Join Don Brooks, former head gardener at Kubota Garden, on a tour of this stunning 20-acre Japanese-American garden and historic landmark. He will tell the story of Fujitaro Kubota, the Japanese immigrant whose vision and hard work transformed undesirable logged-off swampland into a tranquil urban oasis with multiple pools, waterfalls, stone features and an extensive variety of plants. Along the way, Don will demonstrate aesthetic pruning techniques on several conifers and Japanese maples.

Speaker’s bio:

Don grew up in the mountains of northeastern Washington among trees and sawmills. After moving to Seattle, he began his horticultural life in the Edmonds College program. A summer as a seasonal worker in the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden at the Ballard Locks convinced him that public gardening was the way to go. A few years later, he began a 32-year career with the Seattle Parks Department, with the last 30 of those at Kubota Garden. Don continues to be a passionate gardener, when he isn’t in the mountains skiing, hiking and climbing.