“Doesn’t it make you happy?”
This is a phrase you might hear from Becki Koukal-Liebe when she gives you a tour of her favorite flowers and plants. Becki is the maintenance mechanic lead for Hill-Crest, the official residence of the UW President in Seattle’s Madison Park neighborhood, and she cares for its grounds.
Maude and Edwin Ames gave the UW Hill-Crest as a bequest in 1932. The bequest required that the UW President live there. The property is also used for events.
Becki approaches her work with wonder. For her, it’s therapy — and it’s a chance to take care of something beautiful.
As you approach the property, you’ll find a lawn, ringed by an array of plant life, from the white-blossomed dogwood to shrubs with delicate pink bells. A path winds around the property to a fountain under a giant beech tree, where a ghost Japanese maple lights up the corner.
The back lawn overlooks Lake Washington, with the Bellevue skyline in the distance. Terraced gardens tumble down a gentle hillside, providing bouquets for floral arrangements as well as vegetables, fruit and herbs for meals.
In a hidden corner, there’s a planter shaped like a Native American totem next to a bench. A path around the north end of the property leads to a greenhouse next to what used to be the carriage house. Complete the loop toward the front to find another fountain with boxwood shrubs planted to resemble a pearl necklace.
“I like caring for this landscape. It's beautifully done. It's something that's masterful,” Becki said.
This is Becki’s eighth year working on the property, but she refuses to take credit for its majesty. She gives all recognition to Ray Larson, who transformed the property’s wide, empty lawns into a display of plant life, seamlessly combining texture, color and form. Ray now oversees the plant collections for the Washington Park Arboretum and Center for Urban Horticulture as the curator of UW Botanic Gardens.
Becki said that she’s just maintaining his work, but it's clear from the way she talks that she has her own vision as well. She practices permaculture, which is the integration of human activity with the natural surroundings, reducing waste and creating self-sufficient ecosystems.
“I'm trying to work within nature's balance, not take away, not give too much,” she said. “I don't want to eradicate anything. I just want to kind of control the population. I love happy chances."
Another source of inspiration?
“Dr. Seuss — I’m highly influenced by him,” she said. “The aesthetic is whimsy. Not always practical, although I want to be practical too.”
Soon, she’ll be looking for the next path. She’s planning on retiring at the end of the year in 2025.