Kubota Garden is a Seattle City Park, open 365 days a year with no admission charge. 20 acres are landscaped, with a large Natural Area surrounding Mapes Creek. The central core of the garden that was built in 1927 by Fujitaro Kubota is designated as a historic site.

A project to restore the Natural Area is underway to remove invasive plants and plant new native trees and plants, led by the Green Seattle Partnership. A volunteer work party meets the 1st Saturday of each month, from 10 AM to 2 PM. About 7,000 square feet of wildland forest along the creek bank near Renton Avenue, and 2 acres near the Chief Sealth Trail is under restoration. 50 conifer trees have been planted so far during 2012.

Neighbors wishing to get muddy are encouraged to visit the calendar pages linked below for the dates of our upcoming work parties on February 4th and 18th. I would be happy to help answer any questions.

Kubota Garden Foundation is an independent non-profit, meets monthly, and has both a website www.kubota.org and a Facebook page. They lead free tours, conduct plant sales to raise money for construction & maitenance projects, hold volunteer work parties, and present educational programs.

Seattle Parks gardener staff hours were permanently reduced by about 20% on January 1st, 2011. Cutbacks included eliminating the summer temporary workers who did mowing and watering, and laying off one of the 3 gardeners for the winter.

New projects are constantly upgrading the garden. A grant application has been submitted to the West Seattle Garden Tour to build drinking fountains http://www.westseattlegardentour.com/ . Sculptor Gerard Tsutakawa is designing the bronze water bowls.

A new 100′ pond is proposed to replace one of the lawns, with a Rampart made of a 27′ stone wall rising from the surface of the water. An International Stoneworks Symposium will provide donated faculty & student labor for 2 weeks during August of 2013, and the materials are being offered as a donation by Marenakos Rock Center.

Other projects being planned are parking lot paving, plastering the garden wall, a visitors center with restrooms, and a Japanese Teahouse (photo attached).

Arboreally yours,

Michael Oxman

Forest Steward

Kubota Garden Natural Area

(206) 949-8733

Feb 4th work party http://cedar.greencitypartnerships.org/event/gsp/458/