The Cass Turnbull Garden: Building a Resource for the Community

• Honoring Cass Turnbull, PlantAmnesty’s late founder,

• Located at Kay Bullitt’s residence on Harvard Ave E, Capitol Hill

• A future Seattle Parks and Recreation public garden

PlantAmnesty, founded in 1987 to prevent malpruning … The Garden honors Cass as a horticultural leader and supports PlantAmnesty’s mission:

Provide education, resources and advocacy to prevent mal-pruning and preserve urban greenspace

▪ promote awareness and respect for plants

▪ demonstrate proper pruning techniques

▪ educate the public on landscape management practices

‘Princess of Pruning’ What resources does PlantAmnesty provide?

• Online and in-person classes

• Monthly webinars for members

• Hands-on pruning workshops

• Referral services – contact us for gardener and arborist referrals!

• YouTube pruning videos

• Annual pro-bono arborist work for nonprofit organizations

• Facilitates the City of Seattle’s Heritage Tree Program

• Plus fun social events for our Paperbark maple donated by membership! Don Brooks and Susie Cook Spring 2017 How the Garden idea took root …

• January – Cass’s unexpected death while on vacation in Hawaii stuns the horticulture community

• March – A Cass Turnbull Garden idea was conceived at her Memorial Service

• April - Kay Bullitt offers the west facing slope of her property on Capitol Hill for the garden

• May - PlantAmnesty volunteers organize

‘Working with the wild…’ Spring 2017 Devoted volunteer ‘gardenistas’at work ….

Clearing blackberries and laurel

Removing brush and trees

Weeding, sifting, hauling

Excavating concrete, rubble and stumps Summer - Fall 2017

Design workshops identified garden goals reflecting Cass’s spirit and gardening principles:

1. Create a demonstration teaching garden 2. Use natural topography and existing site elements 3. Develop educational spaces for meetings and gatherings 4. Integrate ‘Cassism’ quotes into the garden design 5. Identify locations for thematic garden sculptures 6. Create quiet, contemplative spaces within the garden 7. Use ‘found materials’ from the site walls, bricks, logs, stones 8. Add whimsical elements to reflect Cass and her humor 9. Include plant pruning examples of: mounding, cane growers and tree-like 10. Design a wildlife area within the gardens for birds and pollinators Summer- Fall 2017 Schematic Plan from the design workshops …

Garden Features: ▪ North and south entries ▪ Overlook promontory ▪ Contemplative spaces ▪ Group gathering areas ▪ Wildlife garden ▪ Interpretive locations Spring 2018 Community collaboration grows… Seattle Parks and Recreation reviews the Schematic Plan recommending: ▪ simplifying the plan ▪ removing structures ▪ focusing efforts on the ADA accessibility path and planting

Landmarks Preservation Board grants a Certificate of Approval to proceed with the garden within the Harvard-Belmont Historic District

‘City gardens make community, but they can also be havens as deep as any rural fastness’ from Cascadia, by Ann Lovejoy Fall 2018 Revised Garden Concept Plan 2018 …

Design Development: ▪ RefinedADA path ▪ Retaining walls ▪ ‘Throne’ feature ▪ Working with contours ▪ Defining planting areas ▪ Circulation plan

by JoAnna D’Asaro Monthly volunteer work parties continue … Sheet mulching with wood chips

Countless number of volunteer hours hauling and spreading chips!

“A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust.” From ‘Wood and Garden’ Gertrude Jekyll 1899 Winter 2018 - Spring 2019 Plant procurement and early planting begins … Children’s Hospital offers over 150 plants

wall

perimeter

side west Anderson Gardens designs

Along a safety hedgerow planting between the lower path and the the surrounding wall S Spring 2019 Edmonds College design for the North portion of the site …

Construction materials: ▪ Gabion retaining walls filled with site rubble and bricks ▪ Dry stacked walls ▪ Wood seat caps ▪ Sheet metal and iron accents ▪ Salvaged granite wall caps ▪ Granite stair treads ▪ Cobble and bluestone pavers ▪ Crushed stone paths

by Mary and Andrew Tuttle Spring 2019 Ideas and images of possible garden features …

Images from the Tuttle Design

Rubble filled gabion retaining walls

Circular Paving designs Entry moon gate ideas Garden to include whimsical garden sculptures …

Adding Cass’s infamous Throne…. Summer 2019 Topographic survey is completed for ADA path layout ... ADA Compliance:

start point for layout 5' oc grid NOTES: Use 5' background grid for preliminary layout ▪ 4% grade for primary path Grid starts at top of stairs ADA path assumes 4% grade (slightly less than1:24 Throne area No landings required with this grade No handrail required with this grade ▪ No hand rails required Entry arbor Landing areas must be min of 60"x60" Landing areas must not have cross slope over 2 percent in Gathering Area any direction Path must be 48" wide ▪ 5 foot path width This layout does not include walls **Field check this layout prior to final design*** ▪ Smooth turning radii ▪ ¼” crushed gravel

ADA path 4% @48" wide

Lower path North Overlook portion Non ADA path

Entry arbor South Entry path Access to seating Stairs portion

ADA LAYOUT (FIELD DRAWING) 0 20 40 60 feet

SCALE: 1" = 20'

Tireless volunteers plot path by JoAnna D’Asaro locations and excavate stumps Fall – Winter 2019 Univ. of Washington Landscape Architecture Dept. Design-Build classes offer support…

Under the direction of Professor Daniel Winterbottom, landscape students:

1. Design and build six benches for the Kay Bullitt Park, using materials representative of those to be used in the garden

2. Design and detail the southern portion of the garden for spring quarter construction Materials and designs are symbolic of the women they honor

a. Harriet Bullitt . b. Dorothy Stimson Bullitt a b

c. Kay Bullitt d. Jean Walkinshaw c d

e. Patsy Collins f. Francis B. North

e f Winter 2019-2020 UW students design and detail of the south portion …

Gathering-space Interpretive Overlook

Terraced Classroom Wildlife Garden Model

Section March - June 2020 COVID-19 PANDEMIC SWEEPS THE COUNTRY aborting the UW landscape students’ garden construction for winter and spring quarters…

but no stopping volunteer extraordinaire - Jack Bautsch !!! Summer - Fall 2020 Dedicated volunteers construct ADA primary path …

Environmental specialists and Parks consulted to evaluate: ▪ 120 year old perimeter wall stability and safety ▪ Drainage questions in the south portion ▪ Permitting requirements Summer - Fall 2020 Budgetary constraints refocus UW students construction efforts from the south to the north …

Volunteers prepare the Rocks and rubble to be used site for winter construction for gabion retaining walls

Existing Big leaf maples

“Gardens absorb the passions of their makers and evoke like emotions in those who visit them” from Windcliff Dan Hinkley Summer 2020 Site plan created combining north and south designs ... 1. north portion - Edmonds College garden design with UW detailing 2. topographical survey with GreenSolutions ADA path layout design 3. south portion - UW Landscape Architecture garden design

North portion

South portion

Completed by Mary Tuttle, Bellingham, WA Summer 2020 The Cass Turnbull Garden Master Site Plan North Garden Features

CONTEMPLATIVE THRONE Interpretive overlook SPACE CASS'S COURT Tool sculpture GATEWAY Promontory Throne room

KAY'S BACKYARD NATIVE PLANT GARDEN SEAT W ALL Contemplative space

ADA PRIMARY PATH Benches

INTERPRETIVE SIGNAGE/OVERLOOK South Garden Features SEAT W ALL Entry archway Habitat garden

PRUNING TOOL SCULPTURE MAIN ENTRY GATE Meandering paths Terraced seating Outdoor classroom SEAT W ALLS Garden art sculptures COURTYARD

WILDLIFE GARDEN Benches

GABION W ALLS Tool shed Compost bins Kathleen Day, Landscape Consultant, LLC Fall 2020 Volunteers continue work on the ADA path and begin building dry stacked walls…

“The only limit to your garden is at the boundaries of your imagination” Thomas Church Winter 2021 UW landscape students begin construction of the north portion of garden… Professor Daniel Winterbottom creates a Design-Build laboratory for students to learn garden design and construction: ▪ fine grading for paths and stairways ▪ cutting stone for terraces ▪ laying cobbles and pavers ▪ setting granite treads/risers for steps ▪ cutting mahogany decking for seating caps ▪ pouring concrete bases for railings and seating ▪ fabricate and weld metal detailing ▪ building gabions for retaining walls ▪ constructing dry-stacked walls ▪ amending soil and planting ▪ designing and building outdoor sculpture Skilled student’s work in the garden… Gratitude for invaluable contributions …

▪ Kay Bullitt for offering the land for the garden ▪ Margaret Bullitt for funding the survey, park benches and materials for construction of the north portion of the garden ▪ 174 volunteers contributing 8,000+ hours of effort to date Sincere thanks to our generous supporters … ▪ The following businesses and organizations:

• Anderson Gardens (design) • Kelley Gardening Service(supplies, labor) • Aurora Rents (discounted rentals) • Madison Park Tree (arborist chips) • CalPortland (gravel) • Major Tree Care (arborist chips) • Caring Landscapes (labor, materials, equipment) • Microsoft : Day of Caring 2019 (labor) • Cedar Grove Compost (compost) • Legendary Tree (arborist chips,, labor) • Children’s Hospital (plants, granite stones, labor) • Out on a Limb Tree Services (chips) • Cline Rentals, Lynnwood (discounted rentals) • RedTailEdge Designs (design) • Columbian Gardens (consultation, labor) • Rhizome d'etre Landscaping (plants) • Edmonds College Horticulture Program (design) • Seattle Parks and Recreation(consult) • Exteriorscapes (gravel, stone, labor, equipment) • The Dirt Exchange (gravel) • Flourish NW (irrigation, supplies, labor) • Thor Tree Company (stump grinding) • Fluent Tree Care (labor, equipment, chips) • US Bank: Day of Caring 2017 (labor) • Garden Designz (plants) • UW Landscape Architecture Program • Greener Living Solutions (design, equipment) (design, construction) • Ground Up Landscape (labor, equipt, supplies) • Kathleen Day, Landscape Consultant (design) Summer 2020 The Cass Turnbull Garden Master Site Plan North Garden Features