Jeanne Peterson, Chair of Seattle Japanese Garden Steering Committee

At the June 17, 2020 Arboretum Foundation virtual Annual Meeting, Skip Vonckx retired as Chair of the Japanese Garden Steering committee and from the Foundation Board.  Assuming the Chair position in his stead is our very own Jeanne Peterson, long time Board Member of the Foundation, member of the Steering Committee and a Unit 86 Guide since 2010.

Congratulations Jeanne.  We in Unit 86 looking forward to working closely with you during the next term.

Read an interview of Jeanne by David Yamaguchi of The North American Post:  https://napost.com/jeanne-peterson-the-seattle-japanese-garden-steering-committee-chair/

A Legacy of Peace, Planted in Our Garden

The Seattle Japanese Garden web site honors the history of the garden with this beautiful story of collaboration between Japan and Seattle to honor the 60th Anniversary.  Susan Ott-Ralph has been working with the Green Legacy Hiroshima Initiative to bring "peace trees" into our garden.

In January, 2020, Susan delivered these seed to be propagated.  They are all from plants that survived the atomic bombing in Hiroshima.  By growing these seeds we commemorate the lives lost in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and become an ambassador for the initiative's message of peace and love of the natural world.

See the story on the Seattle Japanese Garden web site at:
https://www.seattlejapanesegarden.org/blog/a-legacy-of-peace

60th Anniversary of the Seattle Japanese Garden

Sixty years ago today, June 5 1960, the Seattle Japanese Garden celebrated its Grand Opening with many dignitaries present: Honorable Gordon Clinton, Mayor of Seattle; Honorable Yoshiharu Takeno, Consul-General of Japan, Seattle; Dr. Charles Odegaard, President, University of Washington; Gordon Marckworth, President of the University of Washington Arboretum; Juki Iida, Supervising Director of Construction and Design, Japanese Tea Garden, Seattle; and special guest: Avery Peterson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Far Eastern Economic Affairs, U.S. Department of State.

Read the Story behind the creation of the garden on the garden website, written by Jessa Gardner with much help from Julie Coryell and Shizue Prochaska at:

Design and Creation of the Seattle Japanese Garden

Pruning with Pete Putnicki

May 29, 2020 - From the SJG web site at https://www.seattlejapanesegarden.org/ -

We hope you enjoy this video of Senior Gardener Pete Putnicki
sharing his pine-pruning experience!

YouTube Link: Watch Pete Prune the Pines and Learn