September Newsletter

Fall is here, and spider webs seem to be everywhere. Below is a poem from April's "Out on A Limb" contest. I think of it every time I walk through a web in my garden.

Give me the weather.

I shall noose the wind and

Weave the air with spiderlings.

Erica Ducornet

September Work Party in the Backyard Garden

So many people showed up for the work party on September 16th! After more weeding, we spread several yards of mulch (thank you, Everett Parks and Facilities) on the bed east of the paved pathway and part of the area around the new patio. Not only will the soil benefit from this top dressing, but it also looks better and, we hope it will keep the weeds down.

The next item to check off the list is some much-needed drainage work. That should start October 2. Then the Parks Department team will step in and redo the irrigation system and fix the gravel paths to align with the new design.

Many people are asking when we will begin replanting. And who can blame them? It's been a weedy patch of dirt since this spring. Our intent is to begin replanting the east side of the paved pathway once the rain returns. Last week's rain was a big help, but the soil is still dry enough that we would hate to put any plant in the ground without knowing we can expect regular watering from the sky to help it settle in and spread its roots.

We would like to thank those who have donated to this project. It's our biggest project since we have been allowed to contract projects out as an organization. Previously the Parks Department would handle projects on this scale. While doing it ourselves means we shoulder the cost for most of the work, it also means we can get some things done more quickly because we don't have to wait in line for our requests to rise to the top of the list.

Thank you to the Tulalip Tribes for a grant to help fund the Backyard Garden project. We are grateful for your generosity.

The Artist Who Made the Concrete Patio Look Like a Cedar Stump

It's not unusual for visitors passing by our new patio feature to ask who did it--and how. One visitor even wondered if we had cut down a tree to make the patio. Ace reporter Hap Wertheimer interviewed Arturo Flores (such an appropriate name) and passed on the following information.

Arturo began working at Edge Concrete 15-20 years ago pouring sidewalks and doing the stamping. Because of his innate curiosity and desire to learn new techniques, he apprenticed with Tawn Endres, the current owner, and others to learn how to form unusual concrete shapes and textures. Tawn says, "He just sees everything so clearly in his mind and then puts it to work. He also has an incredible attention to detail!"

Each piece Arturo works on is different because they are all site specific. The team uses a large comb-like tool to make the "tree rings," a stylus attached to a long rod to incise the "age cracks," and epoxy to create the "bark." Those of us who were there to watch the pour got to see Arturo with the stylus, drawing the cracks freehand while another team member used the comb to create the rings. The team typically forms everything in the shop and then sends it to the site. That's what happened with the concrete benches. They arrived on site looking like wire lumps. Thanks to Arturo's artistry, they now look like stone benches.

Edge's largest project was at the Omaha Zoo; the most fun was at the Imagine Children's Museum because that was all on site construction. The Evergreen Arboretum project is the biggest old growth stump Arturo has ever done. 

And, no, they don't do residential concrete work.

Calling Artists, Birdlovers, Crafters, Architects...

Interested in creating a one-of-a-kind home for birds?

As part of our 6oth anniversary celebrations, we are holding a birdhouse contest. The contest, For the Birds, will culminate on December 2 with a display of all entries and a live auction in Legion Hall. This is a fundraiser for our Backyard Garden project, and the winning entry will be displayed in the renovated garden for all to enjoy.

Please consider entering the contest--or if you know someone you think would be interested in entering, pass this information along to them. Everything they need to know is on our website.

"For the Birds" provides an opportunity for you to exercise your creativity, help us raise money for the Backyard Garden, and maybe buy a unique holiday present for someone on your gift list.

Meet Our New Intern Nina Shim

We are fortunate to benefit from our partnership with the Edmonds College Horticulture Program. In addition to the Backyard Garden design help we received from their landscape design class, we have had a number of wonderful interns from Edmonds. Nina Shim , who began her internship in September, is the latest. We are delighted to have her. 

She is originally from Chicago but, in her own words, "has been lucky to call Ballard home for 10 years now." She is pursuing a degree in Sustainable Landscape Management at Edmonds. Nina says, "I love that studying plants also means learning about invertebrates, fungi, and birds. The inter-connectedness of nature is really fascinating to me. I’ve really enjoyed meeting the volunteers at work parties and feel welcomed to this special and beautiful place."

Nina has been working with the Arboretum work parties, plant sale work parties, and also independently weeding in the backyard garden and tree walk. Please say hello if you see her working in the gardens.

Knitting up a Storm to Celebrate 60 Years

The last special event planned in our year-long anniversary celebration is Color Storm, an opportunity for knitters of all skill levels to help cover the Arboretum with color in March. We'll be partnering with Everett's own Great Yarns, thanks to the generous support of owner Fontelle Jones. Stay tuned for more details. If you want to get started early, drop us a message via the link below, and we'll get back to you.

Gardener's Dilemma

What to do: they will eat your plants but they're so cute

Jeanne Crisp, who is both an Arboretum board member and the president of the Mukilteo Community Garden, shared this photo of a fluffle of baby bunnies found in one of the garden's food bank beds, nestled in a soft nest of their mother's fur and surrounded by carrots and squash.

The gardeners' dilemma was what to do about these little guys. As much as most we are frustrated by the eating habits of rabbits, I think you'll be happy to know that the bunnies were left in place. A few days later they were gone.

Note: There are a number of collective nouns for rabbits, and while nest is probably the most accurate for this group, I liked fluffle the best.

Work Parties Continue

There are still many opportunities to volunteer this fall and into the winter. Plant sale and garden work parties continue. Then comes Wintertide, when we festoon our trees and shrubs with lights to brighten up the winter.

If you're not on our volunteer list, please click on the link below to have your name added to our volunteer list. Once you're on the list, we send you emails to let you know about upcoming volunteer events. We won't share your email with another organization.

Sometimes We Get It Wrong

We put a lot of thought into what trees and shrubs we put into the Arboretum. For each project there is a design committee that meets to discuss what to plant where. We want to showcase plants that are both suitable for our climate and that have interesting characteristics such as unusual bark, flowers, berries, or leaves. Multi-season interest is even better, and of course size is a consideration.

But things don't always work out the way we plan. Last year we replanted the Small Urban Tree Walk adding, among other things, an Arbutus x Marina and several Mahonia Soft Caress. Both fit our criteria. But the arbutus didn't make it through the winter. Perhaps it was too cold, despite the fact that it should be just fine in our zone. And the Mahonia Soft Caress was decimated by our resident bunnies. We left it in place through the winter, and it did put out new growth in the spring--only to once again become rabbit food. We're not likely to cover each plant with cloches (Bellevue Botanic Garden does this with their Mahonia Soft Caress), so it's time to figure out something else.