A licorice fragranced vegetable may seem like a strange combination, unless you have come across fennel, the whole plant, feathery frond and bulging stem. As it turns out, this aromatic perennial (or annual depending on your climate) in the carrot family has a fascinating history, playing a medicinal and even mystical role in our culture since ancient times.
As a commercial farmer years ago, I explored growing fennel to appeal to high-end restaurant chefs, In the last five years at the campus farm, I have learned that it is simple to grow, has many organic uses (beneficial insects love it!) and newly discovered recipes continue to pull me into its culinary orbit. 

UW Botanic Gardens welcomes Dr. Christina Owen as Director, starting September 13, and School of Environmental and Forest Sciences Professor Dr. Josh Lawler as the new Faculty Director.

1)   Castanea dentata                                                                    American Chestnut

American Chestnut once dominated many forests from Maine and southern Ontario to Mississippi and from the Atlantic coast to the Appalachian Mountains, and was once one of the most common trees in the northeastern United States.
American Chestnut suffered a catastrophic population collapse due to the chestnut blight, a disease caused by an Asian bark fungus (Cryphonectria parasitica). 

21 U.S. Urban Agriculture Public Garden-Community Partner Collaborations Awarded Funds

In March of 2020, in-person gatherings were shut down as the COVID-19 pandemic had just begun. Program offerings at our gardens and all over the world ceased, but the demand for educational opportunities only increased while people diligently stayed home. Flash forward two months, the UW Botanic Gardens offered our first ever adult education class on a virtual platform. Unsure of how the class would go, all 29 people registered for the previously planned in-person class “Gardening with the Seasons: Spring,” logged onto Zoom. 

1)     Acer palmatum ‘Nuresagi’                                                     Japanese Maple

Now that the vivid colors of the emerging foliage of Japanese Maples have faded, it is time to appreciate the summer beauty of the sometimes, very colorful samaras (winged achene containing the maple seed).
Not all Japanese Maples produce showy samaras, but some cultivars are known specifically for this.
Acer palmatum ‘Nuresagi’ (“nuresagi” translates to “wet heron”) is located at the edge of the Upper Woodland Garden Pond. 

As we look forward to the warmth of the summer, let’s take a moment to appreciate one of the first berries that ripens in our region – salmonberry. The scientific name is Rubus spectabilis and is appropriately named for its showy flowers and berries. The genus Rubus is derived from ruber, the Latin word for red, while spectabilis is Latin for spectacular, notable, or showy. 

The Miller Library staff celebrates Pride Month with a collection of our best resources by and about LGBTQ gardeners and plantspeople. Throughout the month of June, watch for Facebook posts highlighting our favorite titles. Borrowers can also place holds on specific items from the catalog list, and view the covers using our online shelf browse tool.

Choosing these titles was challenging. 

The peninsula north of the Linden Parking Lot (#16) is sometimes referred to as the Lagoon.  Enjoy these trees while walking, birding, viewing wildlife, or boating.
1)     Nothofagus antarctica                                                 Antarctic Beech

This tree is native to southern Chile and Argentina.
A deciduous tree with shaggy bark and small glossy leaves can be found north of the canoe launch.
It was once believed to be the southernmost growing tree on Earth until 2019, when a Nothofagus betuloides was found on the same island just slightly further south on Hornos Island, Chile. 

Only 90 minutes south of Seattle is an exquisite but threatened habitat: the South Sound Prairies. Prior to the arrival of Euro-American settlers, the Northwest prairie ecosystem west of the Cascades thrived under management by Native Americans, from Oregon’s Willamette Valley north to the San Juan Islands and into southwestern British Columbia. Today, less than 3% of that original habitat survives, and plants dependent on the prairies’ unique soil and topography require vigorous protection.