1) Arbutus unedo (Strawberry tree)

Selected cuttings from the Washington Park Arboretum (October 3 – 16, 2011)

 Evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean and southwest Ireland, specifically the islands
and shores of the Lakes of Killarney, where it attains its largest (40 ft. or more in height)
dimensions.
The flowers of A. unedo arrive late in the season, and are followed by the globose
strawberry-like fruits that are orange-red in color. 

After a nonexistent summer, we’re now charging forward and anticipating the return of rain and cooler temperatures, the shorter days, and all the fall tasks that seem to just ramp up without warning.
Autumn can be a mesmerizing time of year as many plants, particularly in the Soest Perennial Display Garden, have reached their full potential in growth and in many cases, abundant bloom. 

Species of Sorbus are commonly known as whitebeam, rowan, service tree, and mountain ash. All these cuttings are from the Brian Mulligan Sorbus Collection, located to the east of Arboretum Drive across from the Magnolia Collection.

1) Sorbus aucuparia (European Rowan)

Sorbus aucuparia is native to most of Europe except for the far south, and northern Asia.
It is listed as a ‘Weed of Concern’ by the King County Noxious Weed Board because of its propensity to spread seeds far and wide via birds. 

I had the opportunity to attend two “brown bag lunch” presentations over the past week.  The first was delivered last Friday by a visiting Russian botanist named Valentin Yakubov.  Valentin is a leading scientist at the Institute of Biology and Soil Science, part of the Russian Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Science. Valentin is a specialist when it comes to the flora of the RFE and was brought over with grant funding from a private foundation as part of a continuing partnership between Vladivostok Botanic Garden and the UW Botanic Gardens.  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Each fall, the Washington Park Arboretum Education and Outreach Program provides training for new and veteran guides who lead school field trips and/or Weekend Walks. This fall, guides learned firsthand about current plant-related research at the University of Washington. Hyde Herbarium Collections Manager and School of Forest Resources (SFR) graduate student Katie Murphy spoke about fall plant physiology and offered pointers for leading groups in the field. 

And the astonishing United Way “Day of Caring”  numbers are in!

103 total volunteers working 417 hours!

Representing 4 companies/corporations: AT&T, Japan Business Association, Microsoft, Nordstrom

Completing 5 projects:

AT&T – Holly Collection

3 truckloads of blackberry and weeds hauled out, roots and all!

Native plant bed and holly berm weeded and mulched!

Japan Business Association-Pacific Connections Garden, Siskiyou Slope

Weeded over 1,100 linear feet of 8’wide pathways and hauled out 3 truckloads of weeds!

UW undergraduate Jeanine Carlson developed a draft proposal for the Campus Sustainability Fund as her Capstone project. The proposal imagines a cafe and permaculture demonstration garden at the Washington Park Arboretum.
Jeanine shares her vision for the proposal:
The Permaculture Perennial Guild Garden is a display and study of permaculture perennial plant guilds in an event hosting site. It provides visual demonstration, experiential learning, and a place for community to gather in sharing, learning and celebration. 

“C” is for Conifer
1)  Cedrus libanii ssp. atlantica ‘Aurea’ (syn. Cedrus atlantica ‘Aurea’)

Native to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco
Young leaves have a bright yellow cast, maturing to blue-green.
This specimen is located in the North Pinetum.

2)  Chamaecyparis lawsoniana x pisifera

Hybrid of the Japanese Sawara cypress and our own Port Orford cedar
We have a specimen along the Pinetum Trail, south of the Wilcox Bridge. 

Recent UW graduate, Lisa Haglund, worked with UWBG staff and faculty and teams of high school students to plant natives in rain gardens to control and clean stormwater run-off at CUH. Read Lisa’s project narrative or visit the site.

Catalpa X erubescens (Hybrid Catalpa)
Hibiscus ‘Lohengrin’
Kalopanax pictus (Prickly castor-oil tree)
Quercus hypoleucoides (Silverleaf oak)
Sequoia sempervirens ‘Henderson Blue’

Complete details.