History of the Spring Garden Fair
In 1992, many water utilities in the area had to ask our
customers to observe mandatory watering
restrictions. Many Woodinville Water District customers called or came in to
tell us that they moved to our service area to have a larger landscape because
they loved gardening. They had invested thousands of dollars in their
landscapes and when we told them to not irrigate, they felt we were telling them
to do something that would reduce the value of their property. We let them know
that curtailment was not the same as water efficiency and that if circumstances
warrant it, we would need to ask for curtailment. But at the same time,
Woodinville Water Districts Board of Commissioners and staff became determined
to show customers how they could develop their landscapes into healthy, water
efficient landscapes that could withstand periods of drought.
In fall, 1993 Woodinville Water District took out a large area
of grass at
the District office and installed a waterwise demonstration garden to give
customers a place to go to see different techniques used in the development of a waterwise landscape.
In spring, 1994, we held our first Spring Garden Fair and had
a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open our waterwise garden. Our garden designers
were on hand
to answer questions and we had master composters on hand to talk
about the advantages of compost in the soil. We have held the Spring Garden
Fair each year, bringing in professionals to give information to customers at
the beginning of the gardening season and to answer our customers’ questions.
In 2000, our waterwise garden had to be dismantled for the
construction of a new building. With our
mature plants we helped several area schools develop or augment waterwise
gardens at their facilities. We moved our Spring Garden Fair to Woodmoor
Elementary School in Bothell and partnered with Northshore Utility District. We
had developed two waterwise garden areas at the school after applying for and
receiving funding from King County’s Watershed Action Grant Program.
Woodmoor proved to be an excellent site for our growing fair.
We added two new partners in subsequent years, the Saving Water Partnership and
the City of Bothell. After the fair in 2007, we asked the Cascade Water
Alliance to join our efforts and they agreed. With this new partnership, our
fair outgrew the capabilities of Woodmoor and we moved our fair to the new
Redmond City Hall campus.
This year’s event is filled with incredibly talented
horticulture speakers. We have many agencies who have agreed to be on hand to
provide customers with information and answer questions. There are mulch mowing
demonstration, compost bins, rain barrels and plants for sale and fun children’s
activities and displays. Our customers have told us year after year that they
keep coming back because the fair gives them the information they need to
develop their landscape into one that is both beautiful and environmentally
friendly. In addition, the event inspires them at the beginning of the
gardening season.
Debbie Rannfeldt
Woodinville Water District
Public Information Coordinator and
Spring Garden Fair Founder
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