WSU Discovery Garden
Thanks to the WSU Master Gardener class of 1994, the vision for the Demonstration Garden was born. It took two years to plan the garden, then in the fall of 1996, the first structure trees and fences were established. Over the next two years, with the help of many committed WSU Master Gardeners and the community, the garden was planted.
The goals of the garden are:
- To interest, inspire and educate the public.
- To develop a garden for community use and enjoyment.
- To enhance the quality of the environment of Skagit County.
Different styles and types of gardens represented include:
Entrance Garden: The three separate gardens that greet visitors were planted to show a Pacific Northwest theme, an easy-care layered garden, and a garden that has featured plants for each season.
Shade Garden: If you have shady areas in your yard, stop by and visit the shade garden for some shady ideas. Enjoy hostas, ferns, astilbes and other shade lovers.
Cool Color Border: It's fun to experiment with plants. This border takes cool colors and creates a border by including texture and shades of blue, green, purple, lavender and silver to create a cooling feeling.
Hot Color Border : This garden uses annuals, perennials, and bulbs in "hot" colors like red, orange and yellow. The cheerful border can be used to spice up any sunny area.
Japanese Garden: There are five distinct types of Japanese gardens: hill and pond, dry landscape, tea garden, courtyard and stroll. Ours is of the stroll design. Japanese gardens have several things in common, including areas for quiet contemplation and reflection of the world beyond the garden. Dry rock beds are used to symbolize a rushing river and large rocks resembling mountains. Odd numbers of plants and stones are used in groupings and plants are spaced unevenly. Water is an integral part of any Japanese garden.
Easy Care: Love to garden but don't have time? This garden is a good example of having your cake and eating it too. All of the plants require minimal care and maintenance and provide rewards for little effort.
Evergreen Corner: This little corner contains gifts to the garden from Wells Nursery. These evergreen shrubs are quiet beauties that provide year round interest without requiring a lot of supplemental water in the summer. Planted among the evergreens are the species bulbs crocus, chionodoxa, and tulips.
Ornamental Grass Garden: Ever thought grasses could make an interesting garden? The chosen varieties can screen an area, provide texture, or create a soothing spot as the wind rustles through them on a summer's night.
Doc's Arbor: Dr. Richard Hoad ("Doc") was one of a small group of WSU Master Gardeners who had the vision to start this garden. Before Doc passed away, he and his wife gave the first "seed" money donation. This arbor is created in his memory. Doc grew grapes and made many different kinds of wine.
Fall and Winter Garden: In the Pacific Northwest we are able to enjoy our gardens year round. In this climate there are many wonderful plants that show their true colors from September until March. This garden, with selections made for fall color and winter blooms, spotlights but a few.
Small Fruits: Berries ... berries ... berries ... this garden displays summer and fall bearing varieties of raspberries; Black Caps; and three types of strawberries. Notice the special technique used to support the weight of the raspberry vines.
Cottage Garden: The Cottage Garden is a combination of ornamentals, vegetables, herbs and fruit. This type of garden goes back as far as the 1300s when space was limited and families needed to supplement their diets from small garden spaces around their homes. Every available inch was planted and everything was mixed together. It has a delightful and somewhat whimsical appeal.
North Cascades Fuchsia Society: This garden was planted by our local Fuchsia Society and is maintained by the WSU Master Gardeners. All the varieties you see are hardy enough to survive our winters, and provide beautiful colors from early summer until frost.
Vegetable Garden: Each year, our vegetable gardeners try new varieties, new vegetables and different ways to grow them. It is fun to see the creativity this group uses as they experiment with vegetables grown for this area.
Ground Covers: Don't like to see bare dirt? Need to cover and area or keep a hillside from eroding? These are all reasons to plant ground covers. This garden presents some common and creative ideas using ground covers.
Iris Garden: The Iris plantings show the many different species of Iris and their bloom cycle, from early spring throughout the winter. Rocks are used to create "rooms" for plantings that show off the Iris. Companion plants were incorporated to give interest while the Iris are resting.
Heather Garden: Our heather garden is a year-round place of interest; this garden is in bloom each month of the year. The heather/heath have been chosen for their growth patterns from ground cover to tree forms.
School Education (DIG-IT): WSU Master Gardeners work with teachers and students in the local classrooms. After the curriculum is incorporated into their lessons at school, the students come to the garden for a day of learning and planting.
Skagit County Master Composters: Magic is done here! The composters, a division of Skagit County Public Works, take our clippings, let Mother Nature do her part, and we get great soil back in a year.
Herb Garden: Skagit Valley's climate is perfect for herbs. We have taken the typical English herb garden's structure, history, purpose and order, and shown how they can be adapted for the Northwest garden. Different hedge materials show how an outdoor room can be created. The overall structure of the garden is formal, but the planting is not. An herb garden can be modified to fit anyplace.
Greenhouse: In 2002, we added a greenhouse. Each year, the Master Gardeners hold a Plant Faire that provides funding to support the WSU Discovery Garden. The greenhouse is also used to hold workshops on starting seeds and plant propogation.
Children's Garden: The main purpose of this garden is to educate children. It is a place for parents and children to rediscover the pleasure of gardening and get ideas for their own yards. Features include the ABC garden, fairy garden, waterfall, sunflower house, bean teepee, tulip bed and the maze.
Naturescape: The Naturescape corner of the garden includes a native and non-native plants that attract a variety of birds, butterflies, small animals and reptiles. It provides a quiet place to sit, observe and contemplate the natural surroundings. The simple form makes it an easy garden to create.
Enabling Garden: This area shows many different ideas for people who need alternative gardening methods including: square foot, raised beds having many different functions; a garden with fragrance; and unusual textured plants for the sight impaired. All the raised beds are wheelchair accessible.
Joe's Place: In 1973, the first WSU Master Gardener training program in the nation was started in King County. Joe Dupre, a Navy Chief retiring in Anacortes, was in one of the first graduating classes. This garden is a place for education adjacent to the Pavilion. Many of Joe's favorite plants from primroses to fig trees have been used in his garden.
The Pavilion: Part of our program includes ongoing education. The Pavilion hosts many seminars and workshops throughout the year. These programs are always open to the public for education and enjoyment.
Upcoming Gardening Events
Click here to read about the WWI Memorial Dedication on May 24
The WSU Discovery Garden
is located at the:
WSU Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center
16650 State Route 536
Mount Vernon, WA
and is open to the public
from dawn to dusk
seven days per week.
2007 Plant List
Check out what is growing in each garden!
Heading using the h3tag
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