For more than 30 years, the Wildlife Botanical Gardens maintained by NatureScaping of Southwest Washington in Brush Prairie have served as both a community gathering place and a living showcase of native and wildlife-friendly gardening.
The concept began in 1992, when the Backyard Wildlife Habitat Committee set out with a simple goal: to create a demonstration space where environmentally friendly gardening practices could flourish. After early setbacks at another site, including repeated vandalism, the organization eventually found its permanent home on land provided through the Battle Ground Public Schools Center for Agriculture, Science, and Environmental Education (CASEE) partnership. Over the decades, volunteers transformed the space into the Wildlife Botanical Gardens known today.
The gardens now feature 10 themed areas interconnected by winding paths, each managed by volunteer coordinators who shape the character of their individual spaces. Native plants, pollinator habitats, hummingbird-friendly flowers and educational displays all blend together into a living example of Pacific Northwest gardening.
For many visitors, though, the appeal extends beyond the plants themselves.
“Just having a place for people, I mean, we’ve had people tell us in the past who did volunteer quite extensively for a chunk of time, say that it actually helped them get through PTSD, helped them clear their heads mentally, gave them a cause,” Marlene Dellsy, with NatureScaping, said.
That sense of purpose has helped generations of community members connect with the gardens in different ways. School groups from the Battle Ground Public Schools district use the property for field trips and environmental learning, while retirement centers bring residents to stroll the pathways to enjoy gardens they may no longer be physically able to maintain at home, Dellsy said. Families spend afternoons exploring the grounds, and local clubs sometimes gather beneath the gazebos during warmer months, Dellsy added.
The gardens also rely heavily on community involvement to survive. Volunteer work parties bring together gardeners of all skill levels, from Master Gardeners sharing decades of knowledge to high school students earning community service hours. Some volunteers come regularly each week, while others simply lend a hand when they can.
Dellsy said that a shared learning environment is one of the organization’s greatest strengths.
“That’s the cool thing, you have access to all this knowledge, and you can learn while you’re working,” she said of volunteering in the gardens.
The project has always depended on cooperation. Donations helped establish the gardens in their early years, including donated sheds, volunteer excavation work and even the transport of a massive Douglas fir that became one of the site’s first plantings. Today, partnerships continue with organizations like Compost Clark County and CASEE students, who assist with composting and maintenance projects, Dellsy highlighted.
Dellsy added that the Wildlife Botanical Gardens are not possible without volunteers. To learn more, visit naturescaping.org. The gardens are located at 11000 NE 139th Street in Brush Prairie, open daily from 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m.
