Of all spring emphemeral bulbs, Galanthus have been revered and loved for many centuries and have always been the harbingers of spring as their noses poke up and their gentle blossoms push through the snow.

Now that I have been back a couple of days, this is the phrase that keeps coming back to describe our trip. We were happy to be there, happy to be experiencing everything together, and amazed at how much we did in such a short time.

This morning Dan and a few brave hobbits started early for the long journey to Mordor. The rest of us slept in and had a lovely three hour hike through Andean steppe vegetation.

We are in Patagonia. STOP. Weather is great. STOP. Yurts are fabulous! STOP. We will not be returning. STOP. So sorry. STOP. Have a nice life. STOP

Auracaria! Embothrium! Drimys! Oh my! We have had exciting few days in the Lake District, seeing old friends from our gardens and being captivated by new ones. We arrived in the area and nearly immediately went into the Andes to see Auracaria auracana in the wild.

Cedrus libani ssp. Atlantica (Atlas cedar)
Chimonanthus praecox (Wintersweet)
Eucalyptus pauciflora (Cabbage gum)
Lonicera standishii
Poncirus trifoliata (Hardy orange)

Complete details. 

Wow! No wait, that is not good enough. WOW! No, still not enough. WOWWOWWOWWOW!!!! We saw some amazing gardens designed by Juan Grimm, a Chilean architect who has designed over 300 fabulous gardens.

We all arrived, weather is great, and we met Juan Grimm and are excited about seeing some gardens he designed. Details later.

The start of the new year brings with it a bit of sad news as one of our gardeners here at CUH has decided to take another position that’s full time, leaving just two half-time gardeners to oversee the grounds here. With our staff so limited as it is to oversee all aspects of the work we do and a budget that’s going to see more cuts, getting a new gardener sometime soon is highly unlikely. 

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.