I chose to profile the white basswood tree because it’s a North American Linden of impressive size in our collection. Its common name, basswood, is derived from the tough fibrous inner bark called “bast” that is used to make ropes, baskets, mats and many other lightweight wood products. The “white” refers to the undersides of the leaves that are covered with a white indumentum of stellate hairs. 

1)  Buddleja globosa                        Orange Ball Buddleja

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. 

The UW Farm planted more asparagus plants as an act of hope for Earth Day and for those challenged by COVID19, because we will not harvest until 2022. The UW Farm highly recommends planting asparagus in your garden, due to the ease of growing and harvest and nutritional benefits.

Horticulture supervisor Roy Farrow reveals the secrets to pruning wisteria for a floristic display that doesn’t engulf the house.

No other tree in the Arboretum is as beloved as our Golden oak, Azalea Way’s sentinel and harbinger of Spring.

Flowers that grow without help from the gardener can be charming, but also may try to take over the garden.

Pacific Northwest Natives
1)   Berberis aquifolium, formerly known as Mahonia aquifolium                                                                                                                                                                       Tall Oregon Grape

Native to the Pacific Northwest from British Columbia to northern California.
Its yellow flowers in April smell like honey and attract hummingbirds and insect pollinators.
Blue-black berries are edible and are used to make jam and juice. Pacific Northwest aboriginal peoples used the bark and roots to make a yellow dye. 

The Pacific Connections Garden (PCG), found at the southern end of the Arboretum, is a place that spurs the floristic imagination. Visitors traverse hemispheres and continents while moseying through gardens that showcase plant communities from specific regions in New Zealand, China, Cascadia, Chile, and Australia. In a short walk it’s possible to pass through our version of the New Zealand high country, continue on to the Cascadia garden, featuring plants native to the Siskiyou mountains, and finish with our representation of the wine palm and monkey puzzle laden temperate rainforests of Southern Chile. 

Horticulturist Joanna has an eagle eye for weeds, both at the Arboretum and at home.

Partners at UW Botanic Gardens, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and the Arboretum Foundation are offering you and your family ways to engage with the Arboretum safely this Mother’s Day.