Get bogged down in Cascadia and see firsthand how the horticulturalists at the Washington Park Arboretum recreate a native bog.

We’d seen this event on our itinerary prior to the trip and not thought much about it, but now it was being billed as a much bigger deal that several higher-ups would be attending, the U.S. Consulate for Vladivostok among them.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We woke early, after what felt like the best night’s sleep I’d had in years.  Evenings in Vlad are on the cool side, perfect for sleeping.  After a rather strange breakfast of buttery succotash pasta, a fried chicken leg, and fried egg, we headed over to the botanical garden to have a look around and tag along on a series of tours lined up in honor of “Environmental Education Week”. 

Greetings from Vladivostok, Russia!

Triteleia are somewhat of a taxonomic nightmare, but truly a much overlooked summer flowering bulb!

Acer macrophyllum ‘Kimballiae’ (cut leaf Oregon maple)
Lithocarpus densiflorus (tanbark oak)
Neolitsea sericea
Styrax obassia (bigleaf snowbell tree)
Trochodendron aralioides (wheel tree)

Complete details. 

Are you a conscientious gardener?
How up-to-date are you on pest and invasive plant management, peat and vermiculite, water conservation and coexistence with native animals? Dr. Sarah Reichard, Professor and Acting Director of the UW Botanic Gardeners, has just made it a whole lot easier to garden responsibly with her 2011 book, The Conscientious Gardener: Cultivating a Garden Ethic.
Reviews of the book:

New York Times recommended summer gardening reads
Seattle garden writer and former Miller Library manager, Val Easton’s review in the Seattle Times. 

Aesculus pavia (Red Buckeye)
Lonicera ciliosa
Lonicera maackii var. erubescens
Lithocarpus densiflorus var. echinoides (Dwarf Tan Oak)
Laburnum x watereri ‘Vossii’ (Hybrid Goldenchain Tree)

Complete details. 

Walking down the Soest Garden path, it’s very easy to miss seeing Nodding Chocolate Flower, a remarkable perennial plant all the way from South Africa.

May Fieldtrips
The two days that GROW high school students visited CUH and
the UW Farm were full of sunshine. Students from Susan Barth’s horticulture class at Nova High School and students from Jessica Torvik’s horticulture/ecology classes were introduced to resources for their GROW projects through scheduled tours and activities. Maggie Roses’ science classes from Ingraham focused on working with Lisa
Haglund and Patrick Mulligan on the site prep and plant installation in the
newly restored storm water garden at CUH.