Q1 REALTOR® Good Neighbor Grows Community One Native Plant at a Time

Seattle King County REALTORS® named Ankie Stroes of John L. Scott Covington as its Q1 2026 Good Neighbor, honoring her long commitment as a Master Gardener in Maple Valley. Members of the Good Neighbor Committee presented her with a $250 check for the Master Gardener Foundation of King County on April 16, 2026.

Master Gardeners are volunteers who provide research-based education about urban horticulture and sustainable gardening to the residents of King County for the purpose of promoting food security, environmental preservation, and natural beauty. You can find a Master Gardener answering questions at farmers markets, weeding at one of 13 county demonstration gardens, or even teaching virtual classes about growing vegetables in your backyard.

Joan Baldwin, the president of the Master Gardener Foundation of King County, was grateful for the donation. “The Master Gardener Foundation exists to raise funds to support the work of Master Gardeners in King County,” she told us. “Master Gardeners are all volunteers, but their projects cost money. The Foundation pays for signage, marketing, and other ongoing operational costs like mulch and Zoom accounts that can make the program successful.”

Ankie’s primary focus has been managing the Tribal Life Trail demonstration garden at the Lake Wilderness Arboretum in Maple Valley. This garden focuses on native plants used by Puget Sound tribes for medicine, clothing, food, and tools. Ankie was part of the research, design, and construction of the Tribal Life Trail as far back as 2008 and has led operations there since 2010. Ongoing tasks range from watering and weeding to educational tours and training interns.

Committee members who attended the check presentation were lucky enough to get an abridged tour of the garden and learned about some common uses for the plants:

• Mugwort can be used to make beer.
• A Baldhip Rose mashed up with saliva can heal a bee sting.
• Holodiscus, or Ocean Spray, has seed pods that can be used as sponges. Its wood is known as Ironwood and used to make tools like fishing spears.
• Cedar bark sinews can be felted to make waterproof clothing.

“I’ve gotten very accustomed to walking backward,” says Ankie Stroes, explaining that she has done the Trail tour countless times for Scout troops, forest schools, home-school groups, and 2nd-graders from the local elementary school. She has also trained all the docents at the Lake Wilderness Arboretum to do the tour, as well as new Master Gardeners and interns.

“Her influence is quiet but deeply rooted. The spaces she’s helped grow are more than gardens—they are resources, classrooms, and catalysts for a greener, more informed community,” said Pam McCain who nominated Ankie for the Good Neighbor Award. “Simply put, Ankie makes our community a better place to live—one plant, one lesson, and one heartfelt connection at a time.”

Congratulations, Ankie!