According to Cliff Mass, UW meteorologist, our past winter of 2012-2013 was the most “boring” on record. There were no major weather events such as wind storms, artic blasts, snowfalls in the lowlands or major flooding. This was indeed good news for the UWBG horticulture staff.

The Red or Swamp Maple, Acer rubrum, is always noticed for its intense flame color in the fall, but I love these trees best right now – when they are covered in flowers prior to foliation.
From a distance the light gray bark of the tree sets off the pink & maroon flowers creating a stunning effect – it’s as if the tree is full of red fuzz.   

Pacific Connections Garden
1)  Corokia x virgata    ‘Sunsplash’

An odd shrub from New Zealand with variegated foliage and wiry, twisty branches.
This carefree evergreen tolerates some dry and looks great in containers.
Specimens can be found in the New Zealand Entry Garden.

2)  Grevillea victoriae

Fine-textured foliage, long thin flower clusters and drought tolerance make these evergreen shrubs very popular.
Also known as Royal Grevillea, it is endemic to parts of Victoria in Australia. 

In September, the UW Botanic Gardens will open an outdoor, nature-based preschool. The Fiddlehead Forest School is a play-based, exploratory and outdoor program that creates opportunities for children to develop meaningful and caring relationships with one another and the natural world.
GRAND OPENING SEPTEMBER 2013
Fiddleheads Forest School: A Nature Preschool at the UW Botanic Gardens
Take a moment to envision a three year old. 

If you have walked around Shoveler’s Pond in the Union Bau Natural Area this month you have seen the area undergoing a flurry of activity from plowing to bulldozers moving dirt.

The 2.5 acre New Zealand focal forest construction project is scheduled to be completed by the end of June. Planting will begin in June. There will be approximately 10,000 total plants representing over 90 taxa for the 9 plant communities that will be represented.

1)  Camellia japonica  ‘High Hat’

One of our earlier-flowering Japanese camellias.
This specimen can be found along the west side of Arboretum Drive near the construction zone detour.

2)  Pieris japonica  ‘Valentine’s Day’

Showing its large panicles of pink flowers.
Can be found on Azalea Way just south of the Lilacs.

3)  Rhododendron floribundum

Native to the Szechwan Province of China. 

The January 2013 edition of BGjournal features an article on the restoration work UW students have accomplished as part of the Restoration Ecology Capstone course sequence. The capstone works with community partners to accomplish restoration projects in and around Seattle. Capstone projects have helped to restore 15 acres of the Union Bay Natural Area, a former landfill.
To learn more, read the full article:
BGjournal 10.1 

The Woodland Park Zoo, in collaboration with several other local organizations, is working with volunteers to survey amphibian egg masses in local ponds and wetlands, including the Arboretum. Volunteers began 2013 monitoring in February. Already they have discovered loads of live Tree Frog eggs and possible Northern Red-legged Frog eggs in the upper pond of the Woodland Garden area! To read more about the program, scroll down to the “Amphibian Monitoring 2013” story on this page. 

Witt Winter Garden

1) Chimonanthus praecox           Wintersweet

Wintersweet is in the allspice family of Calycanthaceae.
The sulfur-yellow flowers are intensely fragrant and are born on bare stems.
This winter garden favorite is native to China.

2) Ganya x issaquahensis            Hybrid Silktassel

This natural hybrid, between G. elliptica and G. fremontii, is native to the western U.S.
The showy male catkins will soon produce large amounts of yellow pollen.