About the Garden
Willows End is a property in North Seattle’s Victory Heights neighborhood, situated between the urban centers of Lake City and Northgate. The area was developed during World War II and has homes characterized as “war boxes” — workmanlike homes built at a time when pride was high but resources were prioritized for war efforts. In the 40s, this area would have felt rather suburban, and the properties here do feature a bit more square footage than typical urban neighborhoods. Willows End is at the terminus of a rare Seattle cul de sac, and has a unique 12,000 square foot shape that abuts five neighbors.
The garden at Willows End is Christopher’s passion project. Erin and Christopher started living on the property in 2010, spending several years as renters. Drawn initially by a Craigslist ad that accurately described the property as a “park like setting”, they fell in love with the unusual wedge-shaped property with its mature trees and gentle hillside. They also saw its potential to be more than just a suburban-style backyard with a lawn and patio.
In 2010, the property featured mature trees and a pretty typical lawn
In 2013, they lucked into purchasing the property. That fall, Christopher got more serious about working in the garden, beginning a slow conversion from a traditional lawn into an immersive four season botanical experience. Working a full time corporate job during the week, Christopher found his true calling as a gardener and landscaper over the course of many hardworking weekends. The resulting garden is a 100% DIY effort — Christopher accepts full blame for some of the odd choices that still persist in the garden 😅, and also enjoys celebrating the things that have turned out better than he could have imagined.
In 2025, he decided to turn his love for plants into more than a hobby; he left the corporate world behind and started selling plants as Willows End Garden and Nursery
By 2024 the garden has been transformed into a lush urban retreat, both for its human owners and natural denizens
Garden design inspiration
An untrained gardener, Christopher did not have any specific long term vision in the early days, he just knew he wanted more diversity and character than a lawn could offer. And so he started getting plants in the ground, taming some of the existing overgrown trees and shrubs, and thinking about where paths were needed, and where to put Erin’s hammock (which is very important!).
Being a lover of color and texture, while also appreciating harmonious design, Christopher’s original inspirations for the garden were equal parts English cottage gardens and Japanese stroll gardens. Over time, he embraced creating an urban haven for wildlife and having a “food forest” filled with useful plants that produce food, stems for garden supports and trellises, and supplies for some of Erin’s many fiber arts and crafts.
Garden evolution in pictures
Below is a small series of photos from the back garden over the years, to give some impression of the timeline and scope of change. If you enjoy garden photography, you might like to follow Christopher on Instagram, where he posts as @seattlegardener. Click any of the photos below to view a larger version (at least for those viewing on a laptop).
Mostly grass lawn still: 2013
Several old trees cleared out, 2013
2014: Starting to define garden beds
2015: A garden starts to emerge
Erin harvests in the veggie garden, 2016
2017: Disappearing lawn
2021: Flowers and foliage everywhere
Welcome to the garden: 2024
The garden today
We hope the garden serves as an inspiration to other urban property owners looking to break away from lawn culture.
Christopher is pleased to see an ever widening variety of pollinators and bugs in the garden. The density of planting and generous insect life has invited many birds to make camp as well; more than 20 species of birds have been spotted in recent years. We also see rabbits, raccoons, rats, and possums in the yard (and of course squirrels) and we welcome them all as emblems of a natural ecosystem that the city has not squashed. In 2025, we added a small pond, and hope to attract amphibious life as well.
Our home and garden are not fancy. We don’t have a million dollar budget, no views over the sound, and you have to crane your neck in one corner to catch a peekaboo view of the Cascades. But we have ample evidence of what adding heavy amounts of plants can do to transform a property, and the experience of living on that property. Every day we count our blessings as we explore nature in our own backyard.
We welcome you to come check it out, and see if you can find a little inspiration to begin or continue your own garden journey.