The garden at Treasure Island (see photo) has undergone a few changes this summer, all for the better. Plus it will be getting a name next year — Garden with a View — when a new gate is added as part of upgrading the perimeter fence. But does it need a yard-art rooster as a sentry when members of the garden team aren’t onsite working away?
This biggest change in 2026 is that the number of gardeners has increased from three to five. S.B. and C.U. are still growing beans, corn, squash, lettuce, and pumpkins in neat tilled rows on the west side of the garden, and S.B., as always, is the go-to person for help, advice, and encouragement. The garden’s east side has three new workers: a couple from the island’s south end and S.J., a lady who lives in the cul de sac at the north end. They have added five raised garden beds and are growing flowers, corn, tomatoes, peppers, and several types of herbs. Everything is going well. The plants look healthy, and the upgraded drip system is doing its job.
I own the empty lot where the garden is located, AKA the garden lot. I’m not a plant person and am totally hands off other than occasionally telling the gardeners how great the garden looks. That’s a good thing as there would surely be issues if I tried to “help.”
The photo below shows a giant rooster watching over a garden in the Skokomish Valley. It’s unclear what the rooster’s role is. Is it there for guard duty or solely because the garden’s owners like having a big fowl around? I took the photo during my birthday bike ride earlier this month. It was a weekday, and there were no humans nearby to answer my burning questions.
That rooster is cool. Now I’m trying to decide whether the Treasure Island garden needs something similar — possibly posted at one corner of the fence. Would a rooster be a great addition or a distraction? Does the garden need to make a statement with yard art? It already has a favorable rating with islanders who like to check on the garden’s progress during their daily walks. Would a rooster help, hurt, or have no effect?
The safest thing would be to get input from the gardeners — the people doing the garden work.
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