Stew Cockburn remembers the first landscaping project he worked with his father – it was a rain garden installation in Port Townsend and the now nursery manager was just 13 at the time.
Close to 20 years later, that project – innovative at the time – has become mainstream as we look to preserve water quality, enhance habitat and support the birds, insects and other wildlife we share our Olympic Peninsula home with, explains Cockburn, from Sequim’s New Dungeness Nursery.
The nursery was founded by Stew’s father, Doug, on the principles of ongoing education, knowledge sharing and creating beautiful outdoor spaces, and with that in mind, Stew and three team members recently earned their Horticultural Professional certification through the Washington State Nursery & Landscape Association.
“All of us are certified in plant identification, identifying plant and pest problems, landscape best practices as well as essentials like soils, fertilizing and maintenance,” Stew says, noting they’re now following up with sustainability-focused ecoPRO certification. “No matter when you visit us, even on the weekend, we want to have an expert on-site who can answer your questions. As a retail nursery, open to all, it’s our goal to create informed consumers.”
While you’ll find an array of beautiful fuchsias, roses and other decorative delights at New Dungeness Nursery, you’ll also find an array of native species. New Dungeness Nursery photo
Growing sustainability
While you’ll find an array of beautiful rhododendrons, roses and other decorative delights at New Dungeness Nursery, you’ll also find an array of native species, organic options and sustainable products, ideal for gardeners wanting to approach their space with an ecologically informed focus.
“It’s looking at the landscape as a closed-loop system, and seeing how the entire ecosystem works together,” Stew says, pointing to that first rain garden project as the perfect example, with rocks, gravel and carefully selected native plants filtering any contaminants from the rainwater as it collects for slow release back to the water table or waterways. Through that process, the rain garden provides water, habitat and food for insects, birds and other wildlife.
Beyond the nursery setting, the team’s ecoPRO certification will also let the New Dungeness team expand its landscape design offerings, sharing sustainable gardening throughout the region. Certification highlight best practices to: protect and conserve soils; conserve and protect water; protect air quality; protect and create wildlife habitat; conserve energy; sustain healthy plants; use sustainable methods and materials; and protect and enhance human health and well-being.
“When I think of all the gardens I’ve ever been in, if ‘enhancing human well-being’ wasn’t the goal, I don’t know what is,” Stew reflects.
Lilies at New Dungeness Nursery in Sequim.
Summer color
If the early summer flowers are fading and it’s time to add a little color, Stew suggests a variety of native perennials, including pollinator-friendly yarrow, with long-blooming flowers available in a rainbow of colors. Drought-tolerant salvia, nepeta and armeria (sea thrift) are also beautiful additions, as are lupins and delphiniums, whose beautiful tall blooms will return if cut back after their first flush.
Beyond the ecological benefits of growing native plants, an added bonus is that they’re typically less expensive and time-consuming, as they’re accustomed to our soils and climate – meaning less watering, fertilizing and fussing, Stew notes.
Visit New Dungeness Nursery at 4911 Sequim Dungeness Way, where they’re open daily, year-round – though you may miss a few friendly faces for the next few weeks as they study to become ecoPROs! Learn more at newdungenessnursery.com or call
