1)  Buddleja globosa                        Orange Ball Buddleja

David Zuckerman

• This Chilean large and lanky quasi-evergreen shrub comes true to name when in flower.
• It is now festooned with 8-10 fragrant orange ball-shaped flowers arranged in terminal panicles.
• Hummingbirds are fun to watch while hovering and feeding over each “ball” for several seconds.
• You can view several blooming now in our Pacific Connections Chilean Gateway Garden.

2)  Erica arborea                       Tree Heath

David Zuckerman

• Our “Welcome” Heath, at the base of our home’s front steps, is 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide and is now in full flower.
• This African soft-textured evergreen giant heather has white fragrant flowers borne in profusion!
• Several Arboretum specimens are located in our Mediterranean display.

3)  Kolkwitzia amabilis                      Beauty Bush

David Zuckerman

• This old-fashioned large deciduous beauty bush is completely blanketed with pink with yellow-throated flowers. A grove can be found midway down Azalea Way near our True Ashes Collection.
• It’s currently the showcase plant in our back garden, covering an area 20’ x 12’ in size!
• A shrub for all seasons – with interesting bristly fruits and exfoliating bark.

4)  Notholithocarpus densiflorus var. echinoides                                                                                  Dwarf Tanbark Oak

David Zuckerman

• This Siskiyou evergreen and native oak relative is the cornerstone small specimen tree in our front garden.
• Most beautiful in spring, our Dwarf Tanbark Oak features bright new fuzzy white leaves, developing female flowers (acorns) and slender erect male catkins with an unusual fragrance. When the catkins are in full flower, they attract a slew of Hymenoptera (bees, wasps) pollinators.
• Sadly, it is quite susceptible to “sudden oak death” with high mortality within its range.
• Visit our Pacific Connections Cascadia Forest display where you can see many Tanbark Oaks.

5)  Rhododendron ‘Orange Marmalade’

David Zuckerman

• This small three-foot Rhododendron hybrid has been our virtual happy hour sensation of late.
• It sports large yellow-orange to orange-red colored flower trusses with yellowish-orange throats – a somewhat rare color found in the large world of Rhododendrons.
• Developed by H.L. Larson of Tacoma, WA.  I’ll tell Ray Larson, our curator, that we need to procure this beautiful hybrid for our Pacific Northwest hybridizer’s garden display along Azalea Way.