Inside: Events, updates, and news from the garden this season
Dear Curious Gardener,
Need a vacation? Slip away to a hidden oasis with towering tropical plants and plenty of sunshine. Kids in tow? Our Children's Garden is especially abuzz this season, so read on to discover what's new. Meanwhile, we're cultivating a special experience at Huckleberry Gardens nursery, just for members.
IN THIS ISSUE:
• Our "Story Walk" launch party connects kids with amphibians
• "Seek and Find" summer play in our Children's Garden
• PowellsWood Member? "Shop & Sip" after-hours at Huckleberry Gardens
• Plus: Reader questions, what's in bloom, and remembering Peter H. Raven, a hero for conservation
ASK OUR READERS
SUMMER QUESTION:
What’s your favorite plant to grow to attract hummingbirds?
Each issue, Understory asks our readers a gardening question. Look for answers in the next issue! Read on for winter question answers.
BLOOMING NOW
Six reasons to visit PowellsWood this summer. Photographs by Kelly Baxter and our member, Ariel.
Pollinators visit allium
A frog claims a lily pad
'Hummingbird's lunch' cuphea
Hydrangea macrophylla in full bloom
Dahlia season begins
Bees love bee balm
Seek & Find Summer Play
Discover our secret summer hideout—and remember, kids visit free!
Natural structures invite imaginative play
Want to weave more outdoor play into your family's summer routine?
Take a whimsical woodland prowl on our Children’s Garden Scavenger Hunt. Or see nature at work on a family Forest Walk.
With natural textures, native plants, and imagination-sparking structures, our budding Children's Garden is the perfect place to discover nature together—and let curiosity grow wild.
Challenge your crew to a Scavenger Hunt
An immersive nature scene, now in progress, will eventually cover the ceiling and walls inside our Children's Garden Forest House.
Thanks to Kelly Baxter for these shots of our Children's Garden.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Mark your calendar for these horticultural happenings.
STORY WALK LAUNCH PARTY
• Thursday, July 16, 10a.m.–12p.m.
Young explorers and their grownups are invited to join us as we launch our new "Story Walk" all about amphibians! Starting in the Children's Garden, retired librarian Gerry Jones will read Tales from the Shallows, an illustrated story printed on large panels along a short, loop trail. Our Environmental Science intern, Atticus Abraham, will share additional facts about these amazing animals. Free to members. Free with regular adult admission (children 12 & under visit free).
NPA OPEN GARDEN DAYS
• Saturday, July 11, 10a.m.–4p.m.
• Sunday, September 13, 10a.m.–4p.m.
On the dates above, members of the Northwest Perennial Alliance may visit PowellsWood at no charge as a benefit of their NPA membership. NPA members enjoy rotating free Open Garden tours, numerous educational opportunities, and social gatherings grounded in the love of gardening. To learn more or join the NPA, visit n-p-a.org.
POWELLSWOOD MEMBER SHOP & SIP AT HUCKLEBERRY GARDENS
Friday, August 7, 2026 • 6p.m.–7:30p.m.
PowellsWood members are invited to sip, shop, and socialize after-hours at Huckleberry Gardens nursery in Burien, Washington. We are proud to partner with this local nursery to bring our members together for a special experience, including:
• 10% off the entire nursery (excluding gift cards) during the event
• An expert-led talk on growing fuchsias, just in time for fuchsia season
• Complimentary garden-inspired mocktails and cocktails
Space is limited, and registration is required. Your $10 registration fee will be applied toward your nursery purchase. Not yet a member? Join today to start enjoying unlimited free garden admission and invitations to special events, like these.
MEET OUR SUMMER INTERN
PowellsWood welcomes Atticus Abraham for a summer internship focused on environmental management.
On May 29, Atticus represented PowellsWood at the Camelot Elementary Green Festival, where local STEM organizations promoted environmental stewardship and sustainability for an audience of about 200 King County elementary school children and their families.
1. Why did you apply for the PowellsWood internship?
I was looking for a summer internship as part of my environmental science program at Northern Arizona University. PowellsWood gave me an opportunity to focus on environmental management.
2. What is your favorite part of the garden, and why?
The Woodland Garden, because it feels so much like the Pacific Northwest with the moss, ferns and the Douglas fir trees. The tranquility is definitely felt at PowellsWood.
3. Why did you choose your major, and what is your advice for anyone who might be considering a similar path?
I chose to major in environmental science because I love spending time outside and relaxing in nature. My advice for someone considering a similar path is to engage in community activities, reach out to people and organizations and try to get out of your comfort zone.
This summer at PowellsWood, Atticus will remove invasive plants, plant native plants, and create a trail for a new, interactive Story Walk all about amphibians.
Ask Our Readers - Last Issue's Answers
In our Spring issue, we asked: "Have you ever planned a trip just to see a special garden, plant, or landscape? Where did you go?"
PowellsWood head gardener, Damon Gardyne, took this photo on a recent trip to Coastal Maine Botanical Garden.
Emily Hitchens
"Going to See Butchart Garden for the lights at Christmas time!"
Brenda
"Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. While in Maine, of course, the Acadia National Park is gorgeous. And we happened upon a small garden called Asticou Azalea Garden nearby. It was a Japanese garden and the fall colors were dazzling."
REMEMBERING DR. PETER H. RAVEN
The renowned botanist and global conservation advocate shared our commitment to conservation at home and abroad.
Dr. Peter Raven, right, shared PowellsWood's commitment to protecting the Children’s Eternal Rainforest in Costa Rica and the interconnected ecosystems that sustain life around the world. He's pictured here at PowellsWood, with Diane and Monte Powell.
PowellsWood joins the global horticultural and conservation community in honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Peter H. Raven, renowned botanist, former President of the Missouri Botanical Garden, and lifelong advocate for the protection of plants and biodiversity around the world.
Over the course of his remarkable career, Dr. Raven helped shape modern understanding of plant evolution and ecology while championing conservation at a global scale. He believed deeply that protecting plants and ecosystems was essential to humanity’s future, and he spent decades connecting scientists, institutions, and communities in support of that mission.
At PowellsWood, we remember Dr. Raven not only for his extraordinary accomplishments, but also for the shared conservation work that connected him with our garden through the Children’s Eternal Rainforest in Costa Rica.
That connection grew from the passion and vision of Laurie Powell, whose love for conservation helped inspire PowellsWood’s ongoing support of the rainforest preserve. Dr. Raven was a strong advocate for the Bosque Eterno de los Niños, recognizing it as one of the world’s great examples of grassroots environmental stewardship.
Monte Powell fondly recalls a visit from Dr. Raven and his wife, Pat, during which the two effortlessly identified the garden’s fuchsias.
We are grateful for Dr. Raven’s lifelong dedication to plants, education, and conservation, and for the many lives and landscapes his work continues to influence. Readers wishing to honor his memory may share reflections and remembrances online at the memorial website established in his honor.
THE GARDENER'S BOOKSHELF
Here's what we're reading this summer—and why!
BRAIDING SWEETGRASS
What if we listened to plants as though they were our teachers?
Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass is a beautiful invitation to listen to the land. It's also a staff favorite at PowellsWood.
Through personal essays, the author weaves botany, ecology, and Indigenous wisdom into a thoughtful meditation on our relationship with the natural world.
Both deeply personal and profoundly observant, this book invites us to see plants not simply as resources, but as teachers, neighbors, and partners in caring for the earth.
UN • DER • STO • RY
noun
In a forest, the "understory" is the layer of plants, trees, and shrubs beneath the upper canopy. Each season, Understory brings you the people, plants, and stories of PowellsWood—a proper English-style garden nestled in the deep-green understory of a 37-acre native forest.
YOUR SUPPORT KEEPS US IN BLOOM
PowellsWood Garden Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization sustained by the generosity of members and donors like you! Show your support today for environmental conservation, nature education, and maintaining public access to PowellsWood garden.
