As an African American woman who has worked in public gardens for the past eighteen years, I often experienced firsthand the need for greater diversity. The lack of inclusion in the workspace is not an issue exclusive to public gardens, but it should be noted that many public gardens in the United States were founded by white people and many are primarily staffed by white people, despite being located in communities of color.

Ferns are unique in that they do not flower or produce seeds, but instead reproduce vegetatively or through spores. If you’ve ever seen dark brown dots on the bottom of a fern frond – those are spores! Spores are most often found on the underside of fronds in clusters called sori.
1)  Woodwardia fimbriata                                                           Giant Chain Fern

This species is the largest fern native to North America and is found on the coast in moist coniferous forests from British Columbia to Baja California. 

Learn about Environmental Justice and how the UW Farm works to create a just community.

Here at the UW Botanic Gardens, we strive to make our spaces accessible to people of all backgrounds. We are grateful to members of our community for reaching out to inquire about the accessibility of our gardens. We have compiled a list of available resources on accessibile parking, trails, benches, and more for both the Washington Park Arboretum and Center for Urban Horticulture. 

We are excited to share a brand new collection of four digital tree tours for the Washington Park Arboretum! Developed by our AmeriCorps member, Thuy Luu, these tours feature some of the Arboretum’s iconic collections and seasonal attractions. This new free public programming invites visitors to dive deeper into the stories of the Arboretum’s tree collections and offers a variety of routes and themes to fit different schedules and interests. 

The term ‘living fossil’ was coined by Charles Darwin in his book, Origin of Species in 1859. Although definitions can vary, a living fossil generally refers to an organism that has remained in the fossil record for an unusually long time span with seemingly very little change. These organisms are fascinating case studies in plant evolution. Here are some of the living fossil plants that can be found in the Arboretum:
1)   Taiwania cryptomerioides                                                         Coffin Tree

This coniferous tree species is native to eastern Asia and is the only surviving member of its genus, descending from the middle Jurassic Period. 

Despite the cold snap we have been experiencing in Seattle, the UW Farm is hard at work preparing and planting our first crops across the Farm’s three campus locations.

Ten species of hemlock (Tsuga) are found across North America and Asia. When young, all species have a tell-tale drooping top or leader. The largest species, Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), is a common forest tree in the lowland Northwest. A popular landscape tree, Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) is native to higher elevation forests of the Northwest. Check out some of the other hemlocks in the Arboretum collection! 

We’re excited to share the news that UWBG, the Arboretum Foundation, and Seattle Parks & Recreation have been selected to participate in the Central Park Conservancy’s 2022 Partnerships Lab program!

Tired of just salad or sautéing your kale? What about some bright, nutty kale and peanuts pesto? Made with just a few simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. Super quick, super easy. All you need to do is to whizz everything together. It goes well with pasta, bread, pizza, sandwiches, and more!