Recent Arboretum visitors may have noticed some unusual pruning, specifically in our Holly and Camellia collections.  The camellia specimens, located near the Lookout parking lot, will be re-propagated and planted in a different location to make space for the Pacific Connections New Zealand focal forest.  Large heading cuts were made to induce new epicormic growth, or watersprouts, which are ideal for propagation.   

In late February UW Interim President Phyllis Wise sent a report to the Washington State Legislature regarding potential budget cuts at UW specifically naming the Washington Park Arboretum. In response the Arboretum Foundation Board sent President Wise a letter urging her to maintain funding at current levels. Local writer Valerie Easton provides background information on this issue and contact details for state legislators. 

The University of Washington Botanic Gardens would like to thank Tree Solutions, Inc. for bringing the latest technology in tree risk assessment to the Washington Park Arboretum.  Tree Solutions assessed a large western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) using sonic tomography, a device which measures sound waves to detect decay and other abnormalities in wood.
Assessing the risk associated with trees is a vital component to maintaining the urban forest.  

UW Botanic Gardens Collection Manager, Randall Hitchin, reported that the majority of new plants added in 2010 represent plants that have never grown at the Arboretum before and one-third of specimens grew from wild collected seeds. The annual Curatorial Report for 2010 gives a summary of the plant collection statistics, including the total number of specimens and number of plant families represented.

UW Botanic Gardens Collection Manager reports the majority of the hollies transplanted in 1999 are in good or excellent condition.

Every month on the first and third Sundays get outside and enjoy a free guided tour of the beautiful Arboretum. 11am – 12:30pm and 1 – 2:30pm. Theme for March: Harbingers of Spring.

You may recall that last spring’s BioBlitz in the Washington Park Arboretum resulted in some interesting finds, thanks to the efforts of more than 100 citizen scientists, university students and professionals. One of those discoveries may be a new Philodromus crab spider.

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Thank you to the Gordon and Irene Bergum Trust and everyone else who gave a gift and/or volunteered their time to UWBG in 2010. Donors and volunteers are critical to the continued success of UW Botanic Gardens.

The winter landscape is incomplete without the presence of twig-dogwoods. Their stately, yet elegant stems, vibrant color and imposing form in the garden is remarkable. What’s more impressive is their adaptability and ease of growth. They are tolerant of most soils, are drought tolerant once established and the ability to recover from almost being mowed down to the ground each spring and produce brightly colored stems the following winter is extraordinary. 

In the 2010 legislative session, a bill was introduced that required the Washington State Department of Transportation, in its efforts to push forward the 520 bridge renovation and replacement, to focus on minimizing and addressing potential impacts to the Washington Park Arboretum.  A group representing the Arboretum Botanical Garden Committee, which advises the University of Washington, City of Seattle and The Arboretum Foundation on the management and stewardship of the Washington Park Arboretum, worked with WSDOT on addressing issues outlined in ESSB 6392.