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Seattle City (spot)Light: Lori Fowler

Lori Fowler has served as the Senior Gardener at the utility’s Skagit Hydroelectric Project for the past seven months. “I’m tasked with developing and maintaining our landscapes in a sustainable manner,” Lori explained. “We also ensure that our work reflects our current values while giving a nod to the historical and paying honor to what was here before.”

Lori was born in Seattle, but grew up in California before moving to Oregon. She attended Pacific North West Resource Management School and did coursework at Oregon State University. She and her husband Bruce live in Newhalem and have four children and three grandchildren. In this week’s (spot)Light, Lori talks about her career and her love of horticulture.

Lori and her husband Bruce

“I began my career in parks and street maintenance for municipalities. I took a small detour into social work, but found myself back into park maintenance with Oregon State Parks and, eventually, the City of Kent. I’ve always been interested in the horticulture aspect, and knew the more I studied, it was where I wanted to be. So, I became a Master Gardener, received my CPH – Certified Professional Horticulturist and became ecoPRO certified for landscaping design and maintenance. I also completed coursework in Permaculture and Landscape Architectural design. Being at Skagit is the job of a lifetime which I see as a culmination of both work experience and my passion and hobby.”

“We have a lot to focus on in this area. Things have fallen into disrepair around the edges, which is common when you’re backed up against national park land and the wild. The easier tasks such as planter boxes and maintenance on Main street; areas that are most visible to our visitors, long term focus will be transitioning the area beyond. We recently planted 34 trees in the east arboretum replacing trees that were invasive. We selected interesting cultivars like Korean Fir, Eddie’s White Wonder and Magnolia sieboldii—all of which will showcase variety of texture and color as the trees mature. We’re also working on a rejuvenation project for Ladder Creek Falls where we’ll plant hundreds of native plants and improve the entrance to the area.”

“I’ve always been an outdoor person. My family spends a lot of time hiking and kayaking, but it was my husband who piqued my interest in horticulture. When we bought our first home, he wanted to landscape and, well, it was addicting. I prefer Japanese style gardens when developing personal landscapes. I like the aesthetics. The Japanese maples are my favorite. They’re exquisite. Your garden is a room and should evoke feelings and styles.”

“I live in a national park and would love to visit more national parks. I’d like to return to the Grand Canyon and Yosemite. I also like to quilt. I think it has something to do with matching colors, aesthetics and textures which complements gardening.”