ‘Kaga Nishiki’ (Gold Fountain Sedge)
Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora (Flaming Iris)
Echinacea purpurea ‘Now Cheesier’ (Coneflower)
Epimedium grandiflorum ’Pseudo-Larchmont’ (Barrenwort)
Epimedium x youngianum ‘Roseum’ (Barrenwort)
Erigeron karvinskianus (Santa Barbara Daisy)
Geranium macrorrhizum (Cranesbill)
Lilium auratum (Gold Band Lily)
Liriope muscari ‘Big Blue’ (Big Blue Lily Turf)
Pennisetum alopecuroides (Fountain Grass)
Penstemon serrulatus (Cascades Beardtongue)
Polypodium glycyrrhiza (Licorice Fern)
Scilla peruviana (Giant Squill)

Groundcovers
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ‘Vancouver Jade’ (Kinnikinnick)
Sedum hybridum ‘Immergrunchen’ (Stonecrop)
Sedum palmeri (Stonecrop)
Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’ (Stonecrop)
Sedum sexangulare (Stonecrop)

Ornamental Border History

Planting of the ornamental border began in 1998. Before the first planting, native soil was amended with Cedar Grove compost and Smith Dairy manure.

King County Master Gardeners designed 7 theme gardens. Each garden was scaled to fit into smaller urban residential yards & featured a selection of trees, shrubs & perennials to demonstrate the right plant for the right place, low maintenance & a variety of irrigation systems. The gardens provided living examples for Master Gardener lectures, demonstrations & workshops.

From north to south, then west, the 7 gardens are the Winter Garden, Sensory Garden, Native Garden, Dry Garden, Butterfly & Hummingbird Garden, Shade Garden & Fragrance Garden.

Over time, the irrigation system was converted entirely to drip because it worked the best on the sloping beds. It was decided to use no irrigation starting in 2012.

King County Master Gardeners left Bradner Gardens in 2008. Presentations & demonstration mostly ceased after that point. But in more recent years, the border had only been used for workshops on drip irrigation. Plant Amnesty conducted a pruning class in 2012, when several overgrown trees & shrubs were pruned. General maintenance was transferred to volunteers from the Bradner Gardens P-Patch.

Bradner Gardens has the first arboretum of small trees that fit along streets under utility lines & in smaller urban yards. The collection features both deciduous & evergreen trees. Many were anticipated to grow to a mature height of 20 to 30 feet.

Planted as part of the Seattle Millennium/Woods Legacy celebration in 2000, these trees are located throughout the park, including the ornamental border. Tree Stewards worked with Seattle City Light & the City Arborist to select more than 40 appropriate trees for display.

For the original installation, lists were submitted to King County Master Gardener clinics to get donations from gardeners. Plants were also donated by the Washington Park Arboretum Foundation from the Pat Calvert Nursery & from Seattle Parks and Recreation. Most of the trees were obtained through the Seattle Millennium Tree Project and Seattle City Light. Some plants were also purchased with grant money.

The Ornamental Border at Bradner Gardens Park

Monday, October 10, 2016

Sensory Garden Improvement Project

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