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.

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!

Along with the constant rain and drizzle, winter in the Pacific Northwest often brings the occasional wind and snow events.  Damage to trees (and caused by trees!) is inevitable following these storms.  While wind events tend to cause the most spectacular tree failures, snow loads have been known to fell their fair share of limbs.  Damage to Arboretum trees has been lower than expected during the course of the most recent snow; however, our evergreen oak collection in Rhododendron Glen took a severe hit. 

Answer: Yes! Weddings and all social events are a natural fit at the beautiful Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH) and Washington Park Arboretum (WPA). Weddings and many other social events are booked months, even a year, in advance at both of these sites.

Seattle-based composer, sound artist and UW doctoral student in music Abby Aresty has designed an amazing sound installation for the Washington Park Arboretum planned for autumn 2012. But she needs to raise more money for equipment to build the installation. Please help!

Bioblitz 2011 has come and gone, and like last year I find myself still thinking about how awesome it was a week.5 after the fact.  It’s a lot to pull together and 10 days seems about right as far as decompression goes.  I can’t quite put my finger on it, but bioblitzes tap into so many different fibers of my genetic memory.  

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. 

The public is invited to a presentation of the Oral History of UWBG project on Tuesday, November 1, from 5 – 7 pm in the Miller Library. Several displays will showcase the interview collection and will remain on exhibit in the library from Oct 21 until the week of Nov 20.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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.