By LYNN STEINBERG
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

It is ironic that in an area where so little controversy is generated, sparks should fly over one of the neighborhood's oldest and best-known attractions: Swanson's Nursery.

Spread over 10 acres in the northwest part of Crown Hill, Swanson's is a delightful place to visit, whether or not you love to garden. Golden retrievers roam the grounds, which contain an exhaustive collection of annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs. A pianist taps out sweet melodies on sunny days. There's a gift shop and a cafe.

What better way to wile away the time? Which is precisely the problem for some of the nursery's closest neighbors, all of them private homeowners.

"It's like living next to a QFC parking lot," says Sue Newton. "Car doors slamming, car alarms, lots of traffic. You can't go out in your yard. It robs you of your peace and quiet."

The business, started by August and Selma Swanson, dates to the 1920s. It stayed in the family until Wally Kerwin bought it in 1976.

"This place just grabbed me," Kerwin recalls. "There was something special, something spiritual about it."

Kerwin has been quick to respond to new trends in gardening, attracting more customers all the while. And though he has not expanded, he has intensified use of his property, which sits in the middle of a residential area.

In the old days, most of the plants were grown on the premises. Today, Kerwin contracts with specialty growers for almost all of his stock. That means more deliveries. More noise. And more traffic.

Some residents grew so distressed, they formed the Crown Hill Improvement Association to seek redress.

Now, after years of acrimony, a settlement is in the works. The tentative plan calls for a combination of features, including setbacks, sound walls to absorb noise and landscaping.