The official beginning of spring is still a month off, but there are many perennials grown in MsK Nursery that emerge in late winter/early spring. Here are two of our early arrivals. Dichelostemma congestum (common name: Ball-Headed Cluster Lily) This is a perennial from a corm (a scaly underground food storage organ modified from a [...]
We at the MsK Nursery at the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden have been having more conversations about how to build rain gardens lately. Urbanization, reduction of the tree canopy and increased impervious surfaces all equal high-impact rainfalls. It doesn’t take much to see your street turn into a stream or the basement into a bog. Rain [...]
Most deciduous cuttings are usually done in Spring, Summer, or Fall, when there is new stem growth.Cuttings for propagation of evergreens, however, are best taken during the winter chill. The reason for this is that seasonally cold temperatures and shorter daylight hours induce rooting in these plants. So, for the last month, the KBG Garden [...]
You may have noticed in our recent cold and dry spell that the Rhododendron foliage at KBG and in your own garden had quite an overt response. Thermotropism, or plant movement in response to the stimuli of temperature change, is the cause of the leaf curl and droop seen on our Rhododendrons, usually in the [...]
The Winter Solstice has brought cold weather and what appears to be a hibernating garden. But, our garden does not sleep for long! The 2013 New Year has been greeted by witchhazel (Hamamelis mollis), which started to bloom this past week. This witchhazel stands proudly in the upper garden and can be easily viewed from [...]
KBGF rang in the holiday season with our annual wreath workshop! Staff and volunteers collected branches from trees and shrubs growing in the Garden for the wreaths. Dr. Art Kruckeberg’s daughter, Enid, taught the workshop. She shared some of her secrets for making a perfect wreath to twenty-one friends of the garden who participated. Wreaths [...]
The City of Shoreline Deputy Mayor Chris Eggen officially dedicated the parking lot and entry space improvements at KBG on Saturday, November 17. It was a cold, crisp, and perfectly clear day for a dedication ceremony. We had more than 30 people in attendance, including City Council members, current and former KBGF staff, City of [...]
Thank you to everyone who braved the unpredictable weather to make our Fall Tree and Shrub Sale an unqualified success! This year we sold more rare and native species than we have in years past, despite the weather. Visitors during the sale were the first to help us break in our brand new parking lot! [...]
The construction of our parking lot is nearing completion! This week, the contractors have placed concrete to form the sidewalk curbs and gutters and are finishing the asphalt paving of the street. The contractors placed the final gravel layer in the official parking area and it is now ready for the permeable pavers to be [...]
Months of planning, grant writing, and donations are paying off! The first phase of the Native Plant Demonstration Garden is under way. Our weekly Thursday work parties have been clearing the paths, adding sand to the prairie areas, and preparing the area for planting. Thursday, September 13, the Thursday work party volunteers had the honor [...]