1)  Castanea crenata                     Japanese Chestnut

Though it is one of the smaller species of chestnut, C. crenata is still a valued food tree in its native Japan. Ordinarily the nuts are also smaller than those of the European varieties.
This specimen is located on the east side of our field nursery along the gravel path.

2)  Cephalotaxus harringtonia var. ‘Nana’           Dwarf Plum Yew

Native to the forest understories of eastern Asia, this small, evergreen shrub is known to thrive in semi-shaded places rather than in full sunshine. 

Ilea Howard is completing an internship with UW Botanic Gardens this summer. She is a student at Oregon State University where she’s majoring in sustainability and horticulture. The internship, which runs June through August, will provide her with credit hours and experience trying new things, such as driving a tractor!
Before starting work each day, Ilea puts on her work pants and sturdy hiking boots. 

The UW Botanic Gardens is a member of the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC), a network of botanic institutions whose mission is to prevent the extinction of U.S. native plants. The CPC was founded in 1984 and operates the only national program of ex situ conservation of rare plant material in coordination with 40 leading botanic institutions. They maintain the National Collection of Endangered Plants with over 1,400 species represented and also conduct research, restoration, education, and advocacy programs. 

My name is Rebecca Janssen and I am an AmeriCorps member serving with UW Botanic Gardens as the Adult Environmental Education Coordinator. The day that this is posted, August 15th, is the final day of my service. I was looking recently at a little half-sheet flyer promoting summer and some fall adult education programs. As I was reading through the list, it was really exciting to realize how many of those I had been involved with – 15 of the 22 classes listed! 

1)  Corylus colurna                     Turkish Hazelnut or Filbert

The Turkish Hazelnut is native to southeastern Europe into western Asia.
In summer, edible nuts are produced inside dramatically styled husks.
The Turkish Filbert can be found along Foster Island Road, opposite the Broadmoor gatehouse.

2)  Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Sumida-no-hanabi’                     Bigleaf Hydrangea

‘Sumida-no-hanabi’ translates to “fireworks over the Hanabi River”.
This wonderful hydrangea can be found in the Centennial Garden along Azalea Way. 

We are delighted to announce several new courses offered through our restoration professional education series. These programs are developed with support from the Northwest Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration, under the guidance of a committed network of professional restoration practitioners actively engaged in restoring habitats in the Pacific Northwest. We hope you can join us for these exciting new learning opportunities! 

On June 7, a new centerpiece was installed to enhance the Seattle Garden Club Fragrance Garden at the Center for Urban Horticulture. This beautiful arbor, designed by Tim Sharp of Iron Design Center NW, was a gift from the Seattle Garden Club, who has supported the Fragrance Garden both financially and with volunteer garden care since its installation in 2007. The Garden was extensively renovated and enhanced in 2015, and the arbor completes the design elements envisioned at that time. 

In early summer 2017, Connor Walden, a Master of Fine Arts candidate at the University of Washington in 3D4M (3-dimensional Forum), jumped from concrete into the refreshing water of the Gulf of Mexico, cutting his foot on a sharp oyster shell. When Walden talked with his doctor about the cut, he learned that it was possible that he could contract a fatal infection from it. 

1)  Illicium henryi                    Henry Anise Tree

This attractive evergreen shrub is native to China.
It has star-shaped flowers in pink to deep crimson, anise-scented leaves when bruised and is tolerant of shade.
This specimen is located adjacent to the Lookout Loop Trail in the Asiatic Maple collection. Grid 25-1E, if using our mobile interactive plant map.

2)  Leptospermum scoparium                    Manuka

A broad-leafed evergreen shrub native to New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, New Zealand. 

If you’ve spent any time looking through our interactive map of the Washington Park Arboretum, you’ve probably noticed those purple plant dots. While most of the dots denoting different plants in the collection are bright Kelly green, some of them are a festive light purple color. But why?
I stumbled on this question while trying to identify a tree that I had taken a picture of when I was wandering through the arboretum a couple weeks ago.