As more and more Northwest gardens “go native” with an emphasis on indigenous plants, a dedicated group of Hansville residents is developing what may become the preeminent native garden of the Kitsap peninsula open to the public. When finished, the Buck Lake Native Plant Garden will prove that there’s a lot more to Northwest native plants than elderberry and salal – not, as its members point out, that there’s anything wrong with elderberry and salal.
“The garden will showcase native plants and show people how to include them in their own gardens,” said Mary Booth, retired landscape architect and co-designer of the planned gardens. “A lot of these are wonderful plants that are not very well known. They are easy care and support native insects and wildlife.”
Planting the seed
Buck Lake Native Plant Garden Association President Rol Malan planted the seed for the all-volunteer project in 2005. A member of the Hansville Community Center board, Malan proposed converting the neglected BMX track at Buck Lake County Park to a demonstration and teaching garden. Malan, a certified Master Gardener who uses native plants in his own landscape, envisioned the garden as an opportunity to introduce Master Gardeners, children and homeowners to the diverse range of plant life that grows naturally west of the Cascades from British Columbia to southern Oregon.
“A bunch of master gardeners will put in volunteer time at the garden,” said Malan. “A lot of resources in the community support the plan including the community center, the Flotsam and Jetsam Garden Club, and the Hansville Greenway people. The community center matched donations up to $500 this year and $1,000 last year.”
Malan also credits Peg Tillery, horticulture coordinator for Washington State University Extension in Kitsap County (Master Gardener program) and Dori Leckner, maintenance supervisor for Kitsap County Department of Facilities, Parks and Recreation, for their support.
At this time, the one-acre property has been graded and awaits installation of an irrigation system. Though native plants are renowned for sailing through the peninsula’s Mediterranean-dry summers, they will need supplemental water for the first two years, a chore facilitated by the site’s existing well. Backed by alder, the land offers several distinct zones – from shady to full sun, and dry to boggy – providing suitable environments for a wide range of species. The group hopes to begin planting this fall.
“It will be five years before it’s fully planted,” said Booth. “In one or two years we’d like to start school tours.”
“One of our principal goals is to educate youth; we want to be a destination for school district field trips,” added Malan. “The plan includes an amphitheater where we can highlight native plants and do plant ID.”
A sense of place
The garden’s design is a collaborative effort of Booth and landscape architect Patrick Leuner of Leuner Landscape Design of Hansville. In addition to the amphitheater, the plans call for hummingbird borders, steppable native ground covers, a flower meadow, song bird hedge and fern garden. The pond and bog garden will require further excavation and are considered “phase two.”
“The garden will serve many functions,” said Leuner. “It will help the homeowner to garden in a sustainable way; it will educate people about noxious weeds; and it will enhance habitat for wildlife and pollinators: one of our members who’s in the Audubon Society identified a hundred species of birds at the site. Native plants give a sense of place – you know you’re in the Northwest. They grow well here and are environmentally sound since they take the hot and sunny summers without needing water. Natural gardens are visually pleasing, too; they look deceptively simple. It’s actually difficult to duplicate a native planting.”
“There will be an emphasis on shrubs and some interesting groundcovers,” Booth noted. “We’ll include some of the improved cultivars of native species, such as selected forms of penstemon, lupine and columbine.”
The plant sanctuary will also act as an entrance to the nature preserve and trails of the Hansville Greenway, which encompasses 200 acres of unspoiled land near Buck Lake. Moreover, the native plantings will continue through to the community center parking lot. Much of the maintenance will be carried out by Master Gardeners, though, as Leuner pointed out, deer will take care of the pruning.
“This native garden will be a real community resource,” concluded Malan, “that will illustrate how attractive, low maintenance and ecologically sound this type of garden can be.”
