Archival July 2014 - Bremerton Garden Seeks Locals’ Attention

Journalist Terri Gleich reviewed the Albers Vista Gardens in her article published on July 24, 2014.

BREMERTON — Albers Vista Gardens might be the best-kept secret in Bremerton.

Perched on a sunny, southwest-facing slope overlooking the Port Washington Narrows, the tiny garden is an unexpected gem set in a residential area with sweeping views of Mount Rainier and the Olympics.

John Albers designed and built the garden from scratch, starting with a 2-acre orchard and adding 2 acres of horse pasture that was covered with blackberries and Scotch broom. He recently purchased another .2 acres to save a towering California redwood.

Since 1999, he’s crisscrossed the property with paths that link 14 distinct garden areas, and created swaths of four-season color across the hillside. More than 1,000 species and cultivars from around the world fill the space.

Albers and his wife, Santica Marcovina, both medical research professors at the University of Washington, moved to the hillside from West Seattle in 1998. She fell in love with the house; he with the land.

Growing up in southern Illinois, Albers’ family always had a large vegetable garden. But he developed his passion for ornamentals when he moved to Washington after completing his education. Despite a demanding work schedule, Albers boasts of taking nearly every UW horticulture class during his 43 years as a professor.

In 2007, Albers created a nonprofit foundation to preserve the garden as a permanent tribute to his wife, whom he calls his inspiration. Garden tours began in 2008, primarily attracting visitors from Seattle and Tacoma. He believes the garden’s future depends on pulling in more locals.

“The only way we’re going to be successful is with the involvement and support of community volunteers,” he said.

In the long term, Albers wants the garden to be an educational center where visitors can learn about sustainable practices, such as using plant selection, compost and mulch to reduce the need for water and fertilizer. His 2013 book, “Gardening for Sustainability,” details how he put those practices into place and what he learned along the way. “Everybody’s yard and garden can make a difference in the environment,” he said.

Highlights at Albers Vista include:

• A woodland garden of striped-bark and Japanese maples created to shade a one-of-a-kind rhododendron collection;
• A northwest Asian garden planted with dwarf conifers, succulents, lace-leaf Japanese maples and witch hazel;
• A biofiltration garden above the septic drainfield that features shallow-rooted, drought-tolerant perennials, including yarrow, sunroses, salvia, heather and lavender;
• A Stroll Gallery that includes 55 different heaths and heathers and masses of colorful flowers designed to attract pollinators;
• Sam’s Conifer Reserve, named after a home-schooled volunteer, which showcases 100 dwarf conifers;
• A hilltop screened white gazebo and rose garden developed for Albers’ wife; and
• A woodland area featuring all northwest natives, including a century-old madrona.

Albers hopes his work will inspire imitators. “If one person can develop this huge site, then you as a gardener should be able to do the same thing at home. It’s basically inviting you to form a partnership with nature.”

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