As a teen floating around the Lake on my all-wood paddleboard I made in the 1960s, I couldn’t help but notice the many flowering lily beds tucked on shorelines.  The bright green pads fashioned as designer plates looked stunning against multi-colored full-open flowers.  Add blue dragonflies whizzing about to get the full effect. R. C. Byers, an early Haller Lake pioneer dating to 1910s, was known as the “lily man” not to mention he built his own cabin, cleared land, and replanted trees, shrubs and…25 varieties of  lilies .  A story appeared in Sunset magazine “The Lily Grower of Haller Lake” claiming his status.  Our own Shawn MacPherson’s aunt, Anne Segale, said her local kids would sell Mr. Byers  lilies  at Pike Place Market. Today many Lake homeowners have the coveted  lilies , well, perhaps some are coveted.  They spread from Byers' shorefront to around the Lake over 100 years.  It’s a tedious job to clear  lilies  ...

  Shou Sugi Ban Garden Beds: A Backyard Experiment in Burnt Beauty Walking around the Haller Lake neighborhood, it’s hard not to be inspired. So many beautifully maintained gardens and thoughtful landscaping—each one a small expression of creativity and care. After countless walks soaking in the sights, I couldn’t shake the urge to create a little garden nook of my own. Last year, I finally decided to take on the project. Designing a garden can be overwhelming. There are so many factors to consider. Some questions are well-documented—like understanding your soil, sunlight, and microclimate. Others, not so much: Should I build raised beds or plant directly in the ground? What material should I use—wood, metal, concrete, stone? And what size should the beds be? My garden journey started small, and honestly, with a bit of luck. I stumbled upon some 4” x 8” Douglas Fir beams on sale and, on a whim, decided that wooden raised beds sounded just right. I bought them—and then… did nothing....

  The mason bee is named for its habit of using mud, or other "masonry" products in constructing their nests.  Usually they nest in naturally occurring gaps- like cracks in rocks, hollow stems, small dark cavities, etc.  They are generally considered docile and good to have around because they are extra effective pollinators.  These are solitary bees, meaning they don't live in colonies and each female builds her own nest. The mason bee is known to work in cooler and wetter conditions than honey bees. While honey bees collect pollen in their leg sacs and clean the pollen off their body often, the mason bee has abdominal hairs that pollen collects on, and they don't clean it off as often. Hence, the they tend to be the more proficient pollinator. You can provide mason bees with nesting sites like bee houses, or wood with holes drilled in about 4 inches.  Place them in a sunny, south facing part of your yard.  It can take a while for these bees to find your n...

 

  A landmark of our neighborhood is the ever present UW Medical.  Before that known as Northwest Hospital.  Before that woods with a serpentine dirt track.  Before that dinosaurs. In the 1960s my mom was a candy striper (volunteer),  my dad moonlighted in the admin office, and, not to be outdone, my brother worked in the morgue.  A few years before Northwest the woods was an extension of my backyard, a place to trap small critters and ride bikes. I found the following gem in our HLCC archives.  Seattle Star newspaper, dated September 1946.  A local woman living at 115th and Meridian files a petition to King County crying foul on property infringement and development.   One hundred three Haller Lake neighbors sign on to the protest.  I would have signed on, too.  The County wanted to put in an air field on the undeveloped site where UW Medical stands today.  Imagine. At the time the county was looking  at ten suitable ...