Renowned Richmond Beach gardener dies

By Pamela Brice
Enterprise editor

Mareen Kruckeberg, 77, a renowned horticulturalist died Jan. 1, 2003. She started the MsK Rare Plant Nursery in 1970 at the four-acre rare and exotic plant garden she and her husband developed at their Richmond Beach home.

"Mareen's passion was to share the joy of discovery and wonder of rare and beautiful plants," said Deborah Ferber, a native plant specialist and garden designer who will succeed Kruckeberg in running the MsK Rare Plant Nursery.

Mareen and her husband, Art, a Botany professor emeritus at the University of Washington, purchased a 1903 farmhouse on a one-acre lot in Richmond Beach in 1958. They soon acquired an additional three acres and over the past 44 years have turned the property into a garden of rare and native plants from all over the world. Most everything was grown from seed or cutting, and the garden has received international attention.

"It's an amazing botanical resource here in Shoreline," said neighbor Susan Will. "She is a big loss for our community, she was a master gardener before they began using that term."

Native gardens have become quit a trend in the Northwest, but before this, Kruckeberg was already promoting the best of native plants, Ferber said.

"They introduced a couple of plants that I am now seeing in local nurseries," she added.

Kruckeberg would sell the plants she propagated every year at the nursery's annual Mother's Day sale. She also taught propagation classes, and upon appointment, enjoyed giving tours of the garden.

One of her specialities was container gardens. She would grow small gardens in wooden boxes or troughs, and the miniature vignettes would be sold at the annual sale. She was also known for producing ferns of all types.

She was a co-founder of the Northwest Ornamental Horticultural Society and member of the Washington Park Arboretum Foundation and the North American Rock Garden Society. She was also a skilled botanical illustrator and her drawings have appeared in national publications.

Arle Kruckeberg said his mother will also be remembered for her competitive edge.

"She had a keenness at playing board games -- I don't think I ever won a scrabble game against her," Arle Kruckeberg said.

Al Brookes, president of the Board of Directors for the Kruckeberg Botanical Garden Foundation said the Foundation was started in 1998 to ensure the property continues as a botanical garden, long after the Kruckebergs have gone.

"The idea is to preserve the property legally, through the mechanism of conservation easement, in which restrictions peculiar to the property are laid out in agreement, detailing how the land can be used permanently. Any successor or new owner is obliged legally to comply with those rules," Brookes said.

The Foundation took on this project after a neighboring piece of property was sold and broken up and developed into townhouses.

"The Kruckebergs have put 40 plus years into the development of this garden and we hope that this will not happen in their case," he said. The Foundation is seeking volunteers and will begin a fund-raising campaign soon, so it can purchase the property.

In lieu of a funeral, the family plans to celebrate Kruckeberg's life in a garden ceremony this spring. Remembrances can be sent to the Kruckeberg Botanical Garden.

For more information visit the website at www.kruckeberg.org or call 206-542-4777.