Seize the Bay!
1)   Bay Laurel    (Laurus nobilis)

From the Mediterranean region
A plant of great cultural significance (culinary uses, literary references, etc.)
Marginally hardy in the Washington Park Arboretum, located in the Mediterranean Bed (grid 21-3E)

2)   California Bay Laurel    (Umbellularia californica)

Native to the Pacific Coast, Oregon through California
Crushed leaves have intense odor
Re-seeds freely in the Washington Park Arboretum
Located near the Mediterranean Bed (grid 20-3E)

3)   Redbay    (Persea borbonia)

A relative of the avocado, native to southeastern U.S. 

GREENS GALORE!
1)   Abies alba  ‘Hybrid’   (Silver Fir)

Silver Fir is the species first used as a Christmas tree.
A resinous essential oil can be extracted.  The pine-scented oil has soothing qualities and is used in perfumes and bath products.
This magnificent specimen can be found on Arboretum Drive.

2)   Cornus sericea  ‘Cardinal’    (Red Osier Dogwood)

Bright red twigs provide winter interest in the garden and a beautiful accent to holiday decorations. 

On a sunny autumn day a team of UW students, UWBG staff and team leader Jim Lutz headed down the East Arboretum trail to the Meadow with a shiny, new total station.

1)   Callicarpa sp.      Beautyberry

When the late autumn landscape seems to offer little in the way of vibrant color, the upright shrub, Callicarpa shows us that it has some local Husky pride.  Grown mainly for their clusters of small, bead-like fruit, the Callicarpa species are ideal for a colorful shrub border.
Native primarily to China, Japan, and Korea, Callicarpa is a member of the plant family, Verbenaceae. 

On October 18, 2012, UW Botanic Gardens and the Arboretum Foundation celebrated their volunteers with an annual Volunteer Recognition event.

It’s been a few years since many of our staff witnessed a film shoot in the arboretum featuring Spiderman star, Tobey Maguire. Now, the big payoff, “The Details” has hit the big screen. It garnered a 3-star review in Friday’s Times “Weekend Plus” by John Hartl.
http://seattletimes.com/html/movies/2019636923_mr09details.html
What are you waiting for! Go check it out and keep your eyes open for arboretum landmarks. 

Watch a video of volunteers and UWBG staff in action as they whip the Center for Urban Horticulture into shape.

The WPA guides and education staff recently visited Seattle’s Dunn Garden on one of our enrichment tours. We visit local gardens regularly as part of our commitment to further education so that we, as guides, can provide WPA visitors a great tour experience.
The Dunn Garden, like the arboretum, was designed by James Dawson of the Olmstead Brothers landscape design firm, While the WPA was designed in the 1930’s as a natural park to house the plant collection, the Dunn Garden is a private formal garden surrounding residences and predates our park by almost 30 years. 

UWBG Horticulture and Plant Records staff had a very busy, productive and satisfying summer. A cold wet June and early July pushed extraordinary plant growth. Then, just as quickly as we could say, “No summer in Seattle”, the heavens went dry and we experienced an historic dry spell.

1)   Cotoneaster conspicuus

This showy member of the rose family is native to Tibet.
Like most other specimens of the genus Cotoneaster, C. conspicuus has an equally stunning, early summer display of white flowers.
C. conspicuus can be viewed along the north border of the Graham Visitor Center parking lot.

2)   Ilex verticillata ‘Winter Red’      Black Alder, Winterberry

Native to eastern North America, winterberry is an important winter food source for wildlife including raccoon, red squirrel, wood duck and ruffed grouse.