Capitol ‘G’ For Green Guided Walks Showcase Washington State Capitol Grounds, Veterans’ Memorials

Members of the state’s first family are among many who find peace and beauty in the serene oasis of the Washington state Capitol landscape.

“The Capitol grounds are just spectacular,” said Gov. Gary Locke. “I’ve been to a few state capitols across the country and ours are incredible. Our groundskeepers just do an incredible job.”

Locke said he and his wife, Mona Lee Locke, enjoy taking their children Emily and Dylan for walks on the grounds. One of the family’s favorite spots is the Sunken Garden, a showcase for annual flowers and a favorite site for weddings.

State Capitol Visitor Services offers daily guided tours of the grounds during the summer, between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Sandy DeShaw, visitor services manager, said the free tours are accessible to people in wheelchairs or strollers. The walks cover about a mile and take about an hour.

Tours take in the “Winged Victory” World War I memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Washington State Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the new World War II Memorial. The tours also stop at historic features such as Chief William Shelton’s story pole and the Tivoli Fountain, a replica of the one in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The 191-acre Capitol campus includes more than 40 acres of turf, studded with about 1,700 trees. The more than 3,000 shrubs include 100 different varieties of azaleas and rhododendrons. “We’ve got some of the oldest trees in the United States on campus,” grounds supervisor Mark Robb bragged.

One of those very old trees is the English oak that stands north of the newly dedicated World War II Memorial. In 1993, a University of Washington forester declared it to be the largest English oak known to exist in the United States. At the time, the tree was 102 feet tall. Its trunk circumference was 14 feet, 10 inches and its branches spanned 89 feet.

Flowers, sown from seed and nurtured in the campus greenhouse, are planted yearly starting around May 15, while masses of bulbs go into the ground in the fall. About 12,000 annuals were grown this spring, and Robb ordered approximately 16,500 bulbs for this year’s fall planting. Almost all the plants on campus are grown by the groundskeepers, although “if something fails to come out or germinate, sometimes I do purchase them,” Robb said.

The groundskeepers didn’t grow the sod that was put down around the World War II monument, which was dedicated last May. Mariners baseball fans may be intrigued to know it’s from the same supplier who installed sod at Safeco Field.

Robb oversees a staff of 20, who also maintain several other state-owned parks and buildings.

A considerable portion of their time is spent mowing. In summer, the crew mows the Capitol grounds twice a week; in the winter, once.

Collectively, Robb and his grounds crew boast nearly 400 years of gardening experience. But that doesn’t prevent disasters.

“We do have a significant deer problem on campus. They wiped out our roses,” said Robb. Other pests include the moles that push up mounds in the lawn and the rabbits that feast on the annuals.

The groundskeepers compost dead leaves, grass clippings, weeds, dead flowers and pruned branches. “I think we compost well over 400 (cubic) yards a year,” Robb said. He’s proud of the end result, but protective as well; he refused to disclose the site of the compost heap.

The campus’ green lawns, brilliant flowers and stately trees offer a soothing respite from the world. The tour gives visitors a closer look at the Capitol campus, but they won’t have time to see every flower, shrub and tree. It’s possible, though, that the Locke family has. And it’s a good bet they’ve spotted the secret compost heap, too.

This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO Campus gardens

Free guided tours of the Capitol grounds begin Memorial Day and run through Labor Day. Check in at the visitor information desk at the north entrance of the Capitol building. Tours are conducted by volunteer docents. Off-season visitors can arrange individual tours by phoning ahead. Parking is 50 cents an hour in designated visitor lots.

The Greenhouse Conservatory is open to visitors Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Best viewing times: camellias, February through March. Bulbs, March through April, possibly May. Rhododendrons, April and May. Cherry trees, April and May. Annuals, May through September.

To find out more about tours, call (360) 586-8687.