Preserving Pacific Northwest Gardens: Strategies for Sustainable Organizational Leadership
Arboretum Land, Maple Valley, WA
Lake Wilderness Arboretum in Maple Valley, Washington is home to one of the world’s largest collections of the Western Azalea (Rhododendronoccidentale). It contains 180 species of woody shrubs and trees, and it is filled with abundant native plantings and numerous display gardens, some of which contain collections rescued or donated from private gardens in the region. Adjacent to a second-growth forest and vast recreational area, the Arboretum is free and open to the public.
In this quintessential Northwest ecosystem, the Garden Conservancy Northwest Network convened for our fall workshop, bringing together board members, garden leaders, and staff from gardens in the region to approach preservation from a distinctive point of view. Recognizing change as constant, we delved into strategies preserving organizational strength during leadership transitions. Specifically, we focused on optimizing critical relationships between board and staff to achieve a garden’s mission and fulfill their “why” while approaching leadership succession and transition planning through a framework of organizational sustainability. Education is an essential tool for preservation. This topic is critical to help public gardens preserve their legacies as important cultural and community institutions, manage and care for unique plant collections, and transfer key knowledge to steward the space into the future
Arboretum Tour
Arboretum Director and Manager Susan Goodell led us on a tour through towering Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn redwood),Sequoia sempervirens (Coast redwood), Sequoiadendron giganteum (Giant redwood) and their extensive collection of maple varieties. We started outside of the Lake Wilderness Lodge where the workshop was held. The Seattle architectural firm Young & Richardson designed this mid-century building in the early 1950s to be a resort. The building was conceptualized by the Graffney Brothers, known for operating vacation resorts in the Maple Valley area since the 1920s. They built the structure to integrate it into the landscape, highlighting lake views and Mount Rainier on a clear day. The building is designated as a King County landmark as an example of post-war architecture in the Northwest. At the entrance of the Lodge’s interior, a totem pole extends to the ceiling, providing structural support for the building.
Arboretum Tour
Despite the vast amenities, the resort’s business struggled, and the property became part of Seattle’s Kings County Park System in the mid-1960s. This is when the idea to create an arboretum was formed by a group of residents who organized and incorporated a non-profit to do just that. From the 1970s to the early 2000’s, the Arboretum was run exclusively by volunteers. Guided by a desire to provide year-long interest and engagement, the Arboretum now features numerous garden areas with firs and cultivars, cedars, and azaleas; a pond, children’s and legacy gardens and a tribal life trail that illustrates how native plants have been used by the indigenous for centuries.
The Arboretum encompasses 42 acres and is managed by a joint use agreement between the City of Maple Valley and the Lake Wilderness Arboretum Foundation to preserve and utilize the space as a critical regional resource for the public.
Our work in the Pacific Northwest helps garden leaders navigate challenges and maximize opportunities while preserving the legacy of their gardens as important cultural landscapes. In 2022, the Lake Wilderness Arboretum received the Garden Conservancy’s Garden Futures grant which supported the replacement of the arboretum’s 40-zone irrigation system.
We will reconvene this winter for more virtual events and will gather in the spring for an in-person workshop and garden tour. The Garden Conservancy Northwest Network is a collective of garden leaders in the Pacific Northwest committed to preserving their gardens as cultural and heritage resources within their communities.