Gardens

View of the Lil’ Shed and picnic tables from the Lookout

Building the Children’s Garden, 2002

Magnuson Children’s Garden was designed and built with the goal of creating a natural play space, free to the public, that provides children and their parents with multi-faceted opportunities to explore and experience the natural wonders of plants, birds, insects, and other wildlife. 

Planting the Bird-friendly Landscape, 2009

 

 

 

 

Since 2001, volunteers and park staff have worked together to turn these dreams and goals into a vibrant, exciting reality!  Magnuson Children’s garden was dedicated in 2002, and throughout the years since there have been many new child-inspired features added that continue to make it a model of inclusiveness and sustainability.

 

Magnuson Community Center’s two demonstration gardens were designed and built with the goal of creating sustainable landscapes that restore beauty and natural function to the site, provide public education, and build community stewardship with each step of the process. 

Planting the Resource Conservation Landscape, 2012

Since 2007, volunteers and park staff have worked together to make ecologically-sound improvements to the landscape beds surrounding Magnuson Community Center that reduce runoff and pollution, increase water quality in Lake Washington, conserve soil and water, and provide habitat for birds and other urban wildlife. The Bird-friendly Landscape was completed and dedicated in 2009, and the Resource Conservation Landscape was completed and dedicated in 2013.  Both of these sustainable demonstration gardens are of a scale that can easily be used as a model for typical urban and suburban yards.

During these past 6 years, we have also been providing public education at each of our stewardship events, and through annual classes, special events, nature camps, educational signage and brochures. All of our public education is designed to inform adults and children about the value of our shared natural resources, encourage them to take positive action in their own backyards, and provide them with inspiration and information to do so.

Click on these links to read more about the Magnuson Children’s Garden, the Magnuson Community Center Bird Friendly Landscape and Resource Conservation Landscape!