Did you know that the Washington Park Arboretum often serves as a research site for researchers at the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences? Recently, researchers at UW have been using the Arboretum to study LIDAR and its applications.

The latest issue of the Rare Plant Press is out.  Learn about the rare Astragalus plant, projects to conduct a population  estimate of the largest Sidalcea oregana var. calva and mapping Sisyrinchium sarmentosum populations, and more! The Rare Plant Press is a publication of Rare Care, a program dedicated to conserving Washington’s native rare plants. 

In early May UWBG suffered a sever vandalism attack of  in the Gateway to Chile garden. This follows similar vandalism last May in the same location and in some cases, the same plants.  KOMO news covered the story with an interview with the Manager of Horticulture, David Zuckerman:
 
Yesterday Director Sarah Reichard received a call from a private banker representing an anonymous donor and by late yesterday UWBG had a check to cover the estimated costs to replace plants and repair the damages – $43,000! 

Dependable, vigorous and low maintenance Geum is one of the best performing new plants growing in the Soest Garden.

1)  Azara lanceolata

An evergreen shrub with arching branches and lance-shaped leaves, A. lanceolata bears clustered yellow flowers in mid to late spring. Native to South America, Azaras is a genus of 10 species within the family, Flacourtiaceae.
Located in the double lot on the east side of Arboretum Drive.

2)  Cercis siliquastrum   (Judas-tree)

A deciduous tree usually of low, bushy habit, C. 

Last winter we told you about Abby Aresty, a Seattle-based composer, sound artist and UW doctoral student in music, who was raising money for a sound installation in the Washington Park Arboretum.

Did you know that the Camas bulb with its stunning blue and purple star-shaped flowers is native to the western US?
We recently spotted some Camas in bloom in the Union Bay Natural Area near parking lot E5. Go have a look! 

1) Camellia japonica ‘Drama Girl’

Hybridized in 1950, this winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit has very large, semi-double, deep salmon rose pink flowers.
Located in the Camellia Collection on the east side of Arboretum Drive.

2) Ilex aquifolium ‘Ferox Argentea’ (Hedgehog Holly)

This holly is a large, bushy evergreen shrub with small, spiny leaves whose upper surfaces as well as the margins are broadly-edged with creamy white. 

We have been back from Cuba for about a month and I am still sorting it out in my head. As I said before, it is a far more complicated place than I expected to find. My fellow adventurers continue to email new articles and books they are finding about Cuba, suggesting that they also are trying to reconcile what we experienced. 

On Saturday, April 14th join the Student Conservation Association (SCA), the University of Washington Botanic Gardens (UWBG), and Seattle Parks and Recreation for a day of fun service projects at the Washington Park Arboretum.