Common Name: Sweetgum 
Family: Altingiaceae
Locations: there are 12 of these trees in our collection: for specific locations check our Living Collections database We also have some of the Asian species; Liquidambar acalycina, Liquidambar formosana and Liquidambar orientalis
Origin: Eastern, southeast and lower central United States, Mexico and Central America.
Height and Spread: to150 feet in the wild and 60-80 feet in cultivation
After our last couple weeks of wind storms most of the leaves have been blown from the trees. 

If you’re looking for a plant that will provide you and your neighbors with a “Wow” reaction during several seasons then you should consider beautyberry ‘Profusion’.

UW Farm is now harvesting celeriac, also known as celery root – a great addition to your rotation of fall root foods!

When it comes to outstanding summer flowering shrubs for PNW gardens, one should not overlook the genus Clethra. Clethra is a genus of about 75 species, mostly native to south and east Asia and the Americas.  It is one of two genera in the Clethraceae, which is closely related to the Ericaceae (Heather family).  They prefer lime-free soil and produce white, fragrant flowers in long racemes or panicles in July or August. 

Oxydendrum arboreum is a beautiful summer flowering tree with dramatic fall foliage.

Originally posted July 1, 2014
An evergreen hydrangea?!!  You betcha!
There are very few evergreen vines for gardeners in the Pacific Northwest, but this gorgeous gem from Asia is  becoming more readily available and it’s simply one of the coolest flowers you’ll ever get to witness opening.
From plump, peony-like buds, they begin to slowly crack open, a froth of fertile flowers begin to form and over the course of a few days, a flat umbel “lacecap” begins to form. 

This month, instead of profiling a plant, we’ll be profiling a completely different kind of organism… slime molds!
In the fall of 2015, the Elisabeth C. Miller Library at the Center for Urban Horticulture held an art exhibit about slime molds: Now You See It, the Slime Mold Revelation! I had never head of these organisms and was intrigued by the art display and the amazing enlarged photographs of their fruiting bodies. 

Is that dead looking conifer coming back to life? If it’s a pond cypress that delicate new green growth is a normal part of this deciduous conifer’s life cycle.

 
Corylopsis pauciflora, the buttercup winter hazel, is one of the most charming plants in the witch hazel family.  It features unique and colorful leaves, attractive and lightly fragrant flowers, fall color and is a good size for smaller gardens.  It is the smallest and most compact growing member of the genus.  The genus name means resembling (“opsis”) the leaf of a Corylus, or common hazel (though they are not related).   

Corokia cotoneaster may not be the first plant that you notice in the landscape, but it might be the plant keeps your attention the longest. This plant’s divaricate branching (having branches of wide angles) and its tiny dark evergreen leaves give it a sparse and angular look which is not a common sight among the green gardens in the Pacific Northwest.