All posts by Barb Rowan

Plant Amnesty and Master Gardener Pruning Workshop

Seventeen Master Gardeners attended the four-hour workshop led by three instructors to promote correct pruning practices—April 6, 2024.

Christina Pfeiffer and Cynthia Welte, Edmonds College horticultural instructors, led the group, with Doreen Gillespie, from Master Gardeners of King County Plant Programs Manager, organizing the site, volunteers, and students. Mary Machala assisted from Plant Amnesty.

There was an hour introduction to pruning techniques; then a pruning demonstration of several plants; then a clinic where students were directed to select and prune a plant to practice newly formed skills. The instructors then toured the pruned plants, with students showing what they did and why they made their choices.

The Carkeek Park Demonstration Gardens were on display this day, with the beginnings of spring growth. The Lead Gardener, Drexie Malone, provided a brief history of the Gardens and accompanied the instructors as students worked on their projects.

We can compare before and after photos for several plants that were pruned by students and instructors. Plants were chosen for:

  • Lowering height
  • Reducing volume, increasing ventilation
  • Aid plant health and improved aesthetics

Before and after pruning

Salmonberry after pruning

This Salmonberry was growing beyond the boundaries of the path and into the other plants in the location. Students cut out the largest and oldest stems, leaving the younger stems to grow freely. No before photo was taken.

Cedar next to path
Before
Cedar after limbing up
After, from the opposite direction

The Cedar tree growing close to the path is “limbed up” periodically as the tree grows up and out. One limb was removed to allow a 8-foot height limit for the path.

Mahonia at split rain fence before pruning
Before
Mahonia after pruning
After

Mahonia nervosa located near the path and fence was growing into other plants; stems were removed both to limit its width and to open up the close growth inside the plant.

Snowberry before pruning
Before
Snowberry after pruning
After

Snowberry in a small grove of same plants was minimized to allow a view beyond the multiple plants into the next garden.

Rhody being pruned
Before
Rhody after pruning
After

A Rhody, growing underneath large, heritage Rhododendrons (planted in 1953) was minimized and dead wood removed to allow growth in an encroaching environment.

February pruning workshop at the Demonstration Gardens 

By Drexie Malone, Lead Gardener

Christina Pfeiffer brought eleven students from her Edmonds College Horticulture class for a four-hour pruning workshop on February 20, 2024.

Christina was provided a list of priorities, and together we determined what pruning was needed based on previous maintenance, the health of the plant, goals of pruning, and time available. 

These trees and shrubs were pruned (or not) for these reasons

Parking island trees

The branches of the two Callitropsis nootkatensis (Yellow Cedar) were limbed up, or arborized, to meet the eight-foot height requirements of the path and to lessen the dense growth, allowing a sight line through the island and more light for understory.

Cedars before
Cedars after

The instructor declined to prune the lower branches of the Acer glabrum (Rocky mountain maple) competing with the branches of the Acer circinatum (Vine maple), given the evidence of scarring and stress.

Visitors Center gardens

In the concrete retaining wall bed on the east side of the building, the Lonicera fragrantissima (Winter honeysuckle) was pruned to de-tangle branches and limit the height and width of this large shrub.

The Mahonia aquifolium (Tall Oregon grape) was leaning towards the Visitors Center awning. The students pruned out the tallest and oldest stems and reduced the size of the shrub and its encroachment. Visitors can now see the bulletin board on the side of the building from the entrance, and the pathway feels less like a tunnel.

Mahonia before
Mahonia after

At the entrance to the Gardens in the bed with a split rail fence, another Mahonia aquifolium was very large—tall and wide. The class removed stems to limit the height and to a lesser extent the width, to allow a view into the Gardens from the entrance ramp.

Ethnobotany Garden

The ancient Corylus cornuta (Hazelnut) may be the largest in the Gardens. Its old branches grow horizontally, blocking the sun and space from other plants. The good news is there are many young, strong vertical branches emerging. The class wasn’t able to prune through the large stem bases with hand saws, so they trimmed up other partial cuts made a year ago, allowing the tree to look “untouched” and a small amount of light gained toward the north.

The Symphoricarpos albus (Snowberry) growing around the Hazelnut tree tends to spread into the path, with shoots emerging in all directions. The class dug out the roots of the small stems and cut the larger stems at the base.

A Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen huckleberry) grew here, with many siblings, too tall to see into the garden; the class brought the height down.

North Garden

The Spiraea stevenii (Steven’s Spiraea) represents a group of shrubs that is difficult to prune because of its many small branches. For that reason it’s common to see them sheared in landscapes. Repeated shearing shortens the lifespan of the plant.

Since the goal is to support the plant as long as we can, the class used a rejuvenative technique by taking out large, horizontal-growing or tallest stems to minimize the spread of these shrubs and encourage new growth from the base. After the shrub flowers, it can be deadheaded to further shape the shrub and allow for a second bloom.

Spirea before
Sprirea after

Heaven and Earth Art Exhibit Archive

In collaboration with Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Carkeek Park Advisory Council, the Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA) orchestrated an exhibition of temporary artwork in the forest of Carkeek Park from 2009 to 2018.

Visit the archives

Heaven and Earth 1: 2009

Heaven and Earth 2: 2010

Heaven and Earth 3: Cycles of Return 2011

Heaven and Earth 4: Rootbound 2012

Heaven and Earth 5: Acclimatized 2013

Heaven and Earth 6: As Above, So Below 2014

Heaven and Earth 7: Propagation 2015

Heaven and Earth 8: Wild Germination 2016

Heaven and Earth 9: Cultivate(d) 2017

Heaven and Earth 10: Flourish 2018 (no archive)

From Heaven and Earth 9: Cultivate(d)

Ted Larson, artist

Our Borders

Our Borders is a statement about our national borders being an open fence celebrating our multinational immigrant culture. The symbolic fire element (match sticks) portrays the passion to keep our borders open to receive new people seeking a better quality of life in keeping with the hopes and values of the American Dream. The match theme also embodies holding up a light to our coastline illuminating the way.

tedlarsonart.com

Master Gardeners Participate in the 2018 Festival of Fruit

Master Gardener Clinic table with Anita Repanich and John Sykes greeting visitors

The Carkeek Master Gardener Demonstration Gardeners participated in the Festival of Fruit, September 16th from 10am-2pm, at Carkeek Park with a MG clinic table, children’s activities and live honey bees.

Master Gardeners Mary Ann Kae at the Bee Keepers booth.

Children’s Activity presented by Mary Ann Kae, beekeeper; both children and adults were fascinated with this display and presenta

Master Gardeners Participate in the 2017 Festival of Fruit at Carkeek Park

Master Gardener Clinic table at the Orchard Festival 2017

The Carkeek Master Gardener Demonstration Gardeners participated in the Festival of Fruit, September 16th from 10am-2pm, at Carkeek Park with a MG clinic table, children’s activities and live honey bees.

Master Gardeners Mary Ann Kae, Jane Johnson, and Kathy Pendras, with visitors.

Children’s Activity presented by Mary Ann Kae, beekeeper; both children and adults were fascinated with this display and presentation.

Master Gardener Clinic table, with Mary Vincent and Kathy Pendras, greeting visitors.