HALLER HOUSELANDSCAPE EXISTING CONDITIONS REPORT

February 2016

Prepared for Historic Whidbeyby Kate Hartman

with assistance from Hailey Mackay

Special Thanks to:Susan A. Dolan, National Park Service

andNancy Rottle, University of Washington

Photo: K. Hartman

INTRODUCTION

SITE CONDITIONS

The home of Col. Granville O. Haller is an unrecognized treasure in the heart of Coupeville and Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve.

The surrounding landscaping is a perfect complement to the house. The gardens are composed of a blend of native and non-native plants, both edible and ornamental, with several layers of plantings from bulbs and herbaceous perennials to shrubs and trees. All of the species found are typical of yards of the Pacific Northwest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The landscape is as unique and well-preserved as the house itself.

Due to lack of maintenance, invasive plants and volunteer trees are now threatening to overwhelm the plantings, which have been allowed to become overgrown. Intentionally planted ornamentals, which do not match the historic character of the site, have also been added over the years.

Historic Whidbey has commissioned this report to define the existing conditions of the Haller House landscape. The existing plants and site conditions were cataloged in spring of 2015, and the mapping and recommendations made in summer of that year. The goal of this work is to begin and support a larger effort of historic preservation research and design at Haller House, which will eventually lead to the site being open to the public for educational use.

The Haller House is located on the corner of Front and Main streets, Coupeville, WA. (FIG 1) The property is divided into 4 parcels, including a shoreline parcel across Front St from the house. The property is bordered to the east by a private residence, and to the south by a vacant lot that was once a building site. To the south of that is Cooks Corner public park. The vacant lot is owned by the City, and there is potential to incorporate it into the park.

The property generally slopes gently to the north. In the northwest corner there is a grotto-like depression with steep slopes, the remnant of a foundation excavation. The southern grotto slope has been reinforced with broken concrete, and there are makeshift steps of the same material. A broken concrete path leads from a gate in the northwest of the property to the front door. A concrete retaining wall on the southern edge of the property separates it from the vacant lot. (FIG 2)

FIG 1: HALLER HOUSE SITE & PARCELS

Front St

Vacant Lot

Park

Ma

in St

Photo: Google Maps

HALLER HOUSE

BRUNN HOUSE

RETAINING WALL

SHED

RUBBLE SLOPE STABILIZATION

RUBBLE STEPS

STUMP

Wire Fence

SIDEWALK

Plastic Corrugated Drain Pipe

Steep Slope

Concrete

Landscape Bed

Lawn

LEGEND

SHED

0 5 10 20 40 FT

MAIN STREET

FRONT STREET

FIG 2: SITE FEATURES MAP

The landscape consists of planting beds arranged to surround the house and property edges, and act as islands in the lawn. The plantings are layered, with a tree canopy, a shrub understory, and groundcover of bulbs and herbaceous perennial flowers. (FIG 3) A great diversity of trees exists, probably due to a previous owner’s membership in a “Tree of the Month” club. Some of them are unusual species for this area such as winged elm (Ulmus thomasii), and others are natives like Douglas fir (Psuedotsuga menziesii). Similarly, the shrubs are a mix of natives such as red flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) and old-fashioned ornamental shrubs such as forsythia (Forsythia intermedia). Most of the shrubs are overgrown and will require attention by someone trained in rehabilitation pruning techniques.

Volunteer ornamental plum and cherry trees are highly prevalent throughout the entire site. They are growing very thickly in many parts of the yard, out-competing and shading out more desirable plants and placing the house at risk for accelerated decay.

Several species of invasive plants are growing on site. (FIG 4) Efforts are being made to control English ivy (Hedera helix) using the method described in“Haller House Landscape Maintenance Plan, Phase 1” (Moss and Dolan).

In order to map the vegetation on site, trees and shrubs were identified to the species level wherever possible. A few shrubs were only identified to genus level, and one tree could not be identified at all, as it’s canopy is quite tall, and the site visits were conducted before leaf bud break. Locations of the woody plants were mapped as accurately as possible, with the exception of the volunteer plums and cherries, as their ubiquity and lack of landscape value made the effort not worthwhile. (FIGS 5 & 6)

VEGETATION

Several trees are marked on the tree map as candidates to consider retaining. This is based on a cursory examination of their health and perceived appropriateness to the historic character of the site. Herbaceous perennials and bulbs are listed in Table 1. A few notable perennials are noted in Figure 4. These are species which are one-of-a-kind on site, like the peonies, or have sentimental value, like the roses which were planted by the previous owner. FIG 3: TYPICAL LAYERED PLANTINGS IN THE GROTTO

Photo: K. Hartman

FIG 4: INVASIVE SPECIES AND NOTABLE PLANTS MAP

Hedera helixEnglish Ivy

Fallopia japonicaJapanese knotweed

Ilex aquifoliumEnglish Holly

Daphne laureolaSpurge laurel

Vinca majorPeriwinkle

Paeonia sp.Peony

Rose sp.Rose

OTHER INVASIVES PRESENT

Geranium robertiiStinking Robert

Convuvula arvensisField Bindweed

Ranunculus repensCreeping Buttercup

Rumex sp.Dock

LEGEND

INVASIVES

NOTABLE PLANTS

0 5 10 20 40 FT

MAIN STREET

FRONT STREET

Wire Fence

SIDEWALK

HALLER HOUSE

BRUNN HOUSE

SHED

SHED

FIG 5: TREE MAP

0 5 10 20 40 FT

MAIN STREET

FRONT STREET

Acer macrophyllum (AM)Big Leaf Maple

Picea sitchensis (PS)Sitka Spruce

Alnus rubra (AR)Red Alder

Crataegus montegina (CM)Hawthorne

Junglans regia (JR)English Walnut

Populus nigra (PN)Lombardy Poplar

Salix matsudana (SM)Corkscrew Willow

Laburnum anagyroides (LA)Golden Rain Tree

Unknown deciduous(UNk)

Prunus sp. (PSp)Plum varieties

Pyrus communis (PC)Pear

Ulmus thomasii (UT)Winged Elm

Star indicates tree to consider retaining

Pseudotsuga menziesii (PM)Douglas Fir

LEGEND

Wire Fence

AM (1)

UT (4)

AR (1)PS (2)PM (2)

CM (1)

JR (1)

PC (1)

PC (1)

PSp (1)

CM (2)

JR (1)

PSp (1)

PN (1)

LA (1)

SM (1)

UNk (1)

PM (6)

SIDEWALK

HALLER HOUSE

BRUNN HOUSE

SHED

SHED

FIG 6: SHRUB MAP

0 5 10 20 40 FT

MAIN STREET

FRONT STREET

Syringa vulgarisLilac

Symphocarpus albaSnowberry

Wire Fence

Berberis aquifoliumTall Oregon Grape

Holodiscus discolorOceanspray

Forsythia intermediaForsythia

Viburnum tinusSpring Bouquet Viburnum

Polystichum munitumSword Fern

Lonicera nitidaBox Honeysuckle

Corylus avellanaHazelnut

Corylus avellanaHazelnut (purple leaves)

Juniper sp.Juniper

Chaenomoles japonicaJapnese Quince

Oemleria cerasiformisOsoberry

Ficus caricaFig

Ribes sanguineumRed Flowering Currant

Ligustrum sp.Privet

Rubus parviflorusThimbleberry

LEGEND

LEGEND

SIDEWALK

HALLER HOUSE

BRUNN HOUSE

SHED

SHED

TABLE 1: PERENNIALS AND BULBS

LATIN NAME COMMON NAME LOCATION

Allium sp. Ornamental Onion Grotto

Crocosmia sp. Crocosmia Grotto

Crocus sp. Crocus Bed between front path and lawn

Dicentra formosa Bleeding Heart Backyard

Erisymum sp. Wallflower Spread throughout

Hyacinthoides non-scripta Bluebell Spread throughout

Iris sp. Iris Bed between front path and lawn

Leucanthemum x superbum Shasta Daisy By front porch/Near driveway

Lunaria annua Money Plant Backyard

Maianthemum sp. False Solomon’s Seal Northeast corner of house

Melissa officinalis Lemon Balm Grotto

Muscari sp. Grape Hyacinth Bed between front path and lawn

Narcissus sp. Daffodil Spread throughout

Oxalis sp. Oxalis West sideyard

Papaver orientale Oriental Poppy Front yard

Paeonia sp. Peony Front yard

Rheum rhabarbarum Rhubarb Grotto

Tellmia grandiflora Fringecup East sideyard

Tulipa sp. Tulip Bed between front path and lawn

Unknown umbel flower Southeast corner of house

Urtica diocia Nettle West sideyard

Viola sp. White Flowered Violets Spread throughout

The following landscape maintenance recommendations will slow or halt the deterioration of the house and garden while also maintaining the screening the vegetation has provided to the site, protecting it from vandalism. They are arranged in order of priority, based on consideration of cost, ease of implementation, and effectiveness at preserving the historic resources.

Moss, Saylor. Susan Dolan. No date. Haller House Landscape Maintenance Phase 1. US National Park Service.

RECOMMENDATIONS

REFERENCES

1. Remove the volunteer plum and cherry trees growing within 10’ of the house that can be safely removed with hand tools. This will help preserve the house and foundation. Smaller volunteer trees further from the house should continue to be removed as time allows, as the longer they are allowed to grow, the more difficult and potentially expensive they will be to remove.

2. Prune shrubs and all other vegetation to leave 1.5’ (minimum) of space between their canopy and the house. This will help preserve the house and foundation.

3. Continue ivy removal, as per Moss and Dolan’s method. It is especially important to remove ivy from trees. It damages and can kill trees, can kill limbs creating a safety hazard, makes visual health and safety inspection impossible, and will increase the cost and difficulty of pruning or removing trees. In areas where thick ivy has been removed, consider sheet mulching with a double layer of cardboard and 3” woodchips to reduce regrowth and build soil.

4. Remove the other invasive species on site, especially the knotweed (Fallopia japonica) which right now is isolated into a few small patches, but can become a serious problem if left unchecked. Dig out the roots, disposing of all plant material in the garbage, not the yard waste or compost. Knotweed spreads by rhizome, so check for roots 20’ from the main plant. Monitor patches and remove regrowth.

5. Remove the large plum tree at the southwest corner of the house. It is highly decayed, growing out of the foundation and over the roof of the house, and is known to be a pathway for vermin. Consider taking cuttings for sentimental value, as this was an important tree to the previous owners.

6. Begin evaluating trees and shrubs for removal or retention and rehabilitation pruning. Historic Whidbey should work with a Certified Arborist in this process. Consideration should be taken for tree health, safety, and appropriateness to the landscape design. Inappropriate trees can be removed in stages to manage for screening if desired.

7. Prune the retained shrubs and trees to rehabilitate their form, enhance their health and protect public safety.