It’s finally beginning to feel like summer; fairly consistent warm temperatures, scrambling to get containers adequately watered, and gravitation towards shade when working outdoors!
The past few weeks have been so busy and incredibly productive as we’ve been fortunate to have an arsenal of interns, work study students, and volunteers help us out in grounds several times a week this summer. 

News and media reports on the State Route 520 Bridge Replacement

Google News
Seattle Times
Seattle PI
The Stranger
PNWLocalNews.com 

Fuchsia magellanica
Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Blue Bird’
Ilex purpurea
Lomatia myricoides

**Editor’s Note: Buddleja ‘Lochinch’ (Butterfly Bush) was removed from this list due to concerns over invasiveness potential.
Complete details. 

On July 14 a UWBG Facebook fan asked us what’s the story of Herb Robert at the Arboretum. UWBG Horticulturalist, David Zuckerman, replies with background information and his personal experience with this stinky weed.
Herb Robert, aka, Stinking Robert. Geranium robertianum is an escaped ornamental herbaceous perennial native to Europe. It has quite a history of folklore and medicinal uses. It is a class B noxious weed in Washington(1998?) and first seen in our state in 1911, Klickitat. 

Alangium platanifolium
Fagus sylvatica ‘Asplenifolia’ (Cut-leaf Beech)
Pterostyrax psilophylla (Epaulette Tree)
Quercus x bushii ‘Seattle Trident’
Stewartia monadelpha (Orangebark Stewartia)

Complete details. 

We are experiencing quite a heatwave after weeks of cloudy, overcast and rainy days here in Seattle. We’re thankful for the sunshine and all, but the sudden warmth is a little unbearable without the transition to warmer temperatures we should have had in late May.
Everything is picking up with this surge of heat as irrigation is also in full swing. 

Taxonomically confusing and indecisive, but I am so enamored by this small tree from China.
We have this stunning specimen growing here at CUH (within the Fragrance Garden, though it’s not fragrant at all) and, each June-July, I stare in amazement at the glossy evergreen foliage blushed in deep red and bronze with a smattering of star-like bracts that cover almost the entire tree from top to bottom. 

Argyrocytisus battandieri
Kalmia latifolia
Ostrya carpinifolia
Philadelphus lewisii
Styrax japonica

Complete details. 

Two leaning mature red oaks (Quercus rubra) fell last week in the arboretum. The one that went down at the north end of Azalea Way, near our famous propped Willow oak, was witnessed by several onlookers as our arborist Chris Watson was hurredly trying to stablize it from going over. He never had a chance. The popping and cracking noises from severing roots on the backside kept getting louder and more frequent. 

One of David Austin’s timeless tributes to the famous garden designer. In bloom since mid-May, this English Rose is one of the most captivating and richly scented of all his hybrids and does reasonably well for us in the Puget Sound region.
Common Name: Gertrude Jekyll Rose
Location: Soest Garden Bed 5
Family: Rosaceae
Origin: Garden Origin
Height: 4-6ft.
Spread: 5-6ft.