Thursday, October 1, 2026
The emails keep coming. “What happened to Jill Severn’s column?” … and “Where is she?”
Jill’s fine and living in Olympia, tending to her flowers, vegetables and flock, and enjoying a well-deserved retirement. I’ll admit it — when her columns stopped coming in May, I wanted to believe that she was just taking a break, but no, it’s official: Retired!
The JOLT’s readers have enjoyed “Jill Severn’s Gardening Column” most Fridays since April 2, 2021. In all, she produced more than 230 pieces for Thurston County readers.
If you’ve been a regular, you know that she has a preoccupation with slugs, which she mentioned in at least 15 of her columns. But her clearest obsession is with tomatoes, which she wrote about or mentioned in about one in four of her columns. Her writing on both topics has been a mix of nostalgia, advice, caution and, even sometimes for the slugs, admiration.
Once in a while Jill strayed from her gardening beat and wrote about politics and government – see “Thank heaven for honorable Republicans.” She introduced us to some of her favorite local characters and sources, among many are Chris Hyde, TJ Johnson, Ed Hume and our own George Walter, her friend and The JOLT’s “Thurston’s Birds” columnist.
All of Jill's pieces are available here (just as every story we’ve published over the past six years can be easily found using our website’s search feature).
From where I sit, Jill is one of the most significant leaders who backed and boosted us. Starting only nine months into this local news experiment, before she wrote hundreds of pieces for us, she brought us credibility and attention. That credibility stemmed from both her great talent as a writer and from her previous work as a former columnist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Seattle Weekly, editorial writer for The Olympian, speechwriter for two governors (Gardner and Locke), author of the League of Women Voters of Washington’s civics textbooks and many more involvements. Before moving here, she was the Executive Director of the Seattle World Affairs Council. Once here, Jill led the group that founded Olympia’s Quixote Village.
Besides being a major booster of The JOLT News Organization, she’s an informed observer of changes in local news media and has often offered me helpful guidance. She spoke about her vision for local news at The JOLT’s first-ever big event, for Local News Day, this past April 8. You can watch the entire event here on TVW, with Jill’s comments starting at 50:40.
I’m very grateful for her unwavering support for local news in Thurston County and The JOLT in particular.
If you’re a newbie, or missed reading Jill’s columns, here are some of my favorites, available to you with one click each:
The Zen of weeding This one weaves together universal ideas with local gardeners’ challenges.
Are you a naturalist? This one refers readers to a useful and credible source, in this case the iNaturalist site.
Olympia's imperiled Japanese garden Is this one about gardens or politics? You decide. A year old, but still very relevant.
What to plant as the climate warms and How to choose tomato plants and Weeds to watch out for in Thurston County and many others. Practical advice for garden people in Thurston County.
Maybe I have a flower porn problem and Plant sex Two very different columns. Maybe I just liked those headlines.
Grow food and give it away Is there a higher purpose to gardening?
A botanist’s take on economics Probably my favorite. Global and local. And a gentle followup to her Souperman profile published seven months earlier.
Many people have spoken up about Jill and her writing. From just a few:
“For the past five years, her inspiring columns have buoyed our community and given us both practical ideas and thoughtful commentary.” ~ Peg Gerdes
“Eloquent, as always, Ms Severn. Nice reminder to incorporate nature into the mayhem of infomation we process all day. Thank you for being there and writing freely.” ~ gypsydjango
“Thank you, Jill. I so enjoy all of your articles. I forwarded this to about 15 people, who also appreciated it. It reminds us to stay in the moment and appreciate what we have during these trying times.” ~ irishk
“Thank you for this wonderful article wedding the subjects of the book and the soup maker together. I have put a hold on the book at the library and am the 126th person in line. You are being read.” ~ wildnature
“Thanks for your sound advice and for educating us. Gardens, like blank canvases, are creative spaces where we express ourselves and explore new ideas. I'm sure you speak from experience. Very appreciated!” ~ Deanna Partlow
It’s always a good idea to leave the last word to Jill. She’s usually right, after all. From Garden advice we can live without, Jill wrote:
“But though garden writers do our best, it’s a thousand times more informative to visit people whose gardens are thriving. It’s important not to be intrusive, but if you ask nicely, most experienced gardeners are more likely to invite you in than to chase you off. People typically like to talk about our successes.
“And that’s what we need. In the garden world, we could use less writing and more looking, talking and digging.”
Actually, she might prefer this, from A proclamation for the month of May, in which she made several amusing observations and offered only one piece of advice:
“Sunny days are precious; don’t let a single one go to waste.”
Please join us in celebrating Jill Severn’s retirement on Friday, Sept. 4, at an open house from 4:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. RSVP to peg1234us@yahoo.com, or text 415-497-9201 for more details. We will respond to you with the address for the event.
Danny Stusser is the founder and publisher of The JOLT — The Journal of Olympia, Lacey & Tumwater — and the executive director of The JOLT News Organization, its nonprofit publisher.
9 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
JulesJames
Good reading! Yours and hers. Thank you both!
Friday, July 24 Report this
CommonSenseSenior
A thousand beautiful thoughts about the wonderful person Jill is; I envision cranes flying high into the sky and you watching them from your home, sending your thoughts up into the universe.
Saturday, July 25 Report this
wolfmanner
About time. When she started bringing her left wing politics in her columns I stopped reading her.
Saturday, July 25 Report this
BobJacobs
Jill is the consummate pro. Such high quality thinking and writing! We have been so lucky to have her contributions to the JOLT.
Bob Jacobs
Saturday, July 25 Report this
Boatyarddog
wolfmanner... Because YOU wolfie are Such a stray and Loser. WHAT a LOW YOU ARE ON.
Sunday, July 26 Report this
ViaLocal
I've been wondering where her columns went!
Don't worry about the haters Jill! MAGA only teachers their followers how to hate the left, not necessarily think their way through their interactions or politics. Their leader is a pedo who is completely corrupt in his tactics to gain billions from the presidency. So, who cares what they think at all? ;)
Monday, July 27 Report this
TheGreatAnon
This is a drag
I got to know Jill a little when I was doing work to get homeless folk into housing. She is so smart, so kind, so compassionate. A true role model.
Monday, July 27 Report this
MakingSenseOfOlympia
So grateful for your wisdom, mentorship, and good counsel. -David Scherer Water
Friday, August 7 Report this
JasonWettstein
Thank you Jill. I have really appreciated your work. :-)
Thursday, August 20 Report this