Education garden at Greenbank Farm provides live resource to help gardeners
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 18, 2026
By NATHAN WHALEN
Special to the News-Times
A group of gardens at the Greenbank Farm, known as the Master Gardeners Education Gardens, provides inspiration for growers at all levels.
“Its purpose is to demonstrate plants that will thrive in our area,” said Loren Imes, program coordinator for the Master Gardeners in Island County. The gardens are one of the first things visitors see when they visit Greenbank Farm.
The gardens planted using sustainable techniques to reduce chemical inputs. Volunteers use an integrated pest management plant that uses the least harmful option first.
“One of the big challenges for all gardeners is to protect them from the deer and bunnies that are prevalent,” Imes said.
Nine gardens, each representing a different theme, are flourishing at the Master Gardener education project. A team lead coordinates volunteers to maintain the gardens that include vegetables, shade, rose, cottage garden, a Northwest native lowland garden and a Northwest native prairie garden.
A Crevice Garden was installed in 2025, which Imes said is designed in the style of an alpine ecosystem where plants are in between rocks and the roots stretch down between the crevices.
“It’s an example of something all gardeners could try,” Imes said, adding the plants in the garden grows at Whidbey Island’s elevation and don’t use a lot of water.
The Pie Shoppe Garden, inspired by Whidbey Pies that used to be located at the Greenbank Farm, has kiwis along with several varieties of apples and berries growing.
Between 20-25 volunteers work throughout the year maintaining and improving the garden. They are busy removing weeds by hand, pruning, dead-heading and cleaning the garden grounds.
A project to improve the pond at the farm is scheduled to take place sometime in 2026. The pond will be drained to allow workers to clean and remove vegetation and make repairs to make sure the edges of the pond don’t collapse, before the pond will be refilled.
A sculpture with Japanese grass growing around it was removed and volunteers planted heathers and heaths in its place. “The nice thing is they bloom as early as January,” Imes said.
He highlighted one of the most important parts of the garden – education. Volunteers working in the garden are also available to answer questions on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon. They could even show someone around the gardens.
“It’s really just gardens that are themed and meant to inspire gardeners of any skill level,” Imes said.
The Education Garden is also the home of the Master Gardeners free Education Series. It’s a series of talks that take place on the third Sunday of the month, going from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. starting in May and going through September.
Imes said the talks scheduled in 2026 will be about growing dahlias, using soil blocks to start seeds, the importance of biodiversity and more. A complete schedule is available at the Master Gardener website at www.extension.wsu.edu/island/mg.
The Master Gardener page also has a list of gardens that are thriving at the Education Garden. Each garden contains a list of tips and resources that are available that will help gardeners. For more information, go to https://extension.wsu.edu/island/gardening/greenbank-educational-garden.
