The WPA guides and education staff recently visited Seattle’s Dunn Garden on one of our enrichment tours. We visit local gardens regularly as part of our commitment to further education so that we, as guides, can provide WPA visitors a great tour experience.
The Dunn Garden, like the arboretum, was designed by James Dawson of the Olmstead Brothers landscape design firm, While the WPA was designed in the 1930’s as a natural park to house the plant collection, the Dunn Garden is a private formal garden surrounding residences and predates our park by almost 30 years. 

UWBG Horticulture and Plant Records staff had a very busy, productive and satisfying summer. A cold wet June and early July pushed extraordinary plant growth. Then, just as quickly as we could say, “No summer in Seattle”, the heavens went dry and we experienced an historic dry spell.

The Japanese maple collection in the arboretum boasts more than 90 different cultivars, many of which have been new plantings in the last few years.

1)   Cotoneaster conspicuus

This showy member of the rose family is native to Tibet.
Like most other specimens of the genus Cotoneaster, C. conspicuus has an equally stunning, early summer display of white flowers.
C. conspicuus can be viewed along the north border of the Graham Visitor Center parking lot.

2)   Ilex verticillata ‘Winter Red’      Black Alder, Winterberry

Native to eastern North America, winterberry is an important winter food source for wildlife including raccoon, red squirrel, wood duck and ruffed grouse. 

I walked through the arboretum this week looking for early fall color in the park. This Fothergilla major always seems to be one of our first color transformations and its brilliant  reds and oranges drew me to it as usual.
The Fothergilla major is a deciduous shrub native to the Southeastern U.S. where its common name is Witch Alder. Though not an alder, it is in the Hamamelidaceae family and, like its relative Witch Hazel, is a wonderful deciduous shrub for any garden. 

are going like gangbusters! Between the months of September and November, we have over 1300 kids signed up for fieldtrips.
Our guides have been loving the mild weather and teaching and learning from these budding naturalists. The Arboretum is such an amazing place to explore; all of the senses can be engaged, well, except for taste! Those of us in the field are so fortunate to be able to teach a variety of topics to kids based on what they are learning in class. 

Congratulations, Annie!
Not only for having a photo that was one of the winners in our August Kids Digital Photography Contest, but for one of your photos making it onto the Visiting Seattle page of our city’s website! Annie’s amazing photo is 4th on the slide show.
Kids RULE! 

In July 2012 the Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded a Museums for America grant to UW Botanic Gardens to integrate an all-inclusive database, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology. The multi-part project will ultimately allow for one point of access to herbarium, horticultural and curitorial records linked to an Arc-GIS generated map, searchable from any web-connected devise. The database will be used to advance environmental research, improve Arboretum management and expand interpretation of the woody plant collections. 

Planted behind the wooden benches in the Fragrance Garden, ‘Sally Holmes’ is an absolute standout when in full bloom.

1)   Acer diabolicum  (Horned Maple)

This maple is one of the least ornamental of the native maples of Japan.
It is named for the tiny horn-like appendages between the winged seeds.
Ours is growing beside the Japanese Garden parking lot.

2)   Koelreuteria bipinnata

Named after a German professor of botany, J.G. Koelreuter (1733-1806), it is impossible for English speakers to pronounce.