1)  Cytisus x praecox ’Luteus’           Warminster Broom

This broom is a hybrid of C. multiflorus and C. purgans and is located on Arboretum Drive in the Legume Collection.
Many of the brooms are blooming now or soon to bloom, including the pineapple broom, Argyrocytisus battandieri, whose fragrance earned it its common name.

2)  Erica arborea var. alpina           Tree Heath

While non-alpine tree heath can reach heights in excess of 20 feet, the alpine variety is the “short” one, reaching only 10 to 15 feet. 

It’s spring and time for a full on revival in the Center for Urban Horticulture’s Goodfellow Grove!

Who doesn’t love spring? It’s the earth’s bright green answer to winter’s dreary grey; when all the world begins to grow anew. If autumn is a time for introductions and winter for exploration, then spring is the season for culmination. In autumn we ground the students in the important, fundamental lessons of the forest grove: clearly identifying the boundaries (both figurative and literal) of the classroom; teaching an awareness of self, social expectations, and emotional responses; guiding newfound interest in the natural world. 

Today’s visitors to the Washington Park Arboretum walk past historical artifacts not knowing why they might be there. One of those is the Memorial Fountain dedicated to the late Mrs. W.W. Sawyer, along Arboretum Drive E. opposite Rhododendron Glen.

April showers bring May weeds! How do professional gardeners manage weeds? Kathleen DeMaria, Botanic Gardens Horticulturist, shares her favorite tool and strategies.

Opening Day crew races through the Montlake Cut, and the 1936 USA Olympic gold in rowing may never have happened without these following trees:
1)  Thuja plicata        Western Red Cedar

UW’s world-renowned boat maker, George Pocock followed the lead of Native Americans and used this Pacific Northwest giant for the hulls of his Pocock Classics.
The skin is made from a single plank of 3/32″ thick cedar and offers a combination of stiffness and springiness that eliminates the need for the extra weight of a hull. 

What to do about muddy puddles caused by rain runoff in the middle of a trail used by hundreds of people every day? Could a garden solve the problem?

1)  Acer cissifolium        Vine-leaf Maple

A three-leaf maple native to Japan.
The extraordinary racemes of tiny flowers give the tree a cloud-like appearance.
Located in the Asiatic Maple Collection.

2)  Acer rubrum        Red Maple

This popular street tree is native to eastern North America.
On this sample the petals have fallen, leaving the elongating peduncles and their tiny, immature samaras.
Located in grid 3-5E on Arboretum Drive. 

Along Azalea Way this time of year, as many of you know, the Rhododendron cultivars, Redbuds & Dogwood Trees are putting on their show of stunning blossoms.   Amongst all these flowering shrubs and trees it is sometimes hard to discern any individual plants, but its always worth it for me to stop at the group of Rhododendron occidentale at the North end of Azalea Way.   

Listening and responding to the needs of our community is a cornerstone of the Fiddleheads philosophy. Sarah and I were absolutely astounded this year at the outpouring of interest our tiny school received. As word of the Fiddleheads Forest School spread, parents from all over the region took notice of the individualized attention we give to each child, our unique curriculum that thoughtfully integrates the specialized opportunities afforded by the environment to each student, and our remarkable forest grove classroom site where students develop a deep, mindful connection to their environment and to their peers.