Whatcom County Master Gardener volunteers have been working with a professional Landscape Designer and County Parks personnel, to imagine a new design for the Demonstration Gardens, with these key goals in mind:
- Move all garden beds outside the safety buffer zone of the underground oil pipeline.
- Create an inviting main garden entrance.
- Widen some existing trails and construct new universally accessible trails that connect all garden areas.
- Improve educational and directional signage.
- Create new demonstration garden areas such as a “Hedgerow” and others.
- Create a better space for workshops, learning opportunities, and other events.
- Expand and improve your overall experience in the Demonstration Gardens.
This preliminary drawing above shows some of what we would like to do. Work will take place in stages, some of which are happening already in 2023, such as:
- Creation of a“Berry Garden”.
- The two small sheds have moved from near the main parking lot to near the “Children’s Story Garden”.
- The“Weed” garden has moved off of the pipeline buffer, to south of the Hovander house, next to the restrooms.
- The“Native”garden is now next to the“Weed” garden, in a larger area with some needed shade.
- The“Pollinator”garden is moving off the pipeline, to east of the“Vegetable”garden.
In 2024, we hope to move the “Dahlia” and “Modern Culinary Herb” gardens off of the pipeline buffer, work with Parks to extend some water lines to new gardens, and continue with other goals listed above, the largest of which will be beginning the process for constructing the new universally accessible pathways.
Each phase takes careful planning and coordination of tasks, and funding. Come visit and watch how things change and take shape over the next few years.