{"id":6669,"date":"2019-03-21T13:15:29","date_gmt":"2019-03-21T20:15:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cahnrs.wsu.edu\/reconnect\/?page_id=6669"},"modified":"2019-04-11T13:27:56","modified_gmt":"2019-04-11T20:27:56","slug":"for-the-love-of-gardening","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cahnrs.wsu.edu\/reconnect\/reconnect-2019\/for-the-love-of-gardening\/","title":{"rendered":"For the Love of Gardening"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Download as PDF<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

For the Love of Gardening<\/h1>\n

<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\"A<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Donation of beloved land will benefit Master Gardener program<\/h2>\n

W<\/span>alking around their football-field-sized garden, Drew and Fusa Coleman know every tree and plant by heart. That\u2019s because they planted each one, treasuring the results of the work involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love it here,\u201d Fusa Coleman said. \u201cI put my soul into this property and this land.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

T<\/span>hat land is eight acres of beautiful forest just outside Port Townsend, Wash. In addition to their prodigious garden, they\u2019ve cut walking trails amongst the native tree species they planted and built their home and workshops here, a labor of love that both continue to work on as much as possible. Any land not used for buildings or the garden is sheltered with beautiful Douglas firs on sloping, hilly terrain.<\/p>\n

On a late fall day, the trees blaze with colors as flowers bloom all around and seem to soak up the light fog.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love it here,\u201d Drew Coleman said. \u201cMy wife spends up to 15 hours a day outside, tending to the garden or in the woods. She\u2019s attached to the land.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the Colemans know they won\u2019t live forever, and they don\u2019t have children. So, they are leaving their estate to WSU to support the Master Gardener program, establishing a training center where peo\u00adple can come to learn about gardening or new gardening techniques.<\/p>\n

Amazingly, the Colemans are not, and never have been, involved with the Master Gardener program. And neither has any substantial ties to WSU. They heard about the program through a friend and felt like it fit perfectly with the legacy they hope to leave.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur friend Bob Bryan went through the Master Gardener program and teaches there now,\u201d Drew said. \u201cIt sounded like such a great program, so we looked into it a little more and thought our garden would be helpful for future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

They want the land preserved like it is, with most of the acreage untouched.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know we could sell the land or leave it to another organization that could sell it,\u201d said Drew, a San Francisco native. \u201cBut then it would be subdivided with houses on it. That\u2019s fine, but not what we want. We know the WSU Master Garden\u00aders will take care of it and use it.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\"The
Fusa and Drew Coleman<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

A gift from the heart<\/h2>\n

The Master Gardener Program, part of WSU Extension, will greatly benefit from the Colemans\u2019 generosity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Master Gardener program has minimal funding from the state,\u201d said Mike Gaffney, acting director of WSU Extension. \u201cIt owes its success over the years to the efforts of volunteers and donations like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the Colemans\u2019 donation will create opportunities for the program that have never been available before any\u00adwhere in the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a unique opportunity for events, training, and garden development,\u201d Gaffney said. \u201cWe have other demonstra\u00adtion gardens that are smaller. This is a whole different scale for the Master Gardener program. It will open up some amazing opportunities for future gardeners.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Colemans bought the land 25 years ago, after it had been clear-cut. They have built every structure themselves, and only just put it on the electrical grid about three years ago. They rarely need to tap into the grid, running everything off solar panels, Drew said.<\/p>\n

He even milled all the wood for the house in his workshop. Everything on the property is a labor of love.<\/p>\n

Fusa, a native of Japan, is a ceramics artist. She has her own workshop with a kiln and proudly displays her creations around their house.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe both have lots of hobbies,\u201d said Drew, who still works as a biotechnology facilities consultant. \u201cWe\u2019ll never finish all the projects we have going on, or the plans we have for the property. But that\u2019s half the fun. We love working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple, who met when they were both judo instructors, say that their property is home to eagles, cougars, deer, bobcats, and other wildlife.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want someone who will care for this land after we\u2019re gone,\u201d Fusa said. \u201cWe know the Master Gardeners will take great care with it.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\n\t\t\"A \n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\t\t\"Stalks \n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

CONNECT with CAHNRS<\/h2>\n

<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n