Horticulture And Art Connect

 LWTC horticulture students are playing a key role in an art exhibit at the Open Satellite Gallery in Bellevue, growing more than 1,200 strawberry plants for Japanese artist Merio Koizumi.

His exhibit, called “The Corner of Sweet and Bitter,” examines the plight of Japanese Americans residing in Bellevue during World War II.  Primarly strawberry farmers, Bellevue’s Japanese Americans created a thriving agribusiness which came to a sudden end when the farmers were put into internment camps during the war.  Once released, the farmers found their farms were no longer viable in the suburb’s burgeoning commercial and residential expansion. 

 In a symbolic gesture to Bellevue’s history, a real strawberry field will be a centerpiece of  Koizumi’s exhibit,  using the plants grown by our students.  The Japanese artist has visited our campus several times, working with the students to repot strawberry plants and talking to them about his installation.  During his last visit, Instructor Don Marshall worked with Koizumi to create a furrowed strawberry field mock-up .

Students will help Koizumi install the strawberry field in early November.  His exhibit opens to the public on November 10, and runs until  January 9, 2010.

Internship at Willows Lodge

We are excited to announce a new partnership for learning with Willows Lodge and the property’s Director for Natural Beauty, EagleSong.  One student per quarter will have the opportunity to intern at Willows Lodge, learning to care for and manage a sustainable landscape. 

Students will work hand-in-hand with EagleSong, who endeavors to create a landscape that is sustainable and beautiful.  She sees the grounds as a service to both lodge guests and the community with each garden area offering a different function and mood. 

“We monitor and adjust.  Our goal is to create a landscape that is stable, even if the environment isn’t,” says EagleSong, who has revitalized the Willows Lodge property over the last seven years. 

While each quarter will offer different learning opportunities, the focus will remain the same: working with nature to create grounds that are robust and eye-appealing.  Students  have the opportunity to get hands-on experience with garden renovating, soil nurturing, composting, irrigation, fine pruning and design. 

To apply for this exciting opportunity, send your application to EagleSong at eaglesong@willowslodge.com.

Celebrate!

Closing the door on a year of horticulture studies, seventeen superstars graduated from our program today.  Debbie Howard-Kite, Ryan Walsh, Tracy Crouch, Alice Aeshenbacher, Mahonia Ruffcorn, Dana Burbank, Monica Payne, Darla Smith, Liang Du, Quinn Pense, Kharysa Watt, Corrie Allen, Dan Field, Kathy Ewert, Wyatt Bashinski, and Jeanette Mauer.    After the ceremony, we celebrated with a veritable feast!  Graduate Susan Harp summed up the year by saying “It was a year well-spent.  I really enjoyed the real-life, hands on experience!”

We had another important milestone to celebrate as well:  Don Marshall’s 30th year at the college.  Many alumni stopped by to congratulate him, and others sent their well-wishes through cards, emails and photos.  He has inspired so many people, and kept this horticulture program current and competitive.  We look forward to his 31st year!

Accent On Alumni: Robin Haglund

Robin Haglund, a 2003 graduate of Lake Washington Technical College’s horticulture program, hit the ground running after completing our horticulture program. A garden coach, writer, and award winning landscape designer, she says “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of this program.”
After completing her horticulture studies, she founded Garden Mentors, a company dedicated to garden coaching. She also designed a website devoted to garden questions and free advice called gardenhelp.org. All this success is fueled by her love of horticulture.
A lifelong gardener, Robin decided to leave the high tech computer industry to pursue a career in the green industry in 2002. After deligent research, she chose to get her start here at LWTC.
“I have a friend who went through the program and liked its design…and then I met Don!” Robin laughs. Don Marshall founded our program 30 years ago, and is a program instructor.
While attending LWTC, Robin particularly enjoyed the organized and established curriculumn, a block concept that combines lecture with hands-on experiences.
“I also loved how the program allows students to network in the industry through work experiences (job shadowing) and the helping at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. It really sets this program apart,” she says.

Crossroads Mall Garden Center Opportunity

Have you always wanted to own your own garden center? Here is a great opportunity: Crossroads Mall in Bellevue is soliciting bids for a gardening center and nursery which would complement the mall’s new community pea patch. The mall’s owners are very community oriented, and host a farmer’s market every Tuesday during the harvest season.

The garden center would be on a 60,000 square foot lot of undeveloped land just north of the Crossroads Mall cinema. Call Gordon Schaeffer at (425)-269-7023 for more information.

Vegetable Gardening Success

“I need to feed my peas.”

“Have you smelled my cinnamon basil?”

These are just a few of the comments heard during crew today, as students are enthusiastically embracing vegetable gardening.

Student Heather Cole (pictured right) even came to school during break to check on her crops, water and plant a few more starts in her corner of our bursting vegetable hoop house and burm. 

Creativity abounds with students recycling iron rods and branches as a trellis for beans, and large containers for cucumbers.  Inside the toasty hoop house, a few of the veggies are even beginning to ripen, such as the jalepenos and bell peppers. 

Corn, eggplant, cucumbers, patty pan squash, basil and many varieties of tomatoes are just a few the vegetables that our students are growing as organically as possible, and without the use of pesticides.

Students Find Inspiration at Aw Pottery

Taking a break from creating their landscape designs, our students were treated to the amazing sights at Aw Pottery during a field trip last week.

“It was so cool to see the different sizes and colors and try to imagine what plant choices would enhance them,” said student Laurie O’Kane. 

Our students discussed using the glazed pottery in creative ways in their landscape plans, from water features to artwork.  Aw Pottery has been importing and distributing pottery in the United States since 1981.  Many of the pieces are handmade throughout Asia.

New Crew Creates Veggie Hoop House

Under the guidance of instructor Chris Smith, students are building a hoop house for growing heat-loving vegetables this summer.

“Our students are really excited about growing tomotes, peppers, zucchini, and much more all summer,”  says Smith.  “This project is entirely student-driven.  They all have a passion for growing vegetables.”

The new crew began work earlier this month, removing stock beds and tilling the soil.  Yesterday, the students took advantage of the sunshine and warm temperatures to create two raised berms and a path that will be enclosed in the hoop house.   Outside the house, a bed will be created for zucchini, pumpkins and other vines.

The new hoop house will be open to any of our horticulture students who want to grow heat-loving vegetables.  We are looking forward to a bounty of tomatoes, peppers and more this summer.

Student Spotlight: Dana Burbank

“Dana Burbank is a bright star and a great mulcher,” – Liesl Zappler, LWTC groundskeeper. 

Dana began her horticulture education here at LWTC last fall. As a member of the Veteren’s Conservation Corps, she also works with Liesl on the school grounds  several days a month.  Together, Dana (pictured far left) and Liesl pulled out ivy and replanted the hillside in the wonderful garden pictured left.  Dana is one of twelve veterens selected for the Vetern’s Conservation Corps, which offers funds for education in return for community service. Her other projects include restoring the native habitat at the union slough.

A former sargent in the army, Dana was stationed in North Carolina, and served one tour in Iraq.  Because she served in military intelligence, most of her working environment was dark and enclosed.  When her term of service ended two years ago, she knew that she would pursue a career that allowed her to work outside.  Her love of gardening with her family on Whidbey Island led her to horticulture. 

“It’s relaxing and peaceful to work in the garden,” says Burbank. “And plants are interesting!”

Plant identification is one of her favorite courses here at LWTC.  “It’s just so fun,” she says.  She’s also very excited about this quarter’s focus:  landscape design.  Each student creates a professionally rendered design for their client.  Dana says she can’t wait to see the end result of her design and the landscape’s transformation from its current state of blackberries and salal. 

Dana will marry her long-time boyfriend in August, and she will complete her studies here at the end of the summer.  After that, she and her new husband will relocate to southern California where Dana would like to enroll in a viticulture program.

First Weekend of Our Plant Sale a Success!

Good weather and great plants proved to be an irrestible combination for gardeners who came out in droves to shop the first weekend of our annual plant sale.  We were overwhelmed with the community support and enthusiasm for our program’s biggest fundraiser!

Our billowing fuchsia baskets were a big hit with customers, as were the hardy fuchsias, tomatoes and basket stuffers such as million bells, nemesia, bacopa and easy wave trailing petunias. 

Many of our program’s former students came back to campus to help with our sale, working the hold area, cashiering and restocking -  we are so grateful for their hard work and experience.

 Kelli Curtis, Diane Elliot and Linelle Russ are just a few of the dedicated alumni and former staff who volunteered  their energy and talents.

The final weekend of our plant sale is set for Friday and Saturday, May1-2, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.  We still have plenty of hanging baskets, veggies, annuals and more!