On the quieter side: the gardens of the county fair

A concerned parent comes to the expert: her hydrangeas, their leaves, brown and wilting.

Master gardener Garnet Kuronen considers the symptoms with due gravity before working into possible issues. Is it getting dried out by the coastal winds? Is it getting watered enough? What kind of sunlight does it get?

Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World Blueberry bush

The plant mom walks away with a double handful of good advice, and a source for more assistance if the hydrangea doesn’t make a recovery.

The master gardeners of Grays Harbor get on with their day, continuing their 50 years of good work in the state, dispensing wisdom in their verdant corner of the Grays Harbor County Fairgrounds, first planted in the mid-’90s.

Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World Hydrangea paniculata

“It’s been wonderful,” Kuronen said. “I think this is the best yet. People are really open to what we’re doing and are asking us questions we can answer.”

The garden has been steadily growing in terms of both plants and footprint for a few decades now, said master gardener Jude Armstrong.

“The race track used to go through here,” Armstrong said. “They said, what are we going to do with this barren slope of incredibly poor soil?”

Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World Celosia

The garden may not be as kinetic or flashy or deep-fried as other aspects of the county fair, but it is one of the most distinctive: searingly bright colored flowers, even under the leaden sky Saturday, a little pocket of calm in the maelstrom of the fair, its winding paths and quiet corners surrounded by local plants and trees a caesura of serene stillness.

“This garden has grown tremendously,” Armstrong said, standing amidst the flourishing life. “At the far end, about 10 years ago, we added the native garden.”

Composed of the species native to the region such as bear grass, huckleberries and fireweed, the native garden comes amidst a shift in gardening to focus more on sustainability.

Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World Clematus

“People are enjoying stuff in a different way than they have in the past,” said master gardener Cindy Burton, who helps to run the county fair garden. “They’re looking for ways to support more life. They’re being more open about the kinds of pollinators.”

Increasing the variety and biodiversity of the garden, home to dozens of plants and critters like salamanders and garter snakes, is part of their goal, Kuronen said.

“We’re looking for plants that do well here,” Kuronen said.”We’re always perusing the catalog for something different.”

Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World Oenothera biennis

The garden, a Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary, is taking steps to be more habitable for both the plants that grow there and the humans that work there.

“The habitat piece is really important for us,” said Burton. ”The diversity gives us an opportunity to invite more life in.”

The garden’s staff are working to improve accessibility with aspects like hardened walkways and raised flowerbeds, Burton said. Flowerbeds raised slightly are already a part of the vegetable garden — they get warm more quickly, Kuronen said, and are easy to manage — but there are a number of further raised beds recently installed.

“We have a group of old people,” Burton laughed. “We can’t get down on our hands and knees as often.”

Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World Varied nasturtium

The vegetables grown there go to places like food banks, Kuronen said. Part of the work the master gardeners do is to hold clinics across the county showing folks how they can grow things, even in circumstances where they might not have a lot — or any — ground space to call their own.

“A lot of times, they don’t have their own plot,” Kuronen said. “It’s really fun when they come back and tell us what they’ve done.”

The gardeners also have seedlings for those looking to grow their own, Burton said, with plant clinics around the county announced on their website.

Everyone has favorites; gardeners are no different.

“I love the really weird stuff we grow here,” Burton said. “The weird and funky stuff is fun to grow.”

Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@thedailyworld.com.