A big donation: 21-foot Ballard monkey puzzle tree given to Washington Park Arboretum

Truth be told, the tree had stayed long past its welcome.

Jody Grage planted the conifer 15 years ago outside her Ballard home, a quirky gift from her teenage son, who promised to take it when he got his own place.

He moved on. But the tree remained, growing to 21 feet and showing no signs of stopping. So Grage decided late last year to donate it to the Washington Park Arboretum.

This morning, crews unearthed the "monkey puzzle" tree by its roots, so named because its razor-sharp leaves could confound a monkey.

The tree will be on display at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show at the Seattle Convention Center before it reaches its new home — a 12-acre garden at the south end of the Arboretum.

Monkey puzzles were once the fashionable tree of choice in the Seattle area, said Jacque Higgins-Rosebrook, events and volunteer coordinator for the Arboretum Foundation. Native to Chile, the trees grew so much in popularity here that the saplings were handed out during Seattle's World's Fair in 1962, she said.

But a deep freeze a few years later largely wiped them out. And garden-lovers, like fashionistas, moved on to other flora, she said.

Grage's monkey puzzle, however, "is one of the loveliest specimens I've ever seen," she said. "Just look at that symmetry."

By 9 a.m., a small crowd gathered as workers positioned a tulip-shaped spade around the tree's base. In one smooth motion, the spade, which was attached to a truck, exerted 12,000 pounds of force into the damp soil. And slowly, the tree began to rise.

"It's moving! It's moving!" one woman shouted.

"Oh, this is just awesome," Grage said. "I can't believe it's happening."

With a final push, the tree was mechanically hoisted onto the truck.

"I plan to visit it in the Arboretum," she said. "Every time I see this tree, I can't help but think of my son and his fascination with strange things."

Sonia Krishnan: 206-515-5546 or skrishnan@seattletimes.com