Goodness, where has the summer gone? Already September is cruising right along.

Life in the garden is pretty tranquil, especially with the tich-tich-tich of the sprinklers running in multiple corners.

The cottage removal project is complete, and we have staged the nursery retail tables in the new space. Thanks to the City of Shoreline for the effort to reinvent this space and make it useful and attractive. We have some fresh arrivals coming in anticipation of the annual fall plant sale in October. This really is the best time of year to be installing new trees, shrubs, etc. This year is trickier, but new installs will settle in nicely with the onset of fall rains with a little extra water to kick things off.

Things to look for in the nursery: Ferns, ferns, and more ferns. Also, evergreen huckleberry, Mahonia, hardy ginger, fall-blooming anemones, other perennials, and grasses for late summer early fall. Fall sale will feature 30% off available inventory (what’s out on the tables); all sales are final as proceeds go towards the support of the garden and staff.

We’re gearing up for Garden Party and have lots of great auction items to offer. Hikes, art, cool plants, and more. There’s still time to register as an attendee or be an online bidder from the comfort of your home. This year we have set ourselves a worthy goal with our raise-the-paddle effort. Education and programming are an essential part of our mission here at the Kruckeberg, and we have seen growth and continued demand for these offerings at the garden. Our educator, Emma MacDonald, has done an amazing job. Emma does all this on a part-time schedule of 32 hours a week. We have set our goal for raise-the-paddle to fund Emma as a full-time staff person. This will further enhance our programming offerings and allow us to retain and attract wonderful educators like Emma.

Even if you’re not present at the event itself, you can participate in our fundraising efforts and help us reach our goal by registering as an online bidder. Registration will close on September 15th, so don’t delay. Register now!

We hope you’ll visit the garden soon; there is so much to see with the onset of fall. Hardy cyclamen are sprinkled throughout the garden but don’t forget to notice the Euonymous latifolius with its hot pink and orange fruits. The slanted sunlight through the canopy is my favorite change; it casts great shadows across the ground.

Just a friendly reminder that the Director’s Wish List is still up and available. Donate and indicate the effort you want to support in the gift notes. For clarification, you can contribute for as little or as much as you want. I mean, if you want to fund the whole effort, great, but many hands make for lighter work. As always, your generous support is deeply appreciated. It is an honor and a privilege to care for your garden.

 

Sincerely,
Joseph Abken, Executive Director