Helping Neighbors Add Nature
We're creating the best possible home for insects, birds, critters and humans in Eastlake
PROJECTS
Rewilding Eastlake Parks
Fairview Park
In 2025 Rewild Eastlake concentrated on Fairview Park. As our largest woodland, it offers a true opportunity to create a biodiversity hot spot in Eastlake.
Following the hard work of individual volunteers, (including one person who single handedly has cleared out at least half the invasives in the park) we've organized a number of work parties to remove invasive plants and garbage. We've now largely cleared all but some areas of the SE corner.
In October 2025 we planted over 125 native plants (supplied by Seattle Parks through Green Seattle Partnership) including trees, shrubs, flowering plants and grasses. In 2026 we put in native Rhododendrons and roses along the NE side (thanks to money from the Seattle Neighborhood Matching Fund) and with the help of a volunteer who runs a native plant nursery in his backyard, have added a number of native shrubs and ground covers including a stand of Salmonberry along the south steps.
Watch our events page for future work and planting parties or sign up for Rewild Eastlake emails or contact us to volunteer.
Good Turn Park
After a years of effort, Good Turn Park, one of our nicer street end parks, was fully renovated. Rewild Eastlake helped the Eastlake Community Council select, order and plant over 200 native plants across the park. The plants include flowers, shrubs like Salal, Snowberry and Oregon Grape and even berry plants such as Evergreen Huckleberry and Beach Strawberry.
As the plants fill out and grow we expect them to attract a growing number of insects, birds and, of course, humans.
Demonstration Native Garden
Where to find land for native plantings in urban Eastlake? The ubiqutious planting strip! These underused bits of land, often populated only with sod, standard nursery plants and beauty park, could instead be little parks filled with native plants that attract the insects, birds and wildlife that co-evolved with them.
With the cooperation of the homeowners, we're converting a regular town house parking strip at the corner of E. Lynn St and Moior Ave E. into a native plant garden. The first planting in March 2026, done by almost forty homeowners, neighbors and volunteers, installed almost 100 native shrubs trees and plants. A second planting this fall will add hundreds of flowers and small plants.
Stop by in the coming months to see the garden as the plants fill in. We worked with David Hancock of West Seattle Wildscaping to do a wide variety of plants to provide color and texture in all seasons. We’ll use this garden as a laboratory to see what plants do well in this urban environment of heated sidewalks, heavy traffic and multiple curious dogs.
Thanks to the Seattle Neighborhood Matching grant that made this project possible!
WHAT WE'RE PLANTING
SHRUBS AND TREES
Cascade Oregon Grape Mahonia nervosa Spring 26
Evergeen Huckleberry Vaccinium ovatum Spring 26
Oceanspray Holodiscus discolor Spring 26
Osoberry/Indian Plum Oemleria cerasiformis Spring26
Red Flowering Currant Ribes sanguineum Spring 26
Salal Gaultheria shallon Spring 26
Shrubby cinquefoil Dasiphora fruticosa Spring 26
Snowberry Symphoricarpos albus Spring 26
Western Sword Ferm Polystichum munitum Spring 26
FLOWERS
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Buttonflower Gaillardia aristata Fall 26
Common Camas Camassia quamash Fall 26
Common yarrow Achillea millefolium Fall 26
Douglas's aster Symphyotrichum subspicatum Fall 26
Great Camas Camassia leichtlinii Fall 26
Inside Out Flower Vancouveria hexandra Fall 26
Large-leaved lupine Lupinus polyphyllus Fall 26
Nodding onion Allium cernuum) Fall 26
Oregon checkermallow Sidalcea oregana Fall 26
Oregon Iris Iris Tenax Spring 26
Oregon sunshine Eriophyullum lanatum Fall 26
Prairie smoke Geum triflorum Fall 26
GROUND COVERS & GRASSES
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Broadleaf stonecrop Sedum spathulifolium Fall 26
Prarie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha Spring 26
Roemer'a Fescue Festuca roemerii Spring 26
Redwood Sorrel Oxalis oregana Fall 26
Showy fleabane Erigeron speciosus Fall 26
Vanilla Leaf Achlys triphylla Fall 26
Wild Ginger Asarum caudatum Fall 26
ADDITIONAL PROJECTS
Hamlin Ave E and Franklin Ave E Demonstration Turning Circle
In late 2024 we tore out the weeds and invasive plants in this turning circle and have begun replanting with all native plants.
Developer Outreach
We're beginning to contact developers in hopes that they can install native plants instead of the usual beauty bark dead zones.
Native Seed Libraries
Take some seeds, leave some seeds at Lake Union Mail (117 E. Louisa) and at FRAM Coffee (2950 Eastlake Ave E.). It's been popular, but both locations have seeds at this writing. You can also attend our native plant sale on April 11.
Bird Housing Program
Many small birds such as chickadees nest in tree cavities–a scarce resource in urban Eastlake. So we built 13 cedar birdhouses and installed them across Eastlake in time for the Spring nesting season. Two of the boxes hosted successful broods last year. Volunteers just built another 13 and began installing them across Eastlake and Portage Bay. A neighbor caught this chickadee checking out the new real estate just after we put it up!
A Resource for YOU
We want to help neighbors add nature. Contact us with your plans and browse our resources to make your own little native parkland.
Photo: Flowering Currant - WSU.edu