West Seattle Garden Tour
$45.00
Friday, July 24, 2026 @ 10:00 am – 2:45 pm PT
In-person garden tour
Members $35 (with coupon code) / Non-Members $45
West Seattle neighborhood in Seattle, WA
Garden addresses provided after registration
Spend the day in West Seattle enjoying three “best of the best” gardens, including the garden of HFF board member and President of the Maple Society of North America, Bill Hibler. End your day shopping for some of the plants you’ve seen along the tour at the wonderful West Seattle Nursery.
10:00 am – 11:00 am – Janyce Lauhon-Horton and Kent Horton
I never met a shade plant I didn’t like,” says Janyce, the gardener who grew up in this 70-year-old home and garden. Her father planted the mature trees, including the giant magnolia tree in the back that provides a canopy for the many shade plants. In contrast, a sunny streetside garden displays ever-changing container beds. The begonia collection predominates, distinguished by large showy leaves. An antique gate opens to a backdrop of shade trees, including the legacy Japanese snowbell (Styrax japonicus) that Janyce’s father planted, as well as the recent additions ‘Esk Sunset’ maple, ‘Slender Silhouette’ sweetgum and the dark evergreen Magnolia laevifolia.
The Japanese maple collection includes the ‘Shishigashira Lion’s Head; ‘Hogyoku, known for its orange color in fall, and an old Golden Full Moon maple. Look for these behind the spacious outdoor living space with fireplace and fountain, created by Janyce’s husband, Kent. Encounter many varieties of shiny-leafed aucuba, mahonia, fatsia and hydrangea at the midplane, with ferns, Solomon’s Seal, fairy bells (Disporum), hardy ginger (Roscoea) and toad lily (Tricyrtis) at the ground level.
Some of the rhododendrons are 50 years old, including the ‘Loderi King George’. The fern collection includes felt ferns (Pyrrosias) and Polysticum. There are many hardy species of scheffleras, including delavayi, taiwanianum, and rhododendrifolia. At the back of the property is an impressive 30-foot high Japanese stewartia with multiple trunks. Visitors are invited to wander, listen to the sound of falling water, feel the cool of the shade and gaze up at the magnificent magnolia.
11:15 am – 12:15 pm – Bill Hibler and Cathy Gorrell
What was once a mostly shade garden was opened more to the sun when two large trees fell in 2009. Because of the additional light and a developing interest in small conifers and Japanese maples, we started down the garden path of addictive plant collecting, aided by employment at a nursery. Our garden currently has over 1,000 varieties of ornamental plants and a few blueberries and raspberries. We have nearly 250 conifers, over 200 maples and over 200 ferns. There are very few duplicates. Over 150 plants are in pots.
We enjoy the challenge of developing and planting steep slopes formerly covered with non-native invasives and finding suitable homes for trees and shrubs of many different forms and colors. The front yard is part sun at best and becomes shadier as you move toward the back. It has been especially fun finding plants that perform well in part to full shade.
The small water feature in front is home to a variety of Bald Cypress, a dwarf willow and a Gunnera. A few couple of fish are adept at hiding in the rocks and under the large pot that is home to three plants. Lilies bloom in the summer. The back pond benefits from the water cascading down from the upper level of the hillside and is home for a few interesting fish. Adjacent is a bog that supports a variety of water-loving plants.
12:15 pm – 1:30 pm – Lunch on Your Own
Here are a few options to consider: C&P Coffee is a block from the nursery and has pastries in addition to coffee. The West Seattle Junction has a variety of restaurants. Pub food is great at Elliott Bay. Easy Streets has a nice breakfast and lunch selection. There is a Chipotle or Porta Vallarta for Mexican food, Pegasus Pizza, and Husky Deli for great sandwiches, and a Bakery Nouveau as well.
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Marcia Bruno and Jason Brown
This oasis garden overflows with northwest native and shade plants. As the owner of a local plant nursery, the gardener admits she has collected “a lot of plants in a small space. “Japanese maples and a flowering plum are surrounded by varieties of ferns, grasses, and euonymus, filling the parking strip. Beyond the short wall, find Jack-in-the-pulpit, Schefflera, ferns, hostas, rhododendrons and an Edgeworthia, whose flowers are prized for their intense fragrance in late winter. Evergreen southern maidenhair fern is a bright ground cover by the walk. The gate to the back garden is graced by a Hinoki cypress and a ‘Black Dragon’ Japanese cedar. A sitting area inside the gate displays potted Japanese maples and a Clerodendrum, commonly known a s glorybower. The walkway is lush with azaleas, rhododendrons, ferns and a Schefflera.
Surrounding the stone patio, look for a fringe tree (Chionanthus), mixed perennials and a Lion’s Head Japanese maple, named for dense foliage resembling a lion’s mane. Beyond the trellis draped with kiwi vine, is a deep koi pond. The distinctive, sub-tropical Tetrapanax, shoots from which are shared with nursery employees, grows to the side of the pond. Behind the pond are a Persian ironwood tree (Parrotia) and a mountain ash with a native Garrya flourishing at their feet. The dark burgundy honeysuckle stands left of the garage windows. A show-stopping Styrax, also known as Japanese snowbell towers over the steps and lower patio. The handcrafted mosaic on the lower patio wall was created by the gardener.
2:45 pm – West Seattle Nursery
West Seattle Nursery (WSN) is an owner-operated, independent retail nursery and garden center. Although we are a small footprint, it is our goal to be a destination nursery that draws visitors from near and far with a wide variety of affordable, healthy, regionally grown perennials, annuals, trees, and shrubs. Our gift shop, statuary and garden art selection is eclectic and driven by a desire to represent local and American made merchandise. Our mission is to help customers find products and get the information they need to enjoy the benefits and beauty of gardening.
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