Meeting of the Border Leads

On 4-21-14 the Border Leads (Dale Herter, Kate Faulkner, Jordan Jackson & Joyce Moty) met in the border to review plans for the improvement of the Native Garden.  It was agreed that most of the existing plan for the Native Garden Improvement Project, proposed in July 2013 & approved by the Bradner Leads in August 2013, would begin to be implemented in the fall of 2014.  We decided to change the plan to keep both Mahonia 'Arthur Menzies' & prune them.  We agreed that all other non-native plants would be removed from the Native Garden & moved to new sites if possible.  We considered adding new planting to the street side of the Native Garden consisting of Evergreen Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) & Creeping Mahonia (Mahonia repens) both medium-sized shrubs.  Jordan suggested adding Pacific Coast Native Iris (Iris douglasiana & hybrids) & Beach Aster (Erigeron glaucus) to the plant list for the dry & sunny strip along the path.   Joyce offered Camas (Camassia sp.) & False Lily of the Valley (Maianthemum dilatatum) from her garden for the project.  Jordan offered Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa) & White Flowering Currant (Ribes Sanguineum 'White Icicle'). 

We agreed that compost for the new planting the Winter Garden should be added as soon as possible to allow it to settle & break down to become less acidic, before planting in the fall.  Jordan offered to draw new plans for both gardens shortly before planting begins.  Different approaches to irrigation were discussed without agreement.  There was general agreement that a list of rules should be made to guide improvements to the Ornamental Border, such as using drought-tolerant plants, researching the size & shape of shrubs before planting & planting large shrubs well away from the path.

Meeting with Heidi Narte

Dale Herter, Jordan Jackson & Joyce Moty met with Heidi Narte, Senior Gardener with the Seattle Department of Parks & Recreation, in the ornamental border, on the morning of 8-19-13.  Ms. Narte reviewed & generally approved the improvement plans for the native & winter gardens.  She approved the removal of the Prunus serrulata 'Mt Fuji' in the butterfly & hummingbird garden, because it was inappropriately sited.  She was willing to consider the removal of the Cryptomeria japonica 'Elegans' in the winter garden & one of the Mahonia x media 'Arthur Menzies' in the native garden.  She noted the the Acer campestre in the butterfly & hummingbird garden would eventually need to be removed, because the tree would grow large enough to interfere with the power lines above it.

The improvement plans for the the native & winter gardens had been unanimously approved at the Bradner leads meeting on 8-12-13.