Pacific Connections Garden Stewards

Stewards Needed to Help Plant and Care For the New Zealand Forest

The New Zealand entry garden – a glimpse of the what lies ahead when the 2-acre forest is planted.

Much of the planting of the New Zealand Forest in summer 2013 will be done by contract workers under the supervision of Seattle Parks and Recreation and UW Botanic Gardens. However, a portion of the new forest will be set aside for planting by the volunteers in the Pacific Connections Garden Stewards program. Once the forest is planted, the stewards will assist Arboretum staff in caring for the two-acre display. Are you interested in helping out? We’re currently recruiting to enlarge our pool of stewards to help plant and maintain the New Zealand Forest. You must be willing to commit to a minimum of 24 hours of work per year, during the months of March through November. And some previous horticultural experience is also required. For information or to sign up, please email Rhonda Bush or call her at 206-941-2550.

In fall 2011, in response to budget crises affecting the University of Washington and Seattle Parks and Recreation, the Arboretum Foundation and UW Botanic Gardens created a special volunteer program dedicated to the care and maintenance of the Pacific Connections Garden at the south end of the Arboretum. Our goal was to recruit and train a dedicated cadre of around 25 volunteers—the Pacific Connections Garden Stewards—who would, under the supervision of the Arboretum and UWBG horticultural staff, assist the small paid crew in caring for this new garden.

The stewards program has been very successful thus far, resulting in the recruitment of close to 30 volunteers in the first year. But we are always on the lookout for new recruits!

Stewards weeding the Pacific Connections Garden during Earth Day 2013.

Commitment: We are looking for volunteers who are willing to commit to a minimum of 24 hours of work in the Pacific Connections Garden per year, during the months of March through November. Some previous horticultural experience is required.

Benefits of volunteering: Our new recruits will receive maintenance training from the Arboretum staff and will get to share in the camaraderie of caring for these special new displays. Stewards also benefit from other enrichment activities—in the shape of lectures and instructional talks from the many plant experts in the Arboretum’s extended family.

Signing up: To learn more about the Pacific Connections stewards initiative or to sign up to become a steward, please email Rhonda Bush or call her at 206-941-2550. You can also download a volunteer application form, fill it out, and either fax it to Rhonda at 206-325-8893 or mail it to her c/o the Arboretum Foundation, 2300 Arboretum Drive East, Seattle, WA 98112.