Leanette

July 12, 2024 by Leanette

Summer Art Sale – August 10

You’re invited to the Art Sale At Bassetti’s Crooked Arbor Gardens!
When: Sat., Aug. 10, 2024, 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: 18512 NE 165th St in Woodinville, WA

Explore a variety of artworks and find that special piece totake home. Discover jewelry, ceramics, paintings, prints and cards created by the local artist group, Artists Outside The Box. Whether you’re an art enthusiast or just looking for a fun weekend activity, this event is perfect for everyone.

The artists will also sell art supplies: frames, canvas, some used and some newer from their own collection of supplies.

Come support our local artists and enjoy a day surrounded by beautiful art and live music in a charming garden setting.

All are welcome. We can’t wait to see you there!

Featuring Artist’s Outside The Box:

Debbie Drake, Metal/Jewelry
Deborah Knetzger, Paintings
Joann Wadge, Ceramics
Sherrill Hull, Paintings
Heather Osterman, Paintings
Diana Grant, Paintings
Jodie Masiwchuk, Paintings

April 21, 2024 by Leanette

Leanette’s Spring 2024 Opening Update

Saturday, May 4 is Opening Day!

Happy Spring! Bassetti’s Crooked Arbor Gardens will open for the season on Saturday, May 4, 2024, from 11:30 am to 4:00 pm, and will remain open every Saturday through the end of September. Read on for my spring update.

A cherry tree covered with pink blossoms, bronze circular sculptor in foreground

Blossoms & birdwatching

Spring has been cool, and the blossoms on our flowering cherries have lasted longer than usual. The good news is, I’ve noticed an increase in bird activity this year. To bring them closer to the gardens for better observation, I set up a feeder with Nyjer seed to attract finches. Now, I enjoy sightings of goldfinches, Pine Siskins, House Finches, and the ever-cheeky Chickadees. Additionally, I’ve deployed another feeder with chili flakes in suet to deter squirrels and “large mice.” Surprisingly, I’ve attracted birds of various sizes, including Oregon Juncos, Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers (both male and female), and my personal favorite, the Nuthatch. This bold bird sits, or I should say, hangs from the feeder and even dozes for over 20 minutes after it eats and dares other birds to approach. Earlier in the season, I had the pleasure of witnessing a beautiful flock of Bushtits lingering around the feeder for at least half an hour. Despite these delightful encounters, I’ve yet to learn the scientific names of these avian visitors.

small birds, bushtits feeding on suet feeder — Bushtits feeding

Classes, art, socks, and the Garden Gallery

We’ll be hosting some classes on Saturdays and hope you can attend. Stay tuned for specific dates within the next two weeks. Some of the planned classes include “How to propagate perennials,” “Caring for your garden tools,” and “Creating a table display with dwarf plants.” Also, on August 10th, we’re excited to host an art event in collaboration with AOTB (Artists Outside The Box), featuring local professional artists showcasing their giclee prints, greeting cards, paintings, ceramics, jewelry, and metalwork. They’ll also be selling art supplies, including frames, canvases, and both new and used materials from their personal collections.

Bassetti’s has a new stock of Solemate socks for sale, and soon we’ll be offering San Diego hats for spring, summer, and fall. Keep an eye out for a fresh batch of glass art from Andrew Holmberg, as well as metal sculptures, ceramic artwork, cards, carved wood bowls, and glass dishes, all crafted by local artists. This year, we’re introducing a display of tropical plants in the Garden Gallery, some of which will be available for purchase.

colorful flowers in pots — Glassware and flowers for sale late last summer, we’ll have more this year!

Plants for sale

Our nursery stock is expanding, thanks to Owen’s hard work helping me propagate and pot up various plants. We have propagated selections from our alpine collection, perennial border, and cuttings from significant rhododendrons in our surrounding gardens. Additionally, our collection of dwarf conifers from the original nursery is now ready for sale, with some still maturing under protective covers. Here’s a partial list of what will be available:

Trees and Shrubs:

Abies species
Chamaecyparis pisifera sp.
Cryptomeria japonica
Picea sp.
Tsuga sp.
Hypericum
Vaccinium sp.

Perennials:

Mukdenia rosii
Various cultivars of Hosta
Lysimachia clethroides
Phlomis fruticosa
Erythronium revolutum
Cyclamen coum

Alpine Plants:

Several species of Saxifraga
Sempervivum tectorum
Haberlea rhodopensis
Cultivars of Primula auricula
Salix nakamurana var. yezoalpina
Abies lasiocarpa ‘DuFlon’
Tsuga canadensis ‘Minuta’

A heartfelt thank you to Benny, Dana, Owen, and Vicki for their invaluable help and hard work in the gardens and garden gallery. And to all of you who follow this blog, take care, and we look forward to seeing you soon.
– Leanette

May 10, 2023 by Leanette

We’re open! Check out our upcoming classes

Potted plants, and bonsia trees set on rustic tables with more nursery plants and trees in the background

Spring is here! We are so happy to be open. Come and visit Saturdays 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. through September. Right now we have some neat Alpine plants in bloom and for sale. Primula ‘Auricula’ is one of them.

We also have some excellent dwarf conifers we’ve propagated along with dwarf rhododendrons, alpine willow, and lingonberry.

Yellow and purple potted flowering primula with plant tags — Primula ‘Auricula’

Alpine plants in 4 in containers set in neat rows on rustic wood tables — Plants for sale

A fuzzy leafed alpine willow (Salix alpine) in a plastic pot with plant tag — Salix alpina

Gardening classes

We are happy this year to offer helpful gardening classes.

How to Propagate Rhodies, Perennials, and Some Trees – June 3
How to Prepare Soil and Plant Annuals with Perennials in a Container – June 10
How to Take Care of Your Garden Tools – June 24

All are 11:30 a.m–2 p.m. Call Leanette at 206-465-6868 reserve your spot. Get more details.

We hope you can visit Bassettis Gardens this year to walk among the sculpture gardens and peruse the art and gifts in our Garden Gallery.

Colorful glass spires of various shapes in garden container plantings — Andrew’s glass available in our Garden Gallery

March 9, 2023 by Leanette

Winter/Spring Pruning Class, March 25

Sat., March 25, 2023 — 11:30–2:00 pm

Owen Sarmany, instructor, will show how to prune wisteria, shrub dogwoods and maple trees, pieris shrubs and rhododendrons in our gardens. Owen will discuss the intricacies of pruning, consisting of why, when, and how. The focus of this class will be pruning techniques and practical applications for landscape plants and shrubs. A breakdown of necessary tools and equipment to effectively and safely prune will also be included.

Owen studied Horticulture and has received his AAS in Environmental Horticulture at the Lake Washington Institute of Technology in Kirkland, Washington. Owen has been working at Bassetti’s for one and a half years, helping to rebuild and document the Bassettis collection of alpine plants and dwarf conifers. Together, we are also identifying most of the overall garden plant and tree collections around the perimeter of the gardens landscape. Owen is cataloging each specimen for the overall collection.

We hope you will join us on March 25th. We will be serving coffee and goodies.

Fee -$25 plus tax
Call Leanette at 206-465-6868 reserve your spot.