Garfield High School Landscape Renovation Plan

Completed by University of Washington Landscape Plant Management students, Spring, 1999

Landscape Renovation:  Woodland Theme

This project site was located along the stairways leading to the main entrance to Garfield. Our site was designed to be a woodland garden, planted primarily with Pacific Northwest natives that could tolerate the cool, shady site and complement existing vegetation. To prepare this site, we first cleared the soil along the stairs of ivy roots, horsetail, old stumps, and rat nests.  We then installed root barriers running parallel to the lower stairs to prevent reinfestation by ivy and horsetail.  Near the upper stairs, we built triangular planting beds to create spatial diversity and provide a vertical transition between the flat ground plane and the tall building. Once the site was prepared, our group installed boulders on gravel bases (to prevent rats from nesting underneath) along with new ornamental plantings. Our landscape was finished by adding a thick layer of wood chips to prevent weed seed germination and increase moisture retention in the soil.

Landscape Conditions at North Entrance Prior to Renovation

Below are photographs taken on our observational trip to Garfield, followed by photos of our work parties and the final product (click on any picture to see a larger version):

Site Visit April 1, 1999

Design Brainstorming at the Center for Urban Horticulture
April 29, 1999

Ivy Root Removal and Soil Preparation
May 6, 1999

Horsetail Removal and Soil Preparation
May 6, 1999

Tired Diggers
May 6, 1999

Preparing the Planting Beds
May 20, 1999

Installation of Acer circinatum
May 20, 1999

Aftercare of Newly Installed Acer circinatum
May 20, 1999

The Finished Product: Lower Stairs on Left, Upper Stairs on Right
May 27, 1999

The UW Students Who Worked on the Stairs Site
May, 1999

The Site One Year After Renovation
March, 2000

Site 2:  Bus Stop Triangle, South Side

Landscape Renovation:   High-Use Landscape

This project site is a small triangular green space located on the southeast side of Garfield. Since the site is adjacent to a playfield, the main delivery driveway, and a bus stop, it receives a steady flow of foot traffic and had heavily compacted soil. Our design called for creating planting mounds around the three existing trees, leaving existing social paths, and installing large boulders for visitors to sit on. To prepare this site, we first dug a trench around the site's perimeter to help retain added mulch materials.  Our group then removed as much of the existing turf and weeds as possible, mowing the portions that couldn't be easily removed; the entire site was then covered with a thick layer of wood chip mulch. We also pruned the existing shrubs (Cotoneaster) and assessed the hazard potential of the existing trees.  Once the site was prepared, we added boulders on gravel bases along with new ornamental plantings.  We then created bermed planting islands around the trees, installing plants that could survive the heavy traffic and harsh conditions of the site. The landscape was finished by adding another layer of wood chips to prevent or alleviate soil compaction and weed seed germination, and to increase soil moisture retention.

Landscape Conditions at the Triangle Prior to Renovation

Site Visit
April 1, 1999

Design Brainstorming at the Center for Urban Horticulture
April 29, 1999

Weed Removal and Soil Preparation
May 6, 1999

Site Clearing
May 6, 1999

Restoration Pruning of Existing Vegetation
May 6, 1999

Mulching with Wood Chips
May 13, 1999

Loading of Soil for Planting Beds
May 20, 1999

Creating Soil Islands for Planting
May 20, 1999

The Finished Triangle: Aerial View (Left), Ground View (Right)
May, 1999

The UW Students Who Worked on the Triangle Site
May, 1999

The Site One Year After Renovation
March, 2000

Weed Removal Two Years After Renovation
April, 2001

The Site Prior to Renovation and 2 Years Following Renovation
(move mouse over image to see it change)

Thank You for Your Donations!

• Anna and John Barker (Garfield student and parent) - Volunteer labor
• Vaho Rebassoo (Garfield parent) - Volunteer labor
• John Hushagen (Seattle Tree Preservation) - Wood chips for mulching
• Ruth Laughlin - Hostas, lily-of-the-valley, sword ferns, violets, and other woodland plants
• Molbak's Nursery  - $100 gift certificate for plant materials
• Marenakos Rock Center - One ton of landscaping boulders
• Seattle Public Schools - Compost/soil mix, gravel and vine maples (Acer circinatum)