Hypha returns!

The cycle of life has fallow periods as well as times of growth. Hypha has been dormant for a while, and there is no better time to sprout new life than during this pandemic. Plants bring nourishment- both for the body and the spirit. This spring, hypha has reactivated the free plant nursery project to give away vegetable, herb, and flower starts. We believe community offerings will hold us together in this time. Our first giveaway for 2020 was held today, May 4, in Columbia City. Please watch our Facebook page for further plant giveaway announcements. Be well and stay safe, Seattle.

Hypha Seed Library Open at Hillman City Collaboratory

Your South Seattle community seed library is now open at the Hillman City Collaboratory!!
Lark built this beautiful box/shelf combo to house the seeds. Stop by and check out some seeds. We gladly welcome donations of any current seeds you may have.

By saving and sharing seeds, we participate in an ancient human activity while working towards a future of food sovereignty.

The Hillman City Collaboratory is located at 5623 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA, 98118.

 

 

new seed library at hillman city collaboratory

We are excited to announce that Hypha is teaming up with the Hillman City Collaboratory to open a new seed library in South Seattle.

Please join us on Saturday, April 16, at noon at the Hillman City Collaboratory to celebrate the opening of the seed library. We'll be making seed bombs in the garden, a fun, educational, family-friendly activity! We gladly welcome seed donations to the new community library. Hope to see you there!

5623 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118

an updated map

We've plotted a sample of the thousands of plants and mushroom kits we've given away in the first two years of hypha. Our goal is to build networks, and future iterations of the map will illustrate this. Each symbol corresponds to the one used on the letterpressed cards we gave away to accompany the plant. There is a legend below the map.

photo recap from 2015

Here are some photos from 2015: our exhibit at the Center for Urban Horticulture, the West Seattle bee festival, and some Town Hall events. We are currently contemplating what 2016 will grow.


Hypha plants set sail across the Puget Sound

In a lovely partnership between Hypha and the Salish Sea Trading Cooperative, a box of plants set sail on June 26th for Port Ludlow on the Olympic Peninsula. They were sent as gifts to the Port Ludlow Inn to show support for sail transport of goods, a method of local transportation that does not rely on fossil fuels for energy. The plants sailed on the Vicky Lee from Ballard. Special thanks to Kathy and Ty for making this a possibility!

I was amused by the prospect of sending native plants by sea, as a great many of our naturalized plants came to this continent that way, and it will be fun to chart plants off the map into terra incognita.

We sent a variety of PNW native and naturalized plants and seeds that will support pollinators of all kinds!!

The Vicky Lee in Ballard before setting sail.

The Vicky Lee in Ballard before setting sail.

A seed packet of Phacelia, a favorite plant of bees.

A seed packet of Phacelia, a favorite plant of bees.

Plants, seeds and cards sent to Port Ludlow.

Plants, seeds and cards sent to Port Ludlow.

Making the hand-off to Ty of the Salish Sea Trading Co-op.

Making the hand-off to Ty of the Salish Sea Trading Co-op.

One of the handpainted letterpress cards we sent.

One of the handpainted letterpress cards we sent.

Photos from our plant giveaways

Emilie, Jamie and Shannon- part of the 2014 Hypha team.

Emilie, Jamie and Shannon- part of the 2014 Hypha team.

Lark prepares the portable letterpress to imprint seed packets. Gardeners pressed their own seed envelopes to take home.

Lark prepares the portable letterpress to imprint seed packets. Gardeners pressed their own seed envelopes to take home.

Chatting about plants!

Chatting about plants!

We've had two successful plant giveaways so far this year and are looking forward to our third event in the fall. Here are some photos! Thank you to all who have come out to the events, those who have donated time, money, and plants, and the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods for partially funding this project.

Taking stock of what's left.

Taking stock of what's left.

Our plant numbers have grown! We estimate we have given away over 600 plants in 2014 so far.

Our plant numbers have grown! We estimate we have given away over 600 plants in 2014 so far.


City awards grant to free nursery project

We have exciting news! The City of Seattle Dept. of Neighborhoods has awarded a Small Sparks grant to the Howell Collective Garden / Hypha Free Nursery project. We will also be partnering with youth from the Lambert House for this project. Lambert House is a center on Capitol Hill for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and questioning youth that empowers youth through the development of leadership, social, and life skills. Lambert House youth have been gardening at the Howell Collective since 2013 and are eager to take their skills to the next level. They will be setting up a seed germination station and caring for plant starts that we will then give away to the community.

We have three plant gifting events in the planning stages for 2014, tentatively planned to coincide with Native Plant Appreciation week in April, National Pollinator Week in June, and a Fall Harvest celebration with a seed swap and perennial shrub giveaway.

Stay tuned for more details! Thank you to the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods for partially funding this project!

Hypha Seattle Map

After four months of painstaking, eyestraining work, the giant handpainted watercolor map of Seattle is finished!! This will serve as the blank canvas to map our plants as they network through Seattle. There is only land, sea, lake, and park. Our plants will chart a new course.

seattlehyphamapweb.jpg