Did you know that the Camas bulb with its stunning blue and purple star-shaped flowers is native to the western US?
We recently spotted some Camas in bloom in the Union Bay Natural Area near parking lot E5. Go have a look! 

1) Camellia japonica ‘Drama Girl’

Hybridized in 1950, this winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit has very large, semi-double, deep salmon rose pink flowers.
Located in the Camellia Collection on the east side of Arboretum Drive.

2) Ilex aquifolium ‘Ferox Argentea’ (Hedgehog Holly)

This holly is a large, bushy evergreen shrub with small, spiny leaves whose upper surfaces as well as the margins are broadly-edged with creamy white. 

Celebrate Earth Day at the Arboretum on April 22nd from 10am-12pm!
Washington Park Arboretum and Wilderness Awareness School have teamed up to offer a family-friendly Earth Day event. Bring your family, bring your friends and come celebrate the earth, play games, do a small service project and eat yummy earth snacks. 

1)   Berberis darwinii

Darwin’s barberry is one of the showiest of the genus with striking orange flowers opening from red buds.
Unlike most other Berberis (including our native species), Berberis darwinii produce sweet fruit in the fall.
A large mass can be found in the Chilean entry garden in Pacific Connections, as well as the Chilean hillside along Lake Washington Boulevard. 

1)  Coriaria napalensis

This is one of three species of Coriaria in the Arboretum.
It is growing near Azalea Way, north of the Pine Collection (grid 23-1W).
Our other two species are C. japonica in Rhododendron Glen and C. sarmentosa (a New Zealand native) on Arboretum Drive in grid 11-7E.

2)  Lindera obtusiloba

Native to China, Japan, and Korea
L. obtusiloba is most noted for its early spring flowers, but also has rare fall color (pure yellow) on its openly-spreading form. 

The earliest Rhododendrons are featured cuttings on display in the Graham Visitors Center at the Arboretum.

1) Eucalyptus pauciflora ssp. niphophila    (Alpine Snow Gum)

Known for distinct blue-green foliage
Slower growing than other Eucalyptus species
Located north of the Pacific Connections Garden, east of the Lookout parking lot

2) Lithocarpus densiflorus    (Tanbark Oak)

Native to California and southern Oregon, easily grown in Seattle
Highly susceptible to Sudden Oak Death
Found north of Rhododendron Glen

3) Maytenus boaria    (Mayten Tree)

Known for fine textured foliage
Native to Chile
Located near Rhododendron Glen and the Camellias

4) Quercus suber    (Cork Oak)

Corky bark harvested for wine corks and dartboards
Native to Spain and Portugal
Found near along Arboretum Drive near the Giant Sequoias

5) Sycopsis sinensis    (Chinese Fighazel)

A relative of the witch hazel
Extremely rare in Seattle
Located near Pacific Connections Australia Entry Garden 

Holbrook has planned a wonderful trip for us. We will be visiting botanic gardens, meeting their staff and scientists and consulting with some of the urban farmers in Havana to learn how they make the most of every square inch they farm.

The Washington Park Arboretum is full of quiet nooks, unusual plants, and hidden groves where our imagination can run free and our curiosity is hooked. Bring your family and come find this special spot!

One of the many engaging courses offered to the undergraduate and graduate students at the Center for Urban Horticulture is the Restoration Capstone Sequence. In this course, students of different academic backgrounds work together to complete a local ecological restoration project. Students plan, design, install, and monitor a restoration project while working in teams over the course of eight months, beginning in fall of each year.