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CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, News editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

Rare plants thrive at spring sale

Enterprise staff

When local nurserywoman Mareen Kruckeberg first opened her private garden and nursery for a small plant sale on Mother's Day weekend in 1987, she likely had no idea what she had begun. Twenty-two years later, the annual Mother's Day Plant Sale and Open House that she began carries on as a community tradition in the Richmond Beach neighborhood of Shoreline.

The MsK Rare and Native Plant Nursery that Kruckeberg founded continues the tradition with a family-friendly event on May 8-10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The plant sale will feature hundreds of hard-to-find species, both Northwest natives and unusual exotics from around the world. Fun family activities and free garden tours will also be offered. The Nursery is located at 20312 15th Ave NW.

Kruckeberg, who passed away in 2003, specialized in a wide selection of plants that were rarely available in nurseries, such as plants from New Zealand, unusual natives, ferns, rock garden plants, and container gardens. The annual Mother's Day Sale quickly became a favorite community event, particularly for plant enthusiasts and connoisseurs.

Since its inception, the sale has taken a new direction transitioning from a small open house at a private garden to a large fundraising event. The nursery is located within the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden, which was purchased from the Kruckeberg family by the City of Shoreline in 2008. All sale proceeds now support the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden Foundation, a nonprofit organization that operates the garden in cooperation with the city. The Mother's Day Sale is the Foundation's largest fundraising event. Members of the Foundation are invited to shop early at the member's only pre-sale event on May 7 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. New members are welcome.

As a mother herself, Kruckeberg enjoyed children and often sent them home from the sale with a free violet. Carrying on that tradition, all children at this year's sale will leave with a free plant in hand. As they explore the garden, families will also enjoy a circuit of "Education Stations" where they'll learn about soils, plant mutations, trees, and global plant diversity. The stations, as well as garden scavenger hunts, will be offered all day on Saturday and Sunday.

The Foundation will also offer free family-friendly garden tours on May 9 and 10. These tours will introduce visitors to the garden's highlights and help them to spot the not-to-miss plant specimens.

Due to limited neighborhood parking, off-site parking and a shuttle to the garden are provided May 8-10. See www.kruckeberg.org for details

For more information, please contact Sarah Baker at 206-546-1281 or sarah@kruckeberg.org. Regular open hours are Friday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.